Kittens

After Weaning, What Should a Kitty's Diet Be?

Until weaning starts, mother's milk is needed. In the first 24 hours of a kitten's life, mother's milk provides the immunity, in the form of colostrum, that a kitty lacks to fight off disease and infection. After the first 24 hours, the kitten is on her own because no more colostrum will be produced by the mother. From then on, mom's milk provides the nutrients the kitty's will need to survive the first 8 - 12 weeks of kitten-hood. The nutrients provide the all important building blocks for healthy growth. Problems such as diseases of the central nervous system, heart, kidney and bones can be traced to either excesses, deficiencies or imbalances of certain dietary nutrients. Many of these problems won't show up until adulthood is reached. Colostrum is especially important because a kitten can't produce the antibodies needed to fend off disease and bacterial infestations until she's around 8 weeks old. At that time she'll begin to produce her own antibodies. Colostrum contains these essential antibodies and protects her until she can produce her own. But, colostrum is only available for the first 24 hours after birth. After that it makes no difference how much colostrum is provided by the queen or taken in by the kitty, it will have no effect. For more information on the role of colostrum and other kitten birth challenges, go to cat health.

When weaning begins, follow these guidelines:

• At 4 - 6 weeks, kittens should weaned onto foods specifically designed for them. Good kitten food will be balanced with the necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals needed for the fast growth a kitten will experience. Further, I would recommend foods that are rated as "human grade". Human grade foods are of higher quality, sans "grain" fillers or "by-products" that are usually found in low quality pet foods on the grocery shelves.
• DO NOT wean kitties on cows milk, dog food, baby food or other human foods. Cow's milk doesn't provide the nutrients needed for proper growth, and they're unable to digest or metabolize the lactose found in cow's milk. The nutrient balance of dog food is totally different from cat food and will starve a kitten (or cat) of vital nutrients. Human food and baby foods also don't provide a balance of essential nutrients and can lead to bad eating habits as well as obesity. Use only approved milk replacements or quality kitten food for weaning.
• Weaning is a change of diet. Therefore, weaning should be done slowly, increasing the amount of solid food as the kitten receives less and less of mother's milk. Initially wean kitties with a blended mix of high quality kitten food and a liquid milk replacement such as KMR Milk Replacer for cats. Slowly over a 2-3 week period reduce the blending until the kittens are eating the food as it comes right out of the can. Mom will probably help with this. She will naturally start the weaning on her own. Changing diets at any time of a cat's life should be done gradually over, say, a one week or longer period, adding the new food as you decrease the old. Change is hard on a cat's system and they will resist if not done thoughtfully.
• For the first 3 months, provide food 4 times a day. After that they should receive a measured feeding 2 or 3 times a day. Food intake needs to be monitored to balance the amount needed for a healthy lifestyle that fuels rambunctious activities, but doesn't contribute to make her fat... oops! Excuse me. Overweight. Food manufacturer's recommendations and consultation with your veterinarian will help you decide how much is enough.
• Always have fresh, clean and if possible flowing water available. Cats need lots of accessible water. They are also very sensitive to water quality. If your water supply is high in chlorine, you may have to opt for bottled water. In any case, be sure kitty has lots drinking water available, and is drinking it.

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Check-ups and Vaccinations

It's probably o.k. with a new mother cat that you pick up a newborn and admire her beautiful litter, especially if she knows you. But, she may get concerned if you walk off with her baby. Leave the babies with mom until they open their eyes. Do Not pry the youngster's eyes open. Their eyes are still developing and can be permanently damaged if you try to open them before they're ready.  Soon after they start to move around on their own is when kitties should get used to being handled. Petting and stroking, inspecting them for signs of anything that doesn't look right should become a common, even daily occurrence for them. When they're around 8 weeks of age, you should plan a trip to the vet's office and set up a schedule of vaccinations. But, there're things you can do in the meantime to head off potential problems:

•  redness or inflammation
•  a half closed lid
•  excessive watering
•  a yellow-green discharge or discoloration

If you see any of the above, consult your veterinarian. A kitten rubbing her eye a lot is an indication that she has an eye infection. You can do a little cleaning around the eyes with a soft rag and warm water. DO NOT try to clean the eyeball.

• discharge of any kind
• excessive wax build-up; dark brown or black wax
• an unpleasant odor

Kitties will scratch their ears and shake their heads frequently if their ears are dirty, infected or they have ear mites. Again, consult your vet if you see any of the symptoms above. Cleaning can be done with warm water on the easily reached external areas of the ear. DO NOT probe into the ear.

• soreness
• discoloration
• broken or loose teeth
• inflamed or receding gums

Dental care is important, just like it is for people. Besides, regular check-ups, brushing their teeth at an early age will get them used to it as an adult. Use toothpaste designed for cats, not human toothpaste. Unchecked periodontal disease can cause heart, liver and kidney diseases. Regular brushing also controls bad breath.

