| KADOKITS KITTEN KARE GUIDE |
| I am so excited that you have decided to adopt one of our sweet kitties! We have had a lot of fun raising the babies and have worked hard to make sure they are healthy, content, and ready to be loving family members. We hope that you enjoy your new KaDoKits kitty as much as we have. If you ever have any questions or concerns or just want to cat chat, please feel free to call or email me! I would love to hear from you from time to time & know how your kitty is doing and to see photos. |
| Food I feed Iams kitten and adult Hairball formula dry (I mix it.), available at grocery stores, Wal-Mart, & PetSmart. Some of my cats like a little canned Iams (Adult Lamb & Rice), too. A kitten may be transitioned to adult formula at 1 year. Be careful about changing foods often as it upsets the kitty’s digestion. Changes should be made by gradually adding the new food and decreasing the old food over a 1 week period. Always feed a high quality food…cheap foods have a lot of fillers and cause nasty stools. Offer as much dry food as your cat will eat served in a clean dish every day. Canned food is not necessary, unless your cat demands it and seems to do better on it. Table scraps and milk may cause diarrhea. If your altered pet starts getting overweight, follow your vet’s guidelines on which food to feed & how much. Always have clean fresh water available. You may want to avoid using plastic feeding dishes as some cats are allergic to plastic. They can also cause chin acne (black crusties on the chin). I use Pyrex dishes I bought at the thrift store. They are easy to put in the dishwasher for cleaning, and they're heavy enough not to be knocked over. You can also use stainless steel or crockery. |
| Grooming Whether you chose an Exotic or a Persian/Exotic Longhair, you are going to have issues with grooming. These breeds have been selectively bred to have thick coats. The Persian has a long, luxurious coat and the Exotic has a plush, medium length coat. Animals shed twice a year when the major weather changes occur. Combing An Exotic Shorthair will need to be combed about every week, depending on the individual’s coat type. They usually do not mat, however their shedding undercoat needs to be combed out to prevent hairballs. During shedding season (about twice a year) you may think your Exotic will go bald! They shed all of that fabulous thick undercoat so they can grow some more. During shedding season, an Exotic needs to be combed every day. A Persian/Exotic Longhair needs to be combed several times a week, or maybe daily depending on the coat type. A Persian’s shedding hair gets caught up in the long hair and mats, especially behind the ears and under the armpits. One icky thing that happens with the Persians is sometimes their poop gets stuck to their “britches” after they use the box. I sometimes find land mines on the floor, more so with kittens…their coats can be different. When combing, especially with the long hair, divide the cat’s coat into sections. (Think of how you would comb a little girl’s long hair.) Start at the rear. Comb at the ends of the hair first, then work your way to the skin. If there are tangles/mats, break them apart with your fingers before combing them out. Move to the next section closer up on the cat, etc. When done with the body, do the mane and ruff. Last, ease the cat onto its side & comb under the armpits, its chest & belly, and under its rear legs. I do one side at a time. Be very careful with the tail and britches…that’s sensitive area. If your kitty protests too much, keep in mind that they are like a two year old. It’s for their own good & it needs to be done. Be the boss, talk kindly, be firm, don’t tolerate biting, etc. You can use a foamy door mat on your table top to sit the cat on. This gives the cat something to dig its claws into & gives it a sense of stability. The more frequently you comb, the less time each session will take. A weekly bath helps to remove the dead hair also. …did you say bath?? Most Exotics & Persians/Exotic Longhairs benefit from an occasional bath to remove excess oils, dirt, and dead hair. You must comb out all mats before the bath or they’ll get worse! You can bathe in the sink or bathtub, whichever is more comfortable for you. An important thing to remember is to get all of the soap rinsed out. You can use dish soap, baby shampoo, or soap especially formulated for use on cats. Do not use a flea shampoo. Many pesticides are very toxic to cats. If you use Advantage or Frontline flea control, a flea shampoo will overdose the cat. Only use Advantage or Frontline from your vet! Cheaper store brands are very toxic to cats!! Also, do not use a shampoo