All and any advice regarding a kitten please.
Discussion
Right the wife has turned up tonight with a kitten 
Now we have had cats before (not kittens) but this is still something that I want to get right, we need to provide the very best home and life for it (Binks is it's name apparently, something to do with Hocus Pocus?) it is a little black chap currently just coming out of his shell chasing a bit of paper which is a good sign I think.
Anyway, I believe it is 9 weeks old and had no work done so the first set of questions are..
1. Can we take it for jabs at this age? what does it need?
2. Getting the pooe llad "done" at what age does this happen?
3. as a "done" lad what is the best food for him?
4. What is the best way to help him settle with us/get used to us?
Any other advise would be very much appreciated, thanks very much.
Now we have had cats before (not kittens) but this is still something that I want to get right, we need to provide the very best home and life for it (Binks is it's name apparently, something to do with Hocus Pocus?) it is a little black chap currently just coming out of his shell chasing a bit of paper which is a good sign I think.
Anyway, I believe it is 9 weeks old and had no work done so the first set of questions are..
1. Can we take it for jabs at this age? what does it need?
2. Getting the pooe llad "done" at what age does this happen?
3. as a "done" lad what is the best food for him?
4. What is the best way to help him settle with us/get used to us?
Any other advise would be very much appreciated, thanks very much.
1. I would not vaccinate at all.
2. If you do vaccinate, only do this first set.
3. Feed raw meat
4. It's a cat, they are pretty reliable machines as a rule.
5. Getting him fixed - I'd say wait until he is mature enough
6. Getting him used to you? Just play with him, feed him and whatnot and he'll soon be parked on your lap. Cats don't suffer from separation anxiety in the same way as dogs as a rule. Oh, and bear in mind he'll be zipping around for 10 mins, then sleeping for 30, then back up and running for 10 mins, then back to sleep.....
2. If you do vaccinate, only do this first set.
3. Feed raw meat
4. It's a cat, they are pretty reliable machines as a rule.
5. Getting him fixed - I'd say wait until he is mature enough
6. Getting him used to you? Just play with him, feed him and whatnot and he'll soon be parked on your lap. Cats don't suffer from separation anxiety in the same way as dogs as a rule. Oh, and bear in mind he'll be zipping around for 10 mins, then sleeping for 30, then back up and running for 10 mins, then back to sleep.....
He has come from a small litter of 3 and the others are not available so he is on his won but will be driven mad by wife so he should be fine, he played for a bit,ate a bit, had a dump and has gone to bed!
I am unsure as to why not get him jabbed? and the snip age seems to be all over the place!
What is a recommended good food for him please? he has some Iams dried stuff (kitten) but I think he needs a bit of wet stuff as well? can he eat raw stuff or is he not ready for that yet (9 weeks) Is kitten milk any good?
So many questions lol thanks for reading!
I am unsure as to why not get him jabbed? and the snip age seems to be all over the place!
What is a recommended good food for him please? he has some Iams dried stuff (kitten) but I think he needs a bit of wet stuff as well? can he eat raw stuff or is he not ready for that yet (9 weeks) Is kitten milk any good?
So many questions lol thanks for reading!
Jasandjules said:
Long story but read here http://www.canine-health-concern.org.uk/
But Binks is a cat??Take him to the vet - they will advise regarding sterilisation etc. Make sure you know the emergency number for the vet and what their out of hours policy is. Trust me the last thing you want to be doing is searching for this when furry comes in hurt.
Vaccinations - ours go yearly. Plenty of communicable cat diseases out there, I'd want them covered.
Getting them used to you - bother them alot when they are little. Get them very used to being handled, poked, examined etc. It makes them much easier to deal with when they are older, means they are less stressed when they need holding/examining. At 9 weeks old you can teach them a lot - ours know where they can and can't go re table tops, kitchen surfaces etc.
Food - we stick to the slightly less mainstream stuff, less sugar and junk. I know nothing about raw feeding so can't comment.
Enjoy them, they're great.
Vaccinations - ours go yearly. Plenty of communicable cat diseases out there, I'd want them covered.
Getting them used to you - bother them alot when they are little. Get them very used to being handled, poked, examined etc. It makes them much easier to deal with when they are older, means they are less stressed when they need holding/examining. At 9 weeks old you can teach them a lot - ours know where they can and can't go re table tops, kitchen surfaces etc.
