Hello cat people. i have some questions to ask!

[PopsDops]

so im thinking of getting a kitten soon, mainly cuz i will have nothing better to do for the next month or so, and i would be spending much of my time with it. i already thought of the basic and necessities, but i still have some beginner questions:

-how much food does a cat eat per month ( like how much kgs/lbs whatever food does a normal healthy cat consume)
-how much does a healthy kitten weight?
-how much litter is spent per month (like how much kgs/lbs whatever)
-it is fine to keep a cat indoors? granted i will be doing anything possible to give a exciting life and whatnot, but is being an outdoor cat really necessary? (im thinking of raising it to be an indoor cat for the sole purpose that im afraid someone would steal it or even mistreat it, i've found countless stray cats dead outside, with hits on their heads from rocks and whatnot, mainly because of kids mistreating them...)

im asking these types of questions to get a rough idea of how much i need to spent a month for the cat to see if i can afford it.

thats it, thank you in advance wonderful people

 

[painesgrey]

How much food your cat eats will depend on a lot of different things. In general, I give my full-grown, slightly overweight 8 year old cat 1/3rd cup of dry kibble and half a 5.5oz can of wet food (spread over two feedings) a day. She could probably do with less kibble, but it helps get her through the night without waking me early in the morning for feedings. If you've never had a cat before, be aware that they are very routine-oriented and absolutely will train you to feed them on their schedule. You need to be firm and regular with your feedings, and resistant to their begging.

A kitten should weigh only a few pounds - but again, an exact weight will depend on the breed and individual kitten. An average domestic shorthair kitten (mixed breed) will probably be around 2.5-3lbs at 8-9 weeks, which is the age most people adopt them out.

I go through about 20lb of cat food every 40 days or so, cleaning regularly and topping off as needed.

Please keep your cat indoors. You can absolutely provide them with happy, healthier lives inside your home. Letting your cat outdoors exposes them to a plethora of health risks - diseases, injuries from other animals, death from predators/dogs/cars, and, as you've seen, cruelty from humans. Not to mention the impact they have on native bird populations. Absolutely do not bring a cat home if you're not willing to keep it indoors.

 

[PopsDops]

How much food your cat eats will depend on a lot of different things. In general, I give my full-grown, slightly overweight 8 year old cat 1/3rd cup of dry kibble and half a 5.5oz can of wet food (spread over two feedings) a day. She could probably do with less kibble, but it helps get her through the night without waking me early in the morning for feedings. If you've never had a cat before, be aware that they are very routine-oriented and absolutely will train you to feed them on their schedule. You need to be firm and regular with your feedings, and resistant to their begging.

A kitten should weigh only a few pounds - but again, an exact weight will depend on the breed and individual kitten. An average domestic shorthair kitten (mixed breed) will probably be around 2.5-3lbs at 8-9 weeks, which is the age most people adopt them out.

I go through about 20lb of cat food every 40 days or so, cleaning regularly and topping off as needed.

Please keep your cat indoors. You can absolutely provide them with happy, healthier lives inside your home. Letting your cat outdoors exposes them to a plethora of health risks - diseases, injuries from other animals, death from predators/dogs/cars, and, as you've seen, cruelty from humans. Not to mention the impact they have on native bird populations. Absolutely do not bring a cat home if you're not willing to keep it indoors.

thank you so much. this has some useful info that is surely of great help.

 

[GoDucks]

Hi!

Normally a kitten weighs about two pounds at two months, but that can vary. I had one litter I took in this month and the runt only weighed 1.5 at two months of age but she was perfectly healthy. Cats are deemed full grown when they reach six months but they will usually continue to grow until they are two. I feed my cat a quarter of a cup of kibble twice a day along with a half can of wet food.

Litter can be a little expensive. I get a 40 pound bag at a farmer's store for twenty-two dollars and it will last way over a month. Always keep it clean and remember to have one extra litter box per cat.

As far as outdoors go, why not harness train your little one or build her a catco?

I would love to use a stick on those kids- I have ZERO tolerance for those who mistreat animals. Hopefully karma does exist.

Please post some pics of her/him.

 

[Monaco]

I miss my guy deeply. The changes I've been able to make for the birds, though, have been so much fun for all of us. Keep in mind the safety measures that will be required for your bird, and have fun with the changes. I bet you will be in love in no time. Cats are definitely one of my favorite things in the universe.

 

[NightOwls]

A lot of your questions depend on the cat.

My full grown cats weigh between 9 and 16 pounds. Most of them should not be over 12 pounds but they like to eat.

If you go onto a pet store website (like chewy.com) and look up a food, the package will mention how much should be feed and you can use that to estimate how much food you would need per month. Keep in mind that not all foods are equal so different brands might have different feeding guidelines. I have 6 indoor and 2 outdoor cats, i use about 35 lbs of dry food and 130 5.5 oz cans a month.

Litter usage also varies. With the 6 indoor cats, we use about 70 lbs (about $24 USD) of clumping clay litter a week.

Cats have a greater chance of living longer by being indoor only cats. And it is a lot better for your wallet. Cats can be harness trained if you want them to experience the outside.

 

[Mizzely]

Kittens will eat more than adults too, sometimes 2 to 3 times as much. I feed primarily wet so I go through about 5 oz a day, and spend $30 to $45 a month on canned cat food.