r/cats • u/PercentageJealous914 • 24d ago

Advice First time cat owner

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Hey guys, I just got a cat yesterday and it’s my first time owning a pet in general. When i brought it in my house yesterday, dude was a lil scared I think cuz of the environment and went under my couch a couple of times. So I moved him to my laundry room, just to get him in one small room so he wouldn’t escape or freak out.

This morning I checked in on him and he’s doing better and cuddling with me.

Just wanna say I’ll appreciate any advice as a first time cat owner

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u/Exotic-Student7266 24d ago

Oh wow! You got an orange one?! You in for a wild ride, lol!! (Just kidding, all kittens are wild). Make sure he’s got all his shots. Make sure he’s neutered before he gets to the age where he starts spraying. What worked well for me with my cat was I was very hands on with him when he was a kitten. Lots of cuddles, pets, and picking him up. So that way he was used to being handled. It made vet trips much easier since he was used to being picked up. What I WISH I did, was clip his nails and play with his paws. Now he’s all grown up and is freaked out by the idea of getting his nails clipped. So get started early so it becomes normal. LAST THING, either get pet insurance OR set aside a few dollars each week in savings for vet visits. My cat ended up having an autoimmune disorder (took like 10 years to figure it out) and it was a SUPER EXPENSIVE journey.

HAVE FUN!!!!

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u/PercentageJealous914 24d ago

I got pet insurance from the shelter and I’m gonna be getting him rabies shot and Frcp shot in a few days. He was neutered before they gave him to me

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u/WeenLebowskiOG 24d ago

Important: Don’t let him use your hands as biting toys, you want to discourage it even though he is so cute! They can get overwhelmed and hurt you by mistake; it’s best to play with toys (so he doesn’t see you or your hands as fair game). Best of luck with your new buddy, may he have a long happy life!

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u/Dicky-1 24d ago

This is so true, my daughter gave me this advice and now that they are grown they don’t treat hands as toys to bite

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u/jpp3252 24d ago

This is true! I adopted a 4 year old cat who is bitey lol. It hurts but he does it out of love 😭 it’s been a year now and we haven’t been able to kick the habit yet.

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u/semperrabbit 24d ago

One thing I do, is I've got a heavy leather glove i put on to play with them that mine can't bite through. They know hands are of limits, but get excited when they see that glove come out. They can go all out, 100% power with bites, clawing and kicking when I roughhouse with the glove. Helps em get some pent up energy out lol

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u/city_druid 24d ago

We have a pair of welding gloves we use for wood stove stuff and they’re fantastic cat play gloves :D

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u/rab2bar 24d ago

One of my cats could bite through the heavy leather vet gloves.

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u/WeenLebowskiOG 23d ago

“Challenge accepted, mortal” muahahaha

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u/Craggy444 24d ago

There are some great interactive toys that look like fishing poles.

You move the "bait" like a live creature, and let them catch it sometimes, so that they don't get frustrated. 🐀🐛 🦋

They can burn off energy (good before bedtime) but it doesn't wear you out!

They say that if you play then give them a food treat at the end, it's like a successful hunt for the "wild" cat in them. 🐯

Wishing you all the joy, cuddles and hilarity of life with your buddy! 🧡

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u/JamesLemon4 24d ago

Nah, let em nibble but teach them the limits of play. My cat loves wrestling with my hands. It hurts but he doesn’t go far enough to draw blood. I can see that not being for everyone though.

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u/Useful_Project4898 24d ago

I agree. I think it's good to teach them boundaries. As long as you let them know when they go too far and hurt you, playing with bare hands isn't terrible.

I have two cats -- one just had her first birthday at the end of July and the other one is still 10 months. I prefer playing with a covered hand but I will also play with them bare handed. If they start to get too rough, I always say "OUCH!!" really loud and then will stop playing for a bit so they really understand that what they did was not ok.

Two kittens makes a big difference also. They get out so much more energy running together and jumping on each other.

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u/Eldias 24d ago

That's a great trick! You're kind of mimicking how cats learn play boundaries with each, if one gets a bit rough the one that's not having fun will make plenty of noise about it.

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u/Useful_Project4898 24d ago

I'm basically just a big hairless cat to them anyway! 😄

I also started hissing at the gray one when he jumps up into my kitchen counters. 😅 Yelling at cats is usually pointless but a loud "hiss" and a firm no works pretty well!

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u/Eldias 24d ago

My last pack of cats started with a stray, pregnant, little black cat. Her way of saying "no" to the kittens as they grew up was huffing at them from her nose. It worked great for me! Up on the table? Huff. The counter? Huff. Looking at the wood stove in winter? Huff. They all got it perfect.

I tried it with my new cats two years ago and they looked at me like "the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

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u/ru-berry 24d ago

same with your feet - if he bites or scratches you and it hurts at all, let him know with a big “OUCH!” and he’ll learn what’s too rough - also there’s a good chance he’ll go for your feet when you’re under covers at some point so be ready for that and just let him know those are your feet moving around and he can’t chomp on them

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u/Useful_Project4898 23d ago

Omg yes! My feet were attacked first, actually. That was the first thing I had to teach but its been so long now, that I forgot! My gray boy has a high prey drive and would try to attack my feet if he saw them peaking out from my pants as I would walk AND attack them under the covers at night. I never tried to use my feet to play with him, but it didn't matter!

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u/Every_Royal_2846 23d ago

Thank you for taking the time to explain this

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u/jeskersz 24d ago

Or do allow and even encourage playing gotyourface/murderfight if you've got the stomach for it. My girl fucking loved it, and she knew if I said ouch it was time to stop and give apology snuggles/kisses.

Noticing the permanent scars on my arms and hands from 16 years of playing is one of the only things that still makes me smile now that she's gone.

