Picking a name for a kitten, or any pet for that matter, is rather like choosing a name for a baby. Everyone’s got an opinion, and everyone has a favorite. The difference with naming the kitty however is that often there are more valid opinions to be acknowledged! So how do you go about naming your new kitten?
Well the first thing to consider is the physical appearance of the kitten, it may very well be “cute” to call your ginger cat “Sooty” but eventually the joke will wear a bit thin and you’ll be wishing you’d went with something more fitting with his color. So take a good look at your new kitten. Is there a name associated with the color of his fur that comes to mind? Watch him for a couple of days before you name him. What kind of personality does he have? Is he feisty and up to mischief already? Or is he more shy and scared looking? Think of a name that sums up his personality.
Do you have other pets in the home? What names could you choose for the latest addition that would complement the existing pet(s)? If you don’t want to choose names that are similar, how about names that are opposites? Are there pet names that seem to be “historical” within your family – as in “There’s always been a cat called Smudge in our family. Gran used to have one, but it died.” - And so you name your cat Smudge to fit the family pattern.
Do you prefer traditional kitten names, or are you more biased on choosing a name that you could call a child? Increasingly people are opting for real names rather than pet names when naming their four-legged friends. Do you have a preference either way?
The most important thing to consider when choosing a name for your kitten is what you’re going to be comfortable yelling out of the window at 2 am when kitty hasn’t returned home yet! Make a list of all the names you can live with. Put each name on a separate piece of paper. Scrunch it up and place all the papers into a container. Whoever is going to be mainly responsible for the welfare of the kitty should be the person to draw one piece of paper out. Whatever name is lifted out of the container, that’s kitty’s name!
Friday, January 22, 2010
How to Keep a Kitten Healthy
There’s a huge array of resources that will help you to keep your kitten healthy. What you need to know is which ones will help you to keep your kitten healthy!
One of the best sources of information is your veterinary clinic. Not only will they be able to provide you with free leaflets and information, they may also have their own guide they give out to new kitten owners, and books that they suggest you read or have on your reference shelf in case of emergency. There are so many books published on the subject of cat and kitten care that it’s easy to get lost, or pick up a book that’s not quite as comprehensive as it could be, and a recommendation or two from your veterinary can allow you to choose between books that he thinks are the best ones available for your situation.
If you are still at the deciding stage about whether or not it’s a good idea to bring a kitten into your home, check out some recently published books on kitten care from your local library. As with human healthcare, trends in feline healthcare also change to reflect new techniques, new medications, and the environments that cats now live in, so reading up on recently published books will allow you to learn current ideas and solutions rather than some that could be outdated.
The Internet offers a great resource for anyone thinking of buying, or having just bought, a kitten. Here you will find websites that are run by both professionals, and ordinary people with a passion for cats. Amongst the cat websites you’ll find everything you could ever want to know from cat toy reviews to latest feline research news, and everything in between. There are even online courses you can take to help you learn about taking proper care of your kitten.
There’s so many ways to learn about making sure you keep your kitten healthy, so it’s just a question of finding the right resource that works for you, and having it accessible so that whenever you need it, you just have to open or log-in and the answer to your question will be there for you.
One of the best sources of information is your veterinary clinic. Not only will they be able to provide you with free leaflets and information, they may also have their own guide they give out to new kitten owners, and books that they suggest you read or have on your reference shelf in case of emergency. There are so many books published on the subject of cat and kitten care that it’s easy to get lost, or pick up a book that’s not quite as comprehensive as it could be, and a recommendation or two from your veterinary can allow you to choose between books that he thinks are the best ones available for your situation.
If you are still at the deciding stage about whether or not it’s a good idea to bring a kitten into your home, check out some recently published books on kitten care from your local library. As with human healthcare, trends in feline healthcare also change to reflect new techniques, new medications, and the environments that cats now live in, so reading up on recently published books will allow you to learn current ideas and solutions rather than some that could be outdated.
The Internet offers a great resource for anyone thinking of buying, or having just bought, a kitten. Here you will find websites that are run by both professionals, and ordinary people with a passion for cats. Amongst the cat websites you’ll find everything you could ever want to know from cat toy reviews to latest feline research news, and everything in between. There are even online courses you can take to help you learn about taking proper care of your kitten.
