Make sure to clean the food bowls everyday. Put them in the dishwasher if possible after throwing out the old food and dropping the dish in the dishwasher. Don t leave the food sitting out as it can spoil. And, make sure to clean your cat s water bowl daily as well. Keep it full of clean fresh water. A kitten should be fed throughout the day 4 times with a small amount of food each meal, reducing to 3 times a day at 3 months old, then at 6-8 months 2 meals per day. Older cats (over 12 months) should only be fed twice in the day (usually morning and early evening). Cats groom themselves, but using a soft brush on the cat, especially the long haired variety, will help to cut down the number of hairballs in the cat s stomach, which are caused by them licking / grooming themselves. Remember a cat you picked up from the shelter is actually saved from death by you. To convey a proper image, choose a name for the cat from Abby, Achilles to Zummo. There are lots and lots of fancy names to choose from. OK, you got your cat so now what? Open up your purse so that your cat can feel pampered. What you should avoid is giving your cat cow s milk. Cow s milk has proteins that are too large for the cat to digest. This milk will make your cat suffer from diarrhea, vomiting and intestinal upset. At all times, there should be fresh clean water available to your cat. Cats usually take care of their own grooming so the owner need not worry about this aspect. Although your cat is not likely to be pouncing on their dinner anymore, they still instinctively need to sharpen their claws and that is exactly what they are doing on your furniture. The scratching that they do is a way of trimming their nails and it removes the old outer part of the claws. Another reason they are ruining your home is because they know it to be their territory. Neutering him can mean a lot of time saving on the spraying (marking his teritory) which he will do around your house and stop him fighting with other males over females or otherwise. It also make him live longer as a calmer and nicer kitty for you to enjoy! You will need to make sure mother is warm and safe at all times.