This series on caring for your cat or kitten is designed for beginners. I have had at least 30-40 cats during my lifetime, and I currently have 5 kittens and other cats that I care for. I tend to take in strays and as a young adult I did not know how to take care of them- which is my reason for writing this now. I hope you enjoy the series!

Kittens are very delicate things, and need their mother's milk to maintain health. They should not be weened (restricted access to nursing) until at least 6 weeks of age. At that point, they need to have access to regular water, and some dry kitten food that has been soaked in water so it is moist. You can also feed them wet "kitten" formulated canned food. If the mother cat refuses to feed the babies, you can buy Kitten Milk Formula or KMF from your local pet store or online.

Since kittens should begin weening at about 6 weeks old, they need time to learn to do things like use the litter box and eat normal food. I would not recommend giving a kitten away any younger than about 16 weeks. I have heard of people giving them away at 8 weeks- but I think this is a mistake. Kittens learn everything from their mothers, and need this extra time to adjust to being more "grown-up."

I also would like to advise people to not give kittens, or pets in general as gifts! Animals are not all the same. If you want to adopt an animal, especially a kitten or cat, you should have the intended owner visit and play with the animal first. This ensures that:

1. The kitten does not "freak out" when children play with it.
2. The kitten is an animal your child actually likes/wants.
3. That your child is ABLE to care for the kitten, and does not handle it in an inappropriate manner (tossing it around, pulling on the kitten's tail, or forcing the kitten to do things it does not want to do that may result in bad behaviour.)

I believe that adult animals make a more suitable pet for children, they are more calm and already have a personality set in place. There is also less chance of a child accidentally hurting kitty, because it is more equipped to escape!

I also want to encourage people to adopt pets from your local shelter, as these pets are the closest to being put to sleep. The shelter will also most likely have already spayed/neutered your cat, and given it the required vaccinations. They can also give you an honest opinion on the cat's disposition.

The most ideal time to spay or neuter your cat would be before puberty. This should be anywhere from 3 months old to 6 months old. Some vets will allow you to have the operations done as young as 6 weeks, but I prefer to wait until they are 3 months at least and are a bit bigger. If you do not know how old your cat/kitten is, you may want to take them to the vet to see when they can be spayed or neutered.

Trust me, if you are a first time cat owner- you DO NOT want to witness a cat in heat. Female cats in heat are more annoying that nails on a chalkboard. They yowl loudly often at night, spray urine on furniture and are grumpy or act inappropriately when you approach them- a.k.a. backing up to you, which is a bit disconcerting if you've never witnessed it before! So please, unless you want to raise kittens spay or neuter your kittens, or adult cats!

Please remember, I am not a vet- I am just a "seasoned" cat owner! I hope that this is helpful to someone out there, and please look for the whole 10-part series I am writing on cats, and how to care for them!

The topic for Kitty Care Part Two will be:

• What vaccines your cat should get
• How old your cat should be for each vaccine
• What age your cat needs to be to get it's "booster" shot

Thanks for looking! - Ms. Sooz