CAT & KITTEN CARE
... Introducing A Kitten To A New Household
Page 1 of 3
Water and Food
Teeth
Housing
Litter Box
INTRODUCING A KITTEN TO A NEW
HOUSEHOLD
Introducing a kitten to a
new household should be a gradual process. If you obtain a kitten that has been
properly socialized by the breeder in the first place it will much easier to
integrate into your household. You should prepare for the new kitten well ahead
of bringing him home just like you would prepare for a new baby.
Kitten Proofing Your Home
prior to your kitten's arrival is essential. Removing all
Plants Poisonous to Cats
is also a must. Select a quiet room in your home and put his food, water, toys,
scratching post, and litter pan in it. If you have one, a spare bedroom
that can be closed off would be ideal. Kittens need to become thoroughly
familiar with new surroundings before they feel comfortable. An entire house or
apartment can be overwhelming all at once. It will be much less stressful
for your kitten to learn about you, your family and your home a little at a
time. This is even more important if there are multiple people and/or pets
in your household. This will also help to establish good litter box habits from
the very beginning.
When introducing your kitten to
other household pets, monitor them closely and do not leave them alone together
until you are certain they will get along well. If you are introducing your
kitten to a dog, make sure there are safe retreats in the house for him to get
away if necessary. A baby gate across the doorway of one room works well.
Introduce other family members slowly. Have them come into the room one at a
time to pet and play with the kitten. Have younger children sit down, then show
them how to gently stroke the kitten's fur and offer her a few treats. Make
certain that children understand that they are not to chase the kitten, hurt her
or bother her while she eats, sleeps or uses the litter box. If there are no
other pets, you can let the kitten begin to explore the rest of the house in a
few days. Please don't use your hands or feet as play objects with kittens.
This type of rough play may cause biting and scratching behaviors to develop as
your kitten matures. Instead provide plenty of toys that are intended to
keep the kitten at an arms length away during play. Interactive toys like "kitty
teasers" (not kitty teaser gloves, your cat may not be able
to tell the difference between them and your hands!) are ideal as
they allow kittens to practice their natural predatory instincts without causing
harm to people.
WATER
Water is an essential nutrient
and is needed by all living organisms for almost
every bodily function. As cats are typically “small drinkers” quite often cat
owners feel that their cat is not consuming enough water and tend to worry,
especially when the cat is a regular consumer of dry foods.
The cat can obtain its water
from 3 sources: water from the food, drinking water, and the water produced
when carbohydrates, proteins and fats are used. This "metabolic water"
represents only 10-15 % of the total required water.
When a cat is fed wet food,
(cans or fresh meat or fish), it receives well over its water requirement from
the water content of its diet. In these conditions, the cat will not drink or
drink very little. On the contrary, when fed dry food, the cat has to obtain
almost 100 % of its water requirement from drinking.
A cat will drink water to
compensate for water loss that may occur in three different ways. Water can be
lost due to the action of salivation (licking) and respiration. This loss is
minimal and at temperatures
of approximately 85° F, panting will induce a water
loss of less than 40 ml per day. Secondly, water can be lost during fecal
output. The amount lost will vary depending on the nature of the food and on
its digestibility: the more fiber there is in the food, the more important the
water loss is. The main water loss, however, is urinary loss. When consuming a
dry food, about half of the water consumed is eliminated in this manner.
Cats do not tend to drink very
much as they are able to considerably concentrate their urine as compared to
other species (average density: 1045 compared to 1015 in dog and man).
However, should the urine become too concentrated, the risk of crystal
precipitation and urinary stone formation increases. It is essential that the
cat be encouraged to drink. The recommended water consumption of the cat is 55
to 70-ml/kg-body weight/day or 1 ml/kcal of metabolizable energy consumed.
These requirements increase if the water loss goes up, and for physiological
or pathological reasons such as high fever, lactation, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Cats are "finicky
drinkers". They are very sensitive to the cleanliness of and to the taste of
the water. To encourage a cat to drink, it is advised to let him have free
access to water, to serve it in a clean bowl in glass, earthenware or
stainless steel (avoid plastic materials as they may take up external odors),
and to change the water twice a day. The ideal temperature of the water should
be between 40 and 65° F to help encourage the cat to drink to prevent an
increase in the concentration of the urine resulting in an increased frequency
to disease. (Reprinted:
Water Consumption In A Healthy Cat, by Gail Kuhlman, Ph.D., P.A.S.
Diplomate, American College of Animal Nutrition)
FOOD
Kittens need roughly twice the
nutrients of adult cats, for both growth and energy. Obviously, their tummies
cannot handle large quantities of food, so much like human babies they need
frequent feedings at first, tapering off as they grow. It is important during
this time to weigh the kittens regularly, to ensure they are gaining regularly.
Feeding
Tips
1.
Maintain your kittens current diet. When you first bring home your new pet, feed
him the same food he was eating at his previous home. If you plan to change the
food, do so gradually, mixing it with the kittens current diet. A sudden change
can cause upset stomach and diarrhea.
2.
Feed a high-quality, complete kitten diet. Such foods are specially formulated
to meet the kittens unique nutritional needs, containing the proper balance of
protein, vitamins and minerals.
