cat nursing guide

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The Adult Cat?s Eating Program
2007-09-14 17:42:00
As she grows toward adulthood, the kitten will show the body and physiological characteristics linked to her breed or to her lifestyle or even to her age when she has become mature.Cat 1 to 10 years oldPersian catAmong the different cat breeds, there is one which has special facial characteristics, and that is the Persian. The position of her upper and lower jaws in relation to each other induces a special method of picking up food. Special kibbles have been designed to make this process easier.Maine coon catThe Maine coon seizes the food with the upper surface of the tongue and tends to swallow without chewing. Kibble size, shape and texture are the critical to slow down the pace of ingestion and promote crunching the food.Siamese catThe Siamese seize the food, either using the tongue or more surprisingly with the teeth. This so called ?kibble clib? way of food picking is overwhelming. Kibble siza, shape and texture are the critical to slow down the excessive pace of ingestion and ...
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The Kitten?s Eating Program
2007-09-04 04:30:00
The kitten?s nutritional needs are specific during the first weeks of her life and will change as she grows older.Kitten less than 4 months old.From 4 to 5 weeks of age, a kitten can be given solid food. This food is first of all offered in the form of gruel prepared with a little warm water or milk formula. The quantity of liquid will then gradually be reduced until your kitten is only being given the dry food. Kittens more than 4 months old.After her adult teeth have come through, the proportions of the different nutrients essential to the kitten?s growth remain the same until she is one year old. Only the daily quantities of food for growth will vary and be increased until she reaches adulthood. This nutritional balance is also ideal for a gestating or lactating queen, and the growth food can therefore also be given to lactating or nursing queens.
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Wet and Dry Cat Foods
2007-09-04 04:28:00
Wet foods, containing on average 80 % water, wet foods are given in rations of 300 to 400 grams a day. This represents an annual expenditure of about 180 euros for canned foods and 760 euros for food in pouches. Dry foods, contain less than 14 % water, usually 8 to 10 %. With concentrated nutritive ingredients, they are very economical and extremely practical. 40 to 90 grams are enough for your growing kitten. This represents an annual expenditure of around 45 euros for economy products and 120 euros for premium foods.Dry foods keep your kitten happy, since she likes to nibble and eat her meal in several helpings. The kibbles are perfectly suited to this way of eating since they stay for a long time in her mouth and is crunchy.Dry foods are also easy to store, no need to put them in the fridge, a cool dry place is ideal, and simple to measure out. You are advised to comply with the daily quantities recommended on bags in order to avoid any possibility of over or under feeding which ...
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Cat Food transition
2007-08-28 08:52:00
Any sudden change in the type of food may induce digestive disorders (soft stools, diarrhea). A transitional period for changing for changing from one food to another must be observed over one week by gradually mixing the new food.
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Manufactured cat food
2007-08-28 08:51:00
The main advantage of such foods is the certainty of giving your kitten all the elements necessary to her growth for a harmonious development without sudden spurts. They are prepared carefully, using the same ingredients and complying with the same health rules as in human food.These foods are also very much appreciated by kittens. Two additional and no less important advantages for this type of food: the cost per meal ration is far lower than home preparation and it is immediately ready to eat.
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Hand made cat food
2007-08-28 08:45:00
This is the meal that you prepare yourself at home from ingredients such as meat that you cook, rice and vegetables. While you can easily control the quality of its ingredients, you can never be entirely sure of its nutritional balance, nor provide sufficient quantities of all the nutrients that your kitten needs to be growing, such as minerals and vitamins.Never mean on its own. Although a strict carnivore, a cat living wild does not eat only muscles or liver. She also ingests the bones and offal of her prey, often herbivores or omnivores. Her diet is therefore fairly balanced.
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The best quality Cat Food
2007-08-28 08:44:00
While a new born kitten has a digestive tract suited to the digestion of milk, her digestive capacities are going to evolve until she can no longer digest lactose (milk sugar) when adult. For proper growth, she must receive balanced quantities of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements in the form of a type of food that suits the physiological and digestive characteristics of the feline species. Due to its low awareness of different flavors, a cat does not call for great variety in her food.
