Welcoming Your New Feline Companion
Advice on introducing your new cat or kitten to your home, food choices and litter box training.
the first few days
Cats are, by nature, highly territorial, which means they need a place to call their own: it’s important to their emotional well-being. Cats love their homes, and you too, of course! Your new cat/kitten is already in a state of stress from having been brought to a new home with new people in strange surroundings so your goal is to help make your furry family member feel comfortable and safe as quickly as possible.
When welcoming a new kitty into your home, we’ve found that confining them to a small room (the bathroom is good) for the first few days is a great way to start. Make sure that food and litter and a warm soft bed are in the room. Be sure you continue with the same food and litter your new cat or kitten is used to as they’re undergoing enough changes as it is. A hot water bottle under the blanket is soothing and the old tale of rubbing a bit of butter on the pads of the feet actually does help the animal settle in! Grooming gives a cat a sense of contentment, so licking the butter off helps the cat to feel more settled.
Just as you wouldn't leave a toddler home alone to run around unsupervised, it doesn't make sense to leave kittens unsupervised either. You’d be surprised at the places they can find to hide you didn't know existed. Some shy cats and kittens may hide under a piece of furniture for as long as a week, while others will be ready to come out and explore right away. Spend as much time as possible in the room with the kitty, speaking gently and soothingly, but don't try to force it out of hiding. The cat will let you know when it’s ready to begin exploring more of the house.
Click here to watch a video with tips on bringing home your new cat or kitten.
meeting the family
Naturally, everyone in the family, especially the kids, will be excited to see the new arrival. Children should be asked to meet the new kitty calmly and quietly. Have them sit on the floor and allow the kitty to come to them to investigate. Have the child hold out a hand to be sniffed or pull a toy around for it to see.
Picking a new kitten up off the ground usually frightens it, whether by a child or an adult. Never allow a child to encourage a kitten to pounce on their fingers (or yours for that matter). It may seem cute at first, but soon becomes a very painful game. Your hand should never be considered a play thing. Be sure to teach children how to hold a cat properly with one hand under the bum and one under the front legs/chest, held up against their body. A kitten should never be held against its will as it won’t want to be held at all if it thinks you won't let it go when it wants. Be sure children understand this and never leave the very young alone with a small animal.
Click here to watch a video with tips on introducing your new cat to your other resident animals.
Other helpful videos:
Cat scratch tips: How to stop your cat from scratching
food
At VOKRA we strongly believe in the health benefits of wet or raw food only diets.
We only feed our cats high quality wet food free from grains, by-products, meatmeal and colours. In fact, FirstMate & Kasiks Pet Food is our first choice - they're local, family owned & operated and only use natural, human grade meats with no artificial preservatives, colouring agents or thickeners in their canned diets.
Cats are designed by nature to be carnivores and their digestive tract, despite thousands of years of domestication, is not intended to assimilate dry food. From our own experience, feeding your cat wet or raw food is the best way to keep it happy and healthy with clean teeth and a glowing coat.
Highly processed pet food is a far cry from the wholesome food our pets need and deserve. Contrary to popular belief, dry food does not keep teeth clean; in fact, it causes plaque to form. Free feeding of dry food is also often the cause of problems such as obesity and kidney disease, especially in males.
Unfortunately, dry processed food is presented in the most incompatible state for the digestive requirements of cats (and was designed for human convenience) so the body must work anywhere from 12 - 18 hours to break it down. This means the kitty is always half full and in a constant state of digestion. This is why a cat who is a natural "hunt, catch, kill" predator picks at dry processed food and then walks away. It transforms the kitty into a grazer (like a deer) and not a predator designed to eat everything then groom then sleep and then get up and do it all over again when hungry. Feeding a cat dry cat food can not only lead to serious health issues, but also behavioural issues and a cat that keeps you up at night on a nocturnal clock.
On the other hand, raw food moves through the body within four hours and wet food takes 8-12 hours for the body to metabolize it.
Learn more about why it’s important to feed your cats a wet or raw food only diet:
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
What's Really inYour Pet Food? The Top 12 Ingredients to Avoid and Who Uses Them
Litter
Cats are naturally clean creatures and in general are very easy to litter train. Most kittens are reasonably well litter-box-trained at five to six weeks. Here are a few hints and suggestions to keep kitty on the right path.
Place the litter box in a clean, relatively quiet and accessible location : Keep it away from high-traffic areas and be sure your cat has access to it any time she needs it. Be sure to keep the litter box out of reach of children as well as other animals in the household. Many dogs consider cat poo a delicacy.
Show kitty where it is: Place her in the box and let her sniff. Some people have found it useful to rake their fingers through the litter to show their cat what they want her to do.
Clean any accidents immediately: If kitty does have an accident, clean the area right away with either Urine Off! or Nature's Miracle. This is an enzyme cleaner that eats up the offending stain rather than covering it. Remember kitty's sense of smell is much superior to yours, and you may think soap and water have cleared it up, but kitty can still smell it. If cats smell where they, or another cat have gone before, they may continue using the same spot. This will help to eliminate the odour and hopefully prevent repeat incidents.
Never punish your cat for having an accident: Do not strike her or rub her nose in the mess; this will only create anxiety and compound the problem. Say "NO" then place her in her litter box and praise her there. Be sure kitty knows what the litter box is for. Many kittens assume it is a new toy full of stuff to bat around. Soak up any urine with tissue and place it in the box. Pop the poop in, too.
If you have more than one cat: Get a separate litter box for each. Cats generally don't like to eliminate in the same place as other cats.
Keep the litter box clean: Scoop out soiled litter daily, and be sure the box is fresh by changing it regularly. You can wash out the box with a solution of water and vinegar to help reduce the odour. An inch and a half of fresh litter is usually plenty. However, the best way to keep odour down is to feed your cat raw food.
Don't place the litter box near the food and water:Cats don't like to eliminate where they eat. How often do you eat in the bathroom?
If your cat stops using the litter box:
Vet check: First, have your cat checked at the vet to rule out a urinary tract problem, possibly an infection or crystals.
Changes in the home environment: New family member? changed houses? are you upset about something? Cats are very sensitive and may react to disturbing changes (at least disturbing to them) by inappropriate elimination. Sometimes consulting an animal behaviourist is worthwhile. We highly recommend Lynne Henderson.
Litter box size: Be sure that your cat can turn around in it. If it has a lid, take it off. If it doesn't have a lid, try one. Be sure it's clean, clean, clean.
Are you using the same litter?: If you have changed the litter brand, go back to the original. Many cats find scented litters offensive. Or try a different type of litter. We really like the Pine Pellets. Your cat may prefer that you fluff them first by dampening them.
Go small: Confine the kitten/cat in a small area with its litter box....the bathroom or a large kennel is good. When they are using the box, go larger, a bit at a time.
Move the box to a more hidden spot: After all, how often do you want an audience? However, if it's a kitten, be sure it can find the box! Sometimes in a big house a small kitten can get lost or over excited and not be able to find the box in time. Just like kids, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
