Owning a Kitten

Owning a kitten can be very fun, but can also, almost literally, be a pain in the ass. I have owned numerous cats throughout the years, each one with a distinct personality. One thing has always remained the same, though, and that is that kittens are easy to raise but are very annoying. These are pictures of my most recent little terror, Rampage. A few months ago, my boyfriend, Josh, left to boot camp. I couldn't keep our 3 1/2 year old cat, Pumpkin, who I've raised since birth, because I don't yet live on my own (Damn being a broke college student!), so we had to give Pumpkin away. It just so happened that Josh got injured and had to return home two months later. A month after Josh returned home, we were talking about getting another kitten because we missed our old cat Pumpkin. We decided to find someone who was getting rid of kittens from a litter, our way to prevent more animals needlessly being put down due to overpopulation. We found a woman nearby and picked up little Rampage. Joyfully, we dropped him off at home and ran off to the store to buy things for him. When we got home, we saw that he had been chewing on everything within reach. So it began! I've dealt with this stage several times before: the kitten. The little ball of terror that never leaves you alone. As a positive side note, to those considering a kitten, litter training is typically VERY easy. Back to my kitten, he's been chewing and eating every thing he has found. Each morning, I get waken up by the pulling of my hair and the claws digging into the back of my neck. When I walk to the another side of the house, Rampage digs his claws into my ankle and I end up dragging him with me. When I sit down, he jumps on my lap and scratches the hell out of my arms and legs. Sometimes, I become to freaked out about the idea of claws and teeth digging into my flesh that I have to take a minute to remember this: he's only 8 inches tall. This is the positive in my review. While most kittens can be complete nightmares, they aren't like that all of the time. Besides what they consider play time, they divide the rest of their day among exploring their surroundings and sleeping. Kittens are very playful by nature, so when they nip at you when you are rubbing their bellies, they aren't really angry, they think you are playing with them (they are angry about that when they get older!). At this stage, it's also to be noted that kittens will attach themselves to you. They usually want to be around you a lot and this will continue into adult hood, just less active. A few quick fixes (varying in price) to the scratching are getting another kitten for them to play with (won't stop all of the scratching but will keep them occupied), getting cat toys (again, just to keep them occupied), getting a cat emory board (it will file down their nails), a nail filer (they sell these in home goods store "as seen on tv", I wouldn't suggest nail clippers), or, as a slightly more pricey but permenant method, have your kitten declawed when old enough (usually about a few months old). The cost for the kitten is fairly cheap, litter running from about $2 to $15 depending on quality and amount, litter box about $5 to $10, cat toys about $1 to $10, and food about $4 to $30, again depending on quality and size. The other costs that come with a kitten is the vet visits. It's important to keep up to date with their shots and registrations, and you should invest in spaying/neutering to prevent pregnancy. Overall, cats are great pets, just be patient. They eventually grow out of the kitten stage and become calmer. Make sure whoever lives in your house can be patient and gentle on the kitten and that your other animals, specifically dogs, are good around cats. Have fun with your new pet!


Britt