Kitten Care |
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Seven week old kittens. These babies
Kitten CareBefore you get your new kitten, you will need some supplies. Important items are a cat carrier, at least two sets of cat dishes, litter boxes, kitty litter, litter scoop, nail clippers, something for the kitten to scratch, food, a sealing container to hold a month's worth of dry cat food, and of course some cat toys. Does that sound like youıre getting a baby? Well, you are! A carrier can be used not only for getting your kitten home safely, but also for trips to the vet and anywhere else you want to take your cat. A Veri-Kennel is the best, but the airline approved ones you find at Target and K-Mart are fine too. Remember to always ride in the car with the cat in the carrier. In case you are in an accident, the cat would be gone if it were loose. On the way home, leave your kitten in her carrier. He will be with strange people in unfamiliar surroundings. He could panic and cause trouble, if he were not in the carrier. Itıs okay if he cries. We use stainless steel bowls for dry cat food and water, and plastic or stainless steel plates for canned food and meat. They are changed every day. In our house the cat's dishes are not used by humans, although they do get put into the dishwasher with our stuff to be washed daily. If you don't have a dishwasher, soak the dishes in hot water with bleach. It is best not to use plastic bowls on a long term basis for the cats. It is thought that they can cause feline acne, which looks like pimples on a catıs chin. Many breeders use paper plates and bowls, so clean up is very easy. Our cats like Feline Pine Kitty Litter. Compared with the clay litters, it is more economical, does not have the dust, and covers litter box odors much better. You can also dispose of it be putting it down the toilet a little at a time. It saves putting a lot of litter in the garbage can, plus it helps to keep the toilet bowl clean. We do not recommend clumping litter. Not only is it lethal for tiny kittens when they eat it, but the dust can accumulate on a adultıs coat. For a healthy cat that probably would be okay, but it would accumulate in the gut of a sick cat, causing all kinds of problems. The litter made from newspaper is messy and does nothing for odor. We have not tried other alternative products. The litter boxes should be scooped once daily minimum. Then disinfect the litter scoop in a bleach solution. On at least a weekly basis, discard all the litter, then fill the litter boxes with water and add some bleach. Let soak for at least 20 minutes. Then empty the bleach water, rinse, and fill with fresh litter. (This is important to help prevent FIP. If you are using clumping litter, you need to do this too.) Finally, watch your kitten make a bee-line to mark the fresh litter. Our cats are allowed to choose a scratcher made from cardboard, sisal scratcher, or carpet. The carpeted posts are the most popular. We have two posts setting next to the sofa and loveseat, so our feline will remember to use them instead of the furniture. We have tried to train our kittens to use the scratching post, but sometimes they may forget and need to be reminded. Within 72 hours of getting your kitten, take him to a vet for your peace of mind. Your kitten has had all of her shots for a year. However, if you have a dog your vet may want to vaccinate for Bordetella. Unless something major is found wrong, there should not be any expensive procedures. Give the health record we provide to your vet. The stress of going to a new home may cause the kitten to have a bit of an upper respiratory infection (URI), which is like a human cold. This is normal and the kitten should be fine is a week to ten days. If there is a secondary infection, take your kitten to the vet for an antibiotic. If you have other cats in your household, keep your new kitten in quarantine for a week or more, according to your veterinarianıs recommendation. This allows both cats to get acquainted through the door and to adjust to the idea of the presence of another cat. This also helps the new kitten to feel more secure in one room than to have a large, new, scary house to wander around in with strangers. Also, God forbid, if your kitten comes down with an URI, the other cat won't catch it. However, if this is your first cat, keep it in one room for a couple of days. This lets the cat become accustomed to you and its surroundings. Be sure to send in the paperwork on your kittenıs registration papers. Like registering your car, your cat is still legally ours until you do so. FOOD AND WATER We feed our kittens a mixture of Nutro Max Cat and Nutro Max Kitten on a free feed basis. Do not open more than a monthıs supply at a time. Store the dry cat