1.      How much time do we have to spend with a cat or kitten each day?

2.      Kittens need much more play-time and socialization than adults cats do. Am I willing to clean a cat’s litter box every single day?

3.      Do I want an indoor or indoor/outdoor cat?

4.      What sorts of predators live in our area that could hurt an outdoor cat?

5.      Can we afford to feed and care for a cat? This includes high quality cat food, vaccinations from a vet, and an emergency fund.

Choosing Your Cat: If you have honestly answered the key questions and have decided that a cat is for you, congratulations! Now you have to decide where to find your new cat. Do you want to visit a breeder or go to a shelter where lots of kittens and cats are waiting to be adopted?

What to Feed your Cat: Feeding your cat a high-quality mixture of wet and dry food is ideal. That way they can get the best of both types; many cats do not drink enough water and will get some through the wet food, and dry food can be left out for ‘free feeding’, assuming the cat is not overweight.

How to Train Your Cat: Training your cat should not be very difficult – most cats and kittens will be litter box trained before coming to your home. You will have to have toys for kittens to play with as they can become destructive if left alone and bored.

Having Your Cat Spayed or Neutered: As with all animals, cats should be spayed or neutered before they reach six months of age which is about the age they reach puberty. You will want to ‘fix’ your cat not only because it will help keep your pet safe as male cats will do almost anything to get to a female in heat, but it can also help keep your cat from getting cancer later in life.

Once you decide that a cat is what you want for family pet, give consideration to its temperament and health. If you decide that you want a pet you can show or breed, talk to a reputable breeder to make sure it will meet the breed standards. And on important thing to remember is not to buy a kitten form breeder who will not show you the mother.Lot of people will go visit a shelter to get their kitten – if you do, look for a kitten with bright and shiny eyes, glossy coat, clean bottom and alert demeanour. Make sure the ears are clean, nose cool and damp without any nasal discharge with pale pink mouth and gums.

How To Feed Your Kitten:

Choose wholesome, high-protein food and make sure your kitten has constant supply of water. Kittens will need to eat more often than adult cats – here is a guideline:

• Age 3-5 Months: 5 to 4 meals daily
• Age 6-8 Months: 3 to 4 meals daily
• Age 9-12 Months: 3 meals daily
• Kittens should be feed canned or fresh food as part of a balanced diet with quality kitten dry cat food from a reputable manufacturer left down at all times to graze on. Your reward for feeding your kitten a well-balanced diet is a healthy beautiful adult cat.

Training Your Kitten:

It is very important that your new kitten is fully aware of where the litter box is. In a new environment, the kitten may not be able to find the littler box alone – especially in a home with two or more floors and several rooms. Good idea is to restrict the kitten to one area for a few weeks and only allow him into other areas when under supervision.

Once you allow your kitten to run around freely, keep a watchful eye and keep returning the kitten to its litter box in regular intervals. If you are living in a very large house with multiple floors, it is advisable to have a litter box on every floor.

When your kitten first arrives home, it is advisable to use the same brand of litter that he is used to. Once you are sure that he knows where the litter box is located, you can change the brand if you wish. And your litter box needs to kept clean at all times – cats will quickly find an alternative if the box is not cleaned daily.

Getting to Know Your Kitten:

All you have to do to establish a relationship with your kitten is to be patient – it will take a few days or even a few weeks. Kittens need time to bond and your patience will be rewarded!

For the first few weeks, it is a good idea not to let your kitten run around the house unsupervised when you are not there – put the kitten in their own designated room with their litter box, food and water. Also make sure your new kitten has a comfortable bed or basket to sleep in with some toys to play with. If you are gone most of the day, it may be worth considering to get two kittens – they provide a playmate for each other and won’t be lonely. And keep your kitten indoors at all times – it will take quite a while before he will be ready to cope with the dangers of outside life!

Hope you do decide to give a home to little kitten! I have one – not a kitten anymore but a cat who is now 14 years old and just keeps acting like a kitten! I can’t imagine not having him in the house, keeping me company and more often than not – entertaining me with his actions. His name is Biscuit – my sons named him when we also had another cat, whos name was Cookie…. You get the pattern here? Mama’s baking reflects in just about everything! Here is picture of Biscuit and I will be very happy to get your stories and experiences or pictures of your favourite pets!

Finding Your Lost Pet

During the dog days of summer, many of us visit family, travel to the cottage or hike in the wilds – and we often bring family pet along for the fun. Unfortunately, sometimes the family pets take a vacation solo. An indoor cat may slip outside while the screen door is opened or the dog may dash out of the car at stopover.

Here are some tried-and-true ways – and some technological ideas – to help bring them home again.

Track Down Your Lost Pet:

• Check with everyone in your household. If no one has the pet, start looking. Search your home – room by room, checking in closets and closing each and every door after you, then thoroughly check the yard.
• Ask your neighbours to check in their houses, garages and decks. Ask for help to search the neighbourhood. Have everyone carry a cellphone and make sure that someone is at home to answer the house phone. Cats don’t usually roam too far so concentrate on a search nearby. Dogs often follow family routes so check these first.
• Call local veterinary clinics, shelters, rescue groups and pet-grooming shops.
• Run an ad in your local paper for several days and check founds pet ads as well.
• Ask the local radio station and TV station for help as well
• Make a poster, post it in your neighbourhood and fax or email  it to shelters,vet clinics, groomers and pet stores.
• If you don;t find your pet within 24 hours, visit local animal shelters and impoundment facilities. Phoning is not enough, you need to see for yourself. Bring photos and proof of ownership with you and visit every other day for at least two weeks.
• Don”t give up hope after a few days – many lost pets are found weeks, even months later. To keep your pet file active at most animal shelters, you should call back every week

Keeping Tabs on the Road:

• Make sure your pet is wearing identification tag with your phone number or the number of someone who can reach you.
• Pack colour photos of your pet, his medical and vaccination history, copies of any prescriptions and registration papers if your pet is a purebred.
• List your pets statistics: ÍD numbers, breed of animal, age, sex, weight, shoulder height, eye and nose colours, type of ear, tail and collar, any distinctive marks or scars; coat length, type and colour.
• Seal your paperwork in a plastic bag and put it in a glove compartment of your vehicle. And make sure everyone on the trip knows where it is.