intended for dogs. After the soap is rinsed out thoroughly, use a hair dryer to dry the hair. If bathing the cat yourself is more than you can imagine doing, make an appointment with a groomer who is experienced in bathing cats. Most cats do not have to be sedated for a bath if the person bathing it knows what they are doing. Haircuts To decrease the problems with shedding in the summer, you can have the cat shaved down. Many people enjoy doing a “lion’s cut”. The body is shaved leaving the tail, mane & legs long. Go to your vet or a groomer who is experienced in shaving cats. Another partial cut useful with longhairs, is to have the cat’s underside shaved or clipped close with scissors. Go from the upper armpits to just to the rear end. This way the hair on the sides & back is still long & pretty. If the britches catch poop (mostly a problem with the longhairs), clip the hair a little around the bottom…just enough to keep the stuff from getting caught…nothing extreme needed. Be extremely careful with scissors or clippers! A cat’s skin is very loose and it is quite easy to cut the skin by mistake. Claws Cats sharpen their claws on carpet & furniture to exercise and to mark their territory. It is very frustrating to have an animal ruin your belongings. There are several things you can do to deal with this behavior. First, keep his nails clipped short using nail clippers made for use on a cat’s claws. Do not cut into the quick (the blood vessel at the base of the nail). Second, buy a good quality, tall cat tree. It’s best if at least one of the posts is covered in sisal rope. My cats also like the cat toys with cardboard disks in the center & a spinning ball on the outside ring. Seasoning the cat tree & disks with cat nip helps convince the cat to use their furniture & not yours. Third, if your kitty is testing your resolve for him not to claw your stuff, using a spray bottle filled with water to squirt the cat when he is engaged in the offending behavior may work. Pair the squirt with a firm “No”. This only works if the cat is squirted when he is actually misbehaving! De-clawing is the surgical removal of the first toe joints which forever removes the cat’s claws. Post-surgery is very painful. A de-clawed cat that gets outside cannot defend itself against enemies and may have a harder time climbing. I do not recommend de-clawing a cat except in the most extreme circumstances since it is a very cruel & inhumane procedure. Eyes With the flat faces and short noses that Exotics and Persians have, their eyes tend to tear a lot. The tear ducts can get blockages easily making it more difficult for the tears to drain into the nasal cavity. The tears collect in the eyes and create a discharge. With the extra fluid, often bacteria forms and causes minor eye infections. This is why the drainage is often brown. Exotics and Persians need help with keeping their eyes clean. I have a set of soft washcloths just for the cats. I wet the washcloth in warm water and use it to clean a cat’s face. Only one cat per washcloth and I use it only once. You can also use make-up pads or 2”x2” gauze pads to clean around a cat’s eyes. If there is pus, or the cat has trouble opening its eyes, see your veterinarian. Sometimes they need a treatment of antibiotic eye drops. Traveling The enjoyment of traveling with your cat will depend on your cat’s disposition. A cat who enjoys traveling can be a lot of fun in motel rooms. ALWAYS use a carrier to transport your cat. You never know what might frighten even the most laid back cat. A frightened cat turns into a high speed moving streak of claws, hissing and teeth. Even when caught, they can get out of your grasp like a little kid acting like limp spaghetti. Using a body harness made for cats and a leash is a good precaution. But remember, cats can get out of a lot of things because of that loose skin. I strongly recommend microchipping your cat! The microchip is the size of a grain of rice. The vet uses a special needle that places the chip under the skin in the neck. The procedure is quick and quite painless and costs about $35. That is a small price to pay if your cat ever gets out & is picked up by someone. Vets and shelters have scanners they can read the chip with. They take the number from the chip & contact the registries. As long as you have kept your contact information current, you can be notified of your cat’s whereabouts. |
