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At AlbinoKittens.com, we strongly believe in allowing our kittens to remain with their mother or foster mother. This gives babies the most natural opportunity to learn essential habits, such as litter box etiquette, from Mom. However, while the kittens are still nursing on their mother, we spend a great deal of time handling and socializing them. This offers our kittens the best of both worlds, Mom and gentle, loving human contact.
Interestingly, research suggests handling kittens daily during the first month of their lives will improve their learning ability. Moreover, a greater impression is made when kittens are between the ages of four and six weeks than anytime thereafter.
Still, kittens are very impressionable after this age. It is for this reason we strive to prepare our kittens to leave for their new homes between eight and ten weeks of age. This way, their new families can be a major part of their lives during their critical bonding period. How a kitten is handled during the first few weeks in its new home can influence his or her lifetime behavior and relationships with people.
To help you to ease your kitten's transition into your home, a strange, new environment, we have compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts for your kitten's first couple of weeks in his/her new home.
Do
• Be calm and quiet when you bring your kitten into your home.
• Place the carrier on the floor and let your kitten come out on his/her own.
• Encourage your kitten to come out of the carrier for the first time by gently coaxing him/her out with a feather teaser-toy.
• Keep your kitten in a small room when he or she first arrives. A small area is kitten-size. It will help him or her to more readily "get the lay of the land." After a day or two, allow him/her a little more run of the house.
• Sit or lie on the floor at your kitten's level to play and socialize.
• Place your kitten in the litter box several times during the first few of days after arrival.
• Allow your kitten to sleep with you after the first couple of days and after he or she has a firm grasp on the location of the litter box.
• Slowly introduce the kitten to your other pets.
• Make sure your kitten knows where his or her food and water is kept and check to see he/she is eating and drinking enough.
• A 30 minute timeout in a small room, such as a bathroom, may be required several times a day to force your kitten to stop playing long enough to eat and drink.
• Use a pelletted litter, such as Feline Pine or pelletted newspaper, for the first few weeks after getting your kitten home. This is what we at AlbinoKittens.com use and what the kittens are used to. It will not harm them if they ingest some of it.
• Very important: Please call us with any and all questions. We will do our best to advise you regarding any situation.
Do Not
• Give your kitten full run of the house immediately.
• Move the litter box for the first couple of weeks: it will confuse your kitten. When/if you find it necessary to move it, place your kitten in it several times to establish its location.
• Introduce too many people to your kitten at first. It can overwhelm your baby. After he/she is comfortable and confident in your home, gradually introduce new people.
• Leave a down comforter on your bed for the first few weeks if your kitten is sleeping with you. A down comforter may feel like a litter box under his/her little paws and, consequently, may be used as one.
• Take your kitten outside, even on a harness, until your kitten has had all of his or her vaccinations.
Bringing A Kitten Home: The wait can seem endless! The day you choose your new kitten to the day your new family member comes home can feel like forever! But fill the days by preparing for your kitten's all-important arrival and time whizzes by. So now is the perfect time to mentally prepare yourself and physically prepare your home to make your kitten's transition as smooth as possible.
It is important to understand that placing a kitten on an airplane is not much more stressful for a kitten than driving him or her a few hours to a new home. What is stressful is the confusion of being taken from his or her former surroundings and separated from his or her siblings, the constant companions your baby has been used to playing with, eating with and sleeping on 24/7 since birth.
Arriving Home: When your kitten first arrives, we recommend you have a small room ready for him/her, such as a bathroom where your kitten can't hide under anything, where food, water and litter box are all readily accessible, and allow your kitten to come out of the carrier on his/her own. Some kittens will barrel out as soon as the carrier door is opened. Others are less confident and may require coaxing. You'll find a feather teaser toy has been attached to the carrier to help entice your kitten if he or she needs a little cajoling. Once out of the carrier, allow your new baby time to explore the room. Gently place him or her in the litter box (see: Litter and litter boxes below), and point out the location of the food and water bowls. Offer your kitten a small amount of wet food. See our Feeding page for more information on suggested wet food.
Bonding with your baby: The best way to win a kitten over is with a toy! They can hardly resist feather toys. Take the time to sit on the floor with your kitten, at his or her level, and play with your kitten. This will quickly help form a bond between you. However, once finished playing, place feather toy, and toys with cords, out of reach. Feathers and cords are too tempting to chew on and swallow.
Kittens usually choose to crawl up onto your bed to sleep with you. If allowed, your kitten will feel very comfortable and will bond more quickly with you. However, kittens will sometimes wake up groggy, sense the soft, squishy feeling of the comforter/mattress, and, without thinking, relieve themselves. So be aware of the "waking kitten" and place him or her in the litter box as soon as baby starts to stir.
If you have other pets in your home, we recommend waiting until your kitten is completely comfortable and bonded with you and your family before introducing them. If introduced too quickly, your kitten could bond more closely with your other pets than with your family.
