POPPYLOVE - CARING FOR YOUR KITTEN

CARING FOR YOUR KITTEN

In this page I will try to answer to some of the most common asked question concerning kittens.

Especially as a "new parents", sometimes we feel lost at some of the reaction we can get from our new addition to the family.

These feelings of "non-understanding" may lead us to believe that we are not cut out to have a kitten, or that the kitten we just got is not well trained etc.

Relax my friends, 99% of the time all is perfect and blissfull, but if some accident may occur, believe you me, they are very easily rectifiable.

I will start explaining the best way of introducing your "new baby" to your house-hold, giving tips etc. (all these will apply for all types of kittens no matter the breed).

And in the second part I will differenciate between the need of a Burmese and a Ragdoll kitten.

Please keep in mind that what you are about to read comes from our personal experience with these beautiful creatures, and also feel free to contact us if you have any particular question that is not mentioned in this page.

PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR NEW KITTEN:

Equipment:

Carrier Gage (for collection of your kitten, jorney to vet etc.).

Bed

Tree Scratcher (to avoid your carpets, upholstery been used like one).

Feeding bowls - 3 - (preferibly glass or ceramic).

Food Mat (to avoid spillages on floor).

LitterToilet (a closed toilet with filter is much highgenic than an open one).

Litter Mat (to catch some litter material stuck to their paws).

Scoop (these are already included in most closed toilets).

Litter (we reccomend wood based like the Tesco brand etc.).

Kitten food (depending on the breed and what they are used to).

Toys

Hair-Brush (depending on breed of kitten).

Nail-clipper (ONLY if you feel confortable and have the know how).

Toothpaste & Toothbrush (specially made ONLY for cats).

ON ARRIVAL:

With / Without another cat being already living in the house:

Pick a particular room in your house where you can have your kitten settle in for the first week (please avoid the kitchen if you can, as there are too many dangerous appliances, wires etc.)

The little one will feel a lot more secure to be in a smaller invironment at the start, so to be able to explore its new surrondings, new smells etc.

At the same time, if there is already a cat in your house, this will give the new kitten the time to loose the smell from his mother and equally to give the older cat the time to realise that a new cat is in his territory by hearing him/her without feeling too much under threat.

Pay regular visit to the kitten in the room (please DO NOT leave the new kitten alone for long time), and also if there are children in the house let them play with him/her.

Please supervise the playing time with the children, at least at the start, and even more so if the children are very small (all small kids are fascinated by cat's tails....)

Explain to your children that if they shout too load or make too much noise the kitten will get too fraightened to be able to play with them.

Children usually adore animals, and if put in the right direction will do anything to be able to share playtime with their new friend.

After about a week, leave the kitten out of the room (keeping him/her in your arms if there is another cat around).

If the older cat shows jelousy toward the new kitten, DO NOT leave them on their own until you feel absolutly sure that the new baby has been accepted.

Hissing from the older cat should be followed by you hissing back while holding the kitten in your arms (yes, you read properly there), but never forget to rub and talk gently to your older cat to reassure him/her that all is ok if his/her behaviour is not a threatening one.

Please ALWAYS remember that when you collect your kitten, the age comparison to human, would make him/her being about 3 yrs old, so any winging, accident etc. should be understood and not punished !

Remember to leave the doors open so that the kitten can have access to his/hers litter tray and food at any time during the day.

If your house is on two floors, please try to have a toilet on each floor (at least at the very start) as your kitten will be so bussy nosying around that having a toilet near all the time will be a great advantage.

In the unlikely case of a missed toilet (a pee or something else on your carpet) clean immediately and wipe with a baby wipe to remove the odour, and then place your kitten in his toilet rubbing gently his/hers paws in the gravel.

Cats paws are very sensitive, and they recognise immediatly the texture of things.

Gravel (woodchip or whatever they are used from a very young age) for them equal knowing where to reliev themselves and future accidents will be avoided by just reminding them of where the gravel is).

Another VERY important thing to remember, so to avoid a toilet accident , is ALWAYS to remove immediatly any stools from the litter (or as soon as you realise they are there) by using your scoop and dispose of them down your toilet.

Also the gravel should be compleatly discarded and fully changed at least twice a week.

Cats are extreamly clean animals, and sometimes refuse to use the litter tray if for them is not clean enough.

Another cause of toilet accident could be if the kitten needs to be wormed.

When you collect your kitten, he/she would have been wormed just before, but would need to be wormed again soon after (the breeder will give you details on dates, what to use etc.)

NEVER keep the litter tray and food bowls too near each others, again cats hate that and would go off food if they get any smell coming from their toilet.

DANGERS IN YOUR HOUSE:

Plants / Flowers (on my personal experience ANY type of plants, apart from the cat-grass is very toxic to cats)

Wires (kittens are very inquisitive, and like human babies will try to bite through anything).

Toilet (ALWAYS make sure that your toilet seat is down, as kittens can drawn in it)

Washing-machines, Dishwashers, Freezers, etc. (Please check all appliances before turning them on, as kittens love to hide in the most unusual places, with deadly consequences).

Outdoor living (NEVER leave a kitten outdoor without a leash or not contained in a secured runner). Most pedigree cats have lost during the generations their ability to find their way back if lost, do not know how/where to find food to survive etc.

Also Burmese and Ragdolls love people and they would go with anybody if called/picked up.

Burmese in particular love to go for a spin, and would jump into any open car door, and get lost forever.

VERY IMPORTANT TIPS:

ALWAYS have fresh water available to your cat/kitten.

Have your cat/kitten wearing an elastic collar from a very young age with a medal with your details (this does not apply for show cats/kittens

as a collar would change the colour of their coat).

Have your cat/kitten insured (this would help with vet expenses if needed and also in the unfortunate circumstance of your cat/kitten getting lost etc.)

NEVER, EVER give chocolate to cats.

It is like poison for them, and could even lead to death.

If your cat/kitten becomes lethargic, unresponsive, stop eating/drinking, start vomiting, gets watery stools TAKE HIM/HER TO THE VET IMMEDIATLY!

BURMESE KITTENS:

Remember to ALWAYS keep them warm.

If the temperature in your house go below 18 degree they would get extreamly cold.

ALWAYS put a blanket/towel on your radiator/heater so that your Burmese would not sit directly on it.

This of course to avoid burning and also, if the kitten you have is going to be a show cat, to avoid discolouration of his/hers coat.

Burmese are very talkative, and LOVE been spoken to.

They would always answer you back, and ALWAYS want to have the last word.

RAGDOLL KITTENS:

Ragdoll kittens are usually great eaters.

Try to avoid the temptation of giving them human food and stick to the diet that the breeder will provide you on the day of collection.

In the unfortunate case of your Ragdoll developing very soft stools, boil some rice and chicken together, let them cool down to room temperature and cut the chicken to small bite size.

Keep the kitten on rice & chicken for about a week untill stool return to normal consistency.

You can also at the same time substitute the tap-water with bottled still water (kept at room temperature), as sometimes a high concentration of chlorine may cause stomac upset in Ragdolls.

If the soft stool does not improve or get worst and becomes watery take your cat/kitten to the Vet IMMEDIATLY.