What to feed your kitten
Kittens can be cute and a lot of fun but there’s more to raising them than most people would contemplate. Sometimes people get a kitten thinking all they have to do is feed it and thats about it but there’s more to it than that.
Caring for a kitten is simple if you know what you are doing and I’ll interpret the basics in this article.Before you even determine to take in a kitten you should take into consideration the environment its going to be living in. Very young kittens can be wound by small children accidentally. Also if you have a dog thats never been around kittens or cats before it might turn out to be aggressive towards your modern kitten.
In worst case scenarios, sometimes a dog will even eat a kitten. Another thing to be aware of is if there are any potentially dangerous objects lying around the kitten might gather into. Kittens are naturally curious and might chew on wires or get into other dangerous situations. If you notice this type of behavior in your kitten, its a good idea to shatter their habit as soon as possible.
If your kitten is going to live out doors there are other things to consider such as the area you live in. If you live in an a rural area where coyotes are common you might want to keep the kitten indoors until its close to being corpulent grown and even then you will probably want to let it sleep indoors at night. Birds of prey such as falcons and hawks can also target kittens. Its also top-notch to the kitten if there are a few trees around so if a dog attacks it it can escape by climbing the tree. If you live in a city and have neighbours close by you are going to want to make sure your cat doesn’t bother them.
Its also can be very important to teach your kitten not to jump on cars if it starts doing that. Even if you don’t mind if it jumps on your car it won’t know the difference if it jumps on someone else’s and most people don’t prefer too kindly to having the neighbour’s cat on their car.
Kittens can launch eating solid food around 4 weeks. They can have either cat food from a can or dry food from a bag, it really doesn’t matter either way but younger kittens may have an easier time with canned cat food. Its important to remember to throw away all uneaten canned cat food after the can is opened, if you try and save it, it could be come contaminated with bacteria. Dry cat food can be left out as long as needed. There are many different flavours and brands of cat food to choose from though most make special kitten food and you should probably stick with that until they get older. If a kitten isn’t getting all the nutrients and vitamins it needs it can have growth problems. Also if you want to give your kitten a treat you can give it some fresh fish or chicken. If you do this though you should be careful that it doesn’t become too used to human food and stops eating its cat food. Also don’t feed your kitten dog food, it doesn’t have the nutrients and vitamins that cats need.
You should make sure you kitten always has water available and should probably change out the water bowl at least once a day. Kittens can drink milk but definitely not cows milk. Cows milk can cause diarrhoea and quick dehydrate your kitten, maybe even kill it. If you want to give it milk, stick with goats milk or special milk bought from the vet. Even then, if you notice any signs of diarrhoea, stop giving them milk.
Kittens have very diminutive stomachs and can’t eat a whole lot at one time. If you’re leaving dry food out for them they can eat at their leisure, but if you’re feeding them canned food you should feed them around four times a day. Once they get to be about three months old you can start to feed them three meals a day, then at six months, twice a day. If you have a busy schedule and can’t be home enough to feed your kitten regularly sticking with the dry food and giving them a dinner of canned food is fine if you’d like.
Providing your kitten with a warm place to sleep is important, especially if you live in a cold climate area. There are a variety of cat beds you can buy or you can just get a box and throw some blankets or towels in it. If its particularly frosty you may want to line your kitten’s bed with a heating pad. Be certain to space it on the lowest setting so that your kitten doesn’t get burned though. If you want your kitten to sleep on the bed with you thats fine but if you don’t notion on letting it sleep there as an adult then you shouldn’t let it do so as a kitten either. It won’t know the difference when it grows up so you shouldn’t teach it a habit that you don’t want it to do later.