The quarantine period: If you do have other pets, a five-day minimum quarantine period for your kitten is imperative. This protects your kitten as well as your other pets from "picking up a strange bug." Since kittens are stressed during a transition period, their immunity is generally weakened and they are more apt to succumb. While it is common for an adult animal with a strong immune system to carry viral strains that don't affect them, a kitten with a weakened immune system, exposed to the same virus, could easily contract the virus. So keeping your kitten separate for a minimum of five days is very important.
Having run of the house: Once your kitten is comfortable in the small room, he/she can be allowed access to more of the house. Starting with the master bedroom that connects to your kitten's bathroom, is ideal. When your kitten readily comes to you to play and socialize, you can permit him or her more run of the home. And once your kitten has run of the house, we recommend keeping several litter boxes throughout the house for the first couple of months. As your kitten starts to explore, be sure to set him/her into the new litter boxes several times during the first few days. Even with multiple boxes available, we recommend you give your kitten time-out sessions in his or her original bathroom/bedroom to encourage your kitten to take time to eat and drink and use the litter box. See also: Dangerous cords and poisonous plants as well as More Childproofing below.
Litter and litter boxes: To prevent confusion, use the same litter your kitten has been used to at AlbinoKittens.com, Feline Pine, a pelletted pine litter with a completely different scent and texture than clumping litter. If you choose, after a week or so, you can begin mixing the pelletted litter with a clumping litter to get the kitten converted to the litter of your choice. When your kitten is very comfortable and familiar with your home and uses the litter box without incident, you can remove some of the litter boxes. Recommendations from cat experts dictate one litter box per cat, plus one extra. So if you have two cats, you should provide three litter boxes.
Dangerous cords and Poisonous Plants: As they begin to explore the house, kittens will usually be attracted to cords for a while. The phase usually lasts for only a few weeks, but those weeks can be challenging. Spraying or wiping “Bitter Apple” or vinegar on the cords will quickly discourage cord chewing. Reapplying may be necessary once or more weekly. It is also a good idea to know where your circuit breaker box is located, just in case you need to quickly cut the power. If your kitten does bite through a wire NEVER touch the kitten or try to unplug the wire! IMMEDIATELY cut all electrical power and RUSH your kitten to the nearest veterinarian or emergency clinic.
Kittens are also drawn to plants. Make sure your house plants are not toxic. You can check for poisonous plants at www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/.
More Childproofing: The curiousity and high energy of a hybrid requires the extra care you would give to a human baby in the crawling stage, and possibly then some.
• From today on, hide all plastic bags, including grocery bags. They are chewable, very attractive to most hybrids, and can readily cause intestinal blockage. Check for and remove all small objects such as rubber bands and chewable rubber toys, cellophane tape and plastic wrappings, ribbons and string, and small plastic objects. Frequently check toys. Toss those that are very worn or broken.
• Lock away medications (even Tylenol and asperin can be fatal to a cat), poisons and cleaning products.
• Remove or place heavy objects, vases, and other valuables in an area where your kitten won't be injured and your precious possessions will be secure.
• Close toilet lids, keep your kitten away from a bathtub or sink filled with water. A quick jump and a kitten may be out of his or her depth.
• Take care with rocking chairs, mechanical loungers, and hot stove surfaces.
• Be sure all small crawl spaces are blocked, floor vents included. A curious kitten will want to explore and can get caught where you may not be able to reach them.
• Be on guard opening and closing doors, including refridgerator and freezer, washer and dryer doors.
"No!" Time out, and The Squirt Bottle: Some kittens will try to play rough, biting or growling at toys. This is not a behavior to encourage. Firmly tell your kitten “No!” A firm tap on the nose may be necessary. A time-out session can also be very helpful. This is done by placing your kitten into their small room or into a crate/carrier for fifteen minutes or so. After a few time-outs, most kittens will understand that what they are doing will warrant punishment. Since they don't like confinement, behavior will be curbed.
We recommend the use of a squirt bottle to deter the kitten from things not allowed. Because many hybrids like water, a hint of vinegar added to the water will make it effective. Hybrid cats are very intelligent animals. Most will learn the difference between acceptable and non-acceptable behavior very quickly. So if you are consistent with your training, you will be pleased with the response.
Preparing for my kitten's arrival - Check list:
• Decide on kitten's first "room"
• Kitten bed
• Sturdy, non-edible toys
• Water bowl, food dishes
• Wet food, dry food
• Litter, litter boxes
• Squirt bottle
• Remember to close toilet lids
• Clear out Poisonous house plants
• Hide medications, poisons, cleaning products
• Remove plastic bags, rubber bands, small edible objects
• Assess locations of crawl spaces
• Remove precarious heavy objects
• Hide window blind cords
• Hide, cover or coat electrical cords
• Toss worn toys
• Toss readily edible toys, toys with cords/ribbons
• Keep toys with feathers only for supervised playtime
Hybrid kittens can offer challenges. But the enjoyment and entertainment they provide is endless. Being prepared for the possible challenges will only make your relationship with your new companion more rewarding. Seeing your kitten's eager face when you return home, so happy to see you and wanting to play, makes you look forward to the end of the day and getting home to your cat. We hope you enjoy every moment of preparing/kitten-proofing your home and training your new kitten!
