Cat Advice

Kittens

Bringing home a new kitten is a really exciting time for your family. It is important, however, being prepared and understanding what to expect before bringing home your new furry feline.

Kittens can reach puberty as young as 4 months of age, around their last vaccination. During puberty, kittens will start acting like teenagers and you will notice the following:

  • Desire to roam.
  • Increased marking behaviour, including scratching and spraying.
  • Calling behaviour to attract all tom cats in the area.
  • Potent urine smell where tom cats are spraying outside your house.
  • Cat fights between tom cats attracted to your female.

Your kitten or cat can never have enough toys! Ideally rotate toys daily to keep your kitten entertained. 

Examples include:

  • Laser light
  • Feathery toys
  • Wind up toys that move
  • Bouncy balls
  • Empty boxes
  • Toilet rolls
  • Cotton buds 
  • Tissues
  • Hanging items
  • Dragging items. For example: a string with feather at end attached to your pants as you walk around the house

Cats are by nature very clean, so it’s crucial to use a good quality litter tray and litter that your cat likes.

For adult cats: A large, deep tray, around 1.5 times the length of your cat and 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) deep.

Kittens and senior cats may require a tray with shorter sides for easy access.

For many cats, two trays are best. Some prefer to do no.1 in one tray and no.2 in the other, or just to have choices!

There are many different types of litter that are both good at absorbing urine and decreasing smell:

  • Clumping cat litter
  • Crystal cat litter
  • Recycled paper litter
  • Gravel based litters
  • Scented litter

Adult Cats

Cats are curious and playful creatures. Although your adult cat may not require as much attention as a kitten it is important to know the needs of your adult cat.

We recommend premium food designed for your cat’s age and lifestyle. A young cat should stay on kitten food until 12 months.  Adult cat food is for cats between 12 months and 7 years. Once your cat is over 7 years old, it should change to a senior food.

You may choose to feed only dry, a mixture of dry and canned food, or only canned food. Dry food helps to exercise your cat’s jaw and assists with teeth cleaning, so we recommend including some dry food.

Some examples of excellent quality food include:

  • Royal Canin
  • Delicate Care

We recommend yearly health checks as this will help our vets pick up any health concerns early on.

There are certain situations where a visit to the vet is essential for your cat’s health.

If you notice any of the following signs and symptoms, please contact us or your local vet immediately:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fitting
  • Collapse
  • Swollen face
  • Unable to walk. This includes both being unable to get up or not being able to put weight on one leg
  • Vomiting repeatedly during the course of 30 minutes
  • Blood in vomit or blood in diarrhoea
  • Refusing food for more than 24 hours
  • If your cat has eaten rat poison, or if they have eaten rats or mice and you know there is rat poison in the area
  • If your cat has eaten medication meant for people
  • If your cat has eaten a foreign object like a needle, fish hook or string
  • A bleeding wound where the bleeding does not stop with 2 minutes of firm pressure
  • Continuing meowing or yowling
  • If you have seen your cat with a snake

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