If your kitten is going to be an indoor cat exclusively then you’re going to have to teach it to consume a litter box. There are several types available but I recommend the ones with the litter guard on the side that keeps the cat from slinging litter all over the place when they cover their crap. Training your kitten to use the litter box isn’t hard at all and most kittens will instinctively know to go exhaust the litter box instead of the floor. However, really young kittens might not understand and you may have to put them in the litter box a few times for them to get used to its scent and location. While most kittens will know to seek out the liter box when they need it, some will be happy to take a dump on anything laying around, such as towels or cloths. If you notice this behaviour try and preserve things like that off the floor and fracture the kittens poor habit as soon as possible. Also you can try putting some of the kitten’s crap into the litter box and the smell should attract it next time it has to go. Above all, don’t punish it for having an accident on the floor, it won’t understand what its done wrong and you will just scare it.
When playing with your kitten they can often times be very rough and aggressive. This is natural for kittens and this is how they learn their predatory skills. If you score your self getting scratched and bitten to the point that you’re bleeding, you may want to get some small stuffed animals and use those to hold your kitten’s attention while playing with it. Another idea is to get another kitten. Cats can be social creatures and those that grow up together form a special bond. Two kittens can play with each other roughly without hurting each other. Most kittens eventually grow out of their aggressive stage and become normal, peaceful cats. Having your cat spayed or neutered will decrease their aggressive tendencies as well.
If you have a male kitten it is usually best to have it neutered at around six months of age. A male cat that hasn’t been neutered loves to fight and will probably be coming home with various battle scars and wounds. If he’s an indoor cat the problem will be him marking his territory all over your house and stinking up the place. Neutering will eliminate both these problem and help him settle down a bit.
Female cats can be spayed as early as four months. A female cat that hasn’t been spayed will go into heat every few weeks and become very noisy and try and get outside at every opportunity. Outdoor female cats will mate with any male they arrive across and may get an STD or pregnant. Getting your female kitten spayed will help reduce the chances of catching an STD and keep her from getting pregnant as well as getting her to become more passive. Your kitten should be taken to the vet as soon as you adopt it. The veterinarian will give it all its shots and make sure it doesn’t have any diseases. You’ll probably be asked to bring your cat serve around once a year for shots. Also your vet will be able to give your kitten flea medicine if needed and also deworm it if that becomes a spot. If your cat gets hair balls you should be able to get some medicine or it and your vet can give you tips on grooming. If you have an emergency, a lot of towns have a 24 hour emergency animal hospital you should be able to seize it too.
Overall, kittens are a lot of fun and are pretty easy to consume care of. If you have a busy schedule or social life and want a pet, adopting a kitten can be a titanic addition to your family. Also, cats are over populated so you might want to check out the animal shelter before heading to the pet store.
Introducing a new Kitten in to your home: Q & A
Bringing a new kitten into your home can be pretty stressful for them, as well as the rest of your family – especially if you already have a resident cat. There is a great deal advice out on the Web to tell people what to do, including how to introduce the recent kitten to the family, what they should eat and where they should sleep. But, it is often difficult to know what’s best. Based on personal experiences, here is a FAQ that should help clear up some of these questions and issues.
Q: How do I know if my family is ready for a kitten?
Studies show that cats live longer and suffer from less anxiety if there is another cat in the household. This is a great reason to bring a cat into your home, however, manufacture sure the rest of the family is ready to derive the kitten. How will the new addition change your routines, and change the attitude of your resident cat? If you think it may be too much for your cat too handle, or if it seems like they are perfectly ravishing without a same-animal companion, it might be a good idea to contain off. Often times, children are the deciding factors for whether or not an animal should join the family. If your children would like to take care of a new pet, this is a gargantuan opportunity to work with them regarding responsibility, but make obvious you are ready to take over in case the novelty of a new pet wears off. Most likely, you will be left with the everyday care of the new kitten.
Q: What is the best way to introduce the kitten to our home and family?
Many Web sites recommend that you keep the kitten in a smaller room with their own litterbox and food dishes. For a gargantuan house, this is a good idea since the kitten may hide in hard to reach spots, such as behind or under furniture. However, this really depends on the personality of your family – and your resident cat. Is your resident cat generally beneficial and handsome open to new people and animals? If this is the case, it might work out to introduce the pals to each other right away.
