Newborn Kitten Care

There are several different reasons that may make it necessary for us to have to take care of a newborn kitten. First, the mother cat may be sick or even has died. She could have even had more kittens then she could take care of. If the kitten is sick, sometimes the mother cat will not take care of it. And the worst is that the owner of the mother dumped the kittens out, while this is sad, it does happen quite often .?

One of the most important things is to make sure the kitten is dry and warm. A kitten will die very quickly in a short amount of time if his temperature is dropped and he goes into metabolic shock. Fixing a dry, warm bed is important. Using old towels and a cardboard box will work. Just holding the kitten to your body will help to warm him also. Be careful if you need to us a heating pad or heat lamp. Be sure the kitten can crawl away from the heat if he gets too warm, which is also dangerous. After he seems warmed, give him a quick look over. Check the eyes, ears and general overall condition. Are the eyes alert or matted up and closed? Is the ears waxed or full of fleas? Is the kitten vocal and moving around or quite and still??

Making the decision of whether to keep the kitten or to call the animal shelter is up to you, but please do not just walk away. The kitten will die without help. If he seems to check out okay and you decide to keep him, you may want to give him some children’s pedialyte will be good to rehydrate the kitten. A mother’s milk substitute or what is called a milk re-placer can be purchased at a local pet store along with supplies like the eye dropper, bottle or a syringe that will help to feed the kitten. Follow the manufactures instructions and the results will be fine.?

One thing to know is a newborn kitten will not be able to voluntarily eliminate his feces or urine until around the age of three weeks. You will have to stimulate the perineal area as the mother cat would stimulate the urogenital reflex by licking after every feeding.. A good way is to use a warm cloth or cotton ball and gently rub. Also the kitten will need to be bathed with the warm cloth to help keep him clean. After about three weeks you will be able to start weaning off the bottle. A good way is to start by mixing the milk re-placers with can food to the texture of a milkshake to help the kitten learn to eat out of a dish and gradually increase to solid foods.?

Keep in mind for the first three weeks a newborn kitten is almost like have a new born baby in the house. They also will need to be feed around the clock. But at the end of this time you will have a new addition to your family that will have his own very unique personality.

Kittens for Sale Online

For many people in this day and age of busy lifestyles, kittens are the perfect pets. They are quite independent and do not need to be cared for or watched 24 hours a day 7 days a week. As they are easily litter trained, there is no need to worry about accidents while you have to be away from home. Basically, you just have to put out an adequate amount of food and water for them everyday, clean the litter box and you?re good to go.

The ease of caring for kittens may be a big reason for people choosing them as pets. They offer wonderful companionship, as well. Purebred kittens are sold everywhere, including pet shops and online. Many people prefer to buy their kittens over the internet due to the convenience of shopping from their chairs, as well as being able to communicate easily with the seller or breeder.

If you feel that you must own a purebred kitten, it is important to understand that these kittens do not come cheap. You are paying for a quality pet. In fact, it MAY even be thought of as an investment if you intend to begin breeding kittens yourself. A sweet, beautiful purebred kitten is definitely worth the price, though, no matter how much it may be.

There is another consideration for you if you have your heart set on having a pet kitten, but are a little short on money. Your local animal shelter will be most happy to accommodate you when it comes to providing you with a precious little kitten that so badly needs a home. These kittens are usually on a time table unless they are lucky enough to be in a no kill shelter. In these cases, you can feel especially good about your choice of saving a kittens life. Most of the time, these kittens are free, but you may have to pay a nominal fee for things such as shots and sterilization. The cost is usually less than $25 and is well worth it to have your very own adorable kitten.

The biggest difference in buying a kitten for sale and getting one through a shelter is knowledge of the kittens background. When you buy one from a seller or breeder, you will always get some confirmation that the kitten is all it is said to be. There will be proof provided if it is supposed to be a purebred. Kittens from a shelter may or may not have a known history. If that is something that is important to you, stick with buying your kitten. Otherwise, you may never be fully satisfied with your kitten, and all pet kittens deserve to be loved.

