Kittens make wonderful pets, but it’s essential to understand the essentials to give your kitty the best start in life and help introduce them to their new home. I’ve included my top nine points.
No.1: Catify your home
When you first bring your kitten home. It’s important to remember that they will feel scared and lonely. Catify your home will help your new kitten adjust to their environment and reduce stress. What does catify mean? To begin with, try and limit your kittens’ access to a few rooms in the house, and have all their essentials close by. Cat furniture such as the playmate, scrunch and sticks, and the cat essentials range are perfect for cats, combining hidden holes cozy cabins, and elevated retreats all in one. Catify also means mental stimulation and enrichment through interactive toys, games, and scratches, which help your kitten to learn and demonstrate normal behavior.
NO.2 Kitten food
Kitten food should be fed until your kitten has reached adulthood. We recommend feeding a rotation of premium complete and balanced cat food diets with a mix of meat proteins, as it can help reduce the risk of allergies developing later in life.
Freshwater must be supplied at all times and in a convenient location for your kitten. Cats also naturally prefer to drink from running water, so consider water fountains which are a great way to encourage water intake.
NO.3 Intestinal worming
A good rule of thumb to remember for worming is every two weeks until 12 weeks of age, then monthly until six months of age, then every three months for life. Always use a vet-recommended wormer.
NO.4 Heartworm prevention
Many monthly combination products for cats also include protection from heartworm.
NO.5 Flea and tick prevention
If your kitten is going to be an outdoor cat, and you’re in a tick area such as along the eastern coastline of Australia, you will need to think about tick prevention.
NO.6 Grooming
Grooming is a great way to bond with your kitten and a good habit to get into right from the start. It’s also vital to help reduce shedding and the development of hairballs.
NO.7 Toilet training
Kittens naturally value cleanliness, so with a bit of persistence toilet training is usually fairly easy. How many litter trays should you have? As a general guide, have one litter tray per cat plus one extra. For example, in a one-cat household, one plus one equals two litter trays, in a two cats household, two plus one equals three litter trays.
NO.8 Microchipping
Your kitten should already be microchipped before adoption, as this is a legal requirement in most states. Be sure to update the contact details with the microchipping registry, and register them with your local council.
NO.9 Vaccinations
Kittens usually require three vaccinations. There is usually a four-week interval between the two vaccines. These occur normally at six to eight weeks.
NO.10 Desexing
Sterilization testing has some benefits, including reducing fighting and preventing certain diseases. We generally recommend desexing at around six months of age. However, it’s best to discuss with your vet the optimal time for your kitten.
With all this in mind, remember to enjoy your new bundle of joy with your kitten, and remember, if you have any questions feel free to jump onto meetclaw.com, we are always here to help you.
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