How much do you know about the precautions for raising a cat? Taking a kitten home is a very, very lucky thing. From now on, you have one more child and one more lifelong partner. Before deciding to raise a kitten, you must first understand these. Animal behaviorists have found that kittens have the strongest adaptability to the environment between 8 and 12 weeks. In order to reduce the stress response to unfamiliar environments, this period of time It is the best time to go to a new home, and it is also the best time to cultivate feelings with the new owner.

Beginner’s guide to raising cats:

Pick up the cat

1. Understand cats. This is particularly important.

In fact, you only need to understand one thing: Where do cats come from?

Is it a "Northeastern" cat or a domestic cat bred by yourself? (Note: Breeding is not the same as breeding an adult female cat. Depending on the physical condition, she should retire after giving birth to at least 5 litters in two years). Is it from the hands of a "cat dealer" or a cat lover? The hand of a cat owner?

2. Health examination.

Before bringing a cat back, you should first confirm whether the cat is healthy and whether it has been vaccinated and dewormed on time.

3. Choose appropriate cat picking tools.

You can choose a pet air box, travel bag or small iron cage of appropriate size (with an air-permeable cloth cover on the outside to prevent the cat from being frightened by the unfamiliar environment). Try not to use cardboard boxes for big cats to prevent them from escaping when frightened.

4. Do a good job of protection.

Kittens, like children, like to jump around and rub around. Therefore, put away knives, glass products and other fragile things at home, and all things that cats cannot touch: chocolate, coffee, lilies, various medicines, various household acidic and alkaline cleaners (to prevent licking), mothballs , insecticides, varnish for furniture...

Seal the windows well, and families with conditions can purchase wire screens. Because cats like to look out the window, it is necessary to prevent the cat from accidentally opening the window and falling out (residents on the first floor) or slipping out (residents on the first floor) while playing on the window. Another tip is to keep your cat out of sight every time you open the window. Because some clever cats will secretly learn how to open windows! So this is also a way to teach parents some necessary scheming!! Hee hee hee!!

5. Give the cat a quiet and free environment.

When the cat gets home, will itBe eager to hug it or kiss it. Families with children should pay special attention to not letting children tease the cat first. Cats are notoriously sensitive and slow-warming animals. In order to prevent the cat from being frightened, try to give it time to get familiar with the new environment. It is recommended to put the kitten in a room first without disturbing it, and don't rush to feed it food and water. After 2 hours, it will be familiar with the environment before releasing it. Don’t take the cat to an unfamiliar environment as soon as you pick it up. This can scare the cat and cause stress, especially where there are other pets.

6. Bathing and deworming.

① Take a bath. Kittens under 3 months old should not be bathed because their resistance is relatively low. Cats over 3 months old that have been fully vaccinated should close the window when bathing. And blow dry with hot air in time. Beware of colds and cat ringworm. In addition, cats are actually not that dirty. Unless bathing is necessary under special circumstances, it is not recommended to bathe cats frequently every two days. It will destroy the protection of the cat's skin by the hair. Generally, once a month is sufficient. And don’t wash it just after you bring it home!!!

②Deworming. Internal and external deworming: use according to dosage, adults and kittens have their own special dosage. Cats should be driven once a month until they reach five pounds. After five pounds, drive once every three months.

③ Cat triple vaccine and rabies: After the first dose of vaccine, give the second dose of vaccine 3 to 4 weeks (21-28 days)

Prevent the owner from getting cat plague, nasal congestion and other diseases. Don’t sacrifice your kitten’s safety to save money.

As for the rabies vaccine, the editor does not recommend giving it to cats.

If you are ready and will not abandon your cat no matter if you get married and have children, or your family moves, or even if you are born, old, sick or dead for any reason, then keep it!

​Equipment

1. Cat food, cat cans, cat food bowls, goat milk (don’t give cats milk! There is goat milk powder for cats!)

You should prepare two food bowls for cats. One is for water and the other is for food.

So how to choose the right cat food? Of course, natural food is recommended! Novices will ask questions such as what is natural food and whether it is expensive? In fact, many cat friends on Baidu will recommend you Royal Cat Food, etc. Don't buy those grains that cost just a few yuan a pound, as the nutrients in them are too little. Because the cat is greedy for cheap and buys low-quality food, one of the cats will not be able to eat enough, and the other will be an increase in appetite. Not only does it not save money, but it also increases the risk of the cat getting sick.

2. Cat litter + cat litter box

The litter box is the cat toilet. Cat litter is also available, and you can choose it according to your needs. Be careful not to buy one that is too dusty. Tofu cat litter is recommended.

3. Standby medicines and nutritional supplements

Probiotics (must have!!!), Mommy's Love, Smecta (probiotic substitutes are available in pharmacies). Some cats will have a stress reaction when going to a new environment, causing gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms. At this time, the cat should be given probiotics. There are also syringes, lysine, nutritional cream, hair removal cream, hair beauty cream (lecithin), etc. The more commonly used drugs are: Sono, doxycycline (anti-inflammatory drugs). Cats need anti-inflammatory drugs for colds and coughs, and for various infections.

