Taking Care of Your Kitten or Cat
What To Think About Before Buying:
The most important thing to remember when buying a kitten is that the average cat will live for between ten and twenty years, with indoor-only cats generally outliving indoor-outdoor cats. Your cat will need care and companionship, access to regular meals and water, regular grooming, especially if the cat is long-haired, and regular veterinary care.
It is also important to note that many landlords don’t allow pets. Make sure you know about any restrictions to pets in your lease before you bring your new kitten or cat home.
Bringing Your Kitten or Cat Home:
When you first bring your kitten or cat home, remember that it will be a very stressful time for the animal. You should give it time to adjust to the new surroundings in your home, making sure to supervise the cat with any of your other pets or your children. It is a good idea to keep the cat confined to one room where its bed, litter tray and food and water bowels are until the animal is comfortable in your home. It is also recommended that you keep your cat indoors for the first several weeks at home (see more about this below). The cat’s bed should be a refuge to retreat to if things become too stressful. It needs to be warm, dry, comfortable and draught free. It is important that you teach your other pets and children that this is the new cat’s special area and that they are not to disturb their new pet when it has gone into its bed.
It is advisable to take your kitten or cat to the vet during the first week you bring it home to get it checked out. The vet will be able to arrange its vaccinations if it hasn’t already had them.
Introducing Your Children and Other Pets to Your New Kitten or Cat:
Children can easily injure a cat unintentionally, so always supervise play and do not allow the cat to be picked up unnecessarily. Children should be encouraged to sit on the floor and wait for the cat to come to them; make sure that the cat is allowed to stop playing when it wants to and is not treated like a toy by the children—teach your children to respect their new pet. Similarly, your new cat should not be left alone with other pets until the animals have gotten to know each other and can behave well unsupervised.
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Feeding Your New Kitten or Cat:
When you first take a kitten or cat home it is important to feed it the same food it has been used to, as a sudden change of diet combined with the stress of adapting to a new home can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea. If you want to change the diet, do so gradually by mixing it with the cat's usual food. It is important to feed your new pet in accordance with what is recommended by your veterinary team. It is also important that your new kitten or cat has access to clean, fresh water at all times.
Using Litter Trays:
Most kittens are very good at using litter trays, which they will have learnt by copying their mother. Cats are naturally fastidious, and most often ‘litter tray issues’ are a sign of deeper problems that should be discussed with your veterinarian. You may need to show your new kitten or cat where the litter tray is.
Place the tray in a quiet, accessible corner where your cat will not be disturbed. Make sure that the litter tray is not next to food and water bowls, as the cat may be reluctant to use the litter tray if it is too close to its food. Teach your children not to disturb the cat when they are using their litter tray.
The litter tray must be kept clean and emptied regularly. Some disinfectants can be toxic to cats, so use only hot water and detergent when cleaning out the tray or ensure you use a cat-friendly disinfectant (for more information on this please consult your veterinarian).
When and if your cat starts to go outside more often, gradually move the litter tray towards the door. A few handfuls of cat litter from the tray spread onto well dug soil in the garden will encourage the cat to dig there. Do not remove the litter tray from indoors until your cat has started using the garden.
Going Outside:
Your kitten or cat should not be allowed outside until at least a week after it has finished its first course of vaccinations, has been micro-chipped and has been neutered or spayed. Once it is fully vaccinated, micro-chipped, and altered and has become used to life in your house, you can start to let your kitten or cat go outside. Choose a nice day and a quiet time and accompany your cat outside, allowing it to explore the new environment. Continue to accompany the cat until it is used to your garden and can find its way back to the house without difficulty.
It is best not to leave your kitten outside alone until it is six months old.
