Tairedd Cattery's hints on raising kittens.

1. VET: Make an appointment with your veterinarian right away to have your new kitten checked.

2. SAFETY: Check areas in your home for small things the kitten can swallow. (i.e.: buttons, dental floss, string of any kind, etc..) Fix electrical cords so that they are tucked away, not exposed. Kittens like to chew, and if that is around… Go through the house and remove any poisonous materials, and put them where the kitten can't go. (Locked closets)

3. INTRODUCTION OTHER CATS OR DOGS: Introducing the new kitten to your other cat or dogs is a slow process. Have patience! Get the kitten secure in the new environment. If the kitten is afraid it puts out an odor that the other animals can detect. This can lead to rejection of the new kitten (initially). With all pets, odor is a primary method of communication. The existing cat or dog is used to your smell, mixed with all of the household odors, along with their odor. You might want to start using baby powder on your dog or cat, and rub it in to their coats with a dry wash cloth. Do this a few days before introducing them to the new kitten. When you get the kitten home, use the baby powder and wash cloth that you used on the existing cat or dog on the new kitten. This way the odors mix, and the new kitten smells familiar to your existing cat or dog. Another trick is to get the kitten playing with the other animals by playing under a door. This way they can get used to playing without face to face confrontation. When they do come face to face, it should be with you there supervising for the first few encounters.

4. TRAINING: Put your kitten in a back room with all of its toys when you will not be at home (litterbox, water, food too). Do this until you get him/her trained in what they can and cannot do in your home. This is to prevent the kitten from getting on that which you are training it to stay off of while you are not around. (No point in letting them know that they can get away with it when you are not there!) The kitten will learn faster if when every time they do the no-no they get punished. Punishment is :

* Using a squirt bottle of water on them when they do the no-no.

* Using a rolled up paper or magazine and slap your hand and say NO when they err.

*Lightly flicking the kitten in the ear top and saying no is also a method.

Do not EVER hit the kitten, throw the kitten or otherwise abuse the kitten. They are intelligent creatures, and will associate the pain to you, not to the no-no!

5. NOISE: Leaving a radio on when you are not at home will keep human noises happening. This gets kitten used to the noises and will keep them from getting lonely and jumping at every noise when you are there. (Although if you put it on Rush…expect to get a debate when you get home!)

6. FLEAS:

* A flea comb is a good natural way to control fleas.

* 20 mule team borax powder sprinkled in your carpet will kill fleas.

* 5% Seven garden dust sprinkled outside your doors will stop you from bringing fleas in on your clothes.

* If you are not worried about commercial flea killers, check with your Vet. for the once per month flea preparations such as Advantage

7. LIQUID: Leave water down all of the time. Put the bowels in a couple of places to encourage themto drink more. Most cats are lactose intolerant! So don't give them whole milk. (It causes loosestools.) (Also don't give them the whites of eggs. It robs them of some vitamins.)

8. CAT LITTER: In our opinion the best litter is the Feline Pine brand. It seems to be the best for catbox odor reduction. We absolutely do not recommend the "clumping" type litters. Because it is superfine it sticks to the cat's fur. So when the cat cleans itself the litter gets ingested. We believe this is harmful to the cat, and that it can cause it's death.

9. CHRISTMAS TIME: Don't use tinsel on your tree! Cats see the shiny strings and end up eating them. Needless to say, this can cause extreme gastric distress. You might have to spend your Christmas money on a Vet. bill. Also Poinsettias, and mistletoe are toxic to cats. Ask your local nursery about other indoor plants that are toxic as well.

10. LEASH TRAINING: Start them young with a harness collar. Let the kitten get used to it then put a very light leash on the collar. Just let the kitten drag the leash around without you for a few times.After picking the leash up, let the kitten take you, then little by little pull on the leash and change directions.

11. DECLAWING: Declawing is not a way to go. Most people think that the Vet. just removes the nails. This is not so. In order to declaw the cat, the top of the toe's must be removed. The better way is to have cat trees available for the cat to scratch and sharpen their claws. You may trim the kittens claws once per week. Avoid cutting to the quick.

12. HAIRBALLS: Although not as common with Tonkinese, Hairballs can happen. Preventive measures should be taken to keep them from causing problems. The idea is to use a lubricant to assist the pass through of the hairball. The three medications we recommend are Laxatone, Petromalt, and Petrotone. Follow the manufacturers directions. You also can use plain cooking oil or olive oil. Using an eye dropper, give 1 ml per week.

13. CLEANING THE TEETH: Brushing does not entail the complex ritual humans need. In cats we only worry about the outside of the teeth. In some cases the cat's teeth may become dirty because of the mineral content of the water they drink. You then need to give them filtered water for drinking. Other teeth cleaning products are available such as Hill's Pet Nutrition, and Pounce tartar control treat. These also help clean the teeth.

14. SHOTS: There are shots kittens should have. The 4-in-1 shot series, Leukemia, and peritonitis vaccines are must to have. If the cat is an outside cat, then the rabies vaccine is also a must. (However, if the cat is an inside ONLY cat, not exposed to outside animals, then we don't recommend it.) One of the things we do recommend you avoid is the giving of all of the shots together. Some Vets say it is alright, but we have seen too many cats get sick when all of the shots are given at once.

15. VITAMINS I recommend Nu Vet Plus. This unique formula consists of precise amounts of vitamins minerals and high-potency antioxidants. All together this is a recipe for boosting your animals bodies natural immune system in fighting diseases which adds up to a longer life for yor pet. You can order NuVet Plus by calling 1-800-474-7044 and giving the order code 9015-9. It comes right to your door with in days. For more information go to their web site at http://www.nuvet.com/90159

16. ALLERGIES I recommend that you bathe your pet no more than once per month, except in allergy season in the springtime when I recommend bathing your pet one a week. Use a HEPA rated vacuum cleaner to clean the carpets and floors. You can also use a spray on your pet's fur called ALLERSPRAY. The thing that works for me best, is an ionizer type air purifier. So I also recommend getting one of those.