4. Travel supplies

Flight case, iron cage, soft cat bag (also very important!!!)

Cat carriers are so useful. For example, if there are guests at home or the small animals are afraid of the cat, or the cat needs to be taken to the animal hospital for sterilization, or the cat needs to be sent home for foster care during the New Year, it is very useful.

​5. Care products

Cat internal and external deworming medicine, cat eye drops, cat bath shampoo, cat ear mite medication, cat toothbrush, cat brushing gloves and cat toothpaste, cat oral spray, cat nail clippers, cat grass, comb. Some parents may ignore buying hair cream or cat grass, but it is very dangerous for cats if the hair balls are swallowed and cannot be digested.

​6. Cat toys

Cat teasing sticks, catnip, cat scratching posts, etc.

7. Luxury level

Cat nest, cat climbing frame. It is important to have a warm cat bed during the winter. Because I was worried that my master would catch a cold. Cat climbing frame is a matter of opinion.

8. Scholar level

Some books about cat habits

Note here: 123 is a must buy. Depending on the age of the kitten, cats under 3 months old should be given goat milk powder. Kittens who have laid a good foundation in this way will be very, very strong. Avoid being weak during the growth period to prevent illness in the future. The editor’s cats have been drinking goat’s milk since childhood, and they are in great health~

​Feeding

Special attention

Kittens must continue to eat the cat food provided by the original owner after being brought home to avoid diarrhea caused by changing food. Changing food requires transition and cannot be replaced directly at one time. Do not feed canned food, homemade cat rice, goat milk powder, etc. for 3 to 7 days after arriving at the new home to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. After 3 to 7 days, the baby will be normal and can be fed.

Cats are mammals, but their eating habits are different from those of humans. They are carnivores and there are many things they cannot eat. (Note: 8~12-week-old kittens need to eat small meals frequently. Overeating kittens will cause indigestion, vomiting and diarrhea. )

​2-month-old cat

Food: Royal cat food + canned kitten + goat milk powder Feeding frequency: once every 6 hours. More than 4 meals a day. Cat food is the staple food, so don’t eat too much canned food (homemade cat rice). Goat milk powder is fed once a day. Excretion: Will defecate on its own

3-month-old cat

Food: Royal cat food + canned kitten food (homemade cat rice) + goat milk powder Feeding frequency: once every 8 hours, more than 3 meals a day. (Goat milk powder is still given a little every day)

​Cats 4 months and above

Food: Royal cat food + canned food (homemade cat rice) Feeding frequency: one meal in the morning and one meal in the evening. At this time, the cat enters the period of stripping and body growth, and will gradually change from a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks (embarrassing period) to a big bun face. If you like it, give it one more meal every day.

Rapidly maturing cats over 6 months old

Food: Royal cat food + canned cat food (homemade cat rice). Feeding frequency: one meal in the morning and one meal in the evening. If you still want to eat, add another meal. Cats over 6 months old will reach sexual maturity. The cat's growth rate began to slow down, and he was not as active as before. At this time, they eat a larger amount at each meal, so they can reduce the number of meals per day. Although the cat's size is very similar to that of an adult cat at this time, it will actually grow up every day!

12 months and above for adult cats

At this time, the food should be kitten food. Just feed it once every morning and evening. Note: The above canned food refers to canned food, not canned snacks. You can search for the difference by yourself. When changing food, you should follow the rules for changing pet food and change it slowly within 5 to 7 days

​Cleaning

Cleaning: The cat litter box needs to be shoveled almost twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Of course, if I am diligent, I can shovel it when I see it. The house should also be ventilated and cleaned regularly. Masters generally like their homes to be clean. If the ground is dirty, the owner will be in a bad mood. Therefore, it is necessary to mop the floor at home every week. You can use 84 disinfectant or DuPont Virgo disinfectant diluted to wipe the floor.

Cleaning and care: In hot summer, you can give a bath to the master who is 3 months old and above, but you should pay attention to keeping warm. Normally, the temperature difference between home and outside should not exceed 3 degrees. If you see any signs of eye mucus or scratching in the ears, you should wipe them clean and then apply eye drops and ear mite removal medicine. Some parents particularly like to turn on the air conditioner. If their homeAfter having a cat in the house, the temperature difference between the air conditioner and the outdoor temperature should not exceed three degrees. Because as the temperature drops and the air flow in the room becomes faster, cats with extremely sensitive noses can feel it, so they must be given an adaptation process. It is recommended not to blow the cold air directly on the cat. Let the cold air blow toward the top of the house, so that the temperature of the house will drop more evenly. At the same time, families with conditions can turn on a humidifier at the same time to give cats a comfortable and healthy environment.