GROWTH AND FEEDING

The growing period is a very important phase in which the health of the kitten as adult cat  is determined.  Growth is influenced by various factors, especially the choice of catfood. Catfood with a high nutritional value is essential to stimulate good digestion and well-formed bones, tissues and organs. 

It's irresponsible to give adult catfood to your kitten!  

Adult catfood contains lots more starch and is therefore less digestible. It also contains various additives for the prevention of bladderstones in adult cats, and this can hinder your kittens growth!  

 

 MEAT, FISH and CANNED PRODUCTS  ( WET FOOD )

 
When our kittens are four or five weeks old, they're ready to be weaned. The first wet food we offer is Carnibest.  In the beginning we mix it with a little warm water so that it forms a kind of sloppy soup so they can get used to this 'strange' new food. The kittens love it as they waddle through it at first and then attempt  to slurp it  up :-)

Carnibest is pure, raw meat, contains no artificial flavouring or colouring, and is a complete food..   It's available in pound or  kilo 'sausages' , in three different flavours and comes out of  the freezer.  All our cats thrive on it and have lovely thick, soft coats.  (an added bonus is that the littertray is much less smelly ! )

  Carnibest is only available by Carnibest dealers. For the nearest to you, click on their website www.Carnibest.nl  

under " Officiele verkooppunten."

 

Once a week we give our kittens (and adult cats) boiled cod fillet,  tuna ( in water )  and boiled chicken fillet.  

A little grated MILD cheese is always a favourite, and dare I say it ......( a teeny weeny lick of ) mayonaisse !! .....your kitten will most definitely let you know where his preferences lie qua treats ;-))

 

We purposely don't offer a lot of tinned food,  maximum is twice a week.  Our reason for this is because of its softness, it can contribute to dental problems.  Of no importance healthwise to the cats, but  for our own noses........ it makes their poo so smelly ;-)   

We mix tinned food mostly with their cat biscuits so that our cats have more to chew on. They eat  Gourmet Gold  as well as other brands listed below.  We also give tinned food as a treat, a couple of teaspoons per cat....your kitten loves to be spoiled and might try to eat your fingers up too  ;-)  

 

ProPlan , Royal Canin, Hills,  Eukanuba are all nutritional and responsible brands and have a good varied assortment .

 

 

CAT-BISCUITS 

Your baby kittens'  very first experience with cat biscuits was with Royal Canin Kitten Weaning Biscuits (only available from the vet).  These are tiny little biscuits specially made for baby kittens. We mix the biscuits with KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement ) at first so they go all nice and soggy.  Gradually we reduce the amount of milk until the kittens are used to the dry biscuits.  

Then we change to Royal Canin Baby Cat  which are slightly larger than the weaning biscuits.

Around the age of 3 - 4 months your baby can get his teeth into  Royal Canin Kitten 34 biscuits. He can echomp away on these until his first birthday. Then the Big Day has arrived when he can proudly be initiated as an adult and celebrate with Royal Canin Biscuits for Adult Cats. Royal Canin has a wonderful assortment, including British Shorthair, Indoor, Health and Beauty etc etc.

Always have biscuits available for your little darling. Cats always eat between meals ..... and love a little nibble several times a day whenever he fancies !!    

 

 

It is important to give your kitten the same food that he was used with us for at LEAST the following 3 months !.

If you choose to change to a different brand of catfood (including biscuits)  after that, do that gradually by mixing the 'old' food with the 'new'  food in small amounts until the change is complete.  Doing this can spare your kitten a lot of discomfort with diarrhoea.

Should this happen desp[te all your good intentions, then you can be certain that your baby, so dependant upon you, has eaten something that disagrees with him.  In that case you can offer him boiled rice with boiled chicken, which will let his tummy calm down and is also nutricious.

 If the diarrhoea is persistent, you can be sure that something isn't quite right and should consult your vet.

  

 

WATER 

 ALWAYS have fresh clean water available for your sweetie-pie. Don't forget that water quenches your kitten/cats thirst while milk will only fill his tummy. A cat drinking fountain is super, cats and kittens love it . The water also contains extra oygen due to  the constant flow.

