How To Care For Kittens

How To Care For Kittens

With advice from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, VideoJug shows you how best to care for your kitten. They require a lot of time and attention, so be sure you know how to care for kittens safely with our help.

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Step 1:

Bringing your kitten home

Put your kitten in a quiet, escape-proof room, making sure the doors and windows are closed. Block up any nooks and crannies where your kitten may get stuck. Your kitten will need time to get used to you and the room. Sit still and give it space to approach you. Children should sit on the floor and wait for it to come to them.

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Step 2:

Housing and Bedding

Your kitten will need bedding which is warm, dry, comfortable and away from draughts. It will also need a food and water bowl and a litter tray which should be kept away from your kitten's food. Provide your kitten with a scratching post to protect your furniture.

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Step 3:

Handling

Pick your kitten up carefully with one hand underneath the chest and one around the hind legs to support the rear end. It shouldn't be picked up by the scruff of the neck as this can hurt it as it grows heavier.

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Step 4:

Diet

Find out what your kitten has been eating and feed it the same food when you first get home. If you want to change the diet, mix the new food with the usual diet over a few days. Kittens should to be fed little and often with specially formulated kitten food. Between 8 and 12 weeks they should be fed 4 times a day, between 3 and 6 months 3 times a day, and after 6 months twice daily. Don't give your kitten bones as they may stick in its throat, or milk which can cause diarrhoea. They need a constant supply of fresh water every day.

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Step 5:

Exercise and Play

Kittens should be able to go outside for exercise and stimulation, but if you have to keep your pet indoors, play is even more important to keep it's mind and body active. Don't let your kitten go outside until at least a week after finishing the first course of vaccinations. You should play with your kitten every day but let it sleep when it wants to. Kittens will play with anything that is light and small, and will love toys filled with cat nip. Avoid playing games with your hands which will encourage the kitten to bite. Never leave it alone with string or toys that it could get entangled with.

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Step 6:

Cleaning

To encourage your kitten to use a litter tray you may need to lift it into the tray after eating, waking up or when it starts sniffing and scratching. When your kitten has started going outside, gradually move the tray towards the door. Spread a few handfuls of cat litter onto well dug soil to encourage it to use the soil. Use gloves as contact with the faeces can cause serious illness. Cat litter should be emptied and replaced every day. Clean the tray with detergent rather than disinfectant which can be toxic to cats. Your cat's bedding should be shaken out daily and changed whenever it is dirty.

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Step 7:

Grooming

Groom your kitten regularly to keep its fur and skin in good condition and help you build a relationship with your pet. Different breeds will need different levels of grooming, for example long haired cats should be groomed everyday. Ask a vet or groomer about how often and what sort of brush you should use.

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Step 8:

Neutering

Thousands of cats are abandoned or destroyed every year so it is important to get your cat neutered. Male kittens can be castrated when they are about 5 months old. This will stop them spraying indoors to mark their territory, roaming and fighting. Female kittens should be spayed from 5 to 6 months to prevent unwanted litters.

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Step 9:

Health

Healthy kittens have bright, clear eyes and clean, glossy coats without bald patches. The ears should be clean and pricked up. An overly rounded stomach may be a sign of worms. It should walk easily and have no evidence of diarrhoea around the tail. Your kitten should be able to breathe easily and have no fluid around its nose or mouth. Brown specks in the fur could be a sign of fleas. Kittens need vaccinations which can be expensive but are vital to your pet's wellbeing. They should stay indoors and away from other cats for 10 days after the last injections. Your vet should tell you how often your kitten should also be treated for worms and fleas. Micro chipping is recommended by vets to help identify your pet if it goes missing.

Have fun with your kitten.