Get your kitty used to being handled by you:

• Clipping a toe nails helps prevent unwanted scratching and clawing. The trouble is, cats scratch naturally. Scratching removes dead skin from their nails and offers a great stretch for their front quarters. The best remedy to preventing scratching in the wrong places is to provide an alternative to your favorite furniture. See the cat training section for a full discussion on how to move your kitten from the couch to a scratch post.
• Get your kitten used to brushing her coat. When you do, look for:
• increased shedding
• dandruff
• raw areas
• dry, itchy skin
• rashes
• lumps on or under her skin
• anything unusual

Kitties should become accustomed to grooming early in their life. Teaching a kitten to accept brushing, teeth cleaning, bathing, nail clipping and a regular personal check-up by you on a weekly basis will make life a lot easier down the road. It gives you a chance to notice any problems early and in consultation with your veterinarian you'll be able to address health problems before they become chronic or dangerous... and expensive.

Her first visit to the veterinarian:

During the first visit to the veterinarian, a schedule should be arranged to vaccinate against several diseases. As mentioned, the colostrum received from mother's milk will protect her until around 8 weeks. After that, the kitten's own immune system will kick in and produce its own antibodies. At that point you will want to start a vaccination program to protect her from diseases her immune system won't protect her from. Some examples of these diseases are:

• PANLEUKOPENIA
• CALICIVIRUS
• FELINE LEUKEMIA
• RHINOTRACHEITIS
• RABIES

These are all contagious viral diseases that show symptoms that range from high fever, cessation of eating and drinking, respiratory tract problems, ulcerations of the mouth, attacks on the immune system, eye and nose discharge, weight loss and anemia, and vomiting & diarrhea. Rabies is particularly contagious because it can be transmitted in the infected animals saliva, posing a danger to humans who are vulnerable to catching it. A sample vaccination schedule might look like this:

• First visit at 8 weeks: FVRCP-Felv
• At the first visit you should start a de-worming program to protect her against parasites.
• Second visit at 12 weeks: FVRCP-Felv and Rabies

During these visits the veterinarian will give kitty a complete check-up. This is a perfect opportunity to point out anything you may have noticed during your weekly check-up/grooming sessions and to ask questions. It wouldn't hurt to keep notes about anything you see when you do your in-home check-ups and grooming.

It's worth noting again that the habits you develop at an early stages of life, will last all of her life. This in turn will make sharing your home together a pleasant and fulfilling experience.

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Litter Box Training

Litter box training has got to be the easiest part of life with a cat. First of all, if there are adult litter box trained cats living in the house, they will naturally train the younger brood. Kitty see is what kitty does. Until they are used to using the litter box, it is wise to keep kitties confined to a small room. The same room as their litter box, food and water bowls, and their beds. Once you are certain that they are using the litter, they can be allowed to further explore their new domain.

Keep the litter clean. Scoop the litter clean every day and change it every week by dumping all the litter, clean the box thoroughly and add all new litter. If you use soap to clean the box, be sure to rinse it completely to remove all detergent odors and use unscented litter. These smells and odors will deter them from using the litter box and they may seek other areas in the house to soil.

Place the litter box in a quiet, but accessible location. Not in a closet or room which might be shut off by a door. Multi-storied homes and multi-cat homes may require more than one litter box. You'll have to think like a cat and calculate how fast she can get to the litter box and if it is readily accessible to determine locations and how many to have on hand. Once a cat is trained, there should be no accidents. If there are, check the cleanliness of the litter. Also, inspect the mess to determine if it looks normal and consistent with a healthy excretion. If the accident doesn't look normal, then you should consult your veterinarian.

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Spaying and Neutering

Unless you are a cat breeder, the responsible thing for you to do when your kitty is old enough is to have them either spayed or neutered. Cats become sexually mature and active when they are about 6 months old. There're some advantages to this that'll directly affect you. For one, when cats are active sexually, they tend to be very vocal about it, keeping you up half the night with a lot of yowling, especially from the females. A female cat will go into heat approximately between January and October, and keep coming back into heat every 7-10 days until she is bred. Secondly, males will tend to spray everything in sight as he marks his territory, warning all other cats that this is his domain, including all the females in it.

A third reason to spay or neuter is related to feral cats. Feral cats are domestic cats that have become homeless or cats that are the children of once domesticated cats. True feral cats are undomesticated, but aren't wild, either. Wild cats have never been domesticated and could never be confused with a domesticated cat or it's progeny. Feral cats may have been abandoned, lost or born without any socialization with people. In most cases they have not been, or had the opportunity if born feral, spayed or neutered. Thus, they suffer a hard life of either always being pregnant, or constantly looking to mate.

Unwanted litters are problematic since a female cat can have up to 3 litters a year. Given that there can be 6 - 8 kittens in a litter, that adds up to a lots of kitties in a short period of time. That many kittens can be difficult to find homes for, and one can lose the ability to care for them rather quickly. So, in many cases they find themselves on their own, feral and repeating the cycle of pregnancy and birth. So, spaying and neutering your cat is an important and responsible act that I would say is mandatory for being a cat owner. It's not costly, $40.00 to $60.00 at clinic prices, and undertaking the responsibility solves a lot of problems for people, as well as ends a lot of suffering with the reduction and/or elimination of feral cat populations.

