A Note to New Kitten Adopters

Congratulations on your new kitten! Here are a few tips to help set you and your new companion up for success!

Introducing your kitten to its new environment

For the first few days, it is best to keep your kitten in a small room (bathroom, laundry room, etc. with a litter box, blanket, water bowl, and food bowl. In this situation, they will feel more secure and learn to know where the litter box is.

Feeding your new kitten

Kittens up to six months of age should be fed canned cat food two times a day. Limit to varieties that are chicken, turkey, or beef based. Friskies and 9-Lives carry these types of flavors. Do not give your kitten liver, fish, or foods with gravy until they are 1 year old. In addition to canned food, dry food formulated for kittens and fresh water should be available at all times. DO NOT GIVE KITTENS MILK. 

Litter boxes

Cats are naturally fastidious and most will instinctively use a litter box. Clumpable litter should not be used until they are at least 6 months of age in case they eat it. Litter boxes should be cleaned several times a week if not daily. Cats also value privacy so place the litter box in a convenient, but secluded, spot.

House Rules

Most cats can be taught to obey some simple rules like not scratching furniture, not eating plants, or not jumping on the kitchen counter. Positive reinforcement will always work better than yelling, hitting, or spraying with water. Reward the cat for good behavior and provide alternate choices.

A good scratching post and consistently trimming the nails can save furniture. If you help your cat understand the rules and give them a satisfying outlet for their scratching impulse, there will be no need to declaw, an unnecessary and painful operation that no cat should be put through. Declawing is the surgical removal of the claws from both the front feet, and involves the amputation of not only ht e claw but also the growth cells and terminal bone of the cat’s toe. Declawing is a painful and expensive operation which many veterinarians feel is inhumane and unnecessary.

Please keep your kitten indoors at all times. There are too many dangers (coyotes, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia, etc.) if you let your cat outdoors. The average lifespan of an indoor/outdoor cat is only 3-5 years, while indoor cats can live much longer.

Reminders

• Be sure to provide your cat with a clean litter box
• Provide fresh water and food daily
• Update all vaccinations annually
• Give your feline family members lots of love and attention
• Check your cat regularly for fleas and ticks