Kitten Care Guide
(printed copy at pick up)
These are our views and suggestions for our beloved kittens, we have raised them from birth and want them to be well cared for after they leave our home. We get ask these questions a lot so we decided to make our own kitten care guide to help out our new kitten owners.
First, the car ride to a new home with new people can be very stressful and scary for kittens. They are very scared being taken away from their family and birth home and don’t know what is going to happen to them.
* Don’t panic if your kitten is very scared and shy at first, they need a few days (maybe a week) to adjust.
* Don't panic if the kitten does not eat right away when you get him or her home or for 24 hours.
* Don’t panic if the kitten does not use the bathroom the first 24 hours.
Not eating or using the bathroom for 24 hours is very normal but anything after 24 hours they should eat and use the bathroom.
If your new kitten does not eat in the first 24 hours try a small can of kitten-wet food to get them started. Wellness and Blue Buffalo are are good quality cat foods.
Feeding your Kitten and Cat:
Please make sure to leave dry food and clean water where they can get to it at all times.
All of our kittens have been started off eating Wellness grain free canned food and Wellness & Blue Buffalo dry food.
If you do not want to use what we have been feeding your kitten please take note:
You should mix the type of food we have been feeding the kitten with the food you plan on feeding them for at least a week. Start out with more of our food and less of the new food. Then gradually decrees our food and increase the new food. This helps their stomach adjust to changing foods and prevents diarrhea.
Foods to Avoid Feeding your Kitten:
Table scraps should not be fed. They throw off the nutritional balance of a proper diet.
Tuna - Not only is tuna bad for adult felines, it is bad for kittens as well. Though the occasional tuna treat will not physically harm your cat it will turn your furry friend into a tuna addict cat. Cats that are fed tuna on a regular basis will, in fact, refuse to eat their regular diet of cat food. A spoonful of tuna every blue moon is OK, however, tuna is not meant to replace food that is specifically made for cats and kittens.
Milk - Once a kitten is weaned they lose their ability to digest milk products properly. Milk can wreak havoc not only on a kitten’s system but an adult cat’s system as well. So unless you enjoy cleaning diarrhea out of your cat’s litter box on a daily basis, it is best to by-pass milk or milk based products all together!
Grapes and Raisins - Grapes and raisins should be avoided at all cost! Though yummy, both of these items can cause kidney failure if ingested by your cat or kitten! Don’t risk your kitten’s health…don’t even let him play with grapes or raisins (many cats and kittens like to roll them around and chase them). Keep both of these items out of your kitten’s reach at all times.
Dog Food - Ok, this one should be obvious. After all cats are not dogs. Kittens and cats are meat-eaters and, therefore, need plenty of protein in their diet! Dogs on the other hand are omnivores and often enjoy a few vegetables thrown in with their meat. Simply put, dog food does not provide the nutrients (protein and taurine) that cats and kittens need in order to be healthy.
Bones - Just as dogs enjoy chewing on a good bone cats do too (especially chicken bones!). However, no matter how much they beg (yes, cats do beg) do NOT give bones to your kitten or cat. Cooked bones can break and splinter as your cat eats them. If this happens, your cat may develop a blockage or worse, have their bowels or intestines punctured. Both of these situations would require medical attention IMMEDIATELY!! Play it safe and avoid bones all together.
Onions and Onion Powder - Onions and onion powder are NOT good for your cat! If ingested by your feline, onions can cause hemolytic anemia which ruptures the red blood cells which in turn can lead to kidney failure. No onions (or food with onions mixed in) for kitty!
Kitty Litter:
All the kittens have been litter box trained by their mothers before they leave us, we use Tidy Cats Multi Cat clay cat litter.
Even though they are litter box trained you still need to keep a litter box close by for the first week so they don't have trouble finding it. Please remember when they first come home they can still have accidents, especially if they have too much room to roam and have not quite figured out exactly where the litter box is. If they do have a solid stool accident pick it up with a paper towel, put it in the litter box, and then put the kitten in there too. This lets them see and smell it to reinforce them to go there. Please do not punish a kitten for an accident at this age.