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Factors Influencing the Kitten?s Growth
2007-08-20 05:49:00
Characteristics specific to the kittenBreed. Like the majority of living species, the bigger the bread, the longer it takes to grow.Sex. The male has a higher growth potential than the female and his growth takes several weeks longer. He will therefore be heavier than the female.Genes. The kitten receives genetic material at birth, with half coming from her father and half from her mother. Size, corpulence and many morphological features can influence her growth.Hormones. Certain hormones synthesized by the kitten direct her growth, but no hormonal disorder affects her growth. For example, early neutering does not alter her growth rate in any way.Environment InfluenceHygiene: poor hygiene at birth will affect the mother?s health and the litter will suffer on account of it.Stress: growth take place, as in all young animals, during sleep. Even though, from two months old, the kitten needs less time for sleeping, the quality of her sleep plays a very important role.Important: Grow th de...
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Growth and Food
2007-08-20 05:48:00
Growing up is a delicate period affecting the well-being and good health of the future adult cat. Many factors influence growth, with food playing a key part.Food for the kitten and for the adult cat must take account of different digestive characteristics (taste, smell) specific to the feline race. Only specially balanced foods are able to guarantee all the ingredients necessary for your cat?s well-being, whatever her age, bread or level of activity.The Kitten?s Growth Your kitten?s growth can be assessed by measuring her weight gain (10 to 30 gm per day is an average weight gain depending on the breed). It is important to always note the weight at the same time of day.While a kitten needs to be weighed daily before weaning, from 2 months old she can weighed once a week, or even once a fortnight.
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Meeting Other Animals
2007-08-16 17:52:00
When meeting is inevitable and unwanted, the kitten launches into a dissuasive strategy where bluff plays a predominant part; crying, shrieking, showing her teeth, striking with paws.N male kittens which have not been neutered, it is important to look for her teeth and claw marks on their bodies after a confrontation of this sort, as abscesses can be caused.Neutering significantly improves their sociability and helps to sort out a good number of neighbor-hood problems. 75% of cats in Europe are neutered.This operation can be carried out as soon as the animal is 6 months old. Ask your veterinarian for advice.
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Language with Other Animals
2007-08-16 17:49:00
A kitten has subtle and varied means of communication allowing her to detect the presence and aggressive nature of other animals. In this way, she can easily refuse or accept an encounter.Marking her territory. Your kitten?s habit of marking her territory is a natural behavior and means of communication. It is made by depositing smells, hormonal secretions or scratch marks.Depositing smells: marking with urine and/or faeces is by far the most common. It concerns mainly males and occurs after stress or emotion (transport, intrusion of other animal, etc?). This territorial marking is intended to inspire fear and make any intruder go away. The spray of urine is horizontal and powerful; the cat generally marks a vertical surface (tree, base of wall, sofa and anything that sticks out).Hormonal secretions: specific hormones, known as pheromones, play a major role in a kitten?s sexual and territorial behavior. They are left by another animal (dog or cat) rubbing against something and allow...
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CAT HEALTH MANAGEMENT
2007-08-13 03:42:00
A.General Manage ment Adult cats and kittens have to get regular/interval vaccination.Sick adult cats and kittens have to get treatment from veterinarians as soon as possible.Heal th check and treatment for cats must be conducted regularly, twice a month, by veterinarians.Adult cats have to get self cleanliness treatment, such as grooming twice a month. The equipments used must be appropriate with the cat condition.B.AccommodationBedding, food container, drink container, and home for cats must be cleaned twice a day (morning and evening).Cats must have sufficient places to live, in which they can move, play, and enjoy home living. Artificial lighting and ventilation must be available to reduce smell and humidity. Cleaning or disposal facility and disinfectant must also be available.C.Food ManagementThe food given must reach an energy equilibrium, at which the energy expenditure is equal with the energy intake.In an normal and reasonable condition, cats will stop eating when the energ...

Kitten Speaks to You with Movements
2007-08-01 08:28:00
Touching lightly: this is connecting with her territory. With this movement, the kitten deposits hormonal secretions from the glands under her ears against your ankles. She shares her smell with you, shows you that she feels good and includes you in her territory.
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Kitten Speaks to You with Sounds
2007-08-01 08:27:00
Purring: this is submission and contentment. Kitten s start purring when first feeding from their mother and it expresses huge satisfaction as well as total dependency on her mother. When she purrs with you, your kitten is showing you her submission and her contentment.Growling and hissing: this is intimidation. Used in attack, they represent signs of intimidation in her defense strategy. Meowing: or rather meows. In fact, there is a huge variety of meows, each with their own meaning. They can express demand, complaint, puzzlement, refusal, etc. you will very soon learn to recognize them by observing your kitten.
