|
Why should you Consider Buying Two Kittens Together?
|
|
You aren’t likely to get two for the price of one, and when it comes to kittens it’s not cheaper to buy them in bulk when it comes to food and kitty litter either, but there are some compensations that make it worth thinking about. Aside from saving you the initial indecision of whether you want the smart talking black and white kitty, or the cute fluffy ginger tabby, buying two kittens together can actually make sense.
Taking a kitten away from its mother can be traumatic for the kitty. Suddenly, everything is strange. There’s a stranger person fussing it and it’s not fun anymore because it can’t see its momma. The siblings aren’t there and they are sitting alone in a box, in a place they don’t recognize, and they’re terrified! Buying two kittens from the same owner should mean that you are buying siblings, or at least two kittens that have been in contact with each other during their first wobbly weeks.
Aside from creating this security blanket of familiarity, the next best reason for buying two kittens is that you’re less likely to turn your home into a cat war zone! Instead of waging war against your sofa, rugs and drapes to relieve the boredom, the kittens will chase each other. Ok, so they may chase each other up the drapes, but that’ll soon wear off (about the time they get too heavy to hang there without gravity pulling them downwards) and it’ll be fleeting as they run around the room rather than literally hanging there looking for the best vantage point to view the birds outside!
The kittens will play fight and then they’ll snuggle up together. They’ll both vie for your attention, and yet maintain a united front as they stalk about your home and yard daring other intruders to enter. They’ll share a dish of milk and food, but fight over the same toy. Two kittens may require more money to keep than one, but they provide twice as much love and amusement, and great company for each other which is the best advantage of all if you’re out at work most of the day.
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 09:23:22 AM
|
|
|
What Equipment Do you Need When First Buying a Kitten?
|
|
Bringing home your young kitty is very much like bringing home a newborn baby, from the hospital. They both have very simple requirements. Both of them need to have the following basics covered: food, a place to sleep, and love.
Food is the first thing that you need to consider, and one way of quickly adjusting your kitten to his new home is to feed it. Make sure that you have a few days supply of whatever food the kitten is used to eating, so that there’s no break in nutrition. Once kitty is settled, he’ll eat other things, but one way of providing security and showing that not everything has changed is by providing him with the same food he’s used to eating. Once he’s content enough to eat, then you can relax a little, because he’s feeling secure. An insecure cat will not usually be so keen on eating in a strange place.
Apart from the actual food, kitty should also have his own tableware! A dish for his food, another for water/milk and something for chopping his food up with is usually the minimum. If you are buying canned cat food, then you should also buy a plastic top for the can as in the early weeks there will be several meals in one can, and so the can will be stored in your refrigerator.
For a cat, a place to sleep can be anywhere! Once it’s feeling safe, it will wander around the house, and eventually, chooses a spot or two that it prefers, and you’ll often find him in one place or the other. For a physical bed, there are many types you can buy from beautiful wicker baskets of various sizes, to beanbags and quilt type igloos, but a cat is a very independent animal with opinions about all things and so when first bringing your tiny kitty home you could consider just having a large box that it can’t escape out of, without help, and placing a blanket that has his mother’s scent on it inside the box.
The last thing your kitty needs is plenty of love! This attention isn’t just to bond with your pet, but also to help it feel secure in his new home. Once your kitten is secure, he’ll eat properly, sleep without mewing, and even have less “accidents” as it will be easier to “potty” train him.
As you can see, it needn’t take a lot of money to kit your kitty out, but it does require a little bit of thought before you bring him home. Cover his basic needs, and he’ll soon settle into his place as head of your household!
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 09:18:34 AM
|
|
|
Knowing When to Take Kitty to the Vet
|
|
You should always take your new kitty to the vet as soon as possible after you bring it home. This acquaints you with the veterinary clinic you’ll be using and the procedures for getting an appointment there, and also let you meet the veterinary, and the veterinary meet your kitten! It also means that your kitten can have an initial examination and get treatment for any kitty ailments that it might have – if you’ve bought the kitten from a pet store or farm then it’s possible it may have worms or ear mites that can be easily treated. Depending on the age of you kitten it may also be time for any shots that haven’t already been administered before you took over ownership of the kitten. One of the basic things that the veterinary will tell you at this visit is whether your kitty is a boy or girl – don’t automatically assume the original owner got it right, it’s not always easy to tell and it is easy to get it wrong!
