Caring for your Kitten - Mary Elms

  Caring For Your Kitten


Age at Purchase:
Your
new kitten should be no less than 6 weeks old and also be fully weaned and eating from it´s own dish.At this age,your kitten will have a full set of milk teeth. Most reputable pedigree cat breeders,actually do not allow their kittens to leave until they are between 12-16 weeks old.

Bringing Kitten Home:
Introduce kitten to other pets and children gradually and allow time for him to adjust to his new surroundings at the same time giving him lots of reassurance. Remember to keep all doors and windows closed and spend as much time as you can with kitten, so that he gets used to you. Make sure that there are lots of different toys for him to play with as he
will really appreciate that and will help encourage him to gain confidence and too explore.

Rest Periods:
Your kitten is still very much a baby - do allow him to cat nap as and when he needs and make sure that it is undisturbed.

Holding Correctly:
Teach your kitten to be handled from an early age and correctly pick him up by supporting his back legs/end with one hand and hold the upper end behind his front legs with your other hand.Hold close to your body, to provide both support and security.

Naming Kitten:
Name your kitten with whatever you like (that´s the fun part) but make sure it´s a name that he can easily associate with and start calling him by his name as soon as particularly at feeding time. Provide him with a fully adjustable collar,with safety attachment and an ID disc.

Bedding/Equipment:
Provide a nice comfy,cat bed or basket (there are many to choose from) and place in a nice warm room.not near any raughts,nor where he would overheat. As cats have a natural instinct to regularly sharpen their claws, it is recommended that you buy a decent cat scratch post for him.This will prove very popular with him and save your own furnishings
and woodwork from becoming damaged.

Litter Training:
Provide a litter tray be it an open design or one that is all enclosed. Kittens are naturally clean and will normally use a litter tray readily, many cats just seem to know what to do without much encouragement. Ensure you use a good litter base, either clumping,non-clumping,woodbase,etc, there is a huge variety but this must be cleaned out everyday, removing any soiled area´s and the whole base changed regularly,after the tray has been washed and disinfected.

Feeding:
Provide your kitten with three bowls,either stainless steel, ceramic or plastic. Fill one with water and the other two are for wet food and dry food,place these bowls on a mat to make for easy clean up. All bowls should be washed throroughly everyday and fresh water available at all times. Your kitten should have come with a diet sheet from the breeder and in most cases a small supply of food (that the breeder is using) to keep you going until you get some in of your own and/or slowly reintroduce a different type of food to the one that he is already on.
Never completely change your kitten´s diet in one hit,always add a little bit of new food in with his one from the breeder and slowly increase this amount over the days at the same decreasing the breeders diet. This should always be applied whenever you change food stuffs,throughout the cat´s life, so as to avoid digestive upsets.
What you feed your kitten is very important and ensure that it is a recommended brand which meet´s all the nutritional requirements that your kitten needs. Your breeder should also have told you just how many feeds your kitten has daily and when to start reducing the feeds as he get´s older.

Your Vet:
Make sure you register your kitten with a vet as soon as you get him or even as soon as you know when he is going to be purchased.
Most reputable breeders, ask that you get your kitten health checked by your own vet within 4-7 days following purchase,therefore any problems arising within that time period,the breeder will account for,after this you are on your own.

Vaccinations:
Most kittens have been fully vaccinated before they leave the breeder,this applies only to the one´s that are 12-16 weeks old.
At 9 weeks old,your kitten is ready for his first vaccination then the second course is given at 12 weeks.Normally a week after his last
injection,can your kitten start going outdoors.
The vaccinations given are protection against Feline Enteritis and Feline Influenza but you can also ask for the Feline Leukaemia to be done as well.

Worming:
Your kitten should have been regularly wormed whilst with the breeder and you should have been given the dates of his last worming and what product they used and when he is next due for worming. Always ask advice from your vet on safe,effective worming drugs for your kitten and follow the instructions carefully. Avoid buying products from petshops,as cheap though they maybe they are usually not very effective at all.

Flea Control:
It is important to prevent flea infestation both for the health of the kitten but also to avoid infesting your home and furnishings.
From 9 weeks old,you can use ´Frontline´ on your kitten but again always seek veterinary advice and follow the instructions carefully.

Neutering/Spaying:
Unless you intend to breed from your kitten,it is always strongly advised to have them neutered/spayed. You can have males neutered from the age of 36 weeks and females spayed from the age of 16 weeks. Speak to your vet,as when best to make the arrangements.

Grooming:
It is very important that you groom your kitten regularly especially if he is long-haired. Getting him accustomed to being groomed from an early age,can save alot of problems later on and a little daily grooming can help prevent matts and furballs.

Insurance:
Most pedigree cats obtained from a reputable breeder come with 6 weeks FREE insurance along with a kitten starter pack.
Some non-pedigree breeders also offer this extra service,which is very good. With the on-going rise in veterinary bills,it is well worth your while sticking with a Pet Insurance scheme after the freebie has lapsed. Should you wish to stick with the same policy provider then fine, but it is advised to shop around as there are many very good Pet Insurance providers and you may find one that offers more value for your money.

Microchip/ID:
Ask you vet about microchipping when you visit him for your cat´s vaccinations and fit your cat with a collar complete with ID disc.

Kittens make lovely,affectionate pets but they do need to be loved and cared for. They are also naturally intelligent and very faithful and love being part of the family lifestyle.

Remember however,that cute kittens become cats and they are a long-term commitment.