It will be beneficial to establish special places for your resident cat where the newbie won’t be able to go – such as on a special blanket, in a box or in their favorite sleeping situation. The new kitten should also have its own place that it can identify as its own. With anything, it will be superb to the relationship if you separate the kitten from the resident cat occasionally so that he or she does not become extremely attached to the older cat. Some times, the kitten will look to the older cat as his or her mother. This will be an annoyance for the older cat. By separating the two, the kitten will be able to realise that he or she can survive without being at the side of the resident cat.
Q: I’m scared that my resident cat will resent the current kitten. How can I make sure that this doesn’t happen?
This is a common fear. Often times, when a kitten is brought into the home, it is treated differently than the resident cat. This changes your relationship with your cat as you spend more time with the kitten, play with the kitten and generally give him or her more attention. It is imperative that you give your resident cat unprejudiced as much, if not more, attention than before. This will help him or her realise that the recent kitten isn’t there to replace them – its there to be a friend. It will also instruct your resident cat that you mild care for them and savour your relationship.
In addition, reserve some time with your resident cat during the times that the kitten is separated from them. This time can be spent playing or cuddling. Either way, it will show the resident cat that they are still distinguished to you and the family.
Q: I introduced my resident cat to the kitten, but now my cat keeps biting at the kitten and hissing at her. What does this mean?
Your cat is simply trying to show the unusual kitten who the boss is in your household. They are trying to show the kitten who has the power and what the pecking order is for the household. Generally, its best if you don’t interrupt and let them do their thing. But, if it starts to get too violent, try to intervene in the best way possible. Either make a loud noise or spray them with water. Try to avoid yelling at them as this makes the kitten scared of you and will most likely confuse your resident cat.
Even cats who have been friends for years tranquil hiss at each other (much like humans). Often times, this is over food, litter box rights or toys. Unless the resident cat is showing unusual hostility towards the new kitten, this will diminish over the next few weeks as they become more stale to each other.
Q: How can I tell if they like each other?
It can take months, even years, before cats become friends. This is usually the case when the resident cat is much older than the unique kitten, or if you are introducing an older cat into your household. If your cats are pretty close in age, such as two or three years, they should get along pretty well. Although they may still hiss and bat each other with their paws, you can tell if they are buds when they start playing with each other by either chasing each other around (in a friendly manner) or playing with toys together. Many times, cats will begin to groom each other – this is the ultimate sign of trust.
Q: My new kitten seems terrified of humans and is happiest when she is near my other cat. How can I fix this?
Up to 12 weeks of age, kittens’ socialization skills are tranquil develping. During this time, its best to introduce the kitten to as many people, cats and dogs as possible. This will make it easier later in life. Often times, if kittens aren’t introduced to other cats or humans during this time, he or she will become extremely disquieted and scared of any movement made by the unknown human or animal.
If your kitten is still young enough, its possible to change this behaviors Work with the kitten and try to get her to trust you. Holding her for at least twenty minutes a day and playing with her are the best ways for her to learn that you aren’t “bad.” If the kitten is young enough, she will adopt the resident cat as her surrogate mother and will watch how your other cat interacts with you. She will most likely follow suite. Therefore, its essential that she sees what your relationship is like with your other cat. This will help perform her trust.
Most of all, its important to be patient with the kitten. Don’t get upset if she continually backs away from you or is scared of you. Make positive to depart slowly around the kitten and talk in soft, soothing tones. It helps to hold the kitten when she is tired or sleeping. This is also a great time to establish her on your lap and have her get used to being around you.
Most of all, this transition is going to take time and patience. Every cat has a different personality. Like people, some of them work well together and others purchase some work. Overall, your resident cat will be happier to have a companion in the household, as well as a playmate. For more information, or if you have any questions about bringing a new pet into your house, your best source is your veterinarian.