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. 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.