Feeding the proper food is an important part of keeping your kitten healthy. For the first year of his life, he will be growing fast, so will need extra nutrition to keep up with the demands of his development. Feed him a cat food made especially for kittens, or a cat food meant for both adult cats and kittens. Food made only for adult cats will not provide all the nutrition he needs.

Canned food is better than dry, because it provides more meat, which your little carnivore needs, and it also contains more moisture. Read the label, and try to choose a food that does not contain any grain.

Your new cat will also need a litter box. Make sure her box is easy to get to, and show her where it is. Also check that the sides are not too high for her to easily climb in and out. Don’t use clumping clay litter while your kitten is still a baby. It can be dangerous for her if she ingests it, and it could even kill her. The best litter to use for a kitten is something like World’s Best Cat Litter, which is all natural and made from corn.

The next thing you need to do is kitten-proof your house. Kittens are curious and likely to get into everything. Make sure yours can’t get into anything that will hurt him. Keep drawers and cupboard doors closed, especially the cupboards where you keep cleaning supplies and other chemicals. If your kitten is a chewer, you may have to put plastic covers on the electrical wires.

Also, many plants are poisonous to cats, so make sure your kitten can’t get to them to eat them. And be very careful with reclining chairs, because your kitten could easily be crushed in one.

Kittens have lots of energy and love to play. Make sure your kitten has enough toys to keep her from getting bored. Also make sure the toys are safe, and have no small pieces that can break off for your kitten to swallow or choke on. Spend some quality time playing and interacting with your cat every day. This should be fun for both of you, and will help you and your kitten bond.

You will also need to provide your kitten with a scratching post. Scratching is natural for cats, and you want your cat to scratch the post, rather than your carpet or furniture. A sisal or cardboard scratching post would be a good choice.

Taking care of a new kitten can be a challenge, but it should also be lots of fun. As long as you provide your new kitten with a healthy diet and a fun, safe environment right from the start, you should have many happy years together. You may find that you like taking care of kittens so much that you can’t wait to go out and adopt another one!

1. Appearance. This is one of the easiest ways to choose a kitten’s name. If your kitten is grey, you might name her Smokey or Misty. A black and white tuxedo kitty might be called Tux or Jeeves. If your cat has mitts on his feet, you could name him Socks or Boots.

2. Personality. This will take a little longer, since you will need some time to get to know your kitten better before choosing a name. If you have a very vocal, talkative cat, you might call her Gabby. If your kitty is a little genius, you can call him Einstein. A calm and placid kitten (is there such a thing?) might be named Serena.

3. Pairs or groups. Perhaps you have more than one kitten who needs a name. In that case, you might choose themed groups of names, such as Thelma and Louise, John and Yoko, or Larry, Moe and Curly.

4. Your favorite drink. There are many beverages that also make good kittens’ names. Kahlua would be a good name for a black or dark brown kitten. Other cute names include Gimlet and Mojito.

5. Famous people or animals in history. You could name your kitten Elsa, after the lion in Born Free. Or Cleopatra, after the queen of the Nile. Or if you or your little guy has a philosophical bent, you could call him Spinoza.

6. Famous people or animals in literature. How about Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights (or the famous cartoon cat)? Or Titania from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream? Or you could call your great little guy Gatsby.

7. Mythology. You could always name your cat after a mythological god or goddess. Some possibilities include Zeus, the king of the gods, or Athena, who is said to have sprung from Zeus’s head, or perhaps Persephone, the queen of the underworld.

8. Celebrities. There are plenty of celebrities you could name your kitten after. How about Elvis (Presley) or Angelina (Jolie) or Miley (Cyrus)? Or you can name your kitty after one of your personal favorites.

9. Places. Is there a city or country you’ve always wanted to visit, or perhaps a place you’ve been that you loved? You could call your cat Dakota or Paris or Dallas.

10. Foreign names. It doesn’t even have to be a real foreign name. Maybe it just sounds like one. You can call your cat Pepe or Vladimir. Or how about naming a Siamese kitten Mei Tu (”me too”)?

There are so many ways to come up with cute names for kittens. You can name them based on how they look, how they act, or famous people, places or things. You’re limited only by your imagination. Now, see if you can come up with some great kittens’ names of your own.

1. Food for at least 7 days
2. Bottled water for at least 7 days
3. Bowls for food & water
4. Manual can opener, if necessary
5. Carrier / leash
6. ID tags
7. Necessary medications for at least 7 days, preferably a month
8. Medical records & rabies certificate (put in a plastic ziplock bag)
9. Vet’s phone number
10. Litter box & scooper
11. Cat litter
12. Photo & description, in case your pet does get lost
13. Bed / blanket
14. Brush
15. Toys
16. Plastic bags and paper towels for cleaning up

One of the most important things you can do is to prepare for disaster in advance. Create a disaster kit with enough non-perishable supplies to last for a week or more, and keep it in a readily accessible place. Include canned food, bottled water, necessary medications, your pet’s medical records, and either a carrier or a leash. If you have cats, include a litter box, litter and a scoop. You can print out this checklist to keep with your kit to keep track of the things you will need.

