Your Starter Guide to Welcoming a Kitten into the Family
Once you’ve chosen your kitten there are a few things you will need before taking the kitten home.
A Quick Shopping List
Optional Extras
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Kitten harness
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Identity pet tag
It is best to ensure the kitten is microchipped and your contact details are registered. It is important to keep their vaccination up to date with your local vet. All kittens should only be re-homed at a minimum of 8 weeks of age. They are to be wormed at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 weeks then monthly till they are 6 months of age and then every 3 months thereafter. Most topical flea treatments can only be administered at 8 weeks of age. There are natural alternatives that can be used prior to 8 weeks, speak to us to find out more.
Preparing your Home
Ensure your home is hazard free by keeping cords such as electrical cords out of reach as kitten’s curiosity can get the better of them.
Bringing your Kitten Home
To help ease the transition to their new environment, if possible, rub the new bed or blanket on the kitten’s siblings so that he/she can smell them when he/she gets to the new home. So that it is not too overwhelming for the kitten, it is best to contain the kitten in a single room/area for the first couple of days before letting them venture through the rest of the house. Ensure all windows and doors are closed in case the kitten runs outside and potentially away.
Feeding
It is best to establish a routine when it comes to feeding. By feeding at particular times this will ensure that the kitten will fall into this routine. Ensure the feed and water bowls are placed where they will remain in the future. It’s best to keep the kitten on the food they have been eating prior to you adopting them and transition them slowly to the food you want to feed them, this can be done over a seven day period by gradually adding more of their new food in with the original food daily. Make sure that they always have plenty of fresh water everyday.
Scratch Post / Toys
Kittens are very active and need a variety of toys to entertain them. Scratch posts, It is natural for kittens/cats to scratch and they should be encouraged to do so on a good scratch post. They should be rewarded for scratching on the post, this will teach them to keep scratching on the post and not on your furniture.
Rescue Kittens
We often have kittens instore from local animal rescues. They come de-sexed, de-wormed, microchipped and vaccinated upto date. Pop instore or check out our FB page to see what cuties we have available!