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u/Only_Watercress_5538 24d ago

100%. I know someone who used their hand as toys. That cat was the biggest asshole ever and scratched anyone who even tried to pet him or just bring their hand close.

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u/GlitteringCobbler987 24d ago

I taught my kitten 'owie no' when she'd bite my hands and pretend to cry. One time she was scratching the couch and I said owie no and she actually stopped!!

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u/Joeness84 23d ago

Interesting, Ive taken a few cats from kitten/stray to pet and all of them I play like they'd play with littermates. You teach them what "hurts" by making a deal out of the little scratches and they get really good at swatting with paws instead of claws.

I will not pretend this doesnt start with a fair number of scratches from kitties, but Ive got like 6 adult cats that I get to romp around with actively and its never even a concern that I'll get scratched.

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u/nomorecheeks 24d ago

Great job and congratulations! As Exotic Student said, get him used to being touched in all kinds of ways- touch his paws, his ears, start brushing his teeth. Do everything slowly with positive reinforcement. There are great videos online for how to start brushing their teeth, clipping their nails, wiping them down, giving them a bath, etc. And get him used to meeting different people. Ideally, you can also get him used to going in his cat carrier for things that aren't the vet- put him in it for a car ride or a walk, etc., and then give lots of positive reinforcement after, so he doesn't just associate it with negative things.

Cats have a natural rhythm- play (hunt for their food), eat, bathe (to get the smell of their "prey" off them, nap. Understanding this will help you a lot. Also, I know others have recommended Jackson Galaxy videos, and I completely agree. He'll also tell you how important play is to cats. It's exercise, satisfies their predatory instincts, is mental stimulation and fun for them, and it builds their confidence. Kittens especially need lots of playing to get their energy out and to learn to explore the world.

Cats have faulty design in their kidneys and most cats wind up with kidney disease if they live long enough (usually around 10, so when they still hopefully have many years left). Do things to encourage drinking water (don't keep the food bowl right next to the water- in the wild, they would think the water is contaminated), and try to feed only wet food if you can (it helps them hydrate, which is less taxing on the kidneys). Avoid plastic as much as you can (bowls, etc.)- there is some research that microplastics might contribute to kidney disease. (There is a potential breakthrough coming for this very soon, so hopefully it stops being a problem for cats soon!).

Cats communicate really well, if you "listen" to them. If your cat seems like he's trying to communicate something, he probably is. Try to think like he would and see if you can get what he's saying. Also, despite what people say, cats are trainable, and I think they do want to please their people. Mine sits, high fives, and lies down on command (and enjoys doing his tricks!). If you're interested in training him, you can find videos to teach you online.

Pay attention to his litter box habits. Male cats are built with faulty urinary tract wiring and are more likely to get urinary blockages than female cats- these can be deadly, but area treatable. If your cat ever doesn't pee for 24 hours or doesn't poop for 48, that warrants an immediate vet visit. The same with vomiting. And learn what things are toxic to cats so you can avoid them- Advil is toxic for them to eat, as are some plants and flowers. NEVER have lilies in the house- even the pollen in the air can be fatal to cats. I am not saying any of that to scare you, just to help you avoid stress in the future and to have a long happy life with Aiko.

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u/bwsmith201 24d ago

All very good advice. Definitely keep an eye on the litter box to be aware of the urinary retention issue. One of our male cats had one incident with that when he was very young and has now been eating a specific food the vet put him on and it’s never happened again. But it can happen quick so just keep an eye out. Our other male cat has never had it happen so it’s certainly not a sure thing!

Beautiful boy. He’ll bring you a ton of happiness! Just ride out the occasional irritation if and when they happen. He has a lot of love to give once he’s settled!

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u/No_Establishment8642 24d ago

If he is not chipped, please do so. Sometimes these 4 legged furry people like to go on walk-abouts. If they forget the directions home, the chip can be very helpful.

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u/Onebraintwoheads 24d ago

If you haven't done it before, look up guides on trimming their claws. They have have tiny veins and nerves in there; learning how to spot them means you won't accidentally hurt your buddy.

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u/Touch49 24d ago

that’s perfect!

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u/DudeOfDudess 24d ago

In addition to the great advice you received in the last comment, getting kitty used to having their teeth brushed is also a money saver in the long run!

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u/Only_Watercress_5538 24d ago

Get your kitty some soft paws on then you don't need to worry about your furniture getting scratched up. If they get used to them getting put on as kittens, they're chill about it going forward.

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u/Slysparrow9 24d ago

Oh you're gonna be such a good cat dad!

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u/papayameow 24d ago

Heres another tip: start a savings account for your buddy now. I use wealthfront, it takes out money from every paycheck and divides it into categories. One of my categories is for my cats. Pet insurance is great but vet bills can still be very high. If you deposit even $25 a month you can have $3000 set aside by the time he’s 10. Thats the point when high vet bills become more probable. Its easier to save while they’re young. Personally I do $50 per cat per month.

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u/mjplezia 24d ago

You’re doing the right things. I’d play fetch and get them running and jumping till they were panting sometimes. Just like dogs, a tired cat is a well behaved cat.

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u/lisa-inthesky 23d ago

I would recommend that you train him to think of his carrier as a happy place! set up a bed in it, give him treats there, etc. it makes vet visits and the possibility of any emergencies (god forbid!) so much easier on you both.

don't bother with toys, just give him card board boxes and paper. he'll be fine 😂 (only half joking. I know you're gonna get him toys, of course you are)

definitely agree with everyone saying to get him used to you holding him, but remember that part of that is also respecting when he asks to be put down, so he doesn't think of being held as being trapped.

give him many many kisses and snuggles.

HAVE FUN!!!! congrats. you're gonna have a great time.

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u/CDJH1 23d ago

I live how into this you are. 😜