Perfect
Kittens
(Fay) Rhonda F. Hurless
(417)668-0072 I know it’s hard with all of the decisions you face
when bringing a new pet into your home. Hopefully this Kitten care sheet will help to take a little stress out of what should
be a joyous time!
Before your new kitten arrives:
Here are some things to set up
and prepare for your little ones arrival home. Set up a litter box with non-clumping litter, a food, and another bowl for
cold fresh water. When you bring your kitten home, confine him/her to a small room for a quarantine period. Please keep your
kitten in quarantine for a few weeks or until your kitten is comfortable and adapts around family members and other pets.
(Some kittens may adjust quicker than others, it all depends on the individual cat/kitten.) Many Bengals have a love
of water and love to play with it. They may scoop their water dishes with their paws, play in puddles or follow their owners
into the shower or bath tub. Bengals make fun, affectionate, wonderful pets and are great with children and dogs. This confinement gives your little one a sense of security.
Every day make sure you show your cat/kitten the rest of your house and other household pets. After your kitten is well adjusted
you can move your kitten food, water, and litter box to your preferred places.
Feeding:
Feeding a new
kitten is another really hard choice for a new cat/kitten owner. You will always want to use a very good cat/kitten food that is best for your cat/kittens
needs. The 1st/12 months of life I suggest that you use “Science
diet kitten” (dry food) free fed. Then also offer a ½ can of (5 ½ oz. can) of “Science Diet kitten”
wet canned food twice daily. When
your kitten reaches 1 year old you can now use a mixture of “Adult Science Diet” cat food (dry) .We also add “Taste
of The Wild” (dry food). We mix this mixture at the rate of ½ and 1/2 percent.Watering your kitten! Your kitten/cat should have access to a
big bowl of cold, clean fresh water at all times.
Litter:
It is best to use Non-clumping cat litter for kittens, up to one year old. Self-Clumping cat litter is very dusty and
bad for kittens under 1 year old. It can affect your kittens breathing .We recommend 1 litter box per 2 cats placed in one
designated area. Your litter box will need scooped once or twice per day. Most cats/kittens will not use a dirty litter box.
Exercise:
Cats/kittens
need plenty of toys to play with, that helps your cat/kitten to stay active and also keeps them out of trouble. If you can
invest in a cat tree we recommend you purchase one. Cat trees can be purchase, in expensively at your local pet shops, E-bay
or etc. Cat wheels are another great thing to invest in as well!
Safety:
Keep your kitten indoors.
This will keep you from losing your precious pet and save you lots of Heartache later on. Other Pets - For the first 3 weeks watch carefully
while your kitten is around other pets, it usually takes about 2-3 weeks for other pets to accept a new one. We recommend that you keep
your cat/kitten out of the kitchen area while cooking so that your cat/kitten don’t burn his/her paw pads if she/he
would happen to jump up on the stove. Scissors, knives and all other sharp objects should be out of your cats/kittens reach. Please be careful with
plastic bags! Your cat can get trapped in the handles. This is another thing I have witnessed very sad! Please Do Not allow
unsupervised play in the bathtub when it has water in it. Deep water dishes, sinks and buckets full of water could also be a danger. If you like to leave your
washer open, please check before use or closing lid, some cats/kittens like to curl up and take a nap in places like these.
Please keep
your toilet seat lid down so that your kitten don’t fall in and drawn. Some house plants such as ivy, oleander, chrysanthemum, azalea
and cyclamen and some others can be very dangerous to your cat/kitten. Bengals will eat almost any plant they see, so please
take this into consideration and be safe. Please keep all Poisonous plants out of reach of your pets at all times.Please do not allow your kitten into any "high
risk" situations. Do not
mix the kitten with ill cats or cats that go outside and inside. Do not take your cat to a shelter, pet store, or any other place where viruses are lurking. When you do have
to take your kitten into your veterinarians office, leave him/her in the crate 'till the doctor comes into the room, at
which time take a clean towel (brought by you from home) and lay it on the table. When the vet is finished put the kitten/cat
right back into the carrier. Always
remember SICK cats/kittens Do go to the VETS Office, too!You can never be to Safe when it comes to your cats/kittens health! It’s so much better being Safe
than being Sorry by far!
Grooming:
Since most Bengals just Love the water it shouldn’t be a problem giving baths.You should comb your kitten with a fine tooth comb (they usually
only shed very lightly or some not at all). Keep
his/her nails trimmed. I do the nails weekly. I just clip a small amount off of the tip of each nail on a regular basis is
suggested .I use baby fingernail clippers for this job. Clean cats/ kittens ears when needed and do
regular checks to see if your kitten has ear mites, if so treat with ear mite lotion.
Neuter/Spay:
Neutering or
Spaying is a must. An unaltered cat of any sex will cycle, call incessantly and be really smelly and generally horribly loud
and quiet obnoxious. If you think that I am overstating this issue, Please do come over to visit when one of our queens are
in heat, this will surely change your mind.
Facts:
Bengals are medium to large size and muscular cats. They
are unique in that they do not have fur like other cats, instead they have a pelt. Many Bengals also have or carry the glitter
gene, which makes them shimmer in sun light. Bengals should retain the look of the wild but with the temperament of a well-balanced
domestic cat. Many Bengals have a love
of water and love to play with it. They may scoop their water dishes with their paws, play in puddles or follow their owners
into the shower or bath tub. Bengals make fun, affectionate, wonderful pets and are great with children and dogs. Bengals can be trained
to walk on a leash and also to do tricks. Bengals are pretty smart - if they are learning bad behavior you can usually correct it
with saying a firm NO consistently when they are doing whatever you do not like them doing. . |