NEVER give a cat / kitten cow milk....this can cause diarrhoea !  If you want to give your kitten / cat milk, always use a special cat milk from a reputable brand ( not a supermarket ).

 

A healthy kitten should gain about 100 grams per week, but from the age of  six months growth will become slower.  A cat can grow until the age of eighteen months, although adulthood begins at one year.   

 

 

 

TAKING CARE OF THE COAT 

British Shorthair cats and kittens only need combing and/or brushing once a week.

 In the beginning of summer and winter twice a week to remove the dead hair by the forming of the new coat.

With the Selkirk Rex once a week is also sufficient, except for longhaired cats. They should be combed/brushed twice a week,   Look out for tangles and remove them very gently with a special comb.

 

 EAR AND EYE CARE

Examine the ears of your beauty regularly, and if necessary, clean them carefully with a make-up remover pad moistened with cool, boiled water. NEVER use a cotton bud!  This can damage delicate cat-ears. If your kitten has a little trouble with 'dirty' ears, then Epiothic is a good remedy and available from your vet. 

Your kitten/cats eyes can also be gently cleaned  with a make-up remover pad moistened with cool, boiled water.  NEVER use a cotton bud to remove the 'sleep' in your cats eyes! By white or light coloured cats, there is a special eye cleaner such as Jean Peau, available at your pet store, to remove eventual 'tear' tracks. 

 

 

INNOCULATIONS

Your new kitten baby has received his full shots when he leaves us to share his life with you.

He should be innoculated every year.

 

 

DE-WORMING 

Your kitten has been regularly de-wormed and is free from worms when you take him home. We used Vitaminthe paste when he was just a tiny baby of four weeks, and then we use Milbemax.  Milbemax is a small tablet, pink for kittens and red for adult cats. Milbemax is an excellent de-wormer and gives no side-effects such as vomiting or diarrhoea. It is only available from your vet.  

When your baby is six months old he is due for his next de-wormer. After that once every six months is sufficient.

ALWAYS buy a de-wormer from your vet !

 

 

LITTER TRAY

Your little darling is used to Biokat Groen littertray filling. This product forms lumps when wet en thus is very easy to use. It also is very economical and has a nice smell.   It's very easy to remove the lumps daily and that's it.

Give the whole littertray a good clean once a month and use fresh filling.

Of course the lumps need to be removed daily !  Cats are extremely clean animals and just hate a dirty litter tray. Then you'll be asking for trouble and your little sweetheart will quite rightly, find another place to go to the toilet. You won't be very pleased with him ;-)

Your kitten is used to a littertray with a door.

 

 

FLEAS!

Fleas can cause a whole series of illnesses, and if they get swallowed during a washing session, they can lead to a nasty worm infection. Besides that, all that itching and scratching is really terrible for your cat, and not so nice for you either. If you find littel black specks in the coat, this could very well be flea-eggs. Worse still, if you spy  a flea hopping about  then you should take immediate action.

Stronghold (available only from your vet) is an excellent fleakiller and preventer. It comes in little tubes that you squeeze between the shoulder blades of your cat.

Should you find yourself the victim of a flea epidemic despite all your efforts, don't forget to treat your whole living area !

 

 

 ATTENTION !

 

Sonme plants are poisonous for cats ! On the Internet you can find a list of plants and flowers that can present danger to your beloved.  (such as lilies, ivy and the Christmas rose ).  

 

Pay attention to loose wires, elastic bands, plastic bags etc. All these things can be a real danger trap for your klitten/cat.  

 

NEUTERING

Unfortunately there are some who support the neutering of kittens at a very young age.

Worse still, there are obviously the vets who actually perform these operations on a young, not yet fully grown kitten.  

There are also several breeders who allow their kittens to be neutered even before they leave their mother at 12 or 13 weeks of age. 

We feel very strongly that this is completely irresponsible . As far as we are concerned, a boy kitten should be at least nine months old before he is neutered and a little girl should be at least one year old.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Clean and fresh water must  always be available for your kitten/cat.  A cat drinking fountain is ideal!  More oxygen comes into the water because of the constant flow and cats just love drinking out of it !