Taking the new Kitten Home
Take it slow and easy for the first few days. Your Kitten is going into a new home with new surroundings and strangers to some extent. Mom, Dad, litter mates, and other feline friends are no longer a part of his/her daily routine. This is his/her first home without his/her brothers/sisters and mom. Be gentle and do your best to comfort and reassure the new family member.
Kittens can only take so much excitement before needing a long nap to recover. So be sure he/she has a nice warm bed to cuddle up with, some fresh water and a litter pan nearby to avoid starting any bad habits. Think of your new kitten as a newborn baby. He will need plenty of rest, loving care & quiet, in addition to the play periods and his meal times.
Toys
Bobbing toys, feathers teasers and balls...even balls made from paper balled up are a staple. Please be careful with feathers...they can poke the kittens in the eye and cause problems. Also be careful of teasers...many cats will bite at the teaser and the owner will pull it away, the mylar will in turn slice a paper cut in the kitties mouth or on the gum. Have fun with toys but keep in mind, the little things as you would with a newborn baby.
Teething
Kittens love to play and teeth on wires...discourage wire play. Kittens love to bite your hands to play while they are teething, discourage this as well or you will regret it when he/she becomes an adult. It may seem cute today, but it will not in the future. Kittens need to teeth around the 4th/5th month, offer them a cardboard box to sleep and play in outside his bed. He/she will chew the edges when his/her gums are sore. Also he/she may also not want to eat his/her hard food well for several days during this period, always watch and make certain he/she is getting enough food and water. You may also find kittens tear more during teething.
Feeding
Your kitten is currently eating dry food. This is served freely in bowls all throughout the day and evening. We refill as often as needed. For the wet food, some of kittens are eating dry food made into wet. We will send home samples of these to you for starters. Please keep new kitties on the current food when you first get them home or slowly move him/her to another food. To change food, mix the new in with the old, increasing the new while decreasing the old slowly to avoid diarrhea, I also do not suggest Diamond Maintenance and Maximum Nutrition Kitten brand cat food, it's protein levels aren't consistent and it contains too much ash--- causes urine crystals in some cats. If you notice your kitten suddenly wetting on him/herself… your cat may have a urinary track infection. You should remove the kitten from the current diet completely right away and get him/her on an antibiotic BEFORE it develops into a blockage or stones. Also- if the urine is suddenly powerful- not enough water and a possible urinary tract infection.
Never feed your kitten people food from the table! I DO suggest both a wet and a dry food to be given to the kitten and the adult, wet each morning and evening 1/2 cup so to speak, and dry fed freely left out.
Water
FRESH water EVERY single DAY for all cats and kittens.
If your new kitten is a male, I want to make certain you are aware of the importance of fresh daily water. Males need more water esp. when they are whole in order to keep their system well flushed. Fresh daily water can save his life and help eliminate crystals from forming in his urine. Always serve water in a glass bowl, never plastic. Plastic has been known to cause mouth ulcers and allergic reactions in the Feline world, esp. in Persians. If your kitten is soaking his/her bib/ruff, try using a smaller bowl, perhaps you may need to refill it more often, but if they can't dip the face, they may stay dryer:-) They normally outgrow this stage of development:-)
Litter
My rule of thumb is one box per cat, but I would suggest an extra box if your home has more than one level. I highly suggest low dust, not too highly perfumed and no scoopable (clumping) for whole males or kittens younger than 10 weeks. I use Fresh Step Scoopable and suggest it for your kitty when he/she arrives. . Empty the litter and wash the pan once weekly. Scoop daily, Your home and the "smell of cats" is only as good as the litter used and the cleaning and upkeep of the box. Some cats prefer deep pans, Persian's like large pans, and please don't use a hooded box. A cat's sense is 14x ours and it gets rank inside that box. This can cause the cat not to want to always use it properly. In addition, Persian's need room to move and a hooded box might leave you cleaning bottoms off from where it sticks to their tail fur. Kittens have been known to eat the litter and scoopable is very dangerous if ingested. Make certain that if you are using scoopable that it doesn't get on wet fur/feet and then ingested via their licking!!
