Care of your Cat

Diet

A kitten’s diet is very important as they use a lot of energy playing and have a lot of growing to do. We recommend a good commercial product as they are a complete balanced food, which means there is normally no need to add additional vitamins or other supplements to the kitten’s food.

Feeding

To maintain your cats health and well being it must have a balanced diet. Contrary to popular belief, meat alone is not sufficient for cats. Cats and kittens fed on an all meat diet will develop nutritional deficiencies and growth problems. The most reliable and convenient way to provide a balanced and palatable diet is to feed high quality prepared cat food, both canned and dry.

Kittens have different nutritional requirements to adult cats and for this reason it is preferable to feed your kitten with specially formulated kitten foods in canned and dry forms.
Kittens need frequent small meals. Follow the feeding instructions on the labels of the prepared kitten foods. Adult cats often prefer to eat several small meals per day but will do equally as well if fed one meal at the same time each day. Cats prefer their food at room temperature. For details of amounts to be fed refer to the feeding guides on the packaging of the prepared products, or be guided by your veterinarian.

Milk is unnecessary for cats and may cause diarrhoea in those which have an intolerance to lactose in milk.
Commercially prepared cat milk with low lactose is available.
Water is essential to your cat's well being and clean water must be available at all times.

Bedding

Ensure your kitten has his own bed right from the start, this will allow him to have his own area which he can go to. The ideal bed has a nice warm blanket inside. It provides security and will teach him where you want him to sleep. There are many styles of baskets available, cats prefer a cosy warm bed to snuggle into. Position the basket away from busy areas of the house but still within a reasonable distance to the family. If your cat will be sleeping out doors a small dog kennel is an ideal bed with a nice warm blanket inside.

Litter Tray

A litter tray, scoop and cat litter are essential. Even if your kitten has access to an outdoor area, he should not be let out until he has adjusted to his new home. The litter tray should be accessible and easy to find. Choose a litter tray that is deep enough to keep the kitten from scattering litter when he digs. Covered litter trays are idea, they are large enough to suit most breeds, prevent spillage and most have a charcoal filter to prevent odour.
There are many brands of cat litter, we recommend using a “Clumping Cat Litter” as the name suggests when the cat urinates the litter clumps together making it easy to scoop out any clumps and faeces.

Scratching Posts

A scratching post will give your kitten a place to scratch and exercise, as well as keeping his claws in good condition. It will also help to prevent him from using your furniture to satisfy these needs. If you find your kitten needs some encouragement to use the post we recommend spraying it with Cat Nip Spray.

Grooming

It is a good idea to get your kitten used to being groomed while it is young to avoid problems later. Regular grooming also allows you to check your kitten for fleas, ticks or any potential problems. When grooming your kitten, you should pay particular attention to problem areas, such as ears, and body folds. Your grooming routine will vary depending on the breed of kitten, you will be able to find lots of helpful tips from it’s breeder or from cat books.

Training your Cat

Although cats are independent by nature they are highly intelligent and can be trained to show desirable behavior rather than undesirable behavior.

To discourage a cat from scratching furniture provide a scratching post for your cat. If the cat scratches the furniture admonish "no" in a gruff, loud voice or spray with a jet of water from a water pistol.

Cats are naturally clean animals and kittens learn from their mothers to bury their faeces. This is why kittens are so easy to toilet train and readily use a litter tray. Litter trays should be placed in a quiet area, be readily accessible and kept clean.

Registration

Microchipping of cats is available from vets and is a permanent form of identification. The recently introduced New South Wales Companion Animal Act requires all kittens purchased from 1st July 1999 to be permanently identified (Via Microchipping) and lifetime registered. All other cats (currently owned) must be identified by either collar and tag or microchip.

For more details about the New South Wales Companion Animal Act contact:
your local council.

Toys

Kittens love to play. In fact playing is an important part of your kitten's general health and well being because it keeps their minds stimulated and their bodies lean and agile. However, similar to humans, kittens can become bored, especially when they are left at home alone while you head off to work or school. As a result, most kittens will make their own "fun" which can sometimes mean getting into things they shouldn't!

Here are some simple things you can do to keep your feline friend from getting bored.
Kittens love toys - in fact just about anything that moves, squeaks or jumps is likely to keep your kitten occupied for hours! Toys should be small enough for your kitten to easily push around, but large enough not to be swallowed. A ping-pong ball, a crumpled paper ball or an empty toilet roll is ideal.

Empty wrapping paper rolls with a long piece of colourful string attached; empty lipstick containers; old tennis balls or fabric stuffed with old stockings also make great toys.

However, it is important to remember that kittens are curious animals and can sometimes "play" with things that may be unsafe. Common household items such as threaded needles or the cord from a hot iron can be dangerous to your kitten so make sure these remain out of reach

Boxes

Cardboard boxes are always fun and you will often find them either hiding things inside or even hiding inside itself! If you have two cats, you may even discover them playing hide-and-seek. Just be sure the box is fairly sturdy so that your cat can climb out after it climbs in.

Fake mice

These are also a great source of fun and can be simply made by putting a little fuzzy thing on a string and dangling it in front of your kitten or drag it along the ground. Your kitten can then indulge in fantasies of being a ferocious hunter stalking its prey!

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