food at room temperature in a sealed container to maintain freshness. Unopened bags of cat food can be stored up to six months. Our kittens also get some canned or a raw meat mixture in the evening. We recommend canned Science Diet or Nutro or other food that is low in magnesium and without onion powder. We also give them a choice of raw beef. If you want to try it, contact us for the recipe. We used to recommend Iams. Since it has been taken over by Proctor and Gamble, the formulation has been changed and our cats turn up their noses at it. Many breeders like Royal Canin. We do not feed it because it is expensive and has ground corn added, which is hard for the cats to digest and can cause food allergies. Science Diet and Iams also have corn. Human baby food meats are good for a treat or to get a sick cat to eat. It does not have the balanced nutrition for long term use. Look out for onion powder in baby food too. Our cats and kittens are fed premium cat food, because it has a better quality and quantity protein and is low in magnesium. Although it may cost more per pound, you will be feeding less of it to you feline than the "grocery store brands." Cats, unlike omnivorous dogs, are carnivores and need meat protein. When looking at the labels on cat food make sure a meat is listed first. Magnesium has been implicated for urinary problems. The best way to prevent such difficulty is to feed food low in magnesium. Onion powder, which is apparently added to add flavor to food, will cause hemalytic anemia. Although they donıt need milk, it is fine to give your kitten a bit of whatever you drink as long as it doesnıt give them diarrhea. (We used to have a cat that loved buttermilk.) Cats can become lactose intolerant just like humans. At no time should you feed dog food to a cat. The dry dog food is more course than cat food and is too harsh for the feline gut. Canned dog food does not have the high protein cats need. Cats also require taurine, which is not in dog food. Without taurine cats will develop gingivitis and cardiomyopathy. Cats need to have access to fresh water at all times. We use our cityıs water, although bottled or filtered is fine. Some areas have a problem with coccidia protozoa in their water. Cats can get quite sick from it, so take appropriate precautions if you live in such an area. Feed your kitten at one location. It would be hard to break a begging habit, if it is started. Our cats can have a bit of turkey, roast beef, etc. as a treat. They get it after we have had supper, in their eating place. There are some cats that like fruit, vegetables, popcorn, etc. These are fine as long as *moderation* is used. DISCIPLINE We try to keep our cats and kittens off the dining room table, kitchen counters, and certain other places in our house. We work at teaching them not to climb the curtains and to not use the furniture to sharpen claws. A curious kitten is going to get into mischief. Do NOT strike a cat. The best way to discipline a cat is with shouting and clapping of hands or other sudden noise or with a squirt of water for a sprayer. Often times a bit of distraction in best, but on the other hand, try not to inadvertently reward bad behavior. Be sure your kitten gets lots of love and not just discipline. If your kitten scratches the furniture, shout and clap your hands or squirt her. Then take the kitten to the scratching post and gently rub her paws on it, like she is supposed to do. Brag on her when she does it right. ENVIRONMENT Because the ancestors of Bombays came from the tropics, they need a warm environment. We keep our house at least 68 degrees F. (20 degrees C.) during the winter, when you will find them to be natural heat seekers. Cat beds will help them stay warm too. Whatever the season, the cats love to lounge in the sun shining through a window. If your kittens coat becomes a little brownish, this happens naturally from laying the sun a lot and does not hurt them. Like babies, the house needs to be cat proofed. Many of the things you would do for a baby apply with kittens. Empty light sockets should have little plastic covers, donıt leave plastic bags laying about, put baby locks on your lower kitchen cabinets, keep the lid down on the toilet. Donıt leave little things around for the kitten to chew or swallow. Be sure to pick up sting and rubber bands, as they can cause major problems if they are ingested. Put poisonous cleansers and other stuff where the kitten will have no access. Paper sacks are safe but pick up the plastic ones. TOYS There are many cat toys. Sometimes the cheapest are the best. Our cats like anything with catnip, sparkle sponge balls that they can carry around or bat on a bare floor, balls with bells inside, empty paper grocery bags, a wadded up piece of paper, a cardboard