Cats have very interesting personalities and being an dog owner my whole life, it was far from what I expected. Dogs tend to be very open from the beginning, it's easier to get along with them for the most part. Cats aren't necessarily stand offish, although, they can be, but it does take more time to gain its trust.
Cats learn through repetition and through experience so it is only when they see that you are there for them consistently that they will begin to trust you. In my experience, they aren't as loving and dedicated to their owner as a dog. They certainly can have a fondness towards one particular person.
They're very independent and rely on you only for their food, once they're adults. I want to focus on raising a kitten because this is something that was a learning process for me when I adopted my first kitten. Before her, I already had a cat but she was significantly older than my kitten.
Now, it's important to note that this all depends on where the kitten comes from, if you purchase or adopt a kitten chances are, they are probably old enough to poop on their own. Misaki was rescued from the street at 3 weeks old, way too young to away from their mother. She was given to me in a whirl, I honestly had no clue hat it was like to raise a kitten that young.
I bought a bed, a netted crate, puppy pads, food, milk replacement and all the things that google showed me. Misaki couldn't poop on her own in the beginning, it became my responsibility to stimulate her lower extremities so that she could poop. While doing this, I would place her on the litter so she could learn that it was the place she was to poop. She could only pee and poop after stimluation so gauging when your kitten needs to poop is important. With any normal cat, you will never have to do this because their mother uses their tongue to stimulate them until they learn to use the litter. I definitely didn't have a cat tongue so a warm cloth had to do.
Kittens are extremely playful. I have tons of videos of her climbing and jumping off of things that were high enough to give me small heart attacks. They run fast and want nothing but to get their way. They play for about half an hour before they fall asleep. Which they also love to do. I took and still take many naps with my Misaki, who is now almost at six months of age.
Milk replacement is very important in the diet of young cats. This also depends on the age, most store bought kittens don't need this since they were already weaned off the milk by their own mother. Milk replacement really helped Misaki, it made her coat beautiful and shiny. Talk to a vet about that.
Vet visits are very important, too. You want to make sure that they're up to date with their vaccinations and that they've been dewormed. It can be costly but it is most certainly worth it. If you find that you don't have much money, search for a nearby People for Animals. They provide low cost vaccinations and services for people who want to take care of their animals.
With food, try to do some research before picking what brand you want to give your cat. It can be dry or wet food. Personally, I give Misaki wet food which is a bit more costly but she loves it. Having any pet is not cheap and that holds true with a cat. Cats need toys, food, and regular visits to the vet.
Honestly, having a cat is one of the most rewarding experiences one could have. Although it is a lot of work and takes a lot of time, it is a wonderful thing. I promise every time that cat comes up to you for cuddles, you will find that every penny and every mess they make will be worth cleaning.