At AlbinoKittens.com we wean our kittens onto a raw, ground chicken diet, supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Once our kittens are eating their raw chicken well, Innova Evo wet food, Turkey and Chicken formula, is mixed into the raw at an increasing rate, until the kittens are exclusively eating the Innova Evo wet food. At all times, our kittens have access to both Innova Evo and Royal Canin Kitten formula, not Royal Canin BabyCat formula. Kittens eating primarily wet food tend to drink very little. Because moisture content in wet food is so high, not much water is required.
At nine to eleven weeks of age, when our kittens are ready to leave AlbinoKittens.com, their diet is Innova Evo wet food, Turkey and Chicken formula, twice daily. Most have begun to nibble on the dry food, although they may not be eating sufficient dry food to sustain themselves.
Once home with you, we recommend continuing Innova Evo wet food feedings twice daily for several weeks. If you plan to change to a different brand of high quality wet food, do it gradually, mixing it in with the Innova Evo at an increasing rate.
As your kitten grows, increase the amount of food offered at each meal. When first arriving home, kittens will generally eat a quarter of a can per feeding. If they lick their platter clean within a couple of minutes, you can offer them more. If they don’t
eat everything you gave them, offer a little less at the next feeding.
Each kitten converts to dry food at a different rate. Some leave AlbinoKittens.com eating a considerable amount of dry food, soon choosing to eat strictly dry. Others will take months to convert to dry food, thinking it's the end of the world if they don’t get their spoonful of wet food each morning.
If your kitten does not seem be very interested in dry food, we recommend mixing the dry into their wet food at an increasing rate to force conversion to the dry food. Long term, we recommend their diet consists mainly of dry food as it’s nutritional and calorie content is much higher than wet food which is 90% water.
Some people ask about feeding a raw diet to their hybrid cat. This is certainly your choice. Be advised, however, a raw diet requires a great deal more effort, plus added dietary supplements. Raw food diets for pets are available in the marketplace. Some individuals choose to make the diet themselves. To make a balanced ration which meets the calcium-phosphorus ratio necessary for a feline diet requires knowledge most people lack. So we recommend that if you choose to feed raw food, you do it in combination with a high quality dry food. When feeding in this manner, it is important the raw food be fed in limited amounts so your cat is not omitting the dry food.
We are also asked if it is necessary to supplement with Calcium, Taurine, Vitamins, etc. If you are feeding a high quality dry food, this is not necessary.
It’s almost impossible to believe, but on occasion highly intelligent hybrids will opt not to use their litter box. If this occurs, ask yourself:
Is my cat under the weather? The most common reason for "missing the box" is that a cat isn't feeling well. Diarrhea, for instance, doesn't allow enough time to get to the box when the urge arises. Obviously, if your cat is sick, treatment is the first step to getting stools back on track. We recommend taking a stool sample to your vet for a parasite check under the microscope plus running a Giardia snap test. If parasites are not an issue, food may be. Some hybrids are able to eat anything, including all kinds of wet and dry cat foods, people food treats, and table scraps. Others get loose stools eating food other than their regular high quality dry food. We encourage our clients to call us if their kitten is having loose stools so we can help to figure out and remedy the problem.
Was there a change in your home? Upsets can occur from a pet or person moving out or in. A stressful argument could be the issue.
Did I rearrange the furniture? Hybrids can be very rigid about their territory.
Have I been scrupulous about cleaning the box? Not the issue? Your cat might be finicky, wanting one box to pee in and one to poop in.
Do I have enough litter boxes? Cat experts recommend one litter box per cat, plus one extra.
Did I change my brand of litter? Maybe your cat doesn’t like the litter you are using.
Did I move the box to a new location or has something changed in the old location? Maybe your cat doesn’t like the area in which you keep the litter box(es), a noisy laundry room, for instance, might be upsetting.
Sometimes the problem can be simple, quick to figure out and fix. If you find yourself in an irresolvable situation, we have found a fail-safe method to retrain your hybrid to the litter box.
Retraining your hybrid: Go back to ground zero as if your kitten had just arrived. Confine your cat to a small room, or a dog crate large enough to comfortably hold your cat, its food, water and litter box. We're talking tough love here. Your cat will likely cry, but it has to be done.
We recommend containment in this small area for about a week, allowing for short recreational periods outside the "room" throughout the day as long as you are watching and interacting with your cat. After play, it's back to the small room or large crate. We also recommend you switch to Cat Attract litter from PetSmart, a clumping litter with pheromones that aid in litter box usage.
After a week of confinement, your cat can be allowed out for progressively longer periods of time, as long as you confine him/her during this retraining process when you are gone.
If your cat progresses to where he/she is allowed out of confinement for two hours at a time, but goes outside the litter box, it's back to the small room/crate for a full day without any play sessions. After the non-play day, pick up where you left off with time periods out of the small room/crate.
If your cat continues to potty in a specific area/room outside the box, keep him/her closed out of this area for as long as you can. Usually a cat will retrain to the box without any accidents. But should your cat have a few accidents in the process, he/she will quickly realize confinement results when the box isn't used and the box will be regularly used again.
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