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Kitty
Kare
Welcoming
your NEW Kitten/Cat home
You
thought long and hard about welcoming a
kitten or cat into your family and home.
Congratulations!! I hope the following
information will make the transition to
your home as smooth as possible.
What
You will Need:
- Cat
litter box, litter and litter scoop
(I use Tidy Cat extra hard clumping)
- Food
Dish
-
Water dish or dispenser
-
Scratching post or platform (best
buy is on ebay under cat trees)
- Cat
Food (kittens are on science diet
dry and iams kitten dry)
- Cat
Toys
-
Squirt Bottle
-
Catnip/wheatgrass garden (optional)
-
Getting Acquainted:
Cats have
a well-earned reputation for being
curious, independent and sensitive.
They're so sensitive to their
surrounding, in fact, that they require
a great deal of time to adjust to the
new environment. You can do a lot to
help your cat companion feel secure in
his/her new home.
We're
Home!
Keep the
cat in his/her carrier until you've
brought the carrier into a quiet room
where the cat can be confined for the
next day or two. I have kept your kitten
in the carrier at various times to make
it feel secure. This will be your cat's
"safe" room. Have a litter box prepared
in that room, as well as a scratching
post and bowls of food and water. If you
want your cat to feel especially at
home, purchase a cozy cat bed ahead of
time and place it in the safe room. Be
sure that all the windows and doors in
your house are closed, that loose
electrical cords have been secured, and
that any spaces behind appliances or
large pieces of furniture are blocked
off.
Once in
the safe room, open the carrier and let
the cat come out in her own time. Keep
the noise and bustle in your house to a
minimum while the cat orients herself.
My kittens have had a month or more
living in a busy veterinary clinic so
they tend to adjust to new things quite
readily. But, stay quietly in the room
while she explores, offering attention
and gentle stroking if she seems to want
it. If there are no other animals in the
house it's all right to leave the door
to the cat's room open slightly when you
leave, but don't be surprised if she
stays in one spot for a few days.
Hiding:
Hiding is
normal. Some cats spend their first few
days, weeks or even months in a new home
in hiding, usually under beds or in
closets. Hiding is how some cats adjust
to their new environments, and it does
not mean that the cat is unaffectionate,
unsocial or sick. Few cats repress their
curiosity enough to stay under a bed for
more than a few days, but if your cat
requires more hiding time, make sure
she's getting food and water and if
getting out at some point to use the
litter box. DO NOT attempt to forcibly
pull or drive a cat out from a hiding
place, as this will only intensify her
fears and make her adjustment harder.
Introducing your new cat to other pets:
If you
have other cats or a dog living with you
it's best to keep the new cat confined
in the "safe" room for a few days while
your established pets get used to her
smell, and vice versa. When you bring
cats together for the first time it
would be best to choose a day when you
can be around the house, encouraging
friendly behavior with praise and
affection.
A dog
meeting a new cat should always be
leashed. Supervise the encounter, and
watch your dog for signs of aggressive
behavior towards the cat. Curiosity is
normal, but a dog who lunges at a cat is
not safe to be off-leash with the
feline. If your dog gets on well with
the cat but the cat shows you that she's
feeling extremely threatened during this
experience, let her retreat to her
"safe" room until she's willing to try
again.
Kids
and Cats:
There is
no reason why young children and cats
cannot be the best of friends, so long
as your kids understand some simple
facts about cat behavior.
Keep
in mind these important reminders:
- Cats
DO NOT like to be squeezed, picked
up by the neck or have their tails
pulled. Cats are sensitive to loud
noises and sudden movements, and
will feel threatened if they're
chased or lunged at.
- Cats
DO NOT like to disturbed while they
are eating.
- Most
cats DO like to scratched gently
under their chins or behind their
ears and enjoy having their coats
brushed.
Making
the adjustment from my home to yours
physically is important, but you must
also keep up on their health plan. I
have given wormer starting at two weeks
of age and their first vaccinations. The
following is the recommendations from
the American Association of Feline
Practitioners, a veterinary specialty
group, on cat vaccines:
Kittens:
-
Vaccinate every 3 to 4 weeks from 6
to 7 weeks of age through 12 to 14
weeks of age.
- Use
FVRCP and leukemia vaccines that are
not combined into one vaccine.
-
Rabies can be given after 12 weeks
of age.
- I
worm with Nemex or Panacur every
time I vaccinate a kitten.
-
Droncit is given yearly for tapeworm
or more often if fleas have been a
problem.
-
Frontline or Revolution is used
monthly to help with fleas if
necessary if mild problem then oral
Program works great
Adult
Cats:
:After
the initial kitten vaccines or first
adult series, rotate the FVRCP, leukemia
and rabies on three year cycles. Your
cat gets it's yearly physical and we
minimize vaccine reactions.
I,
personally, bathe our cats as needed with a
aloe and oatmeal shampoo. This helps
keep the hair shedding down. I also
treat for hairballs once weekly with an
oral medication. Lately, I have added a
teaspoon of shed stop which has not only
helped with reducing shedding but also
has helped with hairballs. Hairballs are
natural and occur due to the great
grooming practices of our cats!
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