| Litter Box I use large, deep litter pans that give the cats enough room to do their business comfortably. You can use one with a cover, however, they have a tendency to trap odors and some cats don't like them. Tidy Cats has a great covered box with a hinged lid. It has several vents that allow air flow so the odor inside doesn't get too strong. Use a good quality scoopable litter. Be careful about strong fragrances since some cats can't tolerate them. Keep litter about 3 inches deep since cats like to dig and cover their waste. Scoop your kitty’s box once or twice a day. If a cat refuses to use its litter box, it is usually because it is full of waste. Completely change the litter about once a month, depending on your cat’s preferences and the type of litter you use. It is recommended to have at least one litter box per cat plus one extra. They should be placed in different areas of the house, especially if you have a large house or two stories. {Some cats can become territorial over the litter boxes.} Some cats develop a habit of urinating on plastic (bags, boxes, etc.) because of the odor, so be watchful! |
| Toys Cats love cardboard boxes and paper bags to hide in & attack. They also like plastic bags because of the noise they make so be careful to keep those put away! Cats are hunters by nature…they like to watch their prey, stalk it and pounce! They love to hide and chase things. Choose toys that are well made for cats. When evaluating a cat toy, think of how you would choose a baby toy…what can they get in their mouths, chew on, choke on, cut themselves with, or get toes stuck in. Also, chose a variety of toys that the cat can amuse herself with and those you can play with her with. Be careful about cat toys found in supermarkets, the quality is often poor. Shop for toys at cat shows or specialty pet stores. A little more expense in this area is worth an emergency trip to the veterinarian! DO NOT LET YOUR KITTY PLAY WITH YARN OR STRING!!!! Cats will often eat yarn, string, tinsel, etc. It can cause a blockage in the intestines and can sometimes cut through the intestinal wall. Also, watch out for twist ties, tape and celophane. Some of our favorite toys are a disk with cardboard in the center and a ball around the perimeter for chasing, kitty teasers with feathers, tinsel, strings, balls, etc on the end, laser lights, balls, and plastic springs and tall cat trees for climbing and scratching and playing hide & seek! |
| Bringing Home Baby Bringing home your new kitty is so exciting! You have waited a long time for a special fur friend and have spent a lot of effort in finding just the right kitty for your family. It is important to understand that any animal may be shy and sometimes afraid when they get to their new home. Make sure there are no extra visitors in your house the first day or so to keep down the chaos. Remind all of your family members not to pester the new arrival too much the first few days. Give your kitty a chance to get used to its new surroundings. He will come to you when he is ready and ask for love. First As soon as you get home, put your new kitty in his litter box. It is important not to move the litter box because the kitty will forget where it is. Keep your kitty confined to one room of the house until he settles in. Make sure the room is safe so there are no hiding places the kitty will get stuck in. A frightened cat can get themselves into some impossible hiding places. I once had a new kitten who tried to climb up the chimney! Place the kitty’s water and food where he can get it when he wants. Don’t be alarmed if your kitty doesn’t eat for a day or two. Some cats can take a lot longer to adjust to a new home. Do not change the food or try to tempt him with milk or food scraps. One of the best ways to encourage your kitty to come to you is to entice her with a kitty teaser. Let her come to you. Please do not chase your cat and teach any children in the household not to chase the cats. My kittens are raised around children and are used to their rambunctiousness. But any kitty may need a little time to settle in to her new home. |
| Furniture Cats will usually sleep wherever they please. They do prefer confined places that feel like a den....like bags, boxes, in front of your computer screen, or the bathroom sink. I have found a pet bed that is shaped like a deep disk and my cats love it. The lady who makes them is in Albany and her contact information is on my links site for suppliers. Look for Wee Pets. There is something about the style that is better than most found in stores. Another piece I feel we can't live without is a cat tree. Cats love to climb and play chase on it. Make sure there is sisal on at least one post for scratching. It's best if there is a little house for hiding and several shelves. I like the tall ones (at least around 5 feet) because the cats like heights. If you want something custom or unique, I've listed a few sources on my suppliers links page. |