Another thing you should do is to find a safe place you and your pets can go ahead of time. Check with friends and relatives, to see if they can shelter you and your pets in an emergency. Even if they can only accommodate your pets, you can drop them off and then go to a shelter yourself. Call around to hotels and motels to find out which of them allow pets. Keep a list handy, and make reservations as soon as you think you might have to evacuate.

In case you are not at home when disaster strikes, you should make arrangements with a neighbor or pet sitter to care for your pets. Give them a key, and ask them if they are willing to evacuate your pets if necessary. Make sure they know where your disaster kit is kept. You can also put stickers on your windows and doors to let rescue workers know there are pets inside. You should specify the number and type of pets you have on the stickers.

If you do have to evacuate, take your pets with you. Leave early. Don’t wait until evacuation is mandatory. If you wait too long, emergency officials may tell you to leave your pets behind. Take your pets somewhere safe as soon as possible. Make sure you keep them restrained, either on a leash or in a carrier. And don’t forget ID tags with your cell phone number on them. If you do get separated, this may be your only hope of being reunited.

Storms like Hurricane Ike can be disastrous, but they don’t have to be disasters for your pets. If you will prepare for emergencies before they happen, make other arrangements in case you can’t be there to handle them yourself, and take your pets to a safe location as soon as you know trouble is brewing, you will go a long way toward keeping your pets safe and healthy. Now go put together your disaster kit, if you haven’t already.

1. Keep your cat indoors. There are many dangers lurking outside for the unsuspecting cat wanderer. He could be hit by a car while crossing the street, or he might be injured in a fight with another animal. Since he is likely to be exposed to other animals if he goes out, he will also be exposed to more diseases. Your cat might also be poisoned, either accidentally, perhaps by licking a puddle of anti-freeze (it has a sweet taste), or on purpose. Not everyone loves cats as much as you do, and your neighbors may take offense at your kitty digging in their yard.

2. Feed a grainless, high quality food. Cats are carnivores, which means they need to get the majority of their nutrition from animal sources. They don’t need grain or corn in their diet at all, and too many carbs can actually be bad for them. Since they are primarily desert animals, they also have a low thirst drive. They don’t drink a lot of water, so they need moisture in their food to make up for it. Dry cat food, which is basically meat flavored cereal, is about the least nutritious food you can feed your cat.

3. Get a good scratching post. Scratching is natural for cats. If you want to keep your cat from scratching your furniture, you need to provide an alternative. Make sure it is tall enough for him to stretch his whole body while scratching, and is a texture that he will like, such as sisal or cardboard. Don’t get a carpet covered post. This may send the message that it is okay to claw your carpet, too.

4. Get your cat a cat tree. Some cats like to observe what’s going on around them from a high perch. Other cats prefer to stay closer to the ground. Whichever your cat prefers, make sure she has a perch at an appropriate level for her comfort. Your cat furniture should have a heavy base, and be stable enough that it doesn’t tip over if your cat takes a running leap onto it. A comfy hammock is also a nice touch.

5. Give your kitty a window perch. Just because he can’t go outside doesn’t mean he can’t watch the goings on out there. He can watch the other critters that come around from a safe distance, and maybe chase bugs across the window pane. A window perch may also help save the backs of your furniture from regular cat fur deposits.

6. Make sure you have the right number and type of litter boxes. Especially if you have multiple cats, the rule of thumb is to have the same number of boxes as you have cats, plus one. Cats are territorial, and not always willing to share. And sometimes, a cat will prefer to use one box to do number one and another box for number two. You also need to make sure the boxes are big enough for your cat to stand up comfortably to do her business.

7. Make sure you use the right cat litter. Your cat’s sense of smell is much stronger than yours, so please don’t fill his box with perfumey smelling litter. You might think this will help keep the odor down, but it is overwhelming to your cat, and may make him avoid the box altogether. Also, make sure the litter is not too dusty. You don’t want him breathing in a cloud of dust every time he digs around in there.

8. Regularly groom or have your cat groomed. This will help get rid of the dead hair, so your kitty doesn’t swallow it, cutting down on hairballs. You also need to get rid of mats in her fur, which are painful and can damage the delicate skin underneath. Gently brushing your cat is a great way to spend quality time and bond with her. Plus she will be extra beautiful when you are done!

9. Don’t over-vaccinate. Vaccinations are important when your cat is a kitten, and at risk from a number of deadly diseases. However, research suggests that yearly vaccinations are not only unnecessary, but they can put your cat at risk for injection site sarcomas and autoimmune diseases. At most, you should vaccinate your cat every three years, although some people think that the core series of kitten vaccines are sufficient. You can get periodic titers done if you are worried. And never vaccinate a sick cat, because their immune system already has enough to deal with.

Raising a coddled cat starts with the basics. If you provide your kitty with a safe environment, good nutrition and the right creature comforts, you will be off to a great start to a long and happy life together!