Also, if they have a soft or very loose stool for the first week this is normal because of the stress of going to a new home. It could also be the change in food if you do use a different type of food than we have been feeding them. This will upset their stomachs and cause loose stools. You should mix the type of food we have been feeding the kitten with the food you plan on feeding them for at least a week. Start out with more of our food and less of the new food. Then gradually decrees our food and increase the new food. This helps their stomach adjust to changing foods. All can food and no dry food will cause loose stinky stools too.
Spay and Neuter,This is very important please read:
We recommend Isoflurane anesthesia for spay or neuter. It is good to do blood work before surgery and talk to your vet about the anesthesia they use. Your kitten should be spayed (females) or neutered (males) by 8 months of age. Anytime after six months is ideal (although the longer you can hold off neutering a male, the better for development).
Siamese, Orientals and Colorpoints can be sensitive to other types of anesthesia. Make sure you have a good vet and don’t be cheep on getting the best surgery for you kitten. Laser surgery is the best but surgery by scalpel is fine. Most important is the anesthesia and pre-blood work.
We do not recommend Ketamine, which is somewhat controversial drug; it has been widely used as both a pre-anesthetic drug, and in combination with other drugs, such as Acepromazine, as full anesthesia for some procedures. It is generally considered safe, although some people believe that certain breeds of cats or dogs may be at risk with its use. Ketamine is nonnarcotic and nonbarbiturate. Ketamine is contraindicated in cats suffering from renal (kidney) or hepatic (liver) insufficiency.
Inhalant Anesthetics
We do recommend Isofluorane because of its safety, rapid recovery after surgery, and the fact that it is not likely to induce nor exacerbate heart arrhythmias. Isofluorane is becoming less expensive than newer inhalants, and is still considered the anesthetic of choice in veterinary medicine for pregnant animals (including c-sections) and for animals with heart problems.
Your veterinarian can (and should) provide information as to which anesthetics he/she uses and why. A good vet will do this!
There is no such thing as the perfect anesthetic, and there is always potential for risk with any of them. It therefore we should do our homework prior to allowing any procedure requiring anesthesia, and to insist on a pre-anesthetic blood screening. This precaution is not a guarantee by any means but it can help your veterinarian determine what is the best anesthetic or combination of anesthetics for your cat. Certain conditions may not obviate the need for anesthesia, but other precautions such as heart monitoring and/or oxygen assistance can be added for additional safety.
In my opinion, the most important thing you can do as part of your cat's health is to know your cat's history, and to remind your veterinarian of certain conditions when contemplating procedures requiring anesthesia or sedation. For example, heart conditions, asthma or liver or kidney insufficiency would preclude the use of certain anesthetic agents.
Kitten proofing your home:
Cats naturally love exploring, so make sure that anywhere they go is safe. Plants toxic to kittens should be out of their reach. You should also hide medicines, strings and cleaning materials because they might play with it.
Kittens are very curious. They will try to play with almost anything they can get their paws on. However, it can lead them into serious troubles unless you take preventative measures. So be sure to:
Keep household killers locked up. Those include (but not limited to): cleaning supplies, bleach, oven cleaners, paints, ammonia, disinfectants, drain cleaners, gasoline, pesticides, fertilizer, and rat poison.
Secure your window blinds cords out of kitty's reach. If kittens gets tangled up in it, he/she could strangle. Keep toilet lids down. Kitten may attempt to play with a water and fall head down into it. On top of it, a lid might close and trap your kitty inside.
Store plastic bags away from a kitten's reach. Kittens love to play with them but can get tangled inside the plastic bag and suffocate. They can also eat pieces of plastic which is not healthy. Instead of plastic bag, you can offer your kitten a paper bag (just make sure to remove the handles first).
Remove all breakable valuables. Take them from shelves and/or floor and store them in a cabinet with a door. That way you won't lose your favorite vase and won't have to rush your kitty to emergency room with a broken glass stuck in a paw. Keep your needlework supplies in a closed container.
Needles and thread can be fatal if your kitten swallows them.
Remove plants poisonous to cats. Those include amaryllis, English Ivy, narcissus, dieffenbachia, mistletoe, poinsettia, holly, philodendron, azalea, rhododendron, daffodil daphne, foxglove, bleeding heart, potato, iris, ivy, oleander, rubber plant, tobacco, tulip, clematis, morning glory, and weeping fig.
Secure electrical wires with a plastic cover. Most kittens like to chew on them which might result in an electroshock and damage to your electronics.
