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At
home
Think,
before you act…
Kittens,
who just moved to their new home and so are separated from their mother,
brothers and sisters for the first time and were taken out of their old
and trusted environment, deserve the same kind of treatment you’d give
to a human child. Lots of attention, love, cherishment and sheltering.
Kittens
are heartwarming. Though they pee and poop, sometimes even outside the
litterbox. They tend to throw up on your finest flooring and always at
just the moment you don’t have time to clean it up. They can get ill
and require a lot of care. And they all grow up very fast.
Vaccination
record and registry of pedigree
When
the kittens leave their elderly home, they should already have been
dewormed and vaccinated twice against cat and sneezing disease. They
should also have a clean bill of health from the vet. The booklet you
receive from the cattery should always be brought with you when you go
to visit the vet for their yearly vaccinations. Don’t forget to deworm
your kittens regularly. Even when they’re adults, that should be done
twice a year.
Feeding
One
of the ways to keep the kittens healthy, is to not
give them adult cat food. (And
never ever dogfood). The kitten’s intestines are not yet ready for
the heavier food. If they do receive improper food, they won’t be able
to digest it (well). This means that the food will start to rot and the
wrong intestinal flora gets the upper hand. This would mean that they
will stop producing vitamins, digestive
enzymes and antibodies in their intestines. The kittens weaken
and suffer from diarrhea. Dangerous bacteria and viruses have a free
reign. More on this at ‘intestines’.
Never give kittens regular cow milk. They lack the enzyme needed to
process lactose, and can experience severe intestinal stress. Make sure
to give them the same food as they received in their elderly home, at
least at first.
Intestines
The
intestines are the home of the intestinal flora. This is the name for
the many kinds of micro-organisms like bacteria, fungi and yeast living
in your guts. The intestinal flora are composed of both good and bad
bacteria.
The
processing of food takes place in the intestines, by means of the
‘good’ bacteria. The bad bacteria (and fungi) always try to take the
place of the good bacteria. That’s why it’s so important to make
sure the good bacteria keep the upper hand.
At home
When
they kittens first arrive in their new home, it’s best to let them
come out of their basket in the room where you yourself spend most of
your time (like the livingroom). The first few days this room will be
the most important to the kittens, and it will be thoroughly explored.
They are already housebroken. But still they need to learn where their
litter box is located, in which preferably (atleast at first) the same
grid is used as they were used to in their elderly home. It’s
important to keep a close eye on your kittens for the first few days,
and respond to every meow. As soon as the kittens are done sniffing
about, you show them where the litter box is, and when they start
yelping, you put them on it. When they’re done with their business on
the litter box, praise them profusely. It’s also a good idea to put 2
litter boxes down for the first few days. You need one in the, for the
kittens, most important room, and one in the room where you eventually
want them to go. You should also put a water bowl and a food bowl in
there (not too close to the litter box). Also don’t forget
about the toys. And make
sure there’s a few places where the kittens can retreat to and sleep.
If they get used to their new home quickly, they’ll start
investigating the house, and probably quickly find and use the second
litter box. If you have more than one cat, it’s always a good idea to
put down a second litter box, as some cats prefer having their own clean
one.
Climbing
A
nice and big scratching pole is part of your equipment.
These can be purchased in all shapes and sizes. The faster kittens get
used to a big scratching pole they can use to their hearts content, the
lesser abuse your furniture will have to endure.
A small scratching pole is often discarded by the cat, because
cats simply like high places.
Bonding
It’s
of the utmost importance for you and your kittens, that they can get
properly attached to you. Lure them towards you with a string when you
sit down. And comb and brush the kittens every day at first. But don’t
force them. Make sure they
eat and drink plenty. And also keep an eye on the litter box. Don’t
leave the kittens alone at night. Even if there are other cats in the
house, kittens will feel unsafe if they’re left alone at night.
Therefore for the first few days, take the kittens to bed with you. If
you leave your bedroom door open, they can then decide for themselves
where to sleep. It’s very likely that for the first while, they’ll
choose to lie right up against you, or in a nice and cozy spot in a
basket next to your bed and that they’ll eventually start exploring.
Be
careful
Kittens
are completely unaware of danger. Make sure that when you fill your
washing machine, the kittens not already in it. Also don’t leave the
bathroom door open or always put the toilet seat cover down.
There’s a chance your kitten will just dive in, and can’t get
out on its own… furthermore be careful with closet doors, before you
know it, they’re locked in. They’re quick as the wind, so when you
open the outside door, be really careful one of the little ones
doesn’t sneak out.
Playing
Kittens
have a large need to play. If kittens have to grow up without any
kindred, they’ll invite you to play. Mice, strings and other stuff
like that they love. But don’t leave them alone with too large a
string, it can get caught around their necks. They also love physical
contact. If they get too enthousiastic (biting or using their nails),
make the same light squirming noise as kittens and cats do among
eachother. You will see that they understand, and calm down a bit.
Hairball
Cats
and kittens wash themselves intensively. Therefore they also ingest a
lot of hair. This is a problem mostly for adult cats. Kittens generally
don’t have such thick fur yet. Those hairs can form into a ball in the
stomach, that has to be expelled at some point. Usually the hairballs
leave their intestines the normal way through the back, but it also
occurs that hairballs leave the body through vomiting. The expelling of
hairballs through the mouth usually only occurs after they’ve eaten
grass. If the kittens
don’t go into a garden, you could buy some grass seeds
and grow some in a pot, or buy it. Regular combing however
removes most of the excess hair.
Social
More
and more people come to the conclusion that cats too, are social beings.
And thus, that it’s better and much more enjoyable for them to grow up
with someone of their own kind.
The fun they have together, playing together, fighting together,
sleeping together, learning from each other etc is heartwarming to see.
People who have always had only one cat have never seen the interaction
between them, which is a great shame. Both for man and animal.
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