How to care for kittens
A small, fluffy bundle of love that appears in your home requires a lot of attention, care and care. In order for your little beauty to grow healthy and strong, it is important to have and apply basic knowledge about the process of caring for kittens. In this article you will find answers to frequently asked questions from beginning cat owners.
Contents
What to feed a kitten
It is best to consult with a specialist who can choose a “menu” in accordance with the breed of the kitten; you should also independently study the basic rules of feeding the baby in order to avoid problems with the pet’s nutrition and health.
It is customary to feed newborn kittens with the help of “mommy,” but there are situations when the baby cannot be near the cat. Then you should try giving the kitten mushy food or baby food. It won’t hurt if you introduce low-fat kefir and pureed cottage cheese into your diet. You should not resort to cow's milk, since the kitten's small stomach is not able to cope with the digestion of “heavy” food.
When the kitten is two months old, you can pamper him with interesting and more solid food. For example, it could be finely chopped meat, vegetables or fish, which should not be from the river, as there are many small bones and there is a risk of infection with worms. It is also worth using special vitamins for kittens, which are sold in veterinary pharmacies or pet stores.
Feeding dry food should only be done in exceptional cases. Since they do not have the beneficial qualities that are advertised. Remember: for one-month-old kittens, dry feed should be banned. And starting from three months, industrial food can be given occasionally, after softening it in water.
It is customary to feed a kitten five to four times a day, but do not forget about individual circumstances. The main rule of high-quality feeding is fresh water, which is always available to the baby, and food should be at room temperature.
After eating, the kitten needs a short rest. Therefore, do not rush to cuddle or play with your fluffy immediately after eating, as his body is busy thoroughly digesting what he has eaten, and this can harm the process.
How many times a day should you feed a kitten?
We have already talked above about how many times a day you need to feed a kitten, but since this is a very important point in caring for the baby, it is worth considering the time of consumption in more detail.
One month old kittens can already boast their first teeth, so, as mentioned, they need to be fed fermented milk products with a low fat content. Eating should be regular, with an interval of six hours.
At two months, you can diversify your diet with boiled minced meat, but the main food remains fermented milk. Consumption varies from 5 to 6 doses per day.
When the baby turns three months old, his menu expands significantly to boiled or stewed vegetables, but if the kitten doesn’t show interest in such food, you shouldn’t insist. Consumption can be reduced to 4 or 5 times a day.
From 4 to 6 months, the kitten's metabolism begins to fully develop, so give it time to rest after eating. Feed your kitten three or four times a day.
When reducing your food intake, do not forget about vitamin supplements. Starting from 5 months, the kitten can be fed two or three times a day, it depends on the baby’s build. If his breed is classified as “giant,” then feed him at least three times.
Starting at 7 months, a kitten can be considered an “adult”, although physiological development continues up to 2 years
How often to bathe a kitten
First you need to determine at what age you can bathe a kitten. Experts have differing opinions on this issue. Some say that the baby can take a bath from the first month, so he will get used to it faster. Others, on the contrary, believe that early bathing is very stressful for the baby, so it is better to carry out the procedure from three months.
For you, the first procedure will be as usual, but the kitten will remember it for a long time. Therefore, you should not often traumatize the baby’s psyche. It is enough to take a bath three times a month. More is possible, provided that the kitten really needs it.
How to bathe a kitten
Depending on how you carry out the bathing procedure, the kitten’s further relationship with water will depend. Before taking your baby to the bathroom, prepare all the necessary “tools”:
- small basin;
- a saucepan of warm water;
- ladle;
- brush;
- towel;
- hair dryer;
- cat treats;
- nail clipper
You can learn more about how to properly bathe a kitten from the video:
What vaccinations do kittens get?
Unfortunately, inexperienced cat owners believe that kittens do not need to be vaccinated, since their pet does not leave the walls of the house and does not have contact with others animals, which means he can’t get sick. But they themselves don’t know that people can also be carriers of “harmful” bacteria for the baby, so you shouldn’t expose the kitten to great risk, and it’s better to immediately protect its health.
Vaccination rules
Vaccinations are given only to healthy kittens. You should not make a diagnosis yourself; it is better to visit a specialist at a veterinary clinic. Ten days before the vaccination procedure, you need to remove worms and fleas.
Do not rush to vaccinate your pet, this may disrupt its natural immunity, which is formed by consuming mother's milk. Experts advise waiting until the kitten is three months old.
Choose a vaccine
The most common diseases that can be protected from by vaccination are:
- Panleukopenia, or, as popularly known, “cat plague”. This is a terrible disease that affects animals of any age, and for a kitten this disease is fatal. Signs of the disease are nausea, vomiting, fever and intoxication.
- Calicivirus, the disease is difficult to treat, as the virus constantly mutates. Signs: cough, ulcers in the mouth and nose, discharge from the nose and eyes, diarrhea and vomiting.
- Respiratory tract infection, or viral rhinotracheitis. Signs: nasal discharge, cough. For a kitten with a weakened immune system, the outcome of the disease can be fatal.
To prevent the above diseases, domestic or foreign vaccines can be used. There are both mono-vaccines (for one disease) and multi-vaccines.