Adopting a Kitten: The Benefits of Kitten Rescue

Okay, now you have decided that you want to adopt a kitten. The next step is deciding the manner in which you are going to obtain your new friend. From local classified ads to the Humane Society to kitten rescue services, there are countless ways to bring a new kitten into your home. One source in particular that many people have a tendency to overlook is the local kitten rescue service. You should really take another look, because there are particular advantages that you may not be fully aware of.

Social
The primary difference between kitten rescue and other pet adoption services is the social environment that the kittens are subjected to while they are waiting to be chosen. Rather than being held primarily in a series of cages in one location, rescue kittens are fostered out to local volunteers so they can receive the individual care that many of them need. This individual care socializes them well to people, as well as ensures that they are fully trained to use the litter box.

Health
Due to the fostering process inherent to these services, the individual kittens tend to be in better health than from other sources. Many of them are sick, abused, or abandoned when they are brought to kitten rescue, and their foster parents carefully nurse them back to health so they can be adopted. They are also given a thorough medical examination by a qualified veterinarian to ensure that they are in good health. In many cases, the adoption fee is applied directly to the costs of vaccinations and having the kitten spayed or neutered.

Euthanasia
Many of the kittens that are delivered to kitten rescue are from the local Humane Society or animal shelter. These places, in order to ensure that there is room and funding for all the animals that come in, have to euthanize kittens that have gone unclaimed for too long. Kitten rescue gives them another chance at life. If you are a supporter of animal rights, that alone gives you reason to give these services a second look. Even if you aren?t, it still gives you the opportunity to find treasures that have been looked over by others.

As you can see, there are numerous benefits to using a kitten rescue service for your kitten adoption needs. That is not to say that animal shelters and newspapers can?t unite you with a special, fuzzy little friend that will give you endless hours of joy, but kitten rescue offers a particular perspective and service that should be given due consideration.

Getting Your New Kitten To Trust You

New kittens can be very scared and shy at first. While some are gluttons for affections right from the get go, others may be more cautious and might shy away from you. Some might want to find a secluded corner or closet to hide in. If your new kitten is acting this way, don’t feel bad as this is not uncommon behavior. Here’s some things you can do to get your kitten used to interacting with humans.

1. Put the kitten in a small room where there are no hiding spots. Be aware that kittens can climb into very small spaces (I once had one climb in a cabinet hole nex to the dishwasher!). They should be in the room by themselves with no other pets. Start them off in a cage with enough room for them to run around a bit. Put a box in the cage to allow them to go into if they need to a little security. The cage can be partly covered with a blanket or towel to help them feel safer. Using a pheromone spray like Feliway at one spray per day will help too – just do not spray it around the litter box.

2. Remember that the kitten is a small scared animal and you need to act according to the animal world. This means that you should not stare in at the kitten. Staring is predatory behavior and will scare your kitten. When you look at him, make sure you blink a lot and turn your head often. Practice trying to touch the kitten after he has been in the cage a couple of days. If he is not receptive to your hand right away, try using something like a back scratcher to rub their fur. Attempt to move your hand down the back scratcher to get closer to the kitten as you try this.

3. Spend just a little time with the kitten at first and increase that time as the days go by. A kitten needs at least two hours per day of interaction time with you. One person should do this at first, probably for the first 5-7 days you have had the kitten. Then one or more other people can be added to help the kitten get used to being around more people. Use a toy in your hand to play with the kitten and get him used to being close to your hand. Move your hand closer to the kitten when you hold the toy until you can touch him. Giving the kitten a special food treat also helps them get used to you being close to them.

4. Playing a talk radio station softly can help the kitten get used to human voices.

5. After the kitten starts letting you touch him you can start to let him run around outside of the cage. You may take the litter box out of the cage now and put the litter box and food at opposite sides of the room. Spray the Feliway around the room now. Do not spray it near the litter box. Start playing with them by using toys they like such as newspaper balls and string toys. This play time will turn into them looking forward to your return to play more with them. Do not forget to touch occasionally and pet them during play time.

