Litter Box
Young kittens are accustomed to a lower sided open style litter box. Using a covered box right away may cause them to be afraid to use the new litter box. Keep kitten confined to a small area or room at first as kittens tend to wait until the last minute to look for the litter box so you need one to be close by at all times when they are young. As they mature they can eventually have full run of the house. With some cats it can be best to have more than one litter box, especially if it is a multi-cat home.
We use Frisco Grass Clumping Litter or Smart Cat Grass Litter for our Kittens and Adults. I cannot say enough good about it! As long as you scoop it daily then the scent is in the grass family. No cover up scents are used. We note ZERO dust when pouring the clean litter into the boxes even when standing and pouring from 2-3 feet above the box. This litter clumps VERY tight and NEVER turns dusty. It is the very best litter we have ever used.
This litter can only be purchased through Chewy.com for Frisco Brand and Amazon.com for the Smart Cat
Young kittens are accustomed to a lower sided open style litter box. Using a covered box right away may cause them to be afraid to use the new litter box. Keep kitten confined to a small area or room at first as kittens tend to wait until the last minute to look for the litter box so you need one to be close by at all times when they are young. As they mature they can eventually have full run of the house. With some cats it can be best to have more than one litter box, especially if it is a multi-cat home.
We use Frisco Grass Clumping Litter or Smart Cat Grass Litter for our Kittens and Adults. I cannot say enough good about it! As long as you scoop it daily then the scent is in the grass family. No cover up scents are used. We note ZERO dust when pouring the clean litter into the boxes even when standing and pouring from 2-3 feet above the box. This litter clumps VERY tight and NEVER turns dusty. It is the very best litter we have ever used.
This litter can only be purchased through Chewy.com for Frisco Brand and Amazon.com for the Smart Cat
Feeding
We are feeding our kittens Iams Proactive Health Kitten food from weaning until departure.
We mix the above with Instinct Ultimate Protein for kittens once they are 16 weeks old depending on size and gradually wean off the addition of the Iams Kitten food until age 1 when they are fully on Instinct Ultimate Protein.
The above dry foods are free from Legumes (beans, Peas, Lentils) which studies are finding block Taurine which is necessary for heart health and therefore contributing to heart disease in cats & dogs. This is why we switched to these above. The Instinct (only the Ultimate Protein formula) also is highly digestible and leads to very firm stool and less of it :)
We are feeding our kittens Iams Proactive Health Kitten food from weaning until departure.
We mix the above with Instinct Ultimate Protein for kittens once they are 16 weeks old depending on size and gradually wean off the addition of the Iams Kitten food until age 1 when they are fully on Instinct Ultimate Protein.
The above dry foods are free from Legumes (beans, Peas, Lentils) which studies are finding block Taurine which is necessary for heart health and therefore contributing to heart disease in cats & dogs. This is why we switched to these above. The Instinct (only the Ultimate Protein formula) also is highly digestible and leads to very firm stool and less of it :)
Convenia Warning
Please do not allow any Veterinarian to inject your kitten with Convenia antibiotic (can also go by other names). This drug has killed cats & kittens and there is a Facebook Page dedicated to this. So many vets will swear by this drug for even the simplest malady such as even a little conjunctivitis of the eye. Once it is injected there is nothing you can truly do if there is a reaction as it remains in their system for 65 days with nothing to counteract the reaction. Some become lethargic and come out of it while others continue on with ‘failure to thrive’ and die. We have seen this cause liver failure and extreme liver enlargement as the liver tries to filter this drug from their system. As this point we know of 2 kittens who passed away in this manner and adult cats who suffered for months before getting somewhat over the reaction, though never back to what they were.
This is promoted to owners as being easy for them as its one shot and done. However, it may be your kitten that ends up ‘done’.
Facebook Link for this Topic:
https://www.facebook.com/Convenia-adverse-reactions-in-catsfelines-and-dogscanines-118697391502152
Be proactive with your kittens health care and contact me if you have any doubts or concerns whether this is soon after you take possession of your kitten or years down the road. We never stop caring about them.