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Kitten Speaks to You with Her Body
2007-08-01 08:27:00
She rubs her head or tail against your legs: this is happiness. Your kitten feels good close to you and wants to share her smell with you.She treads your knees for ages: this is intensive pleasure. Your kitten expresses the joy she felt when feeding from her mother. She used this movement of her paws around her mother?s teats to stimulate the flow of milk. She copies this movement which she associates with pleasure right up to the point of identifying you with her mother. She rolls on the ground as soon as she sees you: this is submission; this position is only possible with people with whom she is totally relaxed. This is an act of submission associated with an earlier moment of relaxation. She moves her tail: this expresses irritation. If you are stoking your kitten and she starts to move her tail, you should stop immediately because she doesn?t it and she is telling you.
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Kitten?s Language to People
2007-08-01 08:25:00
While your kitten does not understand your language, apart from certain words, she is very sensitive to your body language and postures. She can understand what you are feeling and even anticipate what you are going to do. Your kitten is continually communicating with you through a full and explicit body language of great variety.She speaks to you with her head. The shape of her eyes and the position of her ears are accurate indicators of what she wants to express.Ears upright open in front and eyes round: neutral cat.Ears straight. Twisted to the sides, eyes puckered: angry cat.Ears Down, pupils round and dilated: aggressive cat.Ears open in front, upright, yes half-closed, and pupils in slits: happy cat.
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The sleep, play, hunting trilogy
2007-07-31 17:56:00
SleepingA kitten has two distinct phases in her sleep pattern.Deep Sleep. Until she is 8 weeks old, she is in a state of deep and continual sleep, a phase during which the hormones essential to her growth are secreted. At 2 months old, the continuity of sleep decreases and your kitten alternates between light sleep and deep sleep.Light Sleep. From 2 months old, her sleeping rhythm will gradually change towards that of the adult cat. During this phase of light sleep, your kitten sleeps with one ear listening and is attentive to the slightest noise. This first light sleep is generally followed by a deep sleep in which your kitten is completely relaxed.Important: you are advised never wake a kitten during deep sleep so that you do not affect her growth.Play ingExercise is essential for your kitten?s balance. It allows her to channel her energy, which will then not be used for destructive purposes, but to tone up her muscles.Her favorite exercises are those which allow her to climb, perc...
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Learning to be Clean
2007-07-30 05:47:00
The mother teaches her kittens to be clean. From 5-6 weeks, a kitten is clean and uses the litter tray, often even spending a lot of time covering her mess up.If this lesson has not been learned, place the kitten in the litter tray. Dig a hole with her paw and then show her how to cover what she has excreted. Repeat this experience once or twice and the kitten will be clean.
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Learning to Hunt
2007-07-30 05:44:00
Learning to hunt starts very early, often at 1 month of age, when the kitten adopts the postures of hunting, but it?s only towards 6 weeks of age, when her mother brings her back the things she has caught that she begins to realize what can be eaten. At 2 months of age, she has conquered her fear and learned her attitudes of attack. At 6 months of age, the kitten is capable of satisfying her needs on her own.
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Learning to Play
2007-07-30 05:43:00
Playing is a major part of the kitten?s socialization phase. Playing encourages the discovery of her surroundings and develops her physical capabilities. Playing is also an antidote to isolation. But a toy on its own is nothing, it?s because it can move, roll or slide and get stuck in a corner which is difficult to reach that your kitten is challenged.
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Learning to Bite and Scratch
2007-07-30 05:42:00
The kitten learns in two different ways: she starts by imitating her mother?s actions, and she learns by her self by means of experimenting. In this case, she acts and faces the consequences of her actions. If she finds the response pleasant, this tends to favor her reaction.The kitten needs to understand as soon as possible the limits that she must not go beyond while her weapons (claws and teeth) are not fully developed. During mock flights, the kitten receives bites and scratches which her to learn to measure by her self, the intensity of these two actions.
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Unfavorable Environment
2007-07-30 05:41:00
ettling in If the environment in which the kitten has developed is low in stimuli, it is advisable to take her away to bring her into contact with other cats. You must quickly take charge of her education in order to avoid the appearance of states an anxiety or depression. The kitten must learn the different social rules that must not be broken and the behavior necessary to her future in life in contact with humans.The kitten needs to be socialized by offering her as many external stimuli as possible, handling by different people, confrontation with noises of different intensities, contact with other animals, integration into her new home will take longer in order for her to be complete, but the results will be the same.
