Caring for your Cat

Many years ago after getting married,we found are self's buying two cute kittens, they were tortoise shell,naming them was easy we got them on Guy Fawkes day ( a UK tradition) so we named them Guy and Fawkes, at that time  I did not really know much about cats, as a youngster we always had dogs.  I always thought cats took care of themselves and they generally do, but I did learn a few things along the way which I would like to share with you.

Although my Mum did tell me about a cat she once had, at the time she was living in Plymouth Devon England very close to the dockyard, where the naval ships came in, the funny thing was when a ship went to sea her cat would disappear, three months or so later the cat would reappear stroll in and demand something to eat, a few days or so later the cat would be gone again and then return in a few months, if only the cat could talk!!!


Kittens and cats are cute fuffy animals and yes they generally can take care of themselves, But there are a few things you should know about caring for your cat, usually you get your cat as a kitten and eventually grow up in to an adventurous cat

If you decide to get a kitten, and are concerned if you have other animals and how the kitten would react, generally they adapt well and it will accept that the other animals rule.

At first your kitten will not be able to go out until it has had his/her first injections from the vet, so you will need to train your kitten to use a cat litter tray, Cats are very clean animals so make sure the litter tray is cleaned regularly also decide where you are going to put the litter tray so the kitten will learn that its his/hers, if it gets moved around the kitten will become confused and accidents will happen.

At first like any other your animal the kitten will follow you around, he/she will also jump and climb, from the moment you have your kitten it is best to discourage them from jumping on your kitchen tops or tables especially if you have food on there, the easiest method to teach your kitten not to do this is by keeping handy a small squeezable bottle filled with water which you can just squirt in the face of the kitten.

Another thing I discovered is kittens and cats lover to scratch, so to save your furniture, its a good ideal to invest in a scratching post, scratching is how they sharpen their nails, however if they try to scratch elsewhere, again spray some water at them.

As with dogs it is best to take them occasionally to the vet to trim their nails, or if you are confident you are able to buy from your local pet shop nail clippers and you can trim them yourselves, to do this you will need to hold your cat firmly and then press down on each toe which will make the claws extend, if you start this when they are a kitten then will get use to it, so try to inspect them regularly.


As for shedding hair, kittens do not tend to shed that much until they become cats, but you should comb them, again to get them use to it start combing then regularly no matter if they are a short or long haired cats.

For a healthy kitten/cat, just like us to stay in tip top condition they need to eat good quality cat food, this you can purchase from your local pet store, if you are unsure what to feed your kitten/cat ask the vet for advice he will recommend a brand that is high in vitamins and minerals. Also always make sure your kitten/cats water bowl is clean and fresh, so they don't get dehydrated.

Coming back to the kittens first and yearly injections, you should register your kitten with a local vet who will administer the necessary injections to protect your kitten from diseases,you will be given a record card showing you what and when they had done and it will also be a reminder to have your kitten done each and every year.

If you decide to get a cat and not a kitten, you will need to give them time to adapt to their new home, if you have other pets they may have a little argument, don't intervene it is normal and they will come to terms with each other, if however it does get a little out of hand you will have to separate them into different rooms. Over time they will either get on or just simply ignore each other.


As with a kitten, a cat needs to learn your rules to, so use the same tactic and squirt water at their face, it is the best way to treat them without physically hurting them.

Is your cat going to be an indoor or an outdoor cat, it has been show that by keeping your cat indoors it extends their life for over ten years, outdoor cats run the risk of being hit by cars or picking up a nasty virus from stray animals, stray cats generally only live for a couple of years.

That's it really taking care of your new kitten is relatively simple,you just have to decide whether your kitten will be an indoor or and outdoor cat.

Oh not forgetting cats love attention, they will lay on your lap, enjoy a good pampering and will purr like crazy to show they are contented.

If you are stuck for names for your new kitten here are a few suggestions.



Male

Max -  Sam -  Sooty - Gizmo - Lucky - Charlie - Toby - Buddy - - Simba

Female

Sassy - Missy - Misty - Samantha - Molly - Coco - Lucy - Maggie -  Sophie -  Daisy

Or you could name your cat according to its colour, such as a white cat can be called snowdrop
or maybe your kitten has distinguishing  marks , then you could name it a tabby, patch etc

But remember if its an outdoor cat, it will be you who's calling out the name so be sure you want to be shouting out its name.