The arrival of a small kitten at home can turn the owner's life upside down. Caregivers have to deal with the first visits to the veterinary office, the cat's picky appetite or damaged furniture. How to survive a cat's first days in a new home? We'll give you a hint.
Vaccinations and deworming
The basic way to protect your cat's health is through vaccinations. In the case of cats, there are no vaccination obligations, but prevention is not worth neglecting. Kittens are usually vaccinated three times at the age of 8, 12 and 16 weeks and then vaccinated again at the age of 6 or 12 months according to the veterinarian's recommendations. In this way, we protect them against cat cold and panleukopenia.
Outdoor cats should also be vaccinated against rabies and leukemia. If you want to be vaccinated against leukemia, you must first perform a quick diagnostic test that will exclude previous infection. Feline leukemia is transmitted through saliva, i.e. during mutual licking and fighting. Cats older than 8 weeks should be vaccinated twice against leukemia. The interval between doses should be 2-4 weeks. Experts do not recommend exceeding 6 weeks. A small kitten should not be vaccinated immediately after purchase or adoption, as the stress experienced by the animal contributes to a decline in immunity. However, you can take him for a clinical examination, flea treatment and deworming. Flea preparations for cats are mainly available in the form of neck drops.
Deworming is recommended every 2 weeks until the 3rd week of life and until weaning. Then, until the age of 6 months, the deworming preparation is administered monthly. Later, the number of dewormings depends on the lifestyle of the cat and household members. If there are small children or people with weakened immunity at home, you should deworm your cat once a month, otherwise 4 or 2 times a year is enough.
Care of ears, hair, claws and teeth
It's a good idea to start brushing your teeth when your kitten is a kitten. If we take care of positive associations at this time, the cat will allow this activity in the future. This is very important because regular tooth brushing removes plaque and reduces the build-up of tartar. Learning should start by touching the cat's mouth area and rewarding the cat's calmness. The next step is to touch the teeth and rub them with a gauze pad. The last two steps are introducing the toothpaste and brush. If you want to familiarize your kitten with the toothbrush, you can reward him by touching his mouth with it or let him lick some toothpaste off it first. Oral hygiene products for animals come in flavors, but sometimes you have to try several to find the one that suits your cat. Oral hygiene should be a daily activity at a fixed time of day. If this is not possible, preparations in the form of liquids and powders added to water or food can be used on a daily basis, which will cause tartar build-up. However, this type of prevention must be supplemented with brushing at least once a week.
Both short-haired and long-haired cats need their fur brushed. For this purpose, you should purchase appropriate combs and brushes. The frequency of brushing depends on the breed of cat. Many cats shed hair throughout the year and regular brushing is one way to reduce this process. Additionally, after consulting a veterinarian, you can consider supplementing products that support the condition of the skin and hair.
Trimming cat claws can be a challenge! However, proper handling of a young cat allows you to perform this procedure yourself in a calm atmosphere. If you want to learn this activity, you can go to a vet who will show you how to effectively shorten your cat's claws. In addition to technology, the environment and time are equally important elements. The cat should be calm and relaxed when its claws are trimmed, e.g. after playing. If the caregiver has more cats or other animals, the procedure should be performed in isolation. Claws should be shortened by no more than 1/3 of their length, as there is a risk of damage to the nerves and blood vessels running in the initial part of the claw. This will cause normal, harmless bleeding and swelling.
Cleaning its ears is not an everyday activity, but it is best to teach your cat to check them regularly. They should be carried out once a week. The cleaning itself is only introduced when there is debris in the ears. Special veterinary preparations are used for this purpose.
Castration/sterilization
Many male cats mark their territory with urine. This problem is eliminated by castration. This procedure can be performed on a 3-4 month old kitten and is best done before it reaches sexual maturity. However, castration is also not excluded in adult cats.
In the case of a female cat, sterilization eliminates the problems of estrus, the behavior of which can be problematic for many owners. The sterilization procedure for a female is more invasive than for a male, as it involves opening the abdominal cavity. It can be performed at any age, but many caregivers decide to do it after the first heat, which appears at the age of 4-6 months. The procedures are performed under general anesthesia in healthy animals. It is therefore worth performing blood tests in advance, although in younger cats this is not necessary. After the procedure, female dogs must usually wear a post-operative gown and have their stitches removed 10-14 days after the procedure.