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Favorable Environment
2007-07-30 05:39:00
ettling in A favorable environment is a surrounding where your cat socialize easily, familiarizes her self with people and her environment. If the kitten has been raised with her mother, it is advisable to leave the kitten with her until weaned. Her education will be more complete and your kitten will fit more easily into her new home. A kitten which has been handled by several people since a very young age will be more open to life and her curiosity will be far greater. Similarly, familiarization with different noises of everyday life will help her to fit perfectly into the environment of her new home. What not to do: you must avoid moving a kitten that has not been weaned. A kitten taken away too soon will be more difficult to educate.
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Education
2007-07-30 05:38:00
Settling in The essentials of your kitten?s education take place during the period from birth to the age of six months. In fact, most behaviors are acquired at the age 3 months, thanks to the mother?s dominant role, as well as her brothers and sisters. So, when you adopt a kitten, your contribution to the foundations of her education is limited but you are responsible. You have to complete her education, in the context of her new environment, and correct any unwanted behaviors.
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Socialization Test
2007-07-30 05:35:00
Observe your kitten from a distance:If she runs to play with your shoe laces or rub up against you, this means that she has been properly socialized.If she is nervous and tries to run away when you approach her, she has not been properly socialized. It is necessary to start this phase again, providing toys for her living space and sharing her play time with her.
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Health Check Up
2007-07-30 05:34:00
Settling in If you have bought your kitten, for example, a pedigree cat, the breeder gives you a certificate and a health record book with vaccinations and examinations carried out by the breeder?s official veterinarian. If your kitten was given to you, a visit to the veterinarian is essential. The first visit to the veterinarian (generally already carried out when the kitten was sold to you) is not a simple consultation, but an in-depth examination of the main organic functions. It is concluded with a full and detailed veterinary certificate. This visit must be perceived as a validation of the purchase (purchase visit). This health check-up, as complete as possible, will confirm the exact state of health of your new companion and will avoid any risks of hidden defects (diseases, malformations, etc.) The seller must give you a certificate on which you will write your name and address before sending it to the feline database of the federation which will then fo...
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The First Night
2007-07-29 09:10:00
At the first separation and first time alone, the first night is often very disturbing for your kitten. Your bed room is not the proper place, although she will never refuse to sleep with you. Just remember that you will not be able to take away from your adult cat what you have allowed her to do when she was a kitten.Moreover, as she gets older, it will not be long before she goes out and is in contact with an ectophityc parasite. She will always need to be kept perfectly clean so as not to bother to other members of your household. Her proper place is in her basket, in the room which is intended for her. On the first night, above all do not give in to the temptation of going and fetching her, even if she is crying.*picture taken from domusfelium.co.uk
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The First Meals
2007-07-29 09:07:00
You should avoid any sudden change of food, or otherwise you will run the risk of inducting digestive problems. Plan to continue with previously given food, at least for a few days.Ask the breeder or the person who gave you the kitten about their feeding methods (number of meals per day, rationed, or ad libitum) and types of meals.If you want to change the food, you should make sure there is a gradual transition from the old food to the new over a period of one week.These transitions help to minimize the risks of soft stools or diarrhea, which can be very harmful to the kitten?s proper development.Never give scraps during your meals, to avoid the habit of begging for food and stealing at the table. An unbalanced diet can also lead to obesity.Also make sure that your kitten always has fresh water available, and above all leave her to eat in peace.*picture taken from hus-barney.nl
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Discovering Her Environment
2007-07-29 09:04:00
Prevention is better than cure. Without you realizing, there are many dangers that exist inside your house and certain movements or oversights can be detrimental to your kitten?s safety. New habits and certain arrangements will help you to protect your kitten from possible household accidents.Domestic safety measure:Hide electric wiresBlock electricity socketsPutt all pesticides, weed killers and rat killers out of reachPut all medicines out of reachPut away all small items such as elastic bands, drawing pins, needles, etc.*picture taken from funnyjunk.com
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Belongings
2007-07-29 09:00:00
It is important that when the kitten arrives in her new living place, she can find all her belongings. All these accessories are available in pet shops and vet shops, such as:Basket, with comfortable bedding where the kitten will feel safe, but the kitten will choose her own place to sleep. Litter tray, a container that is deep enough and with a scoop to remove droppings, ideally a covered crate to avoid accidental spills and limit smells. Two dishes, a small one for dry cat food and a bigger one for fresh water that must always be left available. Scratch post, to avoid damage inside your house. Cat tree, kittens love to climb up high and twist around between two branches. It will help to limit excessive rushing about and vaulting on some of your furniture, at the same time allowing them to satisfy their need for exercise.Collar and Lead. The collar is the best and quickest means of identification for your kitten, for possible outings and short tips without her carrying case, the le...
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