Your cat will want to eat. Kittens need to eat at least 3 meals per day. Decide if you want to feed dry (which does help with dental care) or canned or both. Either way is an excellent diet as long as you buy quality cat food. At the top of the list are Science Diet, Iams, Nutro Max. Try to stay away from foods with a lot of dyes and such. For grocery store food, try Prunia One formulas. With canned food, you need to watch out for diarrahea. Some cats don't tolerate canned as well as dry. Some people leave out dry food all the time and give canned once or twice a day as a treat. Try not to change foods very often and when changing always mix the new food half and half with the old for a few days. Some cats are social eaters and like you to be present when they eat. Some just want you to stir up their dry that is left out for interaction with you. Make sure that your cat drinks plenty of fresh water. Most cats only require a cup (use a measuring cup) of food per day. You can feed this out however you like, in seperate meals or all at one time.

Don't leave your cats hanging! Indoor cats are the safest cats, but they are also more of a challenge to entertain and excerise. Provide your cat with plenty of toys. Puff balls are a great way to get your cat up and running. Real fur mice are pretty good too.  Laser pointers are fun. Cats like them so much that when they hear the rattle of the attached little chain, they come running like you are opening up a can of tuna! They will spend hours chasing that little dot. Putting up a bird feeder outside your cats favorite window will keep him entertained for hours also. Let's not forget the cat nip. That makes them happy and want to play! If you work all day and no one is home with your cat, think about getting cats in pairs so that they can entertain each other. Not all cats like other cats and you can always try a new addition no matter what age your cat is, the best way to do it is to get 2 kittens at the same time who are already bonded. That method works well when you have older cats too, the kittens pick on each more than their new older siblings.

Does your cat always jump onto things that you'd prefer that he didn't? Kitchen cabinets, china cabinets, the dinning room table, some cats just don't seem to like to stay on the ground at all! They climb like billygoats. Don't dispare, there are ways to elimate the problem. Of course it's best to start when they are young but you can break the habit in older cats too. You can spray your cat with a water bottle or squirt gun when you see them where they shouldn't be, it's effective, when you see them. There's a new product out that I purchased and I have been using with great success. It's called the SSScat and can be found at: www.healthypetonline.com . It is a battery operated cap that fits over a can of repellent and emits a sound alarm and a spray when the cat is in an off  limits area. The refills (cans of air) are pricey and I find the sensor cap fits over any canned air which is much cheaper. You just place the can in any area you don't want your cat to be in like your favorite couch that he keeps clawing on or your table he likes to nap on while you are at work.
There is another product, Cat Scram, that doesn't emit a spray or require refills, instead it sounds an alarm that only your cat can hear.www.odordestroyer.com Look for it under Repellants.

This is an important question with alot of debate. There are those who say never declaw no matter what. I say that there are alot of cats who really don't need to be declawed. They are trainable and don't destroy furinture and woodwork, nor claw the people and other pets. But that is not realistic as all cats are not trainable and they sometimes do those things. There are a few alternatives such as little caps you glue on the claw tips. This requires handling the cat and the cat being receptive to the procedure. It's easy for me, but that doesn't mean everyone can do every cat. You can keep you cat's nails cut. Ask your Vet, they can probably show you how to cut your cat's nails and how to glue on the tips. When all else fails and to keep from getting rid of your cat, I say by all means declaw, if it will keep him his happy home! His few weeks of discomfort are much better than being hit by a car or dying of starvation because no one wants to put up with his behavior. If declawing was outlawed the number one reason for convenience euthansia would go from inappropriate toilet habits to destroying the house with their claws. Visit safepetproducts.com and check out Soft Paws for Cats.

You need to protect your kitty from the various viruses that can make them sick or even die. One of the biggest excuses I get at the animal clinic for people not vaccinating their pets is, "He never goes outside how is he going to get Rabies or other viruses?" Well the answer to that strongly depends on your lifestyle. If you own a pet, chances are that you own 2. If you own a dog, the dog does go outside. If the dog gets exposed to Rabies from an animal that got into your yard, then the dog will expose the cat! If you ever open your windows or doors when the weather is nice, then your cat has the opportunity to catch a virus from a passing stray or the neighbors cat. Many viruses are airborne. And last but not least, are you never going to introduce your cat to a new one that you found or adopted and bring it home before taking it to the Vet? You can be exposing your cat to anything when you do that. The following is a list of recommended vaccinations.

