Cats are cute creatures that can take care of themselves. But if you were to have one as a pet, you should know certain things about how to take care of your cat. It is different when you got this as a kitten to a full grown feline.    

You might have heard your friends or family talk about baby proofing their home when their child began to be mobile, if you plan on getting a kitten you will find yourself doing the same thing. A kitten is in essence a baby, but of the feline persuasion, as such they are just as curious as any other type of baby. You need to take the time and look at your home from a kitten's perspective, find possible hazardous items, and remove them accordingly.

If you got this as a kitten, it will easily be able to adapt itself to the environment because it will allow itself to be ruled by other pets. This means there will be fewer incidents of fighting among themselves.

Lucky for you, kittens that often sold to owners are already litter trained. The only thing you have to do now is teach it where to go when nature calls.   

You aren't going to be able to anticipate everything, but it is quite advantageous to the health and well being of your kitten to take some precautions.  

a.   Kittens can be quite clumsy, make sure that all of your windows are secured and keep your kitten off of anything high such as a second story house walk out.

b.   Move all cleaners and anything else harmful in an area that your kitten can not access. This goes for any harmful plants as well, just as with a baby, kittens will chew on whatever is handy such as a plant.

c.   After you use the restroom, close the toilet lid. This is a handy piece of advice if you have kittens or small children in the home.

d.   Don't leave plastic materials such as trash bags or plastic storage bags lying around, which are harmful for kittens and children.

e.   After you have finished your six pack of beer or soda, cut up the plastic ring containers so that your cat doesn't get caught up in them. This is also an environmentally kind thing to do so other animals don't share a bad fate.

f.    Anything electric, sharp, or pointy needs to be responsibly stores so your kitten doesn't decide to make a dangerous object its next chew toy.

If you have children or other animals in the house you will need to make sure that your kitten is introduced to them slowly and properly. Older children are not as much of a concern as small children are. You need to make sure that they understand the proper way to treat their new kitten. You need to teach them how to hold it properly and not to pull on its legs, face, tail, or ears. Young children must learn that the kitten is a living thing that they need to treat with love, care, and respect. You can help you kitten feel a little safer by getting down to his or her level when it comes to play time. This will make you not seem quite so huge and scary to the kitten.

Your kitten will follow you wherever you go and at times jump or climb up to the kitchen counter or table. This isn’t good if you have food there so discourage this habit by having a bottle full of water around so you can squirt it into their face.   

It will also be a good idea to install a scratching post since this is their way of sharpening their nails. If they do this elsewhere, spray them again in the face.   

Apart from working on the scratch pad, you should trim their nails before it gets too sharp that it could hurt someone or damage the furniture in the house. You do this by pressing down on each toe which makes the claws extend. This should be inspected regularly so they also get used to it as they grow older.   

Kittens do not shed that much hair compared to bigger cats. But you should comb them anyway so they get used to it regardless if your pet is a short or long haired cat.   

Don’t just give your cat anything to eat. They must be of good quality that can be found in the pet store. If you are not sure about which brand has the highest vitamins and minerals, go ask your vet for some recommendations. There must be a clean bowl of water as well so they don’t get dehydrated.   

Aside from feeding the kitten, he or she should be brought to the vet for shots. They usually get a few while they are young but get a regular one annually as they get bigger. Be sure to keep a record of the shots so this can be shown to the doctor.   

You also need to pay close attention how other pets in the house treat the new kitten. If you already have a big cat, give your kitten and the big cat room to adapt to the new environment on their own. If your pets quarrel, don’t worry or get in between them because this is normal. But, see to it that the bigger cat doesn’t hurt the kitten. But if things are really bad, then you have to separate them by confining both in different rooms.

It is not a good idea to simply leave a new kitten with an older cat or dog. Take the time to introduce them to one another while being attentive to their reactions to each other. Normally older cats will be tolerant of the new kitten and even tend to it after they are comfortable with one another.

Dogs may take a little longer to get used to the situation of a new kitten in the house. Just remember to be patient and to make sure your other animals in the house gets the love and attention that they need, make them feel just as special as the new kitten. Below are a few tips that might help you with this process.

a.    Don't rush your animals to get along, take it slow and easy.

b.    It might be wise to keep the kitten in its carrier for the first little bit while the others animals can sniff around it without making direct contact with the kitten.

c.    Get a new toy and put the kittens scent on it, and vice versa with the older cats or dogs, then give it to the opposite parties so they can become accustomed to the scent.

After doing some of these steps for a while, everyone should begin to get along with little disturbance in the house.

House cats should always be kept indoors. Studies have shown that this extends their life for over ten years since going outside puts them at risk of being hit by a car or contaminated with a virus from stray animals.  Just so you know strays cats that live outdoors only live for a couple of years.   

It doesn’t take much to know how to take care of a cat. Do some research and practice so both of you will enjoy each other’s company.