Tag Archives: kitten

Kittens.

How to train your kitten to play without biting

Kitten.

Kittens and adult cats are much less likely to bite and scratch us if they have been socialised and handled well when young. When you bring your kitten home from the start make sure you and your family handle the kitten on a regular basis, so he or she gets used to being held and handled by  a variety of people. To help with the handling process gently run through touching your kittens feet and claws (encase you need to clip their nails in the future) looking at their eyes and into their ears and generally feeling them all over.

Socialisation:

Kittens have two very important periods of socialisation when they learn normal behaviour, towards other cats and people. The first period is 2-7 weeks of age when handling by various people in a positive manner will increase the likelyhood of them having a friendly approach in future interactions with people. Always make sure you are gentle with your kitten and that any young children at supervised when they are around your kitten.

Kittens continue to learn by social play  from the age of 7 weeks, and this peaks at around 9-14 weeks of age,  and so when most people first take home their new kitten around 8 weeks of age, they are still in this important socialization period.

The Do’s and Don’ts:

You should not play with your kitten using your hands or feet, and you should not use rough play, whatever the age of the kitten. Instead we recommend the use of a “fishing rod” toy or something similar that induces chasing behaviour e.g. a ping-pong ball. If  your kitten displays pouncing, chasing or biting of human fingers and toes, then they should be ignored.  Kittens like attention so will realise they have done something wrong if you ignore them.  If you are holding your kitten when they bite  or scratch you, then put them down immediately and ignore them.  A few moments later a toy can be provided.  Once your kitten has finished playing and is tired out, you can then stroke and make a fuss of them.

Kitten litter training

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Kitten litter training should  start as soon as you get them home, usually at 6-8 weeks old.

  • Place the litter tray away from the feeding area, in a quiet area, away from busy passageways.
  • Place the kitten on the litter tray immediately after each feed, and reward them with praise if they perform their toilet.
  • Clean the litter tray out daily (scooping out soiled areas and replacing with fresh litter), and completely wash the tray out once weekly.
  • Different types of litter are available,  but some cats may have a preference for a certain type.  I would suggest avoiding types with citrus fragrances. Clumping type sand like clay based litters are usually very well accepted.
  • Clean up any “accidents” with enzymatic washing powder and warm water. Do not use ammonia or hypochlorite containing bleach based disinfectants as they can smell to the kitten like another cats urine, and so encourage them to go toilet again in the same area.
  • You should have one litter tray per cat in the house plus one extra tray, in different locations.

Choosing your kitten – top ten tips

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Choosing your kitten can be difficult when presented with  multiple  cute little ones to pick from.  Below are my top ten tips:

  1. Look for one with bright clean eyes, a clean nose and one that is lively. Runny eyes or frequent sneezing can be a sign of infection with cat flu viruses, which can be a persistent problem.
  2. If colour is an issue remember that tortoiseshell coloured domestic short hairs (“moggies”) which are always female, can be very feisty in nature.
  3. Sexing kittens can be tricky if you are not practiced at it. You may want to double check the sex yourself rather than just relying on the owner’s information, or have it checked by your local vet.  When looking under the tail, there is always a bigger gap between the anal ring and penis, than there is between the anal ring and the vulva. It can help to look at a few kittens hopefully of different sex to see the difference.
  4. The kitten should be at least 6 weeks old and should be fully weaned and eating solid foods.
  5. Feel the belly to check for an umbilical hernia. This is a soft fatty swelling under the skin in the middle of the belly and occurs when the hole that the umbilical cord passes through does not close fully at birth. This can allow a small amount of fat to pass through from the abdomen, and if present may need surgical correction at a later date.
  6. Check the coat for fleas or flea droppings. Flea droppings may be easier to spot and look like specks of dirt in the coat,  which if put on damp white tissue paper leave a red stain as they contain traces of blood. Very young kittens heavily infested with fleas can become anaemic, although in most cases a few fleas can be easily treated with a spot on treatment from your local vet.
  7. Check when the kitten was last wormed. Kittens should be wormed when weaned at about 4 weeks of age and then every 2 weeks until 10 weeks of age, often with a liquid wormer such as Panacur. All kittens will be born with some worms, and so will require treatment to eliminate them.
  8. Pedigree kittens can be at higher risk of genetic diseases, although most are usually perfectly healthy.  Some cats may be screened before breeding, to reduce the risk of passing these diseases to the kittens.  Current screening schemes include heart disease (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is prevalent in maine coon and rag doll cats), or kidney disease (polycystic kidney disease is prevalent in persians and exotic shorthairs). Further information can be found here http://www.fabcats.org/breeders/registers.php
  9. You may want to see the mum and if possible the dad to give you an idea of temperament and size when adult, although there can be a great deal of variation even within a litter, especially of domestic short hairs  (common “moggies”). This may be more useful with pedigree cats which have less variation.
  10. Check the hair coat of the kitten.  Most cats are short haired, but some may be long haired (even in the same litter of “moggies”)  and they may need more grooming and be more prone to developing matted fur.