The biggest thing is making sure that your kitten has a safe place to get comfortable within your home that is away from where the other pets are—whether that’s a bathroom or a laundry room or maybe a spare bedroom where they've got their litter box, their food and their water, some toys, some enrichment, and things like that. That area will be their safe, secure space that these other pets aren't getting into. And then maybe you slowly introduce them by letting them kind of sniff each other under the door, setting up a baby gate. So that kitten still has the opportunity to get to that safe space if they feel like they need it, but they can slowly start interacting with the other pets in the home.

It is. So I would say as long as what you consider full time isn't like 16 or 18 hours out of the day that you're going to be working or out of the house, I think it's a very doable and a great relationship. So many people work like an eight to five or an eight to six job. And I think that it’s just fine to have a kitten. They do spend quite a lot of the time sleeping, but then when you're home, you can interact with them and let them get their kitten energy out and have an excellent relationship.

So if you have some concerns about carpet or things like that, you could always try to keep your kitten off of the carpeted areas if you're worried about them clawing that up. You could buy things like corner wall guards. But more than kitten proofing your home, I think it's more about making your home kitten-friendly. And I think a big part of that is making sure that you have plenty of litter boxes for your cat throughout your entire homeplace, that they have easily accessible clean water, and a comfortable place for them to eat. So whether you have a dog at home, you want to make sure that the dog doesn't hover over the kitten while eating and things like that.

Cats also like sunny spaces and windows and perches. Perhaps you get your kitten a cat tree or set up the space on the back of the couch so that they can get up there to look out the window. And so it's more about making your home kitten and cat friendly than kitten-proofing your home.

You want to ensure that you're going to have a good relationship with the pet. If you're in a rental situation, make sure your landlord is okay with you having a cat, as not every landlord is. But the biggest thing is that kittens are dependent on you to make sure that their litter box is clean and they have fresh food and water and things like that. And kittens love a lot of social interaction, so you want to make sure that they can get that as well. And so, if you're going to be gone 16 to 18 hours a day, then it might be a little challenging for your new companion at home to make that adjustment because they'll want to have that interaction with you.

Kittens have a lot of energy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. We love kitten energy here at Advanced Animal Care Berea but just know that they will be much more playful. They're going to be a lot more mischievous. They might have some middle-of-the-night, 3:30 in the morning zoomies going around the house, so be prepared for that if you've never had a kitten before.

We’re not currently able to recommend or advise on CBD oil. There are a lot of different variations out there and many different sources. So until there is more information and guidance for that, it's not something we can recommend.

You should observe them for some time afterward because they can hide it, spit it up, or spit it out if they didn't take it. I would say consult with your veterinarian because many times, there are other options and other delivery methods that might suit your cat better if you're unable to get that medication in there.

Many years before I did this profession, I gave my cat medication, and I thought I got it down, but she started foaming at the mouth. And I thought she was reacting to the medication. I called my veterinarian, and, after going back and forth, he assured me I didn’t get it down. So yeah, that's one of the reactions they can have is foaming at the mouth.

If you have a really food-motivated cat, you may be able to crush certain medications and hide them in canned food. I often recommend that you don't feed them the whole meal with that medication in there. Just give them a little dollop of that. Also, you want to give that to them when they're hungry, not when they're full, obviously, so they're more apt to eat all of it. If they're not food motivated, then you may be able to administer it through a suspension. Certain medications can be in liquid form. If it’s appropriate, we may talk about a prescription food they can eat and not have to give them a pill or medicine.

But we can also help you or teach you how to give your cat medication. If it's a pill, we can show you how to pill a cat. It's always nice to have a partner to help you do that—one to hold and one to give the pill. And you want to do it when they're not paying attention and surprise them. And to save your fingers, they make pillers, which are little extensions. And that would help facilitate getting the pill in the back of the throat.

There are different types of medication and many different delivery mechanisms. And so specifically, medication for pain might be Tramadol, which we often give what we call transdermally, which means it's absorbed through the skin. And so if you think about a cat, the one area that they really can't lick directly is the inside of their ear, and it's relatively hairless, so with very thin hair. And so that would be one area of pain medication for cats. Or we may give something in the cheek pouch that is absorbed through the mucus membranes. We may also use K-laser therapy. That is not a direct prescription medication, but it also can help dramatically with pain control.

That's a great question. I'll answer that by saying cats are sensitive to many medications. As I stated with the dogs, diphenhydramine, Benadryl, is a pretty benign and safe medication. Still, I would always recommend that you consult with your veterinarian to ensure you're treating appropriately and get the proper response from that treatment. This is particularly true if your cat is already on medication, as the two medications could interact badly.