6. After a time, just sit in the room with the kittens and do what you want to – like read, watch TV or use your computer. This will help them get used to people that are not there just to pay attention to them. Then after a while, start to play with them. Try to bring in other people in the room with them more often and for at least 30 minutes at a time. The other people should try to play with the kittens and also try to pet them.

If you have a shy kitten, it’s important to make an effort to help him come out of his shell. If you do nothing, the kitten may never get used to people and grow up to be a cat that hides all the time.

Cute, Little, Mischievous Kittens for Adoption

There are various animals that people love to adopt and one of the animals that are wanted is kittens. These cute little mischievous kittens are considered as being suitable for adoption. When you look at kittens for adoption purposes there are various breeds that you will find as being suited for your lifestyle.

The many breeds of kittens for adoption are ones like tortoiseshell kittens, Siamese kittens, Persian kittens, and other varieties. When you are considering adopting a kitten you should first see what the requirements that kittens need for their care are. These various care requirements include a place for your kitten to sleep in the night and one for the day.

The foods that kittens need should be seen to before you make any decisions about adopting any type of kitten. You can ask pet shelter staff and your vet about the various needs of the kittens for adoption that you will see in these places. These needs will include some toys that you can fix in your rooms for the kitten to play with.

Some of these toys will need to be impregnated with catnip as kittens and cats go wild about catnip. There should be a scratching post so that your kitten will have place to run their claws over. Besides seeing to their physical activity level, kittens for adoption need to have a schedule that they can become familiar with.

This means that when you take your potential new family member home you should let the kitten become familiar with your home and garden. Let the kitten see you go about your ordinary routine. For instance the times that you get out of bed maybe leisurely or they may be hurried. In these moments you will have a small amount of time to look after the needs of your kitten.

When both you and your kitten are familiar with your routine and there are no real problems developing from the kittens for adoption trial period, you will be able to fill out the forms that will allow you to become the actual owner of these mischievous little bundles of fur.

As there are so many facts to be considered before you become the owner of a kitten you may want some time to think about all of these facts. Once you have made your decisions about looking for kittens for adoption you can see the various ones that are just waiting at animal shelters.

When Should Baby Kittens Start Eating Kitten Food?

My cat gave birth to five kittens two and a half weeks ago. When should I give them kitten food?

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Feline Health: Taking Your New Kitten to the Vet

The addition of a new kitten into your family is always a joy whether it?s a pre-planned or spontaneous event. But with this addition comes much responsibility and usually one of the first orders of business is taking that kitten to the vet. Typically, the first question that needs answering is ?At what age should I take my new kitten to the vet?? In addition to dishes, food, litter boxes, and toys, make sure that you need to know when to take the kitten to the vet for its first checkup.

There really isn?t a hard and fast rule established for the age at which the first visit to the vet should occur, although it is often recommended that you make an appointment within 24 to 72 hours of bringing the kitten home. Sometimes, taking the kitten to the vet when you are initially heading home with the kitten is a preference. A lot of the planning will relate to the circumstances behind bringing that kitten home.

For instance, in the case of kitten rescues or an urgent adoption, it may not be possible to take the kitten to the vet immediately. However, you should make every effort to get the cat to the vet in timely fashion. Should this be the case, you should take steps to quarantine the kitten from the other cats in the house (if there are others). Typically, the bathroom is the ideal candidate for kitten quarantine headquarters. Make sure that the kitten has food and water, as well as their own litter box as well.

