Kittens: Introducing your Kitten to Their New Home: As we all know, cats are creatures of habit and very easily stressed out! I would always recommend the use of Feliway which is a calming spray, when introducing a kitten to their new home. Please visit http://www.feliway.com/gb for more information and lots of wonderful behavioural tips! Bedding: Cats love to feel safe, secure and warm and the choice of beds is never ending. If you have a busy household, perhaps an igloo shaped bed will give your kitten somewhere to go to if he/she feels over-whelmed. Cats like to perch up high for a full view of life s happenings so beds that clip on to radiators and beds on top of scratch poles are very much appreciated! Feeding: Firstly and most importantly cats are obligate carnivores which means they cannot survive on a vegetarian diet! Kittens should be fed little and often as they grow. At eight weeks they are usually fed five small meals a day. This decreases to two meals a day by the time they reach six months. Please avoid feeding your kitten cow s milk as it can cause diarrhoea, kitten and cat formulated milk is readily available. Lots of debate surrounds the issue of wet and dry food for cats. In my opinion dry kibble (nuts) with a small amount (tablespoon) of a good quality pouch or tinned food is best. Wet food can be high in calories and can lead to obesity and dental issues so following a mostly dry diet may prevent this.
If you are not sure what amount to feed you kitten/cat, ask in your local veterinary practice or pet shop where the staff have been trained to assist you. Please don t be embarrassed to ask the feeding amounts on some foods can be very confusing and remember you will need to reduce the amount slightly to make up for the addition of the wet food so your pet stays in good shape! Kittens can start eating adult cat food between 6-8 months of age. A useful trick is to ring a bell when you are going to feed your kitten this means that even if you let them outdoors when older, they should return when they hear the bell! You must ensure your kitten has access to fresh water at all times as they need lots of water, particularly as their food is so high in protein. Vaccinations: Kittens are usually given their first vaccination at 9 weeks and the second 19 21 days later but it is important to check with your own veterinary practice as their protocol may differ. Please note that a kitten is not considered fully vaccinated until 7-10 days after their second vaccination. Cats are routinely vaccinated against the following: Feline panleukopaenia Feline herpes virus Feline calicivirus Feline leukaemia virus Chlamydophilia felis. Your cat will need annual boosters throughout his/her life. It may not be necessary to give every vaccine every year but this should be discussed with your local veterinary practice. What Age Should I have my Kitten Neutered at? Cats can start reproducing from FIVE months of age!!!!! Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your cat reduces the influence of hormones on his/her behaviour! For more information please see the neutering your cat PDF s. Parasite Treatment and Prevention: Kittens have worms from a very young age which if left untreated can seriously affect their
health and in some cases affect children in the household. It is therefore imperative that all kittens are wormed regularly. The timing of worming treatments varies between products so should be discussed with your local veterinary practice. It can be useful to purchase a few treatments during your first visit and to mark the dates of the subsequent doses on a calendar. Flea treatments are usually administered every four to five weeks depending on the product. Specific kitten formulas based on the kitten s weight should be administered. If you are not familiar with the application of these products please ask to be shown how to apply them at your local veterinary practice. Litter Tray Training: Kittens usually need to toilet shortly after eating so it is best to initially confine them to one room or a small area where the litter tray is situated after a meal. Try to put their litter tray in a quiet area so the kitten has privacy and feels safe - remember Cats are prey animals so they need to feel safe to "go". The litter tray should be the only lose material in that area! Potted plants are far too tempting, so unless you want your kitten to use yours, please place them out of the area. There are lots of types of litter available, some cats can be fussy and it may be a case of trying a few to see what suits your cat. Make sure the litter is deep enough for them to bury their "doings". Litter trays should be "scooped out" at least twice daily - you wouldn't use a dirty toilet and neither will your cat!! The tray should be completely scrubbed out once a week. Never, ever shout at your Cat if they go elsewhere, you will scare them and they will have no idea what so ever why you are shouting at them. Try and figure out why they chose not to use their tray. It could be too far away, the litter might not be clean or deep enough etc. If your cat will be upstairs and downstairs in your house, you will need a litter tray on each floor that they can readily access.
Toys & Enrichment: Toys are very important for your kitten, especially if they are going to be indoor cats! Cats also enjoy climbing and sharpening their nails scratching. If you don t provide scratching posts, they will scratch your furniture. There are lots of toys available but you can make a game out of almost anything dangly with a kitten/cat, just watch out they don t scratch you by mistake. Here are some images of readily available kitten/cat toys: Indoor -v's- Outdoor Cats: Some people choose to keep their cats inside whilst others feel this is cruel. Once your cat has plenty to do and lots of viewing vantage points there are really no welfare issues with being an indoor kitty. Commercially available "cat aviaries" are available so your cat/kitten can go outside but is secure from other cats, dogs, traffic etc. They can be attached to your home and your cat can get in/out via a window or they can be free standing in your back garden. Either way, if they are enriched with climbing posts and comfortable places for your cat to hide and climb, they will love it!! Bringing Your Kitten to the Vets: Your kitten should always be transported to the vets in their cat box. A top opening carrier is often easier to put your cat in as they can on occasion apply their brakes entering and exiting a front opening carrier.
It is very dangerous for your cat to be in your arms when you reach the veterinary practice, no matter how well behaved they are. Dogs that are unfamiliar with cats can frighten them or injure them and your cat will find the quickest means of escape which can lead to him/her escaping through an open door or window. A towel over the cat carrier in the veterinary practice can help your cat feel more secure and less threatened. You should have your kitten regularly weighed regularly so you can increase/decrease or change his/her food and keep a close eye on their development. The additional benefit of regular visits to the vet is that your kitten will get to interact with the staff and it may not be as daunting when they arrive for their neutering appointment if they are already accustomed to visiting the premises. Micro-Chipping: A micro-chip is approximately the size of a small grain of rice and is usually injected under the kitten s skin between the shoulder blades, at the base of the neck. It contains a unique 15 digit code that is recorded on a database and linked to the owner s name, address and telephone number. Should your kitten be found and scanned, the micro-chip number is entered into the database and you are contacted. However, if YOU have not registered YOUR up to date contact details you cannot be contacted. I cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring YOUR contact details are registered, not the rescue organisation s details, otherwise there really is no point to having your pet chipped! As cats are free to wander people generally don t take notice of them going about their business so they can be very hard to track down once they go missing. To check if your details are registered, simply enter your dog s microchip number on www.europetnet.com or www.petmaxx.com. Pet Insurance: It is important to get your pet insured as soon as possible. A list of current pet insurers can be found online at www.petinsuranceireland.com.
The majority of veterinary staff I know; including veterinary practitioners have pet insurance. It is important that familiarise yourself with your policy, what it covers and how much the excess is. Most insurance companies will be happy to answer any questions you might have before you decide which provider to choose.