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Kitten Care Part 1

Introduce the baby into your home carefully.

Kittens are tough little things but like any baby they need to be nurtured for the first few weeks of life, Nature has given them skills and their mother taught them basic survival habits. Kittens under 8 weeks of age, however. are still learning and it is best to leave them with mum until at least 6 to 7 weeks old.

Once removed from her care and the warmth and play of its siblings a young kitten may become depressed and moody. You can help it overcome that with some simple aids. Toys and hot water bags (warm not hot) are great substitutes and one of the simplest toys is a stick or plastic bag tied up with string and suspended from the back of a chair or something higher.

Kittens need a secluded place to hide so make sure you have a little hidie hole somewhere and you will always know where it is. This is like a security blanket.

Now that you have your kitten these are the things to watch out for:

BEWARE OF DANGERS; Cats are killed, stolen or meet other mishaps so we need to protect them for a good, long, and stress free relationship. So please read this carefully.

You reap benefits from the love and companionship your little friend gives so please continue its routine by following these simple guidelines:

Your pet responds to direction and can be easily trained. It understands simple words like 'come on' and simple mouth noises. One of my cats responds to whistles. Help him/her settle into your home. It will learn to speak to you if you use gentle persuasion. Dp not yell or make loud noises around it for a while until it settles in. This could be a couple of weeks.

It should meow when picked up or when it sees you. This is its hello. Respond with a word and use that word to communicate until learned. Slowly introduce other terms, one at a time, and you will build up a vocabulary that you will both enjoy.

Always feed in the same place and at the same time. Usually at 7.30 am, midday and 4pm. You will need to give a middle of the day feed until it gets established without mum's milk

MILK CAN KILL CATS - DO NOT FEED MILK.

TRAPS - floor level cupboard doors, holes in fences, unguarded fish ponds or swimming pools etc. are places of danger. Trauma from an accident or extreme stress may cause epilepsy, brain hemorrhage, broken bones, destabilization, or death. Access to outside boundaries may result in theft, car accidents or roaming and loss.

WATER IS ESSENTIAL; While with its mother your kitten drank mainly her milk and may need encouragement to drink water. Supervision to ensure it is drinking and clean water accessible at all times is necessary.

STRANGE ENVIRONMENT may cause fretting and disorientation resulting in sulking and hiding or in extreme cases vomiting, shaking or diarrhea. In this event reassurance is important. A cuddle and soothing words works wonders. Make a hiding place (lined and soft). If worried see a vet. Remember to keep noise down. If taking it in a car then cover the container with a blanket or towel to avoid more stress.

Young children often squeeze kittens and cause internal damage. Their noise is also a problem. Screams, crying and loud demands are threats or warnings that it reacts to with fear. Remember they are jungle creatures. The kitten may flee, become disorientated and aggression and behaviour problems may follow, even running away. Children must be made aware of such issues and contain the noise or the owner should protect the kitten from it.

KEEP ENVIRONMENT CALM; You are a stranger and your kitten is homesick and missing its mum and siblings. For a few days allow adaptation under natural and normal conditions. Perfume is off-putting and camouflages your smell creating confusion. Smoke represents fire and danger and tobacco smells are off putting. Other animals may reject the new arrival if not introduced properly.

Take your kitten on a tour of your home and yard to examine everything by way of smell, touch and sight. Other pets should be introduced immediately. Give the kitten as a present to the other animal(s) and reassure existing pet(s) that it has not lost its place in the pecking order. Do not isolate birds from the kitten. Within a short time the kitten and bird may become friends (no guarantees - so stay on guard when together).

DO NOT SMACK BUT USE GENTLE COAXING AND SOFT WORDS. This avoids aggression and scratching.

Toilet training. SUPPLY A LITTER TRAY (sand or soil is OK). Soil is environmental friendly. If confining indoors (highly recommended) make sure it uses the tray or is under escort outside. Use a lead when outside. It should be confined indoors at all other times to get it used to being housebound and not a nuisance in the neighborhood.

Author publisher and internet marketer Norma has been on line since early 90's and built her first web site in 1995. She has studied the ins and out of web marketing and read just about every thing that any successful marketer has written. She is now helping others to get online and earn an income from home doing what they love to do. She also studies the human mind and why people believe things and act the way they do. She believes success comes from a clear mind and positive thinking. She has reared and sold kittens for over 20 years and considers herself somewhat of an expert in the field. In between kittens she concentrates on her Internet marketing on her latest sites here and here

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