The Kitten Corner

Getting a kitten is a very fun experience for the entire family. Your choices during his or her early days will help develop good habits for the future. Remember, cats are very social animals, but they are not small dogs! Here are some good tips to keep your kitten healthy and well-adjusted.

• Play with your kitten as often as possible. Many cats like wand toys (wands with string attachments) and noisy toys like balls with bells in them. Cats are very social, but they need to have this developed when young. Many cats are not seemingly social because they did not interact with people enough as kittens. So get this going right away!
• Offer scratching and climbing outlets. Cats like scratching posts and platforms, so offer these in your household. They also like to climb, so get a multi-level cat perch and allow them to get to window sills.
• Do not use negative reinforcement! Cats do not learn from negative reinforcement. This only works if you scare or hurt them, which you do not want to do! This approach may create a fear of you or other humans. Further, many stressed or scared cats project their fear as aggression on other animals and people. This includes both physical and verbal punishment.
• Always put thought into the decision as whether to declaw or not. Trim your kitten's nails and offer the scratching outlets, you may be surprised at how well they do with claws! Always consult us before ultimately making the decision to declaw.
• Remember that cats get heartworm, intestinal parasites, and fleas just like dogs (actually they are much more susceptible to fleas!). Many of these not only can harm your cat, but are also transmissible to humans. There are very safe, effective parasite prevention products available--make this a habit to keep both your cat and your family safe.
• Many indoor cats get obese at a young age due to inactivity. Cats should have food available throughout the day, but should not be fed unlimited amounts of food! Consult us on appropriate feeding to ensure he stays lean from the beginning.
• Keep it fun and keep it positive and you'll be thrilled at how social a kitten can be!