Kitten Care Instructions

Or...Everything you always wanted to know about kittens,
but where afraid to ask!

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Basic Supplies

Here's a list of items that will help you and your new kitten get off to a great start:

1. Bed or sleeping area
2. Water and food bowls
3. Toys
4. Litter box and litter*
5. Cat carrier
6. Brushes and combs
7. Scratching post
8. Kitten Food**
9. Cat Tree

Beds

Provide a comfortable sleeping area, cats like a place to curl up in sometimes to get away. Check pet stores or make a bed

Feeding Bowls

• Each pet in your house should have his or her own food and water bowl.
• Choose bowls designed especially for cats - shallow, broad-based metal or ceramic bowls.
• Devons drink a lot of water and don't' like their water bowl to run dry, so you might want to use the one you fill like a water cooler.
• Your kitten has been fed Iams kitten food** since weaning. We feed and recommend Iams food but If you are
• Going to change to a different food? Do this by gradually adding the new food to the old until you are using the new food only.

Safe Toys

Cat toys, like toys for small children, are wonderful amusements and should be chosen carefully. Use these tips:

• Avoid toys that have sharp edges or parts that your kitten might swallow.
• Choose soft toys that bounce erratically (the more bounce, the better).
• Beware of yarn and toys with strings. Yarn or string is dangerous if ingested. Supervise all play with these toys.
• Cat nip mice and the toy that is round plastic like a donut and has a ball in a track that they can spin around but can't get out are favorites at our house.

Easing The Transition

Introduce your cat to your home gradually by following these helpful hints:

• When you pick your kitten up he will probably be pretty scared. This is a huge transition for a little guy who up until this time has only known one home, mommy and the other babies and his aunts.
• Hold and love the baby as much as you can the first few days, lots of kisses and he will start to feel secure.
• Don't get hysterical if he darts under a dresser or bed and camps out, he will come out eventually.
• For the first day or two, keep your kitten confined to one room with a litter box, food and water. Let him become comfortable in this room before introducing him to the rest of the house.
• After your new kitten is relaxed and acclimated, allow him to explore and roam the rest of the house.

Children in the household? Show your children how to properly pick up a kitten and how to play with their new pet. Teach them that cats don't like to be teased or have their ears or tail pulled. Always supervise your children's interaction with your new kitten, especially when they have friends over to play.

Other Pets

Tips for successful pet introductions

• If one cat shows hostility toward another during the initial introductions, don't punish him; that action could backfire. Instead, start the whole process over again after separating the animals for a while, don't force it.
• Respect each pet's territorial rights. If your older cat has claimed the living-room sofa as her favorite spot, allow her to keep that space as her own domain. Help your new kitten find a different spot she can call her own.
• Establish separate but equal relationships with each pet to prevent jealousy.
• If you have a dog, keep him on a leash at first, and monitor him closely. In the beginning, don't let him chase or bother your new kitten, and don't make your kitten remain in the same room with the dog if she's uncomfortable or scared.
• Buy separate food and water bowls.
• Give each cat a separate litter box; this will help them resist the temptation to find a private privy in an inappropriate place.
• I am sold on "Tidy Cat Small Spaces" *clumping litter, it is the best I have used so far. I think the crystal litter is too hard on their feet, and ours!

Cat Proofing Your Home

Your cat's inquisitive nature can be dangerous. Follow these recommendations:

• Keep all medicines and household cleaning agents locked up.
• Shut the bathroom door when you run water in a bathtub.
• Keep stringy material away from your kitten, except under your supervision. Items like string, yarn, fishing line and thread attached to a needle can be lethal if swallowed.
• Close toilet lids, and make sure the fireplace is tightly screened.
• Secure unscreened windows. Cats may jump out of open windows. Cats often lean into screens as they nap, so secure the screens on all other windows. Contrary to popular belief, cats don't always land on their feet when they fall and can be seriously injured.
• Close all garage and appliance doors. A warm dryer or a car engine may entice cats in search of a warm place to nap.
• Immediately place opened tin or aluminum cans behind closed doors or in containers with secure lids. The edges of these cans are extremely sharp and can cut or sever your cat's tongue.
• If possible, replace the antifreeze in your car with a nontoxic brand. Antifreeze tastes sweet to pets and is the most common feline poison. Ingesting just a teaspoon of antifreeze can cause kidney failure. Keep all other chemicals in the garage out of reach.
• Set rodent traps out of a cat's reach.
• Keep easily swallowed small items such as balls, bits of fabric and baby- bottle nipples away from your kitten.

And most important to your cats care is lots of love and kisses daily!!!