3.
Feed your kitten at the same time and same place each day.
Kittens
Kittens can be
fed free choice as they will normally only eat as much as their body requires.
Adults
Unless accustomed to being
overfed, most cats only eat the amount of food they need, so you can leave a
bowl of dry food and water out for your cat to eat at will. However,
if it is overweight, it's better to put your cat on a twice-a-day feeding
schedule and regulate the amount of food given at each meal.
Feeding directions provided on the food packaging should be followed.
Cats will require more
water when eating dry cat food, but tartar-buildup may be lessened as a result of
crunching on the kibble. Generally less expensive and less smelly. Dishes will
remain clean and food will not build up nor spoil quickly. Stools will be
firmer. Premium cat food,
although more expensive than average brands, these
foods are often better for your cat. They are low-bulk, which means that cats
will digest more of the food, thus eating and eliminating less. They contain
little or no dyes, which can be important if your cat vomits regularly (easier
to clean up); probably also good from a diet viewpoint.
These foods are also beneficial for the cats coats.
We feed and recommend
Felidae,
a premium quality dry cat/kitten food made with wholesome
all natural human grade ingredients.
Kittens can be fed free choice. Adult cats should be fed
about 1/4 cup of food for every 5 pounds of body weight.
TEETH
Kittens are
born without exposed teeth
(edentulous).
Like most mammals, including people, they are
dyphyodont, erupting primary (decidious)
teeth which are temporary and
secondary (permanent) teeth.
They have 26 temporary teeth and 30 permanent teeth. The permanent
teeth should last for the life of the cat provided they are receiving good
dental care.
Kittens' primary (deciduous) teeth are all normally in by approximately
6-8 weeks of age. They come in as follows:
Incisors ... 2-3 weeks Canines ...
3-4 weeks Premolars ... 3-8 weeks
Kittens' secondary (permanent) teeth are all normally in by
approximately 5-7 months of age. They come in as follows:
Incisors ... 3-5 months Canines ...
4-5 months Premolars ... 4-6 months
Molars ... 4-5 months
(Source: Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine)
Taking Care Of Your Kitten's Teeth
Kittens should be taught to have their mouths handled and teeth
brushed at a young age. This ensures good oral health and saves you
from trips to your veterinarian for costly dental cleanings. Kittens
often experience pain and discomfort during the teething stages just
like human infants and puppies do. During this time you may find them
chewing on inappropriate objects in your home or on your fingers and
clothing. To
discourage this behaviour it is essential that you provide them with
appropriate chew toys.
HOUSING
Your pet should have her own clean, dry place in your home to sleep and rest.
Line your cat's bed with a soft, warm blanket or towel. Be sure to wash the
bedding often. Please keep your cat indoors. Cats who are allowed outdoors can
contract diseases, get ticks or parasites, become lost or get hit by a car, or
get into fights with other free-roaming cats and dogs. Also, cats may prey on
native wildlife.
FeLV and FIV can be
transmitted at birth from the mother or through the bite of an infected cat.
Neither virus can infect humans. Many outdoor and stray cats and kittens carry
this infection. Because of the fatal nature of these diseases, you should not
expose cats already living in your home by taking in untested cats or kittens.
To be safe, keep your cat indoors.
Cats can be happily kept inside all the time, and an indoor cat is much
healthier and safer than an outdoor cat. But, if you have the space, you
might want to consider providing your kitties with a "cat run" where they can go
outside for fresh air at will and watch birds and doze in the sun.
The
Cat's Den is a Canadian company that
manufactures outdoor cat enclosures and also sells cat hammocks. You can also
find other ideas and links for building or purchasing
outdoor cat enclosures and runs here.
LITTER BOX
We recommend a “jumbo” size
litter pan, without a hood, like the ExquisiCat (jumbo size) Litter Pan
or the Rubbermaid Pets High Sided Litter Pan which controls litter
scatter for your Maine Coon cat.
Rubbermaid Pets Cat Litter Caddy and Scoop and Rubbermaid Pets
Litter Mat are also available. It may seem extremely large at first,
particularly for a kitten, but in time you will be thankful you got the largest
size pan available.
We use and recommend only
healthy, all natural, cat litters. Currently we are using
Feline Pine Original
Cat Litter. It is composed of 100% all-natural Southern Yellow Pine and is
completely safe and healthy for your whole family and Mother Nature. When your
cat uses Feline Pine, any ammonia odor is completely neutralized as it binds
directly to the pine particles. Their unique drying process ensures that Feline
Pine will absorb odors quickly. And the pleasant scent of pine will keep your
home smelling fresh, naturally. It is completely biodegradable and can be used
as compost. Sweat Scoop, and World's Best are other all natural alternatives you
may want to consider based on your own personal preference. These items can be
purchased at your local
PetSmart or ordered
online.
An industrial grade spray bottle like Spraymaster filled with
a dilute (1:20)
bleach solution is useful for disinfecting litter boxes. The litter box should
be placed in a quiet low traffic area of your home, away from your cat's eating
and sleeping areas and be easily accessible by your cat. For more information,
including a video demonstrating the correct
way to clean a litter box, read the article
The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point Of View written by
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM.
