# First time Cat Parent.



## graypaws (Jan 25, 2015)

Hello my fellow cat enthusiasts! I am posting to you from Australia. I have been wanting a cat for a very long time and yesterday I finally made the leap of faith and adopted this little cutie. 

I've named her Scout. I believe she is around 5 weeks old - the staff at the RSPCA where I got her are unsure of her actual age. My friend from work has adopted her sister. 

She was very quiet and timid when I first met her yesterday but has really come out of her shell today. She is into everything and climbing all over me. She is eating well and successfully using the litter box.

I've just been out shopping for raw food type ingredients, so we shall see how that goes. So far she has only had cat milk, kibble and a bit of canned food.

Wish me luck!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. She is very cute!! I'm guessing she is much older. Judging from the size of your hands compared to her, she may be several months old now. If her eyes are no longer baby blue then that is a good indication that she is well over 8 weeks - which is better really. Too young and they have not learned lessons kittens need to learn to be well socialized! There are many great raw food diets out there so you should have no problem finding the right one for your new Scout!


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## graypaws (Jan 25, 2015)

Marcia said:


> Welcome to the forum. She is very cute!! I'm guessing she is much older. Judging from the size of your hands compared to her, she may be several months old now. If her eyes are no longer baby blue then that is a good indication that she is well over 8 weeks - which is better really. Too young and they have not learned lessons kittens need to learn to be well socialized! There are many great raw food diets out there so you should have no problem finding the right one for your new Scout!


Hi  Thanks for your reply. It's hard to tell how old she is, to me she seems young because she is quite skinny. Her eyes are blue/green. One staff member said 8 weeks and one said 5. I think she is more towards 5 but I don't have much experience. Here she is lying next to an apple mouse if that helps. Keep in mind she is very stretched out.


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Welcome graypaws, and congratulations on your kitty! 
Scout is so very cute! I want to feel her snuggly little body! 

Maybe this link can help you give a better idea about your kitty's true age:
http://members.petfinder.com/~PA16/kittenage.html

But a vet visit would be excellent, too, if you haven't done it already!

Don't easily discount Marcia's insight--she's been fostering _TONS_ of baby kittens, so she may be more right than you originally thought. But still, that would definitely be in your favor, trust us!


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## graypaws (Jan 25, 2015)

Thanks for posting that. From looking at the guide, I think she is probably closer to 8 weeks.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Oh, the Apple mouse comparison pic is a big help, yes I agree, closer to 8 weeks. They start to get their permanent eye color then. She is VERY cute! What a fun adventure your lives are going to take from here on out! It will be fun to watch her grow in pics here on the forum too!

After fostering 70 kittens now I'm still leaning towards 8 weeks for the eye color change, but I realize the chart is a general rule of thumb. A kitchen scale with a cake pan on top is quite helpful for weighing kittens. I have found most girls lag boys in weight at the same age. Sometimes that is, not all the times.


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## Ginkgo100 (Jan 21, 2015)

I just read your "Cat owner's prayer" — hah! I personally would not ever say that prayer, because my Topaz thinks I am a person who enjoys starving my cats half to death, just out of meanness! (Of course in reality I am a person who wants to keep her cats healthy. But he thinks he should be fed about 8 times a day. Or, every time I go within 6 feet of the pantry.) :catmilk


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Ginkgo100, I probably need to change that line in my signature. MOST of my cats worship the ground I walk on but there are some that think my only purpose in life is to wait on them hand and foot --- and I don't so their opinion of me is probably not all that high.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

G'day, Gray! That's GREAT that she's climbing and into everything! Scout does look a little apprehensive in the pic. But it sounds like she's already starting to bond with you!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

OMG Scout is soooooo cute!!! I love her little Yoda ears!


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## Smaughunter (Feb 14, 2014)

Congratulations! She is beautiful! I just started my kittens on raw too. I think starting young is a great idea.


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## moondiamond (Apr 20, 2013)

Welcome to the wonderful world of cats and welcome to the forum! You will never be the same. Prepare to become a crazy cat lady because that little cutie is going to have you wrapped around her pads! She is soooo cute! I just read this at our vets office "Cats are like potato chips. No one can have just one." This may be your first kitty, but probably not your last. Have fun!=^..^=


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

What a darling kitten! Welcome to the forum!


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