Read below and learn how to take care of kittens with full attention to their wellness
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The addition of a kitten into your family can be a very special moment for every pet owner. Kittens are super cute and entertaining. However, like all young ones, they are more susceptible to certain diseases and require proper care and attention. Let us walk you through the five major aspects of looking after a newborn kitten.
Food and Nutrition
- During the first four weeks of their life, kittens can rely solely on their mother’s milk for getting all the essential nutrients. From the age of 3-5 weeks, they should be fed a combination of commercial milk and the mother cat’s natural milk. From six weeks onwards, protein-rich solid food can be fed to them at regular intervals. Cow’s milk should not be given to kittens at all.
Arrange for Proper Bedding
- Your kitten may want to sleep in your bed. However, this does not eliminate the need for a separate bed for them. Arrange a safe and comfortable bed for them. Place it in a dry and quiet area of the home where they can rest peacefully.
Establish A Strong Bond With Them
- Just like babies, you need to spend time with kittens to establish a strong with them. The best way to do that is to spend some quality time with them every day. Kittens are quite energetic and love to play with toys and engage in other playful activities. You can play hide and seek, fetch a toy, chase and catch prey and teach different tricks to the kitten. Quality playtime will keep them actively engaged and establish a strong bond with their owners.
Regular Grooming
- Grooming is the process of gently brushing cats’ fur to prevent them from getting entangled. Grooming is especially important for cats that have medium and long furs. Start grooming your kittens from an early age, so it becomes a routine activity for them. There are multiple benefits of grooming a kitten, such as removing dead skin, dust, seeds, tangles, and loose hair. Grooming prevents the fur from matting. Matted hair can turn into big balls of fur, which some kittens may swallow.
While grooming your cat, avoid jerky movements, resulting in the pulling of fur. Use blunt-nosed safety scissors for trimming tangles and matted fur. Apart from regular brushing of hair, cats don’t need to be bathed. They self-clean by licking their paws and other parts of the body.
Medical Care Requirements
- After adopting a kitten, one of the first things you need to do is to consult a vet and administer essential health care for your kitten. This includes regular checkups, microchipping, sterilization, worm and flea prevention courses.
More pet owners are now opting for desexing or sterilizing their kittens before they reach the age of sexual maturity. This prevents unwanted pregnancies and ensures the health of both male and female cats. Desexing prevents undesired and problematic behavior in adult cats, such as being aggressive, getting into catfights and urine markings, etc.
- Another important component of kitten healthcare is to familiarize oneself with potential hazards around the home. Common food items such as alcohol, chocolate, raisins, avocados, and grapes are toxic for cats. Lilies, too, are dangerous for the health of cats. So before welcoming a kitten into your abode, it is important to free your home from hazards and threats.
Autumn Trails and Veterinary Center offers multiple veterinary services, including general wellness, urgent care, dental care, etc. To ensure the health and wellness of your kitten, book an appointment with our expert vets now. We are located in Charlottesville, VA. For more information, call us at 434-971-9800.
