Please follow our advice about how to prepare your kitten for its new home and how to relieve its anxieties.
CHOOSING A NAME
Your kitten has an official pedigree name but this is not it's pet name. If you have chosen a pet name you should let us know so that we can start calling your kitten by it. By repeating its name and associating it with treats etc, the kitten will soon become responsive to it.
YOUR KITTENS DIET
You must always supply the kitten with a constant source of food, water and a litter. Your kitten is used to the following diet:
Morning: Half a pouch of Felix Kitten food in jelly, sprinkled with Royal Canin Kitten 36 biscuits.
Lunch: Half a pouch of Felix Kitten food in jelly, sprinkled with Royal Canin Kitten 36 biscuits.
Evening: Half a pouch of Felix Kitten food in jelly, sprinkled with Royal Canin Kitten 36 biscuits.
All Day: A bowl of James Wellbeloved Turkey and Rice Kitten Complete biscuits and a bowl of fresh water.
Please do not change your kittens diet unless you have to. If you want to introduce different brands of food, please do so slowly. Otherwise you will cause your kitten to have diarrhoea.
Please be aware that your kitten is essentially a hybrid cat and hybrid cats are prone to diarrhoea. Their stomachs are far more sensitive than those of a domestic cat and this is why your kitten has a special diet.
If your kitten does have diarrhoea on the way home or for the first few days, do not panic! It has most likely due to stress. If you do have problems with diarrhoea try some or all of the following tips:
Reduce the amount of wet food and increase the amount of dry food;
Mix in some cooked chicken breast (no bones) with some dry buscuits and a little bit of water;
Put down a bowl of natural/unflavoured pro-biotic yoghurt, once or twice a week;
Put down a bowl of Lectade or Oralaid daily to reduce the risk of dehydration. This can be purchased online or from your vet. Please follow the instructions on the packaging.
If the diarrhoea becomes green in colour, has alot of blood in it or/and smells as if something is decaying, then I would advise a trip to the vets. It could be a parasitic problem but please do remeber to let your vet know that your kitten was treated before you collected him/her.
COLLECTING YOUR KITTEN
Please do remember to bring a cat carrier with you when collecting your kitten. I will no longer allow kittens to leave us if not. Letting them roam free in a moving vehicle is highly dangerous to both the kitten, driver and passengers. I would advise that you put something like a worn tshirt inside the carrier. This will hold your scent and help the kitten to adjust to you and their new environment.
Before collecting your kitten, allocate a quiet room in your house, where it can hide and be safe. You should make sure that any wires, small items, detergents, medicines and plants etc are removed or out of reach. Also remember to keep your windows and doors shut. Use your common sense to envisage what could cause trouble for your kitten and act upon it. The chosen room should be big enough to allow the kitten to run around and explore. In here please provide a selection of toys, a scratching post and a nice warm cosy bed.
YOUR KITTENS NEW HOME
Once the kitten is home, show the kitten where the litter tray is and keep it at least three feet away from the food and water but close enough in sight for them.
Remember not to leave the kitten alone for too long but at the same time do not bombard it with visitors too early on. Do socialise and play with the kitten to create an early bond. Please explain to children that their new kitten is not a toy and needs its sleep. Also show them how to hold the kitten correctly, always supporting its bottom. You should never leave a child unattended with a kitten.
Like wise if you have other pets, do not leave the kitten alone with them. It will take them time to get to know one and other. It is a good idea to take the scent of the existing pet and rub it somewhere near to the kitten and vice versa with the scent of the kitten. Gradually introduce the animals to each other giving them equal attention and cuddles.
Within the next few days, you should gradually allow the kitten to explore the rest of your home. Although your kitten has been raised in a home environment with people, televisions, hoovers etc, there will always be lots of new smells and sounds in your house and so it may get frightened. It is important to let the kitten find each room in the house rather than being carried from room to room. So then if the kitten does get frightened and tries to run back to its 'safe' room, it wont get lost.
Finally, please remember that your kitten is a baby. It will get confused and it will have accidents. It may not always respond in the way that you want it to. No matter what the circumstances, please do not get cross with the kitten or show aggression towards it. You should always treat the kitten with kindness in order to gain its trust and love. Please do ask any questions. We are always here to help and you can contact us anytime.