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Congratulations on the arrival of your new family member. The following information is provided to help you with all the necessary health care your new kitten will require, including introducing your new kitten, sleeping quarters, nutrition, play, house training, socialisation, microchipping, vaccination, dental care, desexing, heartworm prevention, flea control and worming.

Introducing your new kitten

A kitten brings a wealth of enjoyment and companionship to a home. When they first arrive home your kitten will probably feel a little apprehensive and will be missing the companionship of his/her mother and littermates. To make this transition stress-free, allow him/her to explore their new surroundings without too much interference or noise. Children should be reminded that the new kitten needs lots of love and also rest therefore should not be overhandled. Any other family pets should be introduced to the new arrival slowly and under close supervision.

Sleeping Quarters

It is a good idea to section off a part of your house or make up a bed for your kitten in the laundry. He/she will be used to cuddling up to their brothers and sisters so may cry when put to bed for the first couple of nights.

Provide a bed, basket or box to curl-up in. Kittens love warmth so make sure the new bed is cosy and inviting. You can also place a hot water bottle in with him/her but care should be taken to ensure it is not too hot.

You may decide that you want your kitten to sleep in your bedroom with you. This is fine once it is older, but your kitten may find it difficult to find its way around the new house at night and can injure itself falling off the bed in the dark. It is best to start your kitten sleeping in a safe secure place until it is old enough to stay out of harms way.

Feeding

Your kitten should be fed on a balanced diet especially formulated to suit its stage of life. We recommend a premium brand kitten biscuit, as they are made from high quality ingredients and provide all the nourishment a kitten needs.

Kittens can regulate their food intake well and so meals can be offered often but it is alright to leave a few biscuits out at all times for your kitten to eat. Two or three main meals spread throughout the day are best with kitten biscuits available at anytime.

Changes in diet should be made gradually as sudden changes can cause diarrhoea and other problems.

Kittens at play

Environment enrichment is essential to help direct your kitten’s playful behaviour to desirable objects. Your kitten needs items to chew on and play with, to ensure it is not learning to climb curtains and wrestle power cords!

We recommend a cat scratching post laced with catnip to teach your kitten from an early age where to direct their claws. Lattice balls, furry mice, and other toys like fish on string are all designed especially for the development of your kitten’s co-ordination and will provide them with hours of fun. Here are some tips and tricks to entertain your kitten at home.

House Training

If you are lucky, your kitten will arrive to you litter trained. They learn this behaviour from watching their mothers and so tend to pick it up very quickly with other cats around.

There are certain signs you should watch out for that will alert you when your kitten needs to toilet. These include:

Vocalisation.
A sudden panicked reaction or fussing behaviour.
Digging in bedding or on paper.

There are also times when you should ensure you place your kitten into its litter tray and praise it whilst encouraging it to dig, to prevent accidents.

First thing in the morning.
After every sleep.
After being left alone for a period of time.
After every meal.
Last thing before you put your kitten to bed.

Of course accidents will happen! If you catch your kitten in the act you should immediately place him/her into the litter tray and praise them.

NEVER spank your kitten, rub his/her nose in it, or reprimand after an accident has occurred. A kitten is too young to be able to connect this with what he/she has done wrong.

Using praise is the best method of training. Kittens are clever, clean animals and so where a litter tray is provided, they will always prefer to eliminate there. Give your kitten lots of praise whenever it does the right thing. Read more about cat toileting here.

Socialisation

The peak socialisation period in a kitten’s life is up to 14 weeks. By 6 weeks of age, your kitten has learned to respond to visual and scent threats. By 7 to 8 weeks of age, it has developed good eye and paw co-ordination and social play develops between 6 – 12 weeks.

As fearful play and fighting behaviour can start at or after 14 weeks of age, it is imperative to handle your kitten as much as possible before this time. Your kitten needs to become accustomed to as many new experiences and people as possible. At this age a kitten can even willingly learn many training commands including sit, stay and come. Food rewards always work best when training kittens.

Indentification

Microchipping is a permanent form of identification in the form of a tiny chip, which is implanted under the skin. Registration details are kept with Central Animal Records and can be updated by the owner if there is any change in owner details.