The purpose of the quarantine is obvious ? it reduces the chances of spreading disease or parasites to the other cats in the house. All too often, kittens are made available for adoption too early in their little lives. If it is possible, and you know that the kitten is still with the mother in the nursing stage, wait to adopt until they are about 9 to 10 weeks of age. This allows for three important aspects to occur:

? optimal health benefits (from the nursing stage)

? socialization process (giving the kitten time to adjust to its surroundings)

? weaning time (psychological effects on both mother cat and kitten)

So, for the purposes of health, socialization, and weaning, a kitten that is 9 to 10 weeks old benefits the most. If you notice that your kitten is sneezing or apparently having other health issues, remember that their first vaccination may have to wait until he or she is healthy. Additionally, it is suggested that you take a fecal sample to the vet with you as well.

The general rule of thumb with new kittens is that they should receive their first vaccinations between the ages of 8 and 10 weeks. If the mother cat has a healthy track record and has been receiving the proper veterinary care, then the kitten has a better chance of following suit. Again, circumstances will mandate how this is handled. In certain situations, kittens won?t have the luxury of the time factor if they are placed in the adoptive home. However, if the kitten is 6 weeks old or younger, take the kitten to the vet at your earliest convenience.

Cat Care during Cold Weather

In spite of the fact that a cat has an external covering of fur coat which is supposed to keep it warm, the fur coat may provides little protection during the cold winter. Have you ever experienced the coldness during very cold weather even with your winter coat on? If yes, you should be able to understand how freezing cold your cat could feel if you leave it unprotected for some time. This is not something that can be taken lightly as the coldness may leads to hypothermia, and when such medical condition get worst, it can be life threatening.????

It is important for you to be aware where your feline is during very cold winter. If your cat has the habit of answering to the call of nature outdoor, make sure it is back in the house within minutes. Kittens, cats suffering from any illness or cats with thin covering of fur coat should be restricted from getting out of the house. Try using litter box in the house during cold days. Make sure your feline?s fur coat stays dry during this period, and if for whatever reasons it get itself drenched, make sure you dry it immediately even it happened indoor.?

It is the best option to keep your pet indoor during cold days. Make sure it cannot find its way out to the cold world because if it gets too far and the visibility is down to a few meters due to heavy snowing, your pet would stand a high chance of loosing its way home. And if it is out in such freezing environment for too long, the risk of capturing hypothermia will definitely be high.

So what exactly is hypothermia? Well it is a medical condition resulted from extreme coldness which could lead to malfunction of organs in the body. If your cat is exposed to extremely cold temperature, frostbite might occur as its body needs to warm up the important organs by shutting down less important body parts. Observe your cat carefully and if its movement starts to slow down, body begins to shiver and breathing becomes shallower, it most probably suffering from hypothermia. Do what it takes to gently warm your pet up or else, it would eventually pass out and die.

To make your cat warm will be good for it but it is best advice not to do it too quickly like putting directly into warm water. A quick sudden increase in temperature will only do more harm. Warm your feline?s body slowly by covering its body with warm blanket and providing it with warmer environment. You may also use a hairdryer, but make sure you turn the setting to a lower mode and do not get too near to avoid burning its body. Ensure that your cat has really warm up and that you have covered its body with enough protection from cold before you take it out of the house to visit the vet.

You may have ensured that all doors and windows are closed, but cats being cats still stand a chance of getting out of the house. Remember to check out your pet cat frequently and observe its behavior to see if it is shivering from the coldness. If your feline is showing any symptom of being cold, warm its body slowly by using the tips as mentioned. This advice is crucial to the life of your pet.
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Elderly Cat Care

Our cats become a part of the family over time. But unlike humans, who are considered elderly at 60 or 65, cats are considered “senior citizens” at the ripe old age of 10. It is important to understand the proper care of cats at all stages of life. A kitten cannot be fed, groomed, medicated, and treated the same way as an elderly cat. Here is a guide to proper Elderly Cat Care.

Feeding Time

Most pet supply stores sell specially formulated cat foods that are designed to provide proper health and nutrition to elderly cats. Some formulas assist with proper digestion, since this can often be a problem with older cats. Senior cats cannot assimilate their food in their digestive tracts in the same way that they did when they were youngsters.