Grooming
Use a metal wide tooth comb DAILY like clockwork EVERYDAY!!!! Comb down to the skin. Do not let your cat be the boss in this department but don't break legs over it either. Regardless of how much they cry, bite the comb, hiss...keep combing everyday and one day it will become a bonding element between you and your kitten, and they will adore being groomed
Nail clipping
Kittens/Cats normally have five toes on each front paw and four per back paw. Try clipping the nails biweekly. Never clip past the white part of the nail, only clip the clear section. Spread each toe out and push the nail outward. Then clip where it looks clear, move on to the next nail. If your kitten fights this routine....don't let him think he's winning, even if he is. Sooner or later you will get all nails and he will stop fighting. He honestly can't tell if you clip or not as long as you remain in the clear section of the nail. Front nails need to be clipped twice as often as back nails. Therefore once the routine is down, switch back nails to monthly and front nails to bimonthly.
Ears
Clean ears with a cotton ball or Q-Tip, but only clean out what you can see! Never enter the ear canal, leave that to the vet! Do ears after the bath. Be careful not to allow water from the bath into the ears, and cautiously around the mouth and nose not to drown your Persian kitty.
The Bath
After you bathed your cat, if he/she returns to the water bowl to soak his/her face or ruff... you didn't rinse good enough. Left over residue burns their sensitive skin. The water bowl is their way of cooling the heat down. This in itself can cause skin irritations so please re-rinse and dry again.
Eyes
Yes, the eyes water and even in a rust color in some localities! It isn't just because of the breeding of extremeness. Many Kittens tear during the teething stages and may even develop an eye infection if the eyes are not properly washed daily during the teething stages.
Dust, pollen, fresh air during allergy seasons, carpet, litter in the litterbox ALL cause Persian kittens and cats to have watery eyes.
If you can stay on top of the watery eyes of the kitten during teething, then as an adult, the Persian eyes should hardly water, if they water at all. If the eyes are not looked at and washed good during the kitten's teething stages, you'll have dripping eyes for life! This stage starts at age 10 weeks and continues until about 8 months of age on and off.
Please wash your Persian face daily and cautiously. Select a routine time to clean the face and groom the kitten. Don't allow the eyes to become infected by not cleaning them regularly. I also have an article on the grooming page to help with eye stains and cleaning them. I suggest using Anna Face Wash daily! Use a makeup pad to apply the Anna face wash and clean the face.
Health Watch
If you see Diarrhea for over 24 hours, fever above 103◦F, a cold, see your vet ASAP For mild, loose stool from over-eating or changing food . . . simply take up all food and water for 18 hours and the stool will return firm. If not...see your vet. Normal temperature for a feline is between 101.5 and 103◦F.
Dangers
Keep the following items out of the kitten's reach: pins, thread, needles, buttons, rubber bands, pieces of string, plastic bags, antifreeze, poisons and cleaners, dental floss, and all small toys that could be swallowed. Also, many house plants are poisonous. CFA offers a complete list of poisonous plants. Also watch out for doors and wind suction during those days when windows are open, as doors can slam slut from a gust of wind.
Electric cords can be chewed, rocking chairs and recliners can crush a small tail or paw. A hot iron can fall on a kitten playing with the cord, and don't forget not to leave the window open without a good reinforced screen securing it. Keep a good eye on making sure the kitten does not get trapped inside the washer, dryer, dishwasher, freezer, refrigerator, lazy boy chair, under a rocker leg... or in a door being shut. Please teach him to stay off the counter, stove, and out of the cabinets. Watch out for candles and fur too!
Should you or shouldn't you declaw?
We hope that NO animal ever becomes declawed! Declawing isn't just simply removing the top nail... it is cutting away the bone as well...It is in our eyes they same as cutting off your toes in order to assure the toenail never grows back, because that is exactly what happens when a cat becomes declawed!