Kitten nutrition
In the first days of staying in a new home, a small kitten may not want to eat or eat smaller portions . This is usually caused by stress and will go away once the kitten feels safe. It is important that it has constant access to fresh water. If the cat has clearly too little appetite for several days or shows other symptoms of illness, a check-up with a veterinarian is necessary.
Initially, it is worth feeding him what he ate before. A sudden change of food may cause gastrointestinal problems and further increase the cat's stress. A new type of food is introduced gradually, mixing it with the previously used food, so that the proportion of the new food increases every day for about a week.
When choosing food for your cat, you can choose different feeding models. The most common option is the use of commercial food, but the BARF diet is also becoming more and more popular, which involves feeding the cat whole prey like a baby mouse. When deciding to buy ready-made commercial food, you should pay attention to its composition. It should not contain preservatives, dyes or too many fillers (rice, corn, salt and sugar). Its basis should be meat with taurine! It is worth giving your cat not only dry food, but also wet food. Canned foods are higher in water, and many cats have trouble getting enough fluids.
The last issue is to buy appropriate dishes, i.e. bowls for water and food. Instead of plastic ones, it is better to choose ceramic bowls. They are easy to wash and relatively durable. For cats who prefer to drink tap water, special fountain-type bowls are available on the pet market.
Baby kitten safety
Preparing the house
Before a kitten arrives at home, you should properly prepare your house or apartment. There are many dangers lurking for small cats that people do not notice every day. One of the most important elements is installing nets on the windows and on the balcony. This protection will allow you to open windows or let your cat out on the balcony without the risk of falling. Statistics show that many cats do not land on all fours, and falls from heights can end in tragedy.
It is also necessary to properly secure hazardous substances such as:
- medicines
- cleaning products
- some cosmetics
All plants toxic to cats should also be removed from the house. Their list is quite long and includes, among others:
- amaryllis
- azalea
- aloe
- common ivy
- dracaena
- diffenbachia
- ficus
- plaster
- lily of the valley
- monstera
- oleander
Cats' needs and behavior
Before purchasing or adopting a kitten, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the specificity of cat behavior and the needs of representatives of this species. This will help you avoid disappointment and a lot of stress. It is commonly believed that these animals require less time and care than dogs, but this does not mean that they are fully self-sufficient. Just like other animals, cats need human contact, play and care.
The cat's first days in its new home will be stressful for it. The animal must get to know the new environment of its guardians and often other pets. During this time, you should take care of his sense of security and psychological comfort. It is worth introducing your cat to a new place gradually, starting from one room. You must not overwhelm the cat with your attention or insistent desire for contact, e.g. from children. There will be time for stroking and cuddling when the animal gets used to the new situation. Over time, it is worth sitting in a room and waiting calmly until the cat shows a desire for contact.
One of the natural needs of a cat is to observe its surroundings from places where it remains invisible. It is therefore a good idea to provide your cat with hiding places, scratching posts and observation points. Various versions can be purchased in pet stores, but there is no shortage of ideas for IDA creations on the Internet. The easiest place for a cat to hide is a cardboard box!
When adopting or buying a cat, you should also take into account its lifestyle. Wild animals prefer activity at dawn and dusk. Many domestic cats sleep through the day, waiting for their owners to return, which also increases their energy and willingness to play late in the evening and at night. Giving it attention during the day and the right amount of mental stimulation will allow the animal to switch to a more daily mode of functioning.
Little cats are adorable, so owners often allow them more than adult cats. Many misunderstandings result from this action. If the owners tolerated, for example, hunting on their feet or hands when the animal was young, the older cat repeats this behavior. However, it becomes less pleasant for people. If you want to avoid these types of problems, it is worth correcting your cat's unwanted behavior already in the first days of their life together. The cat should not be punished physically. Both nose blowing and screaming will not bring positive results. However, they will have a negative impact on the human-animal relationship. The best way to show your cat what you don't like is to ignore the behavior. Our attention is a reward for animals.
The litter box is also an important element. In the case of a two-story house, there should be at least one litter box on each level. In apartments, one litter box is enough for one cat. Quite often, the bathroom seems to be a natural place for a litter box. Unfortunately, when household members are there, it is closed and the cat cannot use it, so it is better to choose another place permanently accessible to the cat, located in a secluded place and away from the cat's bowl. Little kittens learn to use the litter box quite quickly, but to speed up this process, you should put your kitten in the litter box after each meal and nap.