Rhinotracheitis (FVR): Is a common upper respiratory infection which can be fatal in kittens. The symptoms are sneezing, not wanting to eat, fever, followed by a thick discharge from eyes and nose.

Calicivirus (FCV): Similar to FVR, with ulcers in the mouth and on tongue. They can also begin limping, this is due to a viral form of arthritis that is very painful and goes away with the virus. They run a fever and do not eat. FVR and FCV make up 90% of the upper respiratory infections of cats.

Panleukopenia (FPL): Formerly known as Distemper. Widespread and potentially fatal disease which may cause a sudden onset of severe vomiting and diarrhea. It is especially dangerous in kittens, but adult cats can die also.

Chlamydia (FPN): Pneumonitis-Chlamydia is another common respiratory infection in cats producing sneezing, fever and a thick discharge from the eyes. Chlamydia infection may be associated with the development of more serious bacterial complications.

Leukemia (FeLV): Infection with this virus can cause serious disease and death in cats. The virus decreases the ability of the immune system to respond to infection and may lead to the development of different types of cancer. FeLV is passed from cat to cat by direct contact so outside cats and cats in multi-cat households are at especially high risk. It is not contagious to people.

Infectious Peritonitis (FIP): The most dramatic sign of Infectious Peritonitis is an enlarged fluid filled abdomen. This occurs in the wet form. Cats may also show neurological signs or eye inflammation. Diarrhea is most common in the dry form.

Rabies: A fatal viral infection of the central nervous system that can affect all mammals, including humans. The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal. Routine vaccination is the key to controlling this dreaded disease. In most states it is the law to have all pets vaccinated against Rabies.

If your kitten shows any signs of these viruses, take them to your vet as soon as possible to be treated for the fever and other symptoms. Kitties who can not smell will not eat, nor will kitties eat if they have a fever. Fishy smelling foods can sometimes be smelled and therefore may be eaten.

You might think that heartworms are only for dogs. This isn't true at all. You might say, but my cat is indoors only. The fact is that 50% of all cats who get heartworms are indoor only cats! Theory goes that outdoor cats can build a sort of immunity to heartworms. That is only a THEORY though. The fact is we don't know why indoor cats get heartworms while some outdoor cats don't. Cats also can have roundworms and hookworms. These worms are transmissible to people. The worst affected by these transmissions are, 1st, children. Roundworms can blind a child as they migrate differently in humans. Hookworms can cause severe scarring as they migrate in skin tissue. 2nd, people with immune compromised illnesses are more vulnerable to them. The best way to protect your pets and your people is to use a good heartworm preventative which controls roundworms and hookworms. Heartguard and Interceptor do both. For flea control along with the heartworm, roundworm, hookworm, ear mites, you need Revolution. There is a new product that will be on the market in the near future called Advocate by the makers of Advantage and it will do the same thing as Revolution except it will kill flea larvea also. You can combine Heartguard with Frontline for fleas once a month or use Advantage instead of Frontline. The biggest difference between Advantage (flea control) and Frontline (flea control) is that Frontline kills all stages of the flea while Advantage is a lot quicker kill. Heartguard and Interceptor Heartworm Preventative are once a month oral medications. Revolution and Advocate are once a month topical for heartworm, worm control, flea control, ear mite control. Frontline and Advantage are once a month topical flea control and Frontline kills ticks. These flea control products are NOT pesticides. Their active ingredients act on the fleas nervous system to kill the fleas and do NOT affect the cat or humans. I should know, I get enough of it in my mouth! Cats do not have to be tested for heartworms prior to starting heartworm prevention due to current tests being unreliable. Unlike dogs, you can not treat a cat after they become infected as the death of the heartworm will kill the cat. The preventatives kill the heartworm larvea not the heartworms themselves. Heartworms are spread by mosquitos. A mosquito bites infected animals and spreads it to the next animal it bites.