Knowing when to take your kitty to the vet outside of a normal annual examination however is trickier. Rather like when you are sick but unsure whether you are sick “enough” to warrant a doctor’s time, it’s hard to ascertain if your kitten is sick enough to warrant a veterinary’s time – not to mention the expense! A good rule of thumb is to remember one very important fact – a kitten’s health can deteriorate rapidly – within a few hours even – so making a decision to “think about it” can’t mean putting off for a couple of days, you are looking at 24 hours maximum, and if things don’t improve with kitty’s health then you make an appointment and tell the reception how old he is, how long he’s been sick and what the symptoms are. If he gets worse before 24 hours are up, contact the veterinary clinic immediately and talk to the reception staff that may be able to connect you through to either the veterinary or clinic nurse who can discuss whether or not it sounds dangerous enough to require immediate veterinary help.
Knowing your kitty is part way to knowing when he’s feeling off-color. By performing a regular informal examination of his movement, eyes, ears, mouth, and general appearance you can see when he’s not “himself”. It may be that he’s limping or scratching himself more than usual – or it could be that a usually active cat is sleeping more than he normally does. These are all signs that something is amiss and need you to start paying attention. A kitten that is sleeping all of the time, or has a temperature should always go straight to the veterinary, as he should if you notice he has problems or blood with his urine.
For the most part, cats are quite healthy pets and by learning your kitty’s “normal” appearance and traits, you can soon pick up on when he’s not feeling well, and a quick phone call to the veterinary clinic can reassure you that he’s almost certainly going to be ok to monitor for the next day or so, or whether you should bring him into the clinic that day.
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 09:06:55 AM
|
|
|
How Often Will I Need to Take Kitty to the Vet?
|
|
The first visit to your local veterinary’s clinic should be as soon after bringing her home as possible. The vet will be able to assure you that she’s in tip-top condition, advise you on the kind of food and how much she should be having, what shots she should have now, and whether or not she’s currently a home for fleas and worms.
This is a good opportunity for you to see how the vet handles the kitten, and also to ask any questions you may have about your cat’s health in general. Use your time with the veterinary wisely. Whilst the vet examines kitty, ask if there are any kitten care leaflets you could have, or any books she recommends. Ask when the kitten can go outdoors, what’s the best way of litter tray training her, how to stop her from scratching your furniture, does she need any vitamins added to her food, how much milk does she need – any questions, it doesn’t matter how dumb you think they may sound to a professional, you aren’t a professional and you need the answers!
Once the initial examination is complete, the essential question that you should ask the vet is when you should bring the kitten back for her next “check-up”, and write that immediately into your day planner. In kittens, some veterinary clinics may want to check on your kitty every other month or so – or they may recommend a series of weekly shots to boost your kitty’s immune system ready for all those birds and mice she’s going to chase once she’s allowed outside! Once you get through this feline baby stage however, you’ll probably be advised to bring your cat into the clinic once a year for an annual shot and general health check-up.
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 08:31:22 AM
|
|
|
Does My Kitty Need an ID Tag?
|
|
Well the first question really is, where are you going to put it? If you’re talking about kitty as an 8 week old furry babe who’s just arrived in your home, then probably you don’t need one yet. The purpose of an ID tag is to help to identify your cat should it go missing, and as your new kitty shouldn’t be going outside just yet, then it doesn’t really need an ID tag – plus you’re also going to have to find somewhere to put it because 8 week old kittens are a little bit small to wear a collar!
Once your kitty is a little bigger and demanding to explore the world outside your home, then it’s time to consider an ID tag. There are many different types you can buy to attach to the kitten’s collar. These range from classy to fun, and from self-wrote information to engraved. Classy or fun is an open choice, but there are a few things you need to think about with the information – if the tag is engraved, then the information is there permanently (well until you change it for another one, if you move for instance), but an ID tag where you write the information needs three things – firstly a permanent ink pen so that the information doesn’t wear off or fade, the information must be clear so that anyone reading it can understand the address or telephone number, and it must have some form of waterproof covering so that snow, rain and puddle damage can’t erode the information.