Air Freshener & Perfumes
We have now had two incidents of a kitten getting very sick when traveling in a vehicle with the air freshener that clips on the air vent. In both of these cases the brand was 'Febreeze'. The symptoms are excessive drooling that lasts beyond usual motion sickness some cats can have, refusal to eat and in one case difficulty breathing as well. These reactions were severe enough that I would also caution against using Febreeze in any form at home or in your vehicle for the safety of your kitten. I would also not use any Car Air Freshener when traveling with a cat/kitten.
This same goes for in you home. All Air Fresheners are an irritant to cats, including the 'Plug-Ins' and the Essential Oil Diffuser.
We have also met with people before where the scent of perfume, cologne or after shave is very noticeable. Cats can be VERY sensitive to this, especially in an enclosed environment. They can get watery eyes and excessive drooling ( drooling alone is usually a sign of motion sickness which will resolve within a short time once home) on your drive home. We ask that when traveling with your Cat/Kitten you refrain from using all perfumes that day.
Another thing we are often asked is what combs do you recommend? We only use Ashley Craig Greyhound Combs here.
Greyhoundcomb.com
Airline Shipping
We place our Kittens at age 11-12 weeks old depending on how we determine they are doing and their readiness to safely transition to a new home. This age can vary from one kitten to another and our recommendation will be based on what is best for the kitten and not the purchaser. We put the health & safety of the kittens first.
Currently only American & Alaskan Airlines are doing Pet Cargo and they have limited flights plus temperature restrictions. This is out of our control but we do the very best we can to get the kitten shipped on schedule. Alaskan Airline will only go from Indianapolis to Seattle as they will only do direct flights currently and this is the only direct flight from Indianapolis. American has decent options for most areas but usually only one potential flight per day that can work for most areas.
When Delta & United Airlines open back up we will have many more options.
We also have a Nanny that works with us for hand delivery but her charge is usually $100-$200 more than airline shipping. This can vary depending on the area she needs to deliver to and the flights available to her.
We place our Kittens at age 11-12 weeks old depending on how we determine they are doing and their readiness to safely transition to a new home. This age can vary from one kitten to another and our recommendation will be based on what is best for the kitten and not the purchaser. We put the health & safety of the kittens first.
Currently only American & Alaskan Airlines are doing Pet Cargo and they have limited flights plus temperature restrictions. This is out of our control but we do the very best we can to get the kitten shipped on schedule. Alaskan Airline will only go from Indianapolis to Seattle as they will only do direct flights currently and this is the only direct flight from Indianapolis. American has decent options for most areas but usually only one potential flight per day that can work for most areas.
When Delta & United Airlines open back up we will have many more options.
We also have a Nanny that works with us for hand delivery but her charge is usually $100-$200 more than airline shipping. This can vary depending on the area she needs to deliver to and the flights available to her.
Hand Delivery
We place our Kittens at age 10-12 weeks old depending on how we determine they are doing and their readiness to safely transition to a new home. This age can vary from one kitten to another and our recommendation will be based on what is best for the kitten and not the purchaser. We put the health & safety of the kittens first.
We will drive up to approximately 1.00 hours from home to deliver a standard kitten and up to approximately .50 hour for a non-standard kitten for no fee.
Any other possible situations can be discussed on an individual basis.
We place our Kittens at age 10-12 weeks old depending on how we determine they are doing and their readiness to safely transition to a new home. This age can vary from one kitten to another and our recommendation will be based on what is best for the kitten and not the purchaser. We put the health & safety of the kittens first.
We will drive up to approximately 1.00 hours from home to deliver a standard kitten and up to approximately .50 hour for a non-standard kitten for no fee.
Any other possible situations can be discussed on an individual basis.
Combs
We use Nulo Freestyle Pate canned for the babies when first starting to wean. This can be given beyond the kitten stage if desired.
Shampoo
We are often asked what shampoo we use as the
kitten smells so good!
We use Lambert Kay Filthy Beast and lather twice.
If the kitten is solid white or high white then we do the
first lather with EZ Groom Crystal White followed with a
second lather of Lambert Kay Filthy Beast.
We are often asked what shampoo we use as the
kitten smells so good!
We use Lambert Kay Filthy Beast and lather twice.
If the kitten is solid white or high white then we do the
first lather with EZ Groom Crystal White followed with a
second lather of Lambert Kay Filthy Beast.