Kitten Care: A Guide To Caring For Kitten
Raising a kitten is a bit like raising a child. What you teach them when they’re young, they carry into adulthood. If you’re thinking of adopting a kitten, consider the following elements of how to take care of a kitten. Just like caring for any baby, it’s not a simple as you might think.
Preparing Your Home For Your New Kitten
The Basics. Before you bring your new kitten home, there are a few basics to stock up on: litter box, cat carrier, cat bed, age-appropriate cat food, and food and water bowls. Wherever possible, hide away any cleaning products, electrical and any small objects your cat might swallow.
Feeding. Do you really need kitten food? Indeed, you do. Kittens under the age of one year need up to three times the calories that adult cats do. Speak to your vet about using dry or wet food, or a mixture of both. Remember to stick to the recommended portion sizes indicated on the label. Having plenty of clean water available for your new pet is also vitally important. If you notice your kitten isn’t drinking much, try offering her a flatter dish.
Toileting. The litter box will likely be your kitten’s first port of call when they settle into their new home. Make sure she has a quiet spot to do her business and show her where it is. Some cat boxes are too high for a kitten to climb into. So you may want to start out a low-sided box until she’s big enough to manage a regular box.
Sleeping Arrangements. Cats can sleep as much as 16 hours a day, and your kitten will likely sleep even more than that. Although you might be happy to share your bed with your cat, she’ll probably appreciate having one all to herself. If you don’t want to splurge on a bed, invest in a fuzzy pillow that can be placed on a chair or a window ledge.
Consult Your Vet About Kitten’s Care
Your kitten’s first vet visit is a terrific opportunity to discuss the recommended feeding regimen for your young pet, while she gets her first series of vaccinations. And as handy as Google can be, your vet is the best person to consult about kitten-safe options for controlling parasites as well as any advice on how to train your kitten at home.
However, you never know what a visit to the vet will reveal about your young cat’s health. And while some people make a plan for paying to have their pet “fixed”, very few budget for cat diabetes (which is more common than you might think). Pet insurance can fill the gaps in your bank account so you can give your kitten the care it needs in the long run.
Training: Rewarding Good Behaviour And Socialising Your Kitten
Despite cats’ reputation for being low maintenance, there are a chaotic, but important, few weeks in which a kitten learns how to interact with humans, other animals, and its new home. This is the time to teach your young pet some house rules. To stop or prevent certain behaviours, be quick to introduce alternative outlets. Not the curtains! Here – have a scratching post. Introduce your kitten to a scratching post, pretend to sharpen your claws on them or sprinkle a little catnip on it. Make sure to secure the posts well, so your cat feels safe to use them.
Play with your kitten daily. Apart from helping her learn how to interact with humans, this fun, little practice also keeps her fit, develops her coordination, and offers an outlet for otherwise troublesome behaviours like chasing and pouncing. If your kitten is quick to use her tooth and claws during play, give her something to bite or cling to. Never use your hand as a toy – you don’t want her to accidentally hurt someone thinking hands are toys.
Cats make excellent indoor pets, which is perfect for anyone enjoying the perks of flat living. In fact, many vets recommend keeping cats indoors, since indoor cats tend to live longer lives. That said, try to give your kitten plenty of opportunities to go outside (on a lead or in a carrier), but only once your vet has administered the necessary vaccines and your pet has had enough time to build up an immunity. Take your kitten on car rides, giving her treats along the way, to get her used to her carrier.
When training and socialising your kitten, try to make each learning experience is a positive one where possible. Rather than punish bad behaviour, simply ignore her when she displays inappropriate behaviour.
These handy first steps on how to care for a kitten should give your first kitten a great introduction into your home and your family. The only further advice we can offer is to take plenty of photos – they grow up before you know it.