A basic rule of thumb to follow — if you would hide it from a human baby, hide it from your kitten as well
Select a Veterinarian:
Make sure that you have a good vet to go to. You should pick a vet you trust just as you would a family doctor.
The best way to find the right veterinarian is to ask for recommendations from cat owners among family and friends. You can also Google your local clinics and look for reviews. After you've got some leads, pay them a visit, talk to them, talk to other clients in the waiting room, look at the premises (make sure they are clean), and ask their prices. You may want to visit more than one clinic before making your final selection.
You want to find a vet you trust your pet with and feel comfortable to talk to. If for any reason something just doesn't feel right, look for another vet.
Also, make sure to ask if a vet clinic you picked provides 24/7 emergency services, and, if not, obtain a phone number and an address of an Emergency clinic they recommend.
Adjusting to their new home:
The first week at his or her new home is a big adjustment for a kitten. This is also a very important time for you and your new kitten to bond. You need to remember your kitten has just been separated from everyone and every thing it has ever known and lost all the siblings that they spent all their days and nights playing with. They will need time with you and your family in an environment that is comfortable. Adjustment can take from two days to up to a couple weeks.
First week living quarters:
We recommend keeping the kitten somewhat confined to a room for at least the first week. Since just being loose in a whole new house is over whelming to a small kitten and it may make them skittish. It's our opinion that the best place for this is your bedroom if you don't mind kitty's sleeping with you. Sleeping with you is a sure sign that the kitten is bonding and beginning to feel safe with you.
At first you can leave the kitten alone for a while so kitten can get used to his new place. Check on him or her every hour or so, talk to the kitten softly, and wait until it gets comfortable enough to come out. Sitting in the floor playing with some of their toys will get the kitten interested. No loud or sudden fast moves, just talk softly and move slowy until the kitten sees you are not a treat to them. If you have children, encourage them to do the same. If the kitten seems to want attention, spend some time with them. Be gentle, pet the kitten and offer them some toys. The timing may differ for each individual kitten, but each one comes around eventually.
Introduction To The Rest of the House:
After the kitten is showing good signs of bonding (laying with you, purring, coming to you for attention), it's time to begin introducing him or her to the big world outside of it's confined room. This should be done slowly and in stages.
When kitten is no longer hiding and feels comfortable, open the door and let it come out to explore farther. Again, it might take just a quick stroll at first, but kitten's curiosity is very strong and will outcome its fears. You can also begin with carrying the kitten with you when you go to other parts of the house so it can see everything, but still feel safe with you. Gradually (within a few days) it will start asking to be put down or want to run around more. At first be sure not to leave him or her unattended as they won't know where it's food or kitty litter box is.
The next step is to add a kitty box to where it will be permit-ally and be sure the kitten knows where it is. You can move their food and water after being out and about. If you notice any serious behavioral changes, confine the kitten again for a few more days.
By the time you introduce your kitten to other animals, they should already get accustomed to kitten's smell through a door. The first introduction should be short (just few minutes). Make sure to pay more attention to the animal that's been there longer to reassure it of your love (otherwise it may get jealous). Usually pets will work things out by themselves, which can take about a week. If your pets are having more difficulty adjusting, supervise their time together and be patient. Both pets should have a place they can go to when they want to be left alone.
Some are so happy for company that they attach very quickly. Others will take time. Do not turn other animals loose with the kitten until you are sure that they have made progress and seem more interested in each other than afraid. Set the kitten down with a hand under it's belly with the other animal so you can quickly scoop it up if things are not going as well as you'd like. It's best to keep a dog on a leash to help control it if you think there may be a problem.
Introductions to Small Children:
It is best to wait until you have bonded with the kitten first, as this will give the new baby someone to trust and to feel relatively safe with. This can be a stressful adjustment for both the new family and the kitten. The more relaxed you are about it the better, as the kitten will sense your apprehension. Please remember when introducing children and other animals to a kitten that you need to supervise them both at all times until they have adjusted to each other. Neither would intentionally hurt the other, but it can happen quickly. With children, they need to remember when holding the kitten not to 'jerk' or pull them off of themselves when they attempt to put them down. This can damage little claws and cause scratches that could harm and scare them both. Little children will lose interest much quicker than older kids. Before long they will be playing together without any problem.