Kitten Parenting Kit
Ah! So you have opted to dedicate the rest of your life in
servitude eh?
Do you have cats at home already? Then I’d advise not to pick
another. You see, it’s not ‘the more the merrier’ with these species. They
would quite like their own space, thank you very much.
If this is your first time as a cat parent, believe me, in a
week you will learn. It is not as much cat parent as it is a cat slave.
How do we ensure His Royal Highness is comfortable in the measly
little hut you call a home?
1. Visit the Vet
The minute this cat adopts you (this happens more often
than the other way around. I suppose cats just have a knack of knowing which
human has a weaker resolve), it’s a wise idea to take it to a Vet. Vets are
trained to examine the little kitty for any infections, congenital defects and
will also be able to tell you if your kitten has worms, fleas, a prominent
cattitude, etc. Of course, they will also give you the rest of the info that
you will find in this blog, but you are here because you listen to the internet
so carry on.
2. Lockdown time
For your kitten’s first week in your home, you must look
out for subtle signs of illness. This is more like a quarantine period. If your
kitten is harbouring any viral infections, the symptoms may start showing.
Red flags include abnormal discharge from any
orifice(especially, the nose and eyes), runny loosies and a lack of appetite.
Little kittens tend to eat like they will not see food tomorrow, so disinterest
in food may mean your kitten is fighting an illness.
The first week is of getting to know each other. You look for
disease while your kitten looks for ways to eventually mesmerise and enslave
you.
3. What about food?
If your kitten has come from a pet store or a breeder, it
will come with its packet of food. Kittens above a month of age do well on any
kitten food. Just kitten food is more than enough for your kitten and later,
even once it becomes an adult cat. Cats strictly need to be non-vegetarian to
survive, so do not force it to participate in your ethical/religious choices of
food if you happen to be vegetarian/vegan. Kittens typically love to eat
multiple times a day, so you can leave the food out. The back of the pack will
specify how many grams of food she needs to eat in a day.
To make sure your kitten stays stimulated mentally, investing in
toys in which you can put the cat food kibble is a good idea. Food needs to be
made interesting for cats because in the wild they would have had the whole
stimulation and adrenaline rush of hunting their prey. So you must get
creative.
Wet cat food and boiled chicken are other options. However, in
the first week do not experiment with the food and stick to just one type so as
not to give the little fuzzball a tummy upset.
Get a wide dish. They don’t eat very well if their whiskers
constantly come in contact with the surface of the dish. A water fountain is a
great investment. Flowing water is perceived to be cleaner by cats and they
prefer drinking out of taps or fountains over a saucer. Water area and food
area always have to be away from each other.
4. Toilet Training
Good choice in pet as far as toilet training goes. This is
by far the easiest to do because… you don’t have to do anything at all.
Just get a litter tray, big enough for a full-sized cat to get
in and turn around (remember, a kitten will be a cat in just 5 months) and some
litter material. There’s a lot of litter material out there but I love white
sand. (Not me silly, my cat). Find something that clumps well so it's easy for
you to clean every day. Nothing perfumed, cats can keep themselves clean.
Your cat will instinctively take to the litter tray to do its
business. Cats are like a super fussy boss who is always difficult to please,
so if the litter tray is not in the right spot, they will not use it. The right
spot is where they will get privacy. Also, the litter tray has to be far from
the food area. Clean the clumps out every day or again our finicky friend will
pee and poop elsewhere. All of the sand and the litter tray must be cleaned out
properly at least once in 10 days.
5. Environment enrichment
Curiosity killed the cat.
Though this old adage sounds morbid, it does have its
foundation in truth. Cats are extremely curious creatures who somehow have this
intense desire to investigate anything that looks out of place in their
surroundings. This behaviour has its origin in the fact that cats are predators
and need to stalk their prey. It has evolved into a need even in domestic cats
and if that curiosity remains unsatisfied, it can lead to stress and
stress-related diseases. Cats get stressed often. Dirty environments stress them
out, having to share space is stressful and even not being provided by mental
stimulation is a huge factor for stress. (Yes, not as low maintenance a pet as
you thought. Cats know how to keep humans on their toes.)
