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Taking Care of our New Kitten or Cat |
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Free or Low Cost Spay or Neuter in Tennessee Taking Care of your new cat or kitten Taking Care of your new puppy or dog
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First of all, Congratulations on the new member of your family. Bringing home a new pet is always an exciting adventure. This page is to help you understand and be aware of the things that go along with owning a cat or kitten. The first thing that you want to do is to get a check up from your local veterinarian. The vet will take a look at you cat and examine it to make sure it is healthy. You can do a minor check at home by following these things. Taking a Look 1. Take a look at the cats
ears. If you notice that there is black stuff in there, it may be 2. Look at the eyes of your cat. Are they clear of any discharge? Is the third eyelid showing? (The third eyelid looks like a piece of skin that comes from the bottom of the eye.) This could be a sign of an infection or a sick cat. If there is discharge coming from the eyes, this could be a sign of conjunctivitis and related to an upper respiratory infection. This too is something that needs to be seen by a vet. 3. If you adopted a kitten, be prepared that the baby teeth will eventually be replaced by adult teeth. You probably will not find baby teeth around, as they tend to swallow them. If they are an adult who still has baby teeth, these baby teeth really need to be taken out by a vet to prevent teeth problems later on. 4. Take a look at the hair on your cat. Is there hair missing? How is the coat? Diet can be a very important part on hair coat. If an animal is put on a cheap, unhealthy pet food, it shows in their hair. If you get a good quality food, the coat will be fuller, and more shinier and healthy looking. Buying a little bit more expensive food may actually save you money in the long run. The better quality foods have less fillers in them and the cats will eat less. The cheaper brand of cat foods have more fillers in them, so the cats tend to eat more to get the nutrients that are lacking. 5. Next thing you want to
notice is if your cats have claws in both the front and the back. If you
adopted a cat that is declawed, it is very, very important that this cat remains
inside. The reason for this, is a cat with no claws cannot defend it self
outside from other animals and may get eaten up by dogs or other wild animals.
Declawed cats are cats that have surgically had their claws taken out by a
veterinarian. This is to prevent scratching the furniture. There are
alternatives to declawing your cat.
Dangers of the outside world If you choose to have your cat an outdoor cat, be advised of the things that could happen. 1. Your cat could get hit by a car. So many cats get hit by a car each week it is very devastating. Remember, you spent the money on adopting a cat, so don't throw your money away on a chance it could get run over. 2. Ok, if you live out in the country and you think your cat is safe from traffic, there are other things that it is in danger by. Many cats get eaten or attacked by dogs. Some dogs travel in packs and will together chase this cat down and kill it. 3. AIDS!!! Yes that is right. Just like humans, cats can acquire Aids. This is called FIV. Just like humans, there is no cure for this disease. There is no vaccine for this disease. It is spread through mating and by getting bit from cat fights. It is especially seen in unspayed females because when males mate, they bite the back of the neck. Unneutered males have a higher rate because they tend to get into more cat fights and will get bit. Spaying and neutering your cats will prevent a big chance in this, but as long as they remain outside, they are still at high risk. Please, if at all possible, keep your cats inside where they are at low or no risk.
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ear mites. Ear mites are highly contagious from animals to animals.
They are microscopic mites that crawl around inside the ear canal and can cause
very bad problems with your cat. This is something that cannot be treated
over-the-counter. You may notice that some pet stores will have ear mite
treatment, but if you keep reading, it will tell you it is for preventing.
It doesn't say anything about treating them. If the ears look good, then
move onto the next thing. 
There
is a product called "Soft Paws" which is a vinyl nail that gets super
glued to the animals nails. They have this for both dogs and cats and in
many colors. It is painless for the animals and lasts about 6 weeks.
They come in a wide variety of colors.