We recommend to microchip at the time of desexing as a tattoo is required in the right ear to identify them as being microchipped.

Healthcare and your kitten

Vaccination

To safeguard your pet from potentially serious and sometimes fatal diseases we recommend vaccinations. Cats are vaccinated against:

Feline Enteritis - This is the most common life threatening disease affecting cats. It is a very contagious viral disease with a high death rate especially in cats under 12 months of age. Signs include fever, depression, severe stomach pain, vomiting diarrhoea and dehydration.
Feline Respiratory Disease (Cat Flu) - This is a highly contagious disease. Cats of all age are at risk, especially young kittens, Siamese and Burmese cats. Signs include sneezing, nasal discharge, runny eyes, coughing, loss of appetite and tongue ulcers. This can lead to severe dehydration followed by death.
Feline Chlamydia - Chlamydia is an organism that causes eye disease, predominantly seen in kittens up to 9 months of age. The signs of infection are discharge from the eyes (sticky eye or conjunctivitis) and nose, fever, coughing, respiratory signs, enlarged lymph nodes, inappetence, weight loss and depression. Chlamydia is found in up to 1/3 of cases of conjunctivitis and is transmitted by close and persistent contact between cats.
FIV Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - This blood borne viral infection causes feline AIDS which is potentially fatal. Vaccination is available and will be recommended by our veterinarians if your cat is considered to be at risk. The virus interferes with the immune system and initial symptoms such as fever, sores, lesions and diarrhoea progress to severe chronic infections as the immune system is overcome. There is no treatment or cure for the virus itself.

Dental Care

Teeth cleaning and gum massage are very important and probably best achieved by supplying your kitten with the appropriate things to chew on. This helps exercise the teeth and gums and helps to prevent boredom. A well balanced diet, regular check ups and brushing will assist in maintaining good dental health. Learn more about dental care here.

Desexing

As well as reducing the number of unwanted kittens, desexing prevents pets from roaming, fighting, spraying and night prowling, which are particularly common behaviours in males. Cats can be desexed at any age however the optimum time for desexing is 5-6 months of age when a cat is approaching sexual maturity but before the first 'heat' in females. However, it is never too late to desex your cat.

In both females and males desexing is a day procedure performed under general anaesthesia. This means your cat will be admitted first thing in the morning and discharged in the evening of the same day. The procedure itself involves removal of the ovaries and uterus in females and the testicles in males. Learn more about desexing here.

Heartworm

Mosquitoes spread heartworm when they bite. A cat affected by heartworm will have an infestation of long thin worms (up to 30cm in length!) lodged in the heart and vessels that feed on surrounding blood. There is no approved treatment for feline heartworm disease so prevention is essential to give your cat the best chance of a long and healthy life. Learn more about heartworm disease here.

Prevention is possible using a monthly 'spot-on' on the skin. Kittens should be started on prevention from 12 weeks of age.

Flea control

If there are fleas about, they will find a way onto your cat's coat and soon invade your home too. There are excellent flea control products available that are safe, effective and easy to use. These are administered in a variety of ways. Use flea control products specifically designed for cats. Some common flea control products made for dogs are extremely toxic in cats! Our veterinary healthcare team can provide you with more detailed information about effective flea control and you can also read more about fleas here.

Worming

The most common intestinal worms affecting cats in Australia are roundworm, hookworm, and tapeworm. Worms are a common cause of ill health in pets and can result in a loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea.

To protect your cat, common worms can be easily controlled with a routine worming treatment. Kittens need to be wormed every two weeks until twelve weeks of age, then monthly until six months of age. After six months all cats need to be wormed every three months for effective protection. Read more about worms and your cat.

A note on using human medications

DO NOT give unprescribed medications to your cat without checking with a vet first. Even aspirin and paracetamol can be dangerous if given incorrectly, especially if your pet is on medication or has a medical condition.

Something isn't quite right?

If your kitten appears listless, lethargic, off their food, or if you have any concerns about your kitten's well being, please call us.

Once again, congratulations on your new addition and please feel free to call our hospitals should you require additional information, guidance or advice about raising your kitten.

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Caring for your kitten - sleeping, food, training and play