Caring for Kitty
Kitty needs a pet carrier to travel home in, so don’t forget that when you come to pick up your new baby!
A soft bath towel or other similar material in the bottom is best.
Your new kitten has had it’s first set of shots and de-worming and you should have those records upon
receipt of your kitten. (If kitty is being shipped they will not allow this to be sent in the carrier, so
these records will be mailed to you.)
Please take your kitten to your veterinarian within three days of receiving him/her to verify that he/she
is healthy. This is for your protection as well as mine. I know that my vet has checked all of my kittens
and verified that they are all healthy, but I want you to be comfortable too. If your vet has any concerns,
please contact me immediately. I want to know of any problems as soon as possible, to alleviate any potential
problems with its siblings or with any of the other cats in my home. If you ever have a problem with your
new pet, please contact me so that I can be aware of this for future breeding.
All of my cats eat Eukanuba dry kibble cat food – either Kitten (for the first two years) or adult chicken
flavor. I also give them Science Diet Kitten canned food. I prefer the Pate as I check for gluten in the cat foods
and avoid this as much as possible. I always have the dry kibble available and feed the canned food once
per day. Of course, always have fresh water available.
The kittens are already litter trained and use a covered litter box, but I remove the swinging door as
sometimes the doors can stick and I don’t want my kittens or cats to be unable to get inside or get trapped
inside. I prefer Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Litter. It is very low on dust and is unscented. The kittens are
started out on the kitten litter in this line and are now using the regular litter. Keep that litter box
clean to avoid accidents! I scoop their litter box at least twice per day. Of course, that’s with an entire
litter of kittens using it! Once per day should be sufficient for your single kitten!
You will have their blanket with the scent from the siblings and mother. You should keep this blanket with
your kitten to help relieve some stress from separation. Unless you had your kitten shipped to you, you
will have a small bag of the dry kibble and a few of their favorite toys to take home. (airlines do not allow
anything other than the blanket or towel in the pet carriers).
When you get your new kitten home, please keep the atmosphere as quiet and relaxed as possible. Don’t play
"pass-the-kitten." Remember, he/she is very scared being away from home, siblings and mother
for the very first time. The best thing to do is to put your kitten inside a bathroom (close that toilet lid!)
with it’s blanket and toys and any other bedding that you are providing, food, water and litter box. Next,
open the pet carrier door and leave it open, (don’t force kitty out, let him come out on his own) leave the light
on, and close the bathroom door. Go inside and check on your kitten as often as you’d like. Sit down on his
level, pick up a toy, talk sweetly and gradually the kitten will start coming to you. As the kitten becomes
more comfortable with the new surroundings and his new family, expand his surroundings to an adjoining room.
This process could take a few hours or a few days. Each kitten is different in personality!
Make sure you have a scratching post! I don’t have a single problem with scratching in my home! All of my
cats love their various scratching toys/posts.
Check for toxicity of any plants in your home. Watch those electrical cords and keep those toilet lids down!
Basically, you need to baby-proof your home now! Enjoy your precious kitten, keep in touch and send me pictures
if you can, as I love to watch them grow. If you’d like, I can add your pictures to my
Alumni page on my website.
Congratulations! You now have Siberian fever like our family!
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