SPAYING
This surgery is performed on female cats in sterile operating room conditions, with the cat put under a general anesthetic. It involves the removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus (womb) through an abdominal incision. On completion of a successful operation, your cat will not come into heat, and won't have the interest or ability to breed. There's NO PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE to waiting for the female to experience a heat cycle, or a litter, before spaying her. Spaying eliminates heat cycles, reproductive diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Further, spaying has no effect on the female's overall temperament, other than to bring a measure of peace to her life.

NEUTERING
Performed on males, this procedure involves the removal of the testicles through a small incision made on the scrotal sack, with the cat under a general anesthetic. The operation eliminates the source of sperm and male sexual hormones. Neutered male cats are less likely to roam, fight with other cats, and spray their domain. Again, it won't change the cat's personality.

It can't be emphasized enough the advantages of spaying or neutering your kitten when they reach that 6 month milestone. You and the kittens will not miss dealing with all those mating rituals and all those litters.

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Orphan and Feral Kitties

If a kitten should become orphaned, or you find yourself with a feral kitten, you'll have to replace the missing mother in their life. If they aren't old enough to eat solid food, then bottle feeding them should be done with a cat milk replacement every 2 to 4 hours. DO NOT attempt to feed kittens cow's milk. Cow's milk will not supply the necessary nutrients kittens need for proper growth and development. If they are too young to urinate or defecate, they'll need to be stimulated by rubbing the base of their spine, where it joins the tail, with a warm damp cloth. As they get older, at about 3 weeks of age, they should start going to the bathroom on their own.

When they are around 4 weeks old, they should start the weaning process. Introduce good quality solid kitten food and as they begin to eat, reduce the bottle feedings slowly until they are weaned off the bottle onto the kitten food. Initially wean kittens with a blended mix (yes, use a blender) of this high quality kitten food and a liquid milk replacement such as KMR  Milk Replacer for cats. Slowly, over a 2-3 week period reduce the blending and the amount of milk supplement until the kittens are eating the food as it comes right out of the can.

From the beginning you'll want to start socializing the orphan. Ideally there would be other kittens around and she would already be sleeping with them and beginning to play. Handling her, petting and stroking her and introducing her to all the members of the family, including other pets is essential. But, if she is not accepted by other pets, look for that too, and stay present when they are together. She's an orphan and needs extra care to reduce behavior problems when she gets older.

Feral cats can be socialized if they are started at a young age. If you are lucky enough to find them at or before they are 4 weeks old, they can be fairly easily tamed and then adopted. The older they get, though, the more difficult it is to domesticate them. When they reach adulthood it's usually too late to socialize them enough to not fear people and live a normal domesticated life.

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Would You Like a Kitty?

So, What do you think? Do you want a kitten? Cats are playful, they're easily house trained, and they're neat, clean and tidy by nature. They require little grooming or training, though when grooming and training is achieved cats become even better companions. They also adapt beautifully to indoor living. Cats are entertaining and make wonderful companions for people.

As much as anecdotes and folklore have it, cats are not the totally independent and self-sufficient pet they are made out to be. Cats are absolutely dependent on people for affection, the shelter of a good home, and medical care. Bringing home a kitten requires some close attention at first, and ongoing care over her entire life as she grows into an adult cat. But, the resulting companionship is priceless.

It's easy to acquire a kitten. If you want a pure bred cat, there are plenty of breeder sources to choose from. You should be prepared to meet some strict qualifications if you decide to adopt, and pay for, a pure bred cat. Good breeders are pretty picky about where their brood end up. But, if you're not going to be choosey, there're lots of sources to find and adopt a kitten from:

• Animal shelters and animal saves are abundant in most communities. So is the supply of cats and kittens in these shelters. There's usually a small fee associated with adoption to cover the costs of vaccinations and spaying or neutering. Adopting from a shelter saves you some trouble right away since you are taking home a cat or kitten that is up to date with her shots and has been spayed or neutered. All you have to do now is introduce her to your veterinarian and begin some home training.

• There's been many times I've walked out of the neighborhood grocery store and stopped to look inside a box that a group of cooing children have surrounded. The 6 or 8 kittens in the box usually have only recently been weaned. The parents have decided that the kittens need new homes, so the kids spend the day in front of the grocery trying to give their little charges away. If you take one home, you'll be starting from scratch including socializing the kitty, arranging for vaccinations and later making sure they are spayed or neutered. Then one day you'll find yourself proudly telling the story of how your little kitty nudged herself into your life and how grateful you are that she did.

• Lastly, and closely related to the story of the children with the box in front of the grocery, you might have a friend who introduces you to a little bundle of fur that you'll not be able to resist. You will be, again, starting from scratch.

Kitty will need social guidance, medical care, good food and shelter, and a well appointed home designed for a cat. She'll give you unqualified devotion in return. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

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