Taking Care of Kittens

Newborn kittens are everybody's center of attention, including kids and adults. It is necessary to take a good proper kitten care as they do not have enough strength to protect themselves and are susceptible to attacks from other older pets. Kittens are also prone to different infections. They are completely dependent and hence need to be nurtured in proper manner, until they become good healthy cats in future. There are a lot of things, one should know on how to take care of kittens, that includes right from feeding the kitten to socializing it. But, if you have adopted a kitten from a pet shop, you need to make yourself aware of how to take care of kittens. Let us take a look at some of the important steps that you will require while taking care of kittens.

How to Take Care of Kittens

If you have adopted just one kitten from the pet store you need to give special attention to it. Initially the kitten should be given time to adjust itself to the environment at your house. If you have other pets at home, it is better you do not introduce the kitten in the initial period. Always keep an eye on the activities of the kitten. Never let it wander outside alone. Other pets like dogs can harm your kitten, since it is unknown to them initially. If you have small children at home they may tend to play with them, however the kitten may get frightened. Thus, whenever you bring new kitten at your home the first thing to do is let the kitten adjust with the new surrounding. If you have a cat at home that just gave birth to the kittens, you may not need to worry as the cat takes good care of her babies. It is always good to leave the kittens with their mother in the initial period.

Food

Kittens should always be given cat food that satisfies their nutrition requirements. It is necessary that the food you give them should be specially made for kittens. The food given to the kittens should be made up of calcium and proteins. The quantity you feed is also important, since their tummies are small, and see that you do not overfeed them. Many people do a mistake by feeding dog food to kittens, do not do that. You should feed them after every short interval of time. Dry or canned food or a combination of both is a good food for kittens. Start with dry food in the initial period and gradually make the kitten habituated to canned food. Ensure that you do not feed the kittens with adult cat food, as it is not designed for them. Visit a pet store nearby and you can get detailed information of taking care of the kittens with their food.

Grooming the Kittens

Grooming of the kittens include bathing, brushing their fur, playing with them, making them used to litter boxes and many more things. Small litter boxes should be used for kittens. See that the height of the litter box is not too high so that the kitten cannot climb it easily. Use litter that may not create any health problems to the kittens. Usually kittens have the habit to gulp the litter thinking it as food. Thus use natural litters and always keep an eye on the kitten, when it is in the litter box. When kittens start walking they will explore your whole house. They love to play and hence you should spend ample time playing with them. Playing will also help them in socializing. Along with playing you provide cat training like not to bite or scratch. Introduce toys to them like soft balls. Kittens lick themselves and hence are clean. Still you can use a soft damp cloth to clean it thoroughly. Usually kittens do not require regular bathing unless they get too much dirty.

Health

Health is an important concern in taking care for kittens as they have less immunity. There are vaccinations available for kittens. As your kittens grow old vaccinate them with distemper vaccination and rabies vaccination. The first vaccination is to prevent various infections that can affect the kitten health. While rabies is a fatal disease that any animal can suffer from. The vaccination for rabies should be given when the kitten is of almost 3-4 months. Always keep the contact number of the nearby veterinarian, you may need it in case of emergency. Contact him as soon as you notice any health problem in your kitten.

Raising kittens is great fun. Your children will develop responsibility while taking care of kittens. Do not worry on how to take care of kittens if you want to adopt them or the cat at your home is about to give birth. Treat kittens as your babies and you will have a wonderful experience in bringing them up.