Take it slow and easy for the first few days. Your Kitten is going into a new home with new surroundings and strangers to some extent. Mom, Dad, litter mates, and other feline friends are no longer a part of his/her daily routine. This is his/her first home without his/her brothers/sisters and mom. Be gentle and do your best to comfort and reassure the new family member.
Kittens can only take so much excitement before needing a long nap to recover. So be sure he/she has a nice warm bed to cuddle up with, some fresh water and a litter pan nearby to avoid starting any bad habits. Think of your new kitten as a newborn baby. He will need plenty of rest, loving care & quiet, in addition to the play periods and his meal times.
Toys
Bobbing toys, feathers teasers and balls...even balls made from paper balled up are a staple. Please be careful with feathers...they can poke the kittens in the eye and cause problems. Also be careful of teasers...many cats will bite at the teaser and the owner will pull it away, the mylar will in turn slice a paper cut in the kitties mouth or on the gum. Have fun with toys but keep in mind, the little things as you would with a newborn baby.
Teething
Kittens love to play and teeth on wires...discourage wire play. Kittens love to bite your hands to play while they are teething, discourage this as well or you will regret it when he/she becomes an adult. It may seem cute today, but it will not in the future. Kittens need to teeth around the 4th/5th month, offer them a cardboard box to sleep and play in outside his bed. He/she will chew the edges when his/her gums are sore. Also he/she may also not want to eat his/her hard food well for several days during this period, always watch and make certain he/she is getting enough food and water. You may also find kittens tear more during teething.
Feeding
Your kitten is currently eating dry food. This is served freely in bowls all throughout the day and evening. We refill as often as needed. For the wet food, some of kittens are eating dry food made into wet. We will send home samples of these to you for starters. Please keep new kitties on the current food when you first get them home or slowly move him/her to another food. To change food, mix the new in with the old, increasing the new while decreasing the old slowly to avoid diarrhea, I also do not suggest Diamond Maintenance and Maximum Nutrition Kitten brand cat food, it's protein levels aren't consistent and it contains too much ash--- causes urine crystals in some cats. If you notice your kitten suddenly wetting on him/herself… your cat may have a urinary track infection. You should remove the kitten from the current diet completely right away and get him/her on an antibiotic BEFORE it develops into a blockage or stones. Also- if the urine is suddenly powerful- not enough water and a possible urinary tract infection.
Never feed your kitten people food from the table! I DO suggest both a wet and a dry food to be given to the kitten and the adult, wet each morning and evening 1/2 cup so to speak, and dry fed freely left out.
Water
FRESH water EVERY single DAY for all cats and kittens.
If your new kitten is a male, I want to make certain you are aware of the importance of fresh daily water. Males need more water esp. when they are whole in order to keep their system well flushed. Fresh daily water can save his life and help eliminate crystals from forming in his urine. Always serve water in a glass bowl, never plastic. Plastic has been known to cause mouth ulcers and allergic reactions in the Feline world, esp. in Persians. If your kitten is soaking his/her bib/ruff, try using a smaller bowl, perhaps you may need to refill it more often, but if they can't dip the face, they may stay dryer:-) They normally outgrow this stage of development:-)
Litter
My rule of thumb is one box per cat, but I would suggest an extra box if your home has more than one level. I highly suggest low dust, not too highly perfumed and no scoopable (clumping) for whole males or kittens younger than 10 weeks. I use Fresh Step Scoopable and suggest it for your kitty when he/she arrives. . Empty the litter and wash the pan once weekly. Scoop daily, Your home and the "smell of cats" is only as good as the litter used and the cleaning and upkeep of the box. Some cats prefer deep pans, Persian's like large pans, and please don't use a hooded box. A cat's sense is 14x ours and it gets rank inside that box. This can cause the cat not to want to always use it properly. In addition, Persian's need room to move and a hooded box might leave you cleaning bottoms off from where it sticks to their tail fur. Kittens have been known to eat the litter and scoopable is very dangerous if ingested. Make certain that if you are using scoopable that it doesn't get on wet fur/feet and then ingested via their licking!!
