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Welcoming Your New Kitten Home
                      
You thought long and hard about
welcoming a kitten or cat into your family and home, and you've either made the
decision to look for your new companion or you've already found the perfect
feline. Congratulations!
The information provided should make the adjustment period easy for both you and
your new family member.
What you'll Need:
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Deep litter box
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litter scoop
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Water Dish or fountain
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Flat food dish with low sides
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Scratching post or tree
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Cat Food
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Grooming equipment
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Cat Toys
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Squirt bottle or can air
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Catnip
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Wheatgrass garden (op)
Cat-Proofing Your Home
1. Common Household Dangers
Cats love to play with and may eat a ball of yarn or a dangling string. Pick
up strings, dental floss, sewing and craft supplies, rubber bands, and fishing
line. Place them in a drawer out of sight and out of reach. Ingesting strings
and threads, especially if the needle is still attached, can result in serious
complications requiring immediate veterinarian attention.
Tie up dangling drapery pulls and cords on window blinds. Besides ruining
them, your cat could get tangled and be injured. Electrical cords present
another danger. Hide cords from view whenever possible, or spray
them with a deterrent (like bitter apple or Tabasco sauce. This should be
refreshed ever so often.) Or use foil to wrap around the cords.
Cats like to nap in warm, dry places. Shut all doors to washing machines,
dryers, and dishwashers to avoid trapping the cat when you turn on the
appliance.
Use childproof latches to keep your cat out of cupboards where you store
potentially dangerous cleaning products.
A burning candle can ignite your cat's fur as it walks by. Use candles only
with great caution. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Check your window screens. you may be surprised to find that some screens can
pop out with almost no effort. A cat that goes out of the an upstairs window
could be injured in the resulting fall. Or be lost forever.
2. Poisonous Substances
The Most common household hazard is poisonous plants, such as dieffenbachia,
African violets, azalea, oleander, lilies, and may more. Provide your cat with
a good supply of Pet Grass to nibble on... You can spray your houseplants with
a mixture of Tabasco sauce and water, or Bitter Apple to discourage your cat,
but the safest strategy is removing the poisonous houseplants altogether.
May common household products are toxic to cats. Mothballs, fabric softener
sheets, batteries, and cigarettes are all dangerous.
Some food items common in our homes can also harm cats, such as coffee
grounds, onions, yeast dough, tomato leaves and stems, salt, macadamia nuts
and alcoho9lic drinks. Keep these out of the reach of your cats at all times.
3. Medications
Never treat you cat with flea products or dips meant for dogs. They are too
strong and could be fatal. Carefully follow instructions on flea control
products and don't combine products without talking to a veterinarian or the
manufacturer.
Keep all medications out of reach, and contact your veterinarian or the animal
poison control center immediately if you believe that your cat has ingested a
medication. You can reach the Animal Poison Control Center at the following
number:
ASPCA National Animal Poison Control
Center
toll free: 888-426-4435
on the internet:
http://www.nappc.aspca.org/
4. Holiday Hazards
A Christmas tree is covered with dangerous cat "toys." Tinsel, ribbons,
ornaments, hooks, garland, and blinking lights are all big temptations. A
deterrent around the base of the tree will help keep your cat away. Hang
hazardous ornaments on the high branches, (assuming it can't climb the tree:
Spray ornaments with repellent spray or Bitter Apple, or place tin foil on
the floor around the base of the tree.
Candy, especially chocolate, is toxic to your cat. Don't leave it out to tempt
either cats or dogs. Pine needles and poinsettias cause a major tummy upset
when eaten. Holly and mistletoe are also poisonous.
Cooked poultry bones are brittle and can puncture the intestine if swallowed.
Too much fat from greasy turkey or gravy is often fatal. Getting Acquainted
Cats have a well-earned reputation for being curious and sensitive. They're so
sensitive to their surrounding, in fact, that they require a great deal of
time to adjust to the new environment. You can do a lot to help your cat
companion feel secure in her new home.
"We're Home!"
Keep the cat in her carrier until you've brought the carrier into a quiet room
where the cat can be confined for the next day or two. This will be your cat's
"safe" room. Have a litter box prepared in that room, as well as a scratching
post and bowls of food and water. If you want your cat to feel especially at
home, purchase a cozy cat bed ahead of time and place it in the safe room. Be
sure that all the windows and doors in you house are closed, that loose
electrical cords have been secured, and that any spaces behind appliances or
large pieces of furniture are blocked off.
Once in the safe room, open the carrier and let the cat come out in her own
time. Keep noise and bustle in your house to a minimum while the cat orients
herself. Stay quietly in the room while the cat explores, offering attention
and gentle stroking if she seems to want it. If there are no other animals in
the house it's all right to
leave the door to the cat's room open slightly when you leave, but don't be
surprised if you cat stays in one spot for several days before exploring.
Hiding
Hiding is normal. Some cats spend their first few days, weeks or even months
in a new home in hiding, usually under beds or in closets. Hiding is how some
cats adjust to their new environments, and it does not mean that the cat is
unaffectionate, unsocial or sick. Few cats can repress their curiosity enough
to stay under a bed for more than a few days, but if your cat requires more
hiding time, make sure she'll getting food and water and is getting out at
some point to use the litter box.
DO NOT attempt to
forcibly pull or drive a cat out from a hiding place, as this will only
intensify her fears and make her adjustment harder.
To help your new pet to learn to come to you and to think of you as a some one
really fun. Use some wet food on a spoon or some other kind of nice smelling
treat to entice the to come. Using their name frequently while they eat. You
can also get on the cat level and use a toy to play and the cat will soon come
and join the game.
Introducing your new cat to other Pets.
If you have other cats or a dog living with you it's best to keep the new cat
confined in the "safe" room for a few days while your established pets get
used to her smell, and vice versa. When you bring cats together for the first
time it would be best to choose a day when you can be around the house,
encouraging friendly behavior with praise and affection.
A dog meeting a new cat should always be leashed. Supervise the encounter, and
watch your dog for signs of aggressive behavior towards the cat. Curiosity is
normal, but a dog who lunges at a cat is not safe to be off-leash with the
feline. If you dog gets on well with the cat but the cat shows you that she's
feeling extremely threatened during this experience, let her retreat to her
"safe" room until she's willing to try again.
Kids And Cats
There is no reason why young children and cats cannot be the best of friends,
so long as your kids understand some simple fats about cat behavior. Keep in
mind these important reminders:*
1. Cats DO NOT like to be squeezed, picked up by the neck or have their
tails
pulled. Cats are sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements, and will
feel threatened if they're chased or lunged at.
2. Cats DO NOT like to be disturbed while they're eating.
3. Most cats DO like to be scratched gently under their chins or
behind their ears and enjoy having their coats brushed.
4. Kids should always use a toy to play
with the new kittens. This teach the child *and the kitten to play with the
toy and not scratch at the hands.
Claws should be trimmed if they snag on carpeting
or bedding. Front claws grow faster then the back feet and will need clipping
more often. Twice weekly for kittens and once a month for adults. Scratching or
"sharpening claws" is a natural and necessary behavior: save furniture by always
providing proper sized scratching posts. I find the Sisal rope on the scratching
posts to work best. Carpeted ones with no sisal rope teach your kitty to use
carpet to scratch.
Always have a separate litter box for each cat, with at least one litter box on
each level of the cat's home.
Soon you and your new kitty will be great friends.
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