Welcoming Kitten Home (Recommendations)

When your cat or kitten first arrives home, it is a good idea to allow it ample time to adjust to its new space. I recently read that one difference between dogs and cats is that dogs are attached to a person, whereas cats are attached to a territory. When your kitten comes home, not only has he or she lost the people and other family members it was used to, but it has also lost its familiar space. The best thing to do is to have calm and quiet space for him to adjust. Start with a small space, like just one room -- a bedroom or bathroom or smaller, enclosed living area. As he starts to become curious and ready for more territory you can allow that. If there are other pets in the house, be sure to supervise initial interactions for a week or two until you are confident that there is a friendly relationship. When you're not home, separate the new kitten from other animals as a precaution. If there are other cats involved, we recommend a time of "quarantine" to make sure you new kitty has a chance to get a healthy vet check-up and you can watch for a couple weeks to make sure there are no unusual signs of illness before introducing him to the rest of the gang.

With children, especially young children, be ready to instruct your child on proper interactions with the kitten --- how to hold him properly and how to use a toy with the kitten. At first, the children may be very excited at the new little animal (which of course, we all understand!), but the excitement could be scary for the kitten! So, try to instruct your child to sit and be calm. It is better for the kitten to come to you than to chase it. Kitties don't often like to be chased. If they do, they think it's a game! You will not likely get to hold them that way.

A final word! To ensure that kitten knows where to find the litter box the first time in its new territory, we suggest that you put the kitten in there RIGHT AWAY when you FIRST arrive home. Then he or she will know, and all the rest of the space he will travel oriented from the box. Put the box in a place where he might have some privacy if needed and not too noisy. Some cats really do not like the laundry area for the litter duties, because of the noise.

FOOD:

Kittens start eating solid foods at about 4 weeks of age. At that time, I usually put out kibble for them, in addition to feeding wet food. Kittens will be eating a mix of Nature's Instinct with RAW bits, and Taste of the Wild (green bag). If you choose another brand, just transition them slowly.

Other brands we are happy to recommend include Young Again, which is only available online. (www.youngagainpetfood.com) or Orijen (Red) or EVO. In the past, we have also used Natural Instinct (chicken) with raw freeze-dried bits, and Acana. These are all-natural, and have at least 40% protein which is great for their health, and contains no grains or animal by-products. Our experience has been that, given a choice, our kitties prefer the taste of these brands, and it also improves their coat quality, energy, and overall health.

A raw diet can also be very beneficial to your meat-eating cat, especially to their teeth, muscles, coat, and immune system. We feed our kittens raw beef or cooked chicken regularly. It has been interesting for us to discover that the kittens tend to have the same eating preferences as their mother. For this reason, we do often have kittens that are interesting in exclusively eating the raw beef and will not touch the kibble. The meat can conveniently be ordered online and delivered directly to your door. We get the 2-pound "Beef for Cats" ordered either directly from Blue Ridge Beef or from Wiggles and Wagmore in Illinois. https://www.wigglesandwagmore.com/

Here's the link for Blue Ridge Beef (store locator for something closer to you): https://blueridgebeef.com/store-locator-page

You also could find another raw diet from a local pet store or many of our cats just like ground sirloin (but it is a bit more expensive).

Kittens typically are also fed canned food mixed with their raw.. Our current favorite is WERUVA Chicken or "Mack n Jack" but any grain-free food will be good. Kittens should be fed 2 to 3 times per day. They should remain on kitten food until they are 1 year old. If you switch your kitten’s food, do so gradually, so it will not experience diarrhea.

Your kitty will prefer a ceramic or glass dish. Plastic can be more easily contaminated. Have another bowl of fresh, clean water out at all times.

LITTER:

Any good clumping litter will work. The two I like best are:

(1) Tidy Cat. It's cheap, and just about any variety is fine. We use the 24/7 or MultiCat and the (black label

one). I love the "Lightweight," but it's about twice the cost.

(2) Cat Attract by Dr. Elseys. This last one is quite a bit more expensive, but a good kind if your kitty is

having a hard time finding the litter box! We use it for young kittens & I do recommend it for a starter at

your home, so they'll have an easier time knowing where to go. Something about the scent. This type is

also harder to find -- but should be available at PetSmart, PetCo, Pet World, Pet Supplies Plus. I even

found it at Woodman's the other day!

Finally, I also like a covered litter box -- keeps kitties from spreading things on your walls and floors. In addition, having a litter mat or small area rug will help keep litter from being tracked around the room and house.

GROOMING

Toys and other set-up:

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