Helpful safety information:

1.Tags:

Most municipalities have mandatory dog licencing. Attach the licence tag, the annual rabies tag and tag with your phone number to teh dog’s collar. And always keep the collar on.

2. Permanent Markers:

In co-operation with animal shelters and veterinarians, some communities have pet tattoo ID programs for dogs, cats and rabbits. Check your local area businesses for this relative low cost safety feature.

3. Microchips:

Your vet can inject a small, computer coded microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) under the loose skin of your pet’s neck. Animal shelters and most North American veterinary hospitals have scanners that can read almost all manufacturer’s microchips, whether you are at home or across the continent. Ask your vet to check if the chip is readable during regular visits.

4. A Very Wide Net:

Internet based program operates in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and is designed to augment – not replace – other ID. For a low one time fee, owners can register pets on http://www.petlynx.net. Anyone can place a found pet ad – that is always free or lost pet ad. The program will search files for match. Some Canadian shelter will register all incoming found animals on regular basis.

I do hope you will not loose your pet this summer – or in the future. But if you do, following these tips will definitiely be of help!

]]> http://www.mama-knows.com/animal-pet-care/finding-your-lost-pet.html/feed 0 http://www.mama-knows.com/animal-pet-care/first-aid-for-your-pet.html http://www.mama-knows.com/animal-pet-care/first-aid-for-your-pet.html#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 21:58:43 +0000 Hanna Trafford http://www.mama-knows.com/?p=1608 It is always difficult when your pet gets injured – and when that happens, you should seek the assistance of professional vetenarian. But until you can get your four-legged friend the help it needs, you can do act to lessen their pain and discomfort.

Here are a few basic First Aid Tips:

• Cut or Wound:

Symptoms: Broken skin and/or bleeding

What to do: Flush with tap or bottled water to clean and apply pressure until bleeding stops

• Broken Bone:

Symptoms: Exposed bone and/or limping

What to do: Do not apply pressure to the affected area, transport to the vet in a carrier

• Heatstroke:

Symptoms: Panting, Unconsciousness, Hot to the touch, Loose bowels, Seizures

What to do: Apply or drape with cool, damp towel, encourage pet to drink cool (not cold) water, use a fan to help cool the pet, transport to the vet ASAP

• Insect bite or bee sting:

Symptoms: Swelling, Itching or scratching, Facial or eyelid swelling, hives

What to do: If irritation doesn not stop within couple of hours, take to the vet to have your pet checked for allergic reaction

• Burns:

Symptoms: Missing hair, weeping sore, licking or worrying

What to do: Do not touch affected area, take to the vet immediately for treatment and pain control

• Porcupine quills:

What to do: Do not attempt to remove quills, take to teh vet immediately

• Poisoning:

Symptoms: Vomitting, Diarrhea, Lethargy, Unconsciousness

What to do: Take to the vet immediately with a sample of ingested substance if possible

• Skunk spray:

What to do: Unless the pet shows allergic reaction, wash with pet shampoo or commercial skunk spray removal solution, rinse thoroughly

These are just a few tips -I will welcome any additional ones you may have – please share your experiences!

My cat with his unique personality

Biscuit is a cat with a real cool personality. Literally. He does what he wants, when he wants and how he wants it. My son Dan brought Biscuit home 16 years ago from New Brunswick. He had a summer job there and just before he was to return home, he met this tiny little kitten, only 3 weeks old at the time. The poor little thing was the only boy in a large litter of girl kittens – and because he was not likely to survive, the owner was going to dispose of him in a way that I do not want to mention here. Of course Dan – who always saved any animal he encountered- took the kitten and drove home with him. During the long drive from New Brunswick to Ontario, he really thought the poor little kitten wasn’t going to make it. But each time he thought it was over, it turned out that the little guy was just sleeping. When they got home, we fed Biscuit with an eye dropped and within literally days he was running around, eating everything he could get his paws on. That included a pork chop taken directly off Dan’s plate in a flash – all we saw was a streak of grey and white fur flying over the table and the pork chop was gone!

Biscuit is a beautiful cat and speaking of personalities, he definitely has a unique one! Doesn’t particularly like to be cuddled all that much – but when he does, he lets you know! Everything has to be done on his terms- his food dish needs to have food in it at all times, when it gets empty, he will follow me around, getting under my feet repeatedly, charging from all directions unexpectedly being quite vocal about his needs. And if i still ignore him – just to see what he will do next, he starts pushing his dish into middle of the kitchen as if saying :”Do you not get it? My dish needs refill!”

Here are some pictures of my little furry buddy – and I would love to hear your cat or kitten stories!

What does Mickey think about that?

Biscuit working his food dish

Just checking things out

Where did that dog go?