Another thing you could consider is having your vet implant an ID chip into your kitty. He could do this when undertaking a routine examination or perhaps taking out stitches after your kitten has been neutered. ID chipping means that there’s no possibility of your cat losing its collar and becoming ID-less, all anyone needs to do is take the kitty to the nearest authorities and they’ll be able to scan him and have you traced in the least possible time.
There are those who love the ID chip implant idea, and those who hate it, and there’s no right and wrong decision, it’s very much up to you. The only thing to remember is that cats, especially kittens, sometimes need a little help getting back home, and so once your kitty is mobile enough to be outdoors, he really should have an ID tag that speaks for him.
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 08:23:04 AM
|
|
|
Do I Need Pet Health Insurance for My Kitty?
|
|
Pet healthcare insurance is a red hot topic. Is it necessary? Well the first thing you need to know, especially if you’ve never owned a pet before this new kitty that’s just joined your family, is that veterinary clinics cost a lot of money! This implies that pet healthcare insurance is a good idea, but wait – don’t go signing that agreement just yet!
Before committing to a particular healthcare plan for your kitten, make sure that you collect a number of different leaflets from various companies. Then spend a couple of hours reading through each one and if possible, create yourself a table that lists the types of benefits down the side and the names of the insurance companies along the top. You should also leave space at the bottom of each insurance company’s column to write in anything “not covered by policy”, this could include specific chronic conditions such as allergies, diabetes and asthma. Complete the table as you read the leaflets.
Once you know what each insurance covers, and how much the cost, and more importantly what their policy doesn’t cover, you can start to see which policy(s) stand out from the rest as being good possibilities. Before you sign up for anything check on the internet for any reviews the company has for its pet insurance. Just because offer a fantastic house insurance, or retirement planning package, doesn’t mean they will pay for whatever illness you kitten may have throughout its life! See what other people who have used them as healthcare insurance for their cats have to say.
Finally, read the small print. Will they cover your kitty for the same amounts and same illnesses throughout her entire life, or will it change as she gets older? That is to say, when she starts to have health issues, will the insurance company still have the same good benefits and prices or will there be exemptions and higher excesses for you to pay once she really needs the insurance.
You may decide that it’s worth the peace of mind just to insure your kitty anyway, but at least you know that things are going to get more expensive as she gets older – or you could simply decide to ignore the insurance (routine annual check-ups and shots are excluded from the policy anyway) and financially commit the same amount of money to a special account each month, and use that only when kitty has extra healthcare needs.
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 08:16:33 AM
|
|
|
Create a Safe Zone for your New Kitty
|
|
When you first bring kitty home, there will need to be a transition period for both the kitten and the members of your household. A kitten is tiny, and it’s curious about everything and so no matter where you are, at any time the kitten could be right behind you, in front of you, or trying to climb up your leg! In order to get through the transition period without becoming a bundle of nerves, the best thing you can do for the kitten and yourself is to create a safe zone. This is a place where you can put kitty so you know he’s safe and not going to get trod on, and where kitty also knows he’ll be safe from getting stood on!
Find a large cardboard box, approximately 3 feet square, plus at least 3 feet high. Organize the inside of the box so that there are specific areas for specific things, such as a sleeping corner, some paper to go potty on (if there’s room for a temporary litter tray in there all the better!), and a supply of fresh water that’s not easily knocked over. Also give the kitten a couple of small toys to play with so he doesn’t get bored. This becomes like a toddlers playpen. It’s somewhere you know he’s safe.
As with a toddler however, he’s going to try and get out once the novelty of the box is gone and it’s been completely explored. He’ll take a jump for the top of the box, so make sure that you use a box that’s quite heavy and won’t fall over if he manages to hang over the top of it – you also don’t want to make it so high that if he does manage to get to the top, and fall out, he’s not going to hurt himself – you could place a cushion at the base of the side most likely to be the “escape route” just in case. You also should place the box in a shady area, away from sunlight, and out of the way of drapes because if he can, he’ll make a jump for the drapes and escape that way!
Despite the escape possibility, the safe zone will give you peace of mind, especially in the early days when you’re still adjusting to having him around, and it will give him somewhere of his own to retreat to when he’s had enough of the “big” world inside your home. Although he may want to escape the box, there’ll be other times when it all gets a bit much and he actual sits beside his safe zone – or attempts to jump in!
Date Added: Monday, 04-07-2025 08:12:49 AM
|
|
Company ☆☆☆☆