New Owner Guidelines

Bringing a new cat or kitten into your home can be a daunting experience.  We have put together a few pieces of key information to help you prepare for your new furry family member.  

Introductions

Slow introductions to other cats work best. Give them their own space either in separate rooms or in a crate, and time to become accustomed to each other.  Switch beds and litter trays daily so that they become used to each other’s scent.  Only when they are used to each others scent can they be in the same area together, supervised.

Feeding

Adult cats will usually eat wet cat food and biscuits.  Kittens should be fed on wet kitten food initially at regular intervals and kitten biscuits should always be available. Cats are carnivores. They need Taurine on a regular basis to stay healthy. This usually comes from their meaty or fishy wet food. Cats cannot live on a vegetarian diet as they cannot manufacture taurine.

Flea Treatment

Cats and kittens should be flea and wormed regularly using a product recommended by your vet.  If your cat is a hunter they may need treating more regularly for worms. Please note that some of the products available in supermarkets and pet stores can be harmful to kittens (e.g. Bob Martin products!)

Veterinary Care  

Our cats and kittens are all triple vaccinated which covers the cat/kitten for flu, enteritis and leukaemia.  Usually, our cats can be rehomed 1 week after their first vaccination and an appointment will be made for you 3 weeks later for the second part of the vaccine.   You should register your pet with your local vets for any future appointments (except neutering which is included in your adoption fee). If a cat or kitten falls ill, we are always available to give advice and your local vet will be pleased to give appropriate treatment. Kittens can deteriorate rapidly and help should be sought as early as possible.

Worming

Cats and kittens should be wormed regularly using a product recommended by your vet.  Hunters especially will need regular treatments for tapeworms as well as roundworms.

Neutering

Adult Cats and kittens over the age of 5 months will be neutered by us before they leave. For younger kittens, we will contact you when your kitten is 5 months old and we will book your appointment for you at Donaldson Vets, Mirfield. All of our cats and kittens are microchipped when they are neutered. 

Cat Bites

Even the most domesticated cat can bite in stressful situations. Cat bites are painful and can cause infection. Hospital treatment should be sought immediately.

When you view a cat or kitten please ask lots of questions!  If you have read a bio you may already know a lot about your chosen cat/kitten however if you are unclear it is always best to ask.  Here are some questions that you may want to consider asking:

What wet food and biscuits do you feed it?

What treats does it like?

How often do you feed it?

When was it last flea treated and wormed?

What products did you use?

What cat litter does it prefer?

Does it have any health issues?

Is it neutered?

Is it fully vaccinated? If not when is it due the second vaccination?

What was it like when it first came to you?

 

Thank you to Agria for offering our amazing adopters 5 weeks free insurance upon adoption.

Thank you to Donaldson’s Vet for their wonderful help and support.

Thank you to Nick at Urban Haze for hosting and maintaining our wonderful website for us!  We cannot recommend him enough!