There’s so many ways to learn about making sure you keep your kitten healthy, so it’s just a question of finding the right resource that works for you, and having it accessible so that whenever you need it, you just have to open or log-in and the answer to your question will be there for you.
Kittens and Small Children
The smaller your child, the more interested he will be in the new kitty. It will be his baby, his companion, his toy ….only the kitten isn’t a toy and that’s something that you need to make very clear about right from the get-go. Even a toddler can understand that they are not to pick kitty up if they are told firmly enough.
Your child is fragile against the outside world, but the kitten is fragile even against a small child and can easily be hurt by simply being loved too much! Young kids have a habit of wanting to hug the kitten tightly, and this can be fatal as it’s easy to restrict cat’s air supply. Picking up the kitten in a rough way, or by its legs can create the need for a visit to the veterinary where you and your child (if there) will be admonished for ill treating the kitty. It can also create internal injuries on a young kitten that doesn’t have much body fat to protect its internal organs.
The best way to bring young child and kitty together safely is by first not allowing your child to pick up the kitten until you are sure he can do it in the correct manner, and by teaching him to fuss the kitty while the kitty is on your knee. The kitten will soon follow your child around if he feels safe, and within no time at all you’ll probably find you have two “kittens” crawling around the floor as your child becomes the kitty’s shadow! By first teaching the safe way of fussing, and then playing, you decrease not only the chances of the kitten being unintentionally, but seriously, harmed – but also the chances of your child being scratched by a fearful cat who is being held too tight.
Your child is fragile against the outside world, but the kitten is fragile even against a small child and can easily be hurt by simply being loved too much! Young kids have a habit of wanting to hug the kitten tightly, and this can be fatal as it’s easy to restrict cat’s air supply. Picking up the kitten in a rough way, or by its legs can create the need for a visit to the veterinary where you and your child (if there) will be admonished for ill treating the kitty. It can also create internal injuries on a young kitten that doesn’t have much body fat to protect its internal organs.
The best way to bring young child and kitty together safely is by first not allowing your child to pick up the kitten until you are sure he can do it in the correct manner, and by teaching him to fuss the kitty while the kitty is on your knee. The kitten will soon follow your child around if he feels safe, and within no time at all you’ll probably find you have two “kittens” crawling around the floor as your child becomes the kitty’s shadow! By first teaching the safe way of fussing, and then playing, you decrease not only the chances of the kitten being unintentionally, but seriously, harmed – but also the chances of your child being scratched by a fearful cat who is being held too tight.
How to Groom a Kitten
Cats are, by nature, clean animals and don’t like being dirty. This is also true about kittens. Even the youngest kitty can be seen trying to wash itself. There are instances during your cat’s life however when it will be unable to groom itself, or it could be that the kind of cat you choose has high maintenance fur (such as a long hair Persian) and needs a little extra help to keep its fur in good condition.
Despite not wanting to be dirty, and despite the constant self-grooming, this does not automatically mean that your kitten is going to enjoy your interference in its personal grooming routine. The best way to avoid this is to introduce your kitten to being groomed by you from the very start. If you get into an immediate habit of combing and brushing kitty once or twice a week, then if the day comes when he’s just in too much mess, or too sick to manage himself, then he won’t mind your intervention.
Although you won’t be able to introduce him to a bath, you can introduce him to the idea of a bath using a dish (without water) and a damp face cloth, but this should be done every few weeks. Grooming in the form of brushing however should be done more frequently. One perfect time for this is at night when you’re watching TV and kitty crawls up onto your lap. Have a brush to hand (a baby brush is fine for a short haired kitten) and gently brush the kitten in the direction his fur grows. He’ll get used to how this feels, and often will start to purr his approval. If you have a longer-furred kitten, set aside half an hour at least twice a week to thoroughly comb through his coat. This will ensure that tangles don’t build up and his coat will remain healthy looking.
As he gets older, and is allowed outdoors, make sure that you spend 5-10 minutes with him every week to gently put the flea comb through his fur. This means that you are sure that he remains flea-free, and at the very least, can initiate a flea-removal treatment should your comb find something.
The time you invest grooming your kitten will pay dividends when he becomes a cat that needs help with cleaning his fur. A cat that is used to being groomed is far easier to maintain than one who turns every grooming session into a battle of wills!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)