Grooming
Use a metal wide tooth comb DAILY like clockwork EVERYDAY!!!! Comb down to the skin. Do not let your cat be the boss in this department but don't break legs over it either. Regardless of how much they cry, bite the comb, hiss...keep combing everyday and one day it will become a bonding element between you and your kitten, and they will adore being groomed
Nail clipping
Kittens/Cats normally have five toes on each front paw and four per back paw. Try clipping the nails biweekly. Never clip past the white part of the nail, only clip the clear section. Spread each toe out and push the nail outward. Then clip where it looks clear, move on to the next nail. If your kitten fights this routine....don't let him think he's winning, even if he is. Sooner or later you will get all nails and he will stop fighting. He honestly can't tell if you clip or not as long as you remain in the clear section of the nail. Front nails need to be clipped twice as often as back nails. Therefore once the routine is down, switch back nails to monthly and front nails to bimonthly.
Ears
Clean ears with a cotton ball or Q-Tip, but only clean out what you can see! Never enter the ear canal, leave that to the vet! Do ears after the bath. Be careful not to allow water from the bath into the ears, and cautiously around the mouth and nose not to drown your Persian kitty.
The Bath
After you bathed your cat, if he/she returns to the water bowl to soak his/her face or ruff... you didn't rinse good enough. Left over residue burns their sensitive skin. The water bowl is their way of cooling the heat down. This in itself can cause skin irritations so please re-rinse and dry again.
Eyes
Yes, the eyes water and even in a rust color in some localities! It isn't just because of the breeding of extremeness. Many Kittens tear during the teething stages and may even develop an eye infection if the eyes are not properly washed daily during the teething stages.
Dust, pollen, fresh air during allergy seasons, carpet, litter in the litterbox ALL cause Persian kittens and cats to have watery eyes.
If you can stay on top of the watery eyes of the kitten during teething, then as an adult, the Persian eyes should hardly water, if they water at all. If the eyes are not looked at and washed good during the kitten's teething stages, you'll have dripping eyes for life! This stage starts at age 10 weeks and continues until about 8 months of age on and off.
Please wash your Persian face daily and cautiously. Select a routine time to clean the face and groom the kitten. Don't allow the eyes to become infected by not cleaning them regularly. I also have an article on the grooming page to help with eye stains and cleaning them. I suggest using Anna Face Wash daily! Use a makeup pad to apply the Anna face wash and clean the face.
Health Watch
If you see Diarrhea for over 24 hours, fever above 103◦F, a cold, see your vet ASAP For mild, loose stool from over-eating or changing food . . . simply take up all food and water for 18 hours and the stool will return firm. If not...see your vet. Normal temperature for a feline is between 101.5 and 103◦F.
Dangers
Keep the following items out of the kitten's reach: pins, thread, needles, buttons, rubber bands, pieces of string, plastic bags, antifreeze, poisons and cleaners, dental floss, and all small toys that could be swallowed. Also, many house plants are poisonous. CFA offers a complete list of poisonous plants. Also watch out for doors and wind suction during those days when windows are open, as doors can slam slut from a gust of wind.
Electric cords can be chewed, rocking chairs and recliners can crush a small tail or paw. A hot iron can fall on a kitten playing with the cord, and don't forget not to leave the window open without a good reinforced screen securing it. Keep a good eye on making sure the kitten does not get trapped inside the washer, dryer, dishwasher, freezer, refrigerator, lazy boy chair, under a rocker leg... or in a door being shut. Please teach him to stay off the counter, stove, and out of the cabinets. Watch out for candles and fur too!
Should you or shouldn't you declaw?
We hope that NO animal ever becomes declawed! Declawing isn't just simply removing the top nail... it is cutting away the bone as well...It is in our eyes they same as cutting off your toes in order to assure the toenail never grows back, because that is exactly what happens when a cat becomes declawed!