A kitten’s immediate surrounding therefore needs environment
enrichment. It deserves a whole blog of its own (Click to read). But here are 5 things that are
musts as a guide to enriching a kittens environment.
a) Vertical space –
Ensure your kitten has areas where it can climb. Cat homes,
shelves, trees work to serve this purpose.
b) Window –
Cats love spending time, watching the world go by. Little kitty
must have access to a window.
c) Playtime –
Invest at least 30 minutes of your time engaging them in an
activity.
d) Toys –
Feather based toys, toys that will pique curiosity like boxes
with holes cut out are great.
e) Scratching posts –
They do a self manicure. Get them a surface they can destroy in
the process. Scratching pads are commercially available.
6. Vaccination and Deworming
Deworming starts at 30 days of age and has to be done once
a month for 6 months, followed by once every 6 months. Cats have to receive
vaccinations for a number of feline viruses and also rabies. The regular
protocol is 4 shots, 3 – 4 weeks apart depending on the health status of your
cat but your vet is the best judge of whether your cat is healthy enough to
receive vaccinations and will advise you accordingly. Vaccines are given as
injections right under the skin. Once the initial 4 boosters are done,
vaccinations are then followed up on once, annually.
7. Pesky Pests
Your cat may get fleas with it when it comes home with
you. Fleas are unwelcome guests because they have the potential to breed in
your home, feed on your cat and also bite you! (and boy those bites sting!) For
a tiny kitten, your only option is a drop of eucalyptus oil rubbed between your
palms and then applied on the body. Avoid the head.
8. Grooming and dental hygiene
If you have got yourself a long-haired breed, you need to
keep up with a grooming routine. Brushing every day is a must or it can lead to
the formation of mats. Your fastidious kitty isn't going to like that, and it's
just going to mean more hairballs and more stress.
Shorter haired breeds, especially our Indian street cats need no
grooming at all. They are super-efficient at cleaning themselves out. I haven't
given my own cat a bath yet. And she still looks cleaner than me most of the
times.
Your little kitten can be sponged if it's incredibly dirty and
it's not grooming itself. Remember, not grooming can be a sign of illness.
You need to get your cat used to teeth brushing from a young age
too. Good dental hygiene inculcated at a young age can prevent future dental
disease. Tooth brushing with a cat friendly toothpaste can be done every
alternate day.
Click for tips on brushing your cat's teeth.
9. Kitty proofing
You must kitty proof your home.
Cats have a tendency to sometimes just make a break for it. Even
when they come into heat they might just decide to run from the house in search
of a mate. Or then they might get an episode of what we call a “High
Rise Syndrome” where cats have been known to jump off from heights for
no apparent reason.
So kitty proof your windows or you may end up losing the love of
your life. Fishing nets on all windows work really well or grills through which
your cat will not be able to make that dive.
10. Cat myths and misconceptions
Last of all, let’s sort facts from fiction
- Cats are not affectionate : This one
is the biggest lie that’s out there.
Cats are super affectionate. Only in their own Course of
time.
- Cats drink milk : A hungry animal
will consume anything but milk is not good for cats.
- Black cats are a bad omen : Does
human racism have to filter down to cats too? Black cats are like any other
cat. Just black.
- Cats always land on their feet :
This is scientifically a proven fact but will happen only after a height of 7
or 9 floors. Because even if they are amazing, they need some time to right
themselves.
- Cats have 9 lives : Technically,
untrue. But I have seen a lot of resilience and fighting spirit in this species
and they miraculously seem to recover from a lot of illnesses. And for that,
I’d like to believe its true.
Is she sitting on your laptop while you read this? It’s
going to be an everyday feature now. Think of a good name that goes with that
swagger and enjoy every bit of that cattitude. Need to know more about anything
at all, feel free to drop me a mail or leave a comment.
Keep your cat indoors if you want him to live a longer,
healthier life.
Cheers on successfully giving in to years and years of waking up
at 3 am, listening to heartwarming purrs and being fascinated by the enigma
that is your cat.
- Meow to you too,
Dr. N
Related reading:
- Understanding your pet's vaccinations
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