Food - we stick to the slightly less mainstream stuff, less sugar and junk. I know nothing about raw feeding so can't comment.
Enjoy them, they're great.
whoami said:
Do you mean as the cat is so young?
No.I mean because there is an awful lot of information out there.
As for food OP, yes he can eat raw. You can get raw minced meat from Pets at Home in frozen packets. The odd raw chicken wing for him to gnaw on too.. We did get ours some chicks but ours don't seem to like that! Oh they will go out and catch their own birds though.
We got our two when they were 5 weeks old. We had a friendly yet expensive relationship with the local vet but now they are nearly a year old and are the friendliest, funniest and most beautiful cats around.
I say that being a non pet person.
They are brother and sister and don't like being apart.
They have had all the jabs and were spayed/neutered at around 6 months old. Fed solely on Royal Canin kitten food with the odd treat of tuna, chicken and one kebab that I didn't want.
Got a lot of good advice on here, especially from ali cat.
Good luck and enjoy.
I say that being a non pet person.
They are brother and sister and don't like being apart.
They have had all the jabs and were spayed/neutered at around 6 months old. Fed solely on Royal Canin kitten food with the odd treat of tuna, chicken and one kebab that I didn't want.
Got a lot of good advice on here, especially from ali cat.
Good luck and enjoy.
We got our two when they were 5 weeks old. We had a friendly yet expensive relationship with the local vet but now they are nearly a year old and are the friendliest, funniest and most beautiful cats around.
I say that being a non pet person.
They are brother and sister and don't like being apart.
They have had all the jabs and were spayed/neutered at around 6 months old. Fed solely on Royal Canin kitten food with the odd treat of tuna, chicken and one kebab that I didn't want.
Got a lot of good advice on here, especially from ali cat.
Good luck and enjoy.
I say that being a non pet person.
They are brother and sister and don't like being apart.
They have had all the jabs and were spayed/neutered at around 6 months old. Fed solely on Royal Canin kitten food with the odd treat of tuna, chicken and one kebab that I didn't want.
Got a lot of good advice on here, especially from ali cat.
Good luck and enjoy.
Thanks! is he a bit young for raw food yet? would he be OK with a teeny bit of roast chicken?
Going to try and find a vet today but the more I read the harder it seems to be to find a fair priced yet decent one, any recommendations for a vet in the sth Manchester area around Stretford/Urmston?
Going to try and find a vet today but the more I read the harder it seems to be to find a fair priced yet decent one, any recommendations for a vet in the sth Manchester area around Stretford/Urmston?
Athlon said:
Thanks! is he a bit young for raw food yet? would he be OK with a teeny bit of roast chicken?
Going to try and find a vet today but the more I read the harder it seems to be to find a fair priced yet decent one, any recommendations for a vet in the sth Manchester area around Stretford/Urmston?
No he is not too young, in the "wild" as such he would be eating what mummy hunted down. Going to try and find a vet today but the more I read the harder it seems to be to find a fair priced yet decent one, any recommendations for a vet in the sth Manchester area around Stretford/Urmston?
Just make sure you read up on feeding raw and ensure there is enough variety.
There are fewer benefits with feeding cooked than raw. Raw is what he is designed to eat.
If you don't vaccinate (or at least only do the first lot - I am in two minds as to whether or not the first lot is a benefit or not) and feed raw, I would hope you will rarely need to see a vet...
As to a vet. Get insurance!
I wasn't going to bother as it seemed to costly, especially in London, but then I got it for £30/month from Tesco. Half the previous quotes.
You can't claim for anything happening in the first 14 days yet on day 15 they were diagnosed with a virus where the bills over the next few months would have cost me several hundred pounds.
We were lucky.
As to rare food when young, I'm sure someone will be along to advise but our vet suggested that we stick to the bags of biscuity stuff that has all the correct nutrients. We use Royal Canin which is about double the price of Kitty Kat et al which are the equivalent of McDonalds, laden with salt, sugar and fat.
Royal Canin looks boring to me but they don't seem too bothered but boy do they hoover up the odd tinned tuna or roast chicken treat
I wasn't going to bother as it seemed to costly, especially in London, but then I got it for £30/month from Tesco. Half the previous quotes.
You can't claim for anything happening in the first 14 days yet on day 15 they were diagnosed with a virus where the bills over the next few months would have cost me several hundred pounds.