box, a milk jug cap, or a plastic Easter egg. Favorites include things that are interactive with their favorite people. A shoe string dragged across the floor or furniture for the cats to catch is great entertainment. Feathers and teasers are greatly entertaining. Be careful with the teasers made with mylar. If the kitten eats it, you may be in for a big surgery bill. Feathers are safer but not as flashy. A pocket laser that is great fun in the dark as the cats chase after the elusive red spot. Just make sure you donıt shine it in their eyes. Of course there are "bed mice" and "grocery bag mice" to be pounce upon and attempt to catch. A bird feeder just outside the window is great entertainment, as well as an aquarium with some small schooling fish. Although Target, Wal-Mart, and Kmart do not have a large selection, they have good prices on cat toys, carriers, flea combs, and the like. CAT FIRST AID KIT As with humans, it is better to have some knowledge of cat first aid before you need it. Know ahead where a vet hospital is that is open 24 hours a day and have their phone number handy. We recommend First Aid for Cats by Bruce Fogle, DVM or similar book. GROOMING Bombays are easy to groom. A brushing several times a week with an old fashioned nylon brush is sufficient. If you really want to work for even better results, get a small rectangular rubber curry brush. It is possible to curry too much and leave thin spots, so donıt get extra zealous. Before a show Bombays need all the little with hairs that are mostly on the shoulders plucked. (We don't hassle the cats that are not being shown with removing all the white hairs.) Finally wipe down with a soft, new chamois or damp wash cloth. Your kitten will need to have her claws clipped weekly. Get a small pair of claw clippers, which look something like little scissors or regular toe nail clippers. Press each toe to extend the claw. Clip the white part. The pink is the quick and will hurt the kitten, if you cut into it. Bathe your kitten if she gets dirty, has an oily feel to the coat, or is shedding a lot of fur. Your kitten has been bathed as a young kitten and should not be hard to handle. If someone in the house is allergic to cats, they should be bathed at least monthly with special products to help remove any dander. Bathing will also help to temporally get rid of fleas, if you use a flea shampoo. Make sure you use a product approved for cats, as some dog products are toxic to cats. FLEAS Fleas are indigenous to southern the southern United States. Although your kitten should be an indoor cat, dogs and people that go outside can bring in the pests. Not only do they bite cats and people, fleas can infest your kitten with tapeworms, if your cat eats them. The best preventative measure is to vacuum your house thoroughly at least weekly, then throw out the vacuum cleaner bag. You can get some beneficial nematodes from your garden nursery to put on your lawn to help keep the fleas in check outside. We donıt recommend spraying the yard with insecticide, because it kills the beneficial insects as well as fleas. And, it is only good until the next flea infested animal sheds them on your property. (When we lived in California, we had an ant problem after we used insecticide regularly in the yard. The beneficial insects were killed but the ants thrived.) If you still find fleas get some Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution from your vet. These products kill all the fleas on the cat within 24 hours and work for about a month. If you are persistent, you can use a flea comb on your cat several times a day, and put the fleas you catch in a glass with soapy water to drown them. But this method gets only the fleas on the cat and not it the environment, where the real infestation is. Cat flea collars work fine for under the collar but not the rest of the cat. If you do put any collar of whatever sort on your cat, be sure that you can slip at least two fingers under it; if you can't it is too tight. The collar should slip off it the cat gets itself into a predicament and is hung up somewhere. It is better to lose a collar than have an injured cat. Flea powders are temporary. They kill the fleas for a day or two and cannot be reapplied for a week. BOOKS & MAGAZINES(more to come) The Book of the Cat is the best general book on cats, in spite of some of the medical information is out of date. Unfortunately this book is out of print, so look for it in used bookstores. First Aid for Cats by Bruce Fogle, DVM The Complete Idiot's Guide to Living with a Cat How to Get Your Cat to Do What You Want by Disclaimer: although we have mentioned a number of products by brand name, we do not own any stock in these companies.
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