Older cats can also have problems with their teeth that cause them to eat less. This is why it is important to maintain good dental hygiene in cats at a young age by either brushing, taking them to the veterinarian for a cleaning, or feeding them snacks that clean their teeth. If your elderly cat eats less, it may be due to a toothache, thus it is sometimes ideal to feed them softer foods, mostly wet, canned foods, so that chewing their dinner won’t be as much of an obstacle.

Many cat owners find that their cat’s coat becomes dull with age. This is due to poor nutrition. Feed your older cat a diet rich in essential fatty acids to fix this problem. When organisms, including cats, get older, they have an increased production of free radicals in the body. Free radicals contribute to the degeneration of cells in the body. Help build up the immune system of your beloved cat by increasing his or her intake of vitamin C and E.

Finally, you want your cat to remain active in old age. The more energetic activities your cat participates in the better health it will remain in. If you allow your cat to become obese it will lay around the house and have reduced quality of life, as well as a decrease in general health. Watch your pet’s eating habits and assure that it is not overeating, or eating as a recreation as some cats do.

Grooming Elderly Cats

Another element of proper Elderly Cat Care is grooming. When cats age, they sometimes stop grooming themselves with the same frequency as they did when they were younger. This can create a matted fur coat that is dirty and smells bad. Bad hygiene will eventually lead to bad health. Because of this, it is important that you groom your eldery cat yourself. Purchase a good cat brush that doesn’t just brush the outer coat, but one with bristles that reach down to the skin to pull up old hair.

It sometimes helps to give your cat a bath, even though most cats hate them with a passion. The best way to wash a cat is to place them in the tub and gradually introduce water. You certainly don’t want to throw them into the tub with hot water running inside! You may get a deep claw mark in the arm that will never heal and remind you to never do that again. If you apply water gradually to the cat’s coat until they are completely wet and then work in some shampoo quickly, you should be able to accomplish that goal.

Vet Visits and Medication

When your cat grows into old age, it may have health complications that require regular medication. You should schedule a regular vet appointment for your elderly cat to assure that you are keeping up with all details of its health regimen. In older age, cats may seem fine but still have complications. Ask your veterinarian to give your cat a blood and urine test to find out if there is anything to be concerned about to head off any future problems. Going back to dental care, most older cats develop gum disease which can lead to health problems down the line. Gum disease can be treated by your veterinarian.

Just as with a human who has to take daily medication, if your cat has been prescribed to take medications on a daily basis it is helpful to keep everything in one place as a reminder. You do not want to miss a day of any crucial medication as the system of your older cat is much more delicate than those of younger cats.

Pet Insurance

Insurance companies are coming to recognize the love that people have for their pets. Thus, there are many new pet insurance products popping up on the market. It is best to enroll your pet into an insurance program at a younger age to assure a more reasonable premium, but you may still be able to enroll your elderly cat into an insurance program where his or medical bills will be partly covered in the case of a medical emergency. Some pet insurance companies will charge anywhere from $20-$50 per month per cat, depending on their particular situation.

The costs of pet surgeries and treatments can be way out of the budget of most households, so having a pet insurance plan to back you up can be a great asset. It will also give you peace of mind about your cat as it ages.

Activities of the Elderly Cat

The activity level of elderly cats vary. Some cats become inactive and spend most of their day sleeping or sitting. But other cats can be just as active in old age as they were in their younger days. These cats may still like to play with you, run, and chase the other cats around the house, but you just need to be understanding that they may not be able to participate in these games for as long as they used to. For example, a game cats love to play is “chase their owner.” Instead of letting them chase you up and down the stairs as you did when they were young, maybe you could keep the activity to one level of the house. That way you will not overexert your cat and help prolong his time spent active.

Most cat experts agree tht a cat is generally healthy and happy when they are “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.” Another indication of a healthy cat is a lustrous, shiny coat, and a tail that sticks straight up in the air when the cat is walking. Proper elderly cat care is dire if you love your senior cat and want to keep it in good physical health.