We were lucky.
As to rare food when young, I'm sure someone will be along to advise but our vet suggested that we stick to the bags of biscuity stuff that has all the correct nutrients. We use Royal Canin which is about double the price of Kitty Kat et al which are the equivalent of McDonalds, laden with salt, sugar and fat.
Royal Canin looks boring to me but they don't seem too bothered but boy do they hoover up the odd tinned tuna or roast chicken treat
Jasandjules said:
1. I would not vaccinate at all.
2. If you do vaccinate, only do this first set.
3. Feed raw meat
4. It's a cat, they are pretty reliable machines as a rule.
5. Getting him fixed - I'd say wait until he is mature enough
6. Getting him used to you? Just play with him, feed him and whatnot and he'll soon be parked on your lap. Cats don't suffer from separation anxiety in the same way as dogs as a rule. Oh, and bear in mind he'll be zipping around for 10 mins, then sleeping for 30, then back up and running for 10 mins, then back to sleep.....
Personally, much as I respect J&J - always vaccinate!2. If you do vaccinate, only do this first set.
3. Feed raw meat
4. It's a cat, they are pretty reliable machines as a rule.
5. Getting him fixed - I'd say wait until he is mature enough
6. Getting him used to you? Just play with him, feed him and whatnot and he'll soon be parked on your lap. Cats don't suffer from separation anxiety in the same way as dogs as a rule. Oh, and bear in mind he'll be zipping around for 10 mins, then sleeping for 30, then back up and running for 10 mins, then back to sleep.....
At least do the kitten course. Please do not advise not to at least do this. I cannot begin to stress how detrimental this could be.
I appreciate you have many alternative views re medicine JasandJules but I cannot and will not stand by to allow this as acceptable advice.
As for RAW it should be organic. Just diagnosed a kitten with a severe and potentially life threatening growth deformity after being fed raw chicken wings. A contributing factor is she was buying them ASDA, poor quality birds with s
t calcium levels in their bones. Please research this way of feeding. We do see problems in pets health from being fed raw it is not always as amazing as it is made out.
I appreciate you have many alternative views re medicine JasandJules but I cannot and will not stand by to allow this as acceptable advice.
As for RAW it should be organic. Just diagnosed a kitten with a severe and potentially life threatening growth deformity after being fed raw chicken wings. A contributing factor is she was buying them ASDA, poor quality birds with s
t calcium levels in their bones. Please research this way of feeding. We do see problems in pets health from being fed raw it is not always as amazing as it is made out.Edited by bexVN on Saturday 12th October 10:24
Insure!! Our boy Louis ran up bills last year of around £300 (front leg injury) & has managed this year - so far - just over £400 (broke 2 bones in rear paw). Emergency out of hours vet was £90 just to examine plus any treatment. They're with PetPlan - as was our previous cat - & we've never had any claim issues.
Ours are also fed on Royal Canin biscuit with a tinned treat from time to time.
They have their annual jabs - many catteries won't take cats without up-to-date jabs so you could have a problem if you want to go on holiday - and are wormed regularly.
Ours are also fed on Royal Canin biscuit with a tinned treat from time to time.
They have their annual jabs - many catteries won't take cats without up-to-date jabs so you could have a problem if you want to go on holiday - and are wormed regularly.
bexVN said:
At least do the kitten course. Please do not advise not to at least do this. I cannot begin to stress how detrimental this could be.
I appreciate you have many alternative views re medicine JasandJules but I cannot and will not stand by to allow this as acceptable advice.
Agreed.I appreciate you have many alternative views re medicine JasandJules but I cannot and will not stand by to allow this as acceptable advice.
Edited by bexVN on Saturday 12th October 10:24
Also, any decent cattery will not accept a cat without up-to-date vaccinations.
Oh yes! worm treatment every month until they are 6 months old (every 3 months from then on) and monthly flea treatment once they are let outside.
We didn't let ours out until they were done (spayed/neutered).
For those that helped me when they were kittens, this is them last week.
Benny, on the right, saw Jess sleeping in the bag so he got in and pushed her out. Jess was a bit miffed until I got her another bag
We didn't let ours out until they were done (spayed/neutered).
For those that helped me when they were kittens, this is them last week.
Benny, on the right, saw Jess sleeping in the bag so he got in and pushed her out. Jess was a bit miffed until I got her another bag
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