Joining and have few questions - Cat owners we just got a cat

We adopted one and brought it home today, she is so adorable and such a sweetheart, it's 1 YO, loves my DD and DD loves her !
I surprised my DD when she came home from school, was supposed to pick it up tomorrow.
She has all her shots, tested for everything.
I do have few questions :
-I noticed she is scratching a lot, I checked and don't see any fleas , but should I get something and put it on her just in case?
-Also is there anything I can do to eliminate the hair shedding? I know brushing & good food helps a bit, but are there any vitamins we should get for her or anything else we should do?
-We got dry food and wet food, she ate 2-3 bites of canned food, but no dry food yet, I was thinking we'll leave dry food out for her all day and give canned food 1-2 times a day, is that ok?
-I know cats clean themselves, but should I give her a bath once in a while anyway?
I think that's it for now, I did ask lots of questions at the shelter and also googled a lot , but wanted to ask some LIF cat owners too

Re: Joining and have few questions - Cat owners we just got a cat

How old is she? Ok just saw that she is 1. She could have dry skin and that's why she is scratching or fleas. Frontline should help with the fleas.

I feed my cats a 1/3 cup of dry food in the am and the same in the pm. No wet food and limited treats.

Cats will clean themselves regularly so unless she got into something and got dirty really no need for a bath. Also good luck with getting her wet..cats don't really take to water unless they are drinking it.

Congratulations on your new kitty!

Message edited 12/20/2011 2:52:06 PM.

Re: Joining and have few questions - Cat owners we just got a cat

Congrats on the new kitty! I have had cats my whole life.


- She could have dry skin and that is why she is scratching or she could just be a scratcher. Keep checking for fleas, you can usually see them, or maybe just bring her to the vet to be sure.

- I feed my cat wet food in the am and dry at night....I do leave some dry out all day because I tend to work late and am never quite sure when I will get home. I know a lot of people who just give dry only.

_ do give my cat a bath about once a month and I use kitty wipes on him very often, but that is only because he tends to be wet after he uses the litter box. I have had many cats in my lifetime, and none ever had that issue. Cats are very clean and fastidious about cleaning themselves, my cat just happens to be messy!