Are You a Responsible Pet Parent?
Still Want to Adopt?
Only after serious consideration on bringing a new kitten (or kittens) into your home, please remember 10 weeks of age is an ideal age for adopting a pet. By then it is weened and ready to leave its mother. Adopting through a pet shelter or rescue group leaves you with a great feeling of saving a life while getting a better price than from anywhere else! Many people who have more than one cat states that two will give each other company and exercise, while giving you double the commitment and double the rewards! Before bringing your pet home, be sure you have all the necessary items- litter and litter box with scoop, foods, food and water dish, toys and beds. Please purchase a good quality food by reading the label. Corn should NOT be first on the dry cat food label. Up until your new pets are a year old they need three times the calories as an adult cat. Kitten food for the first year is recommended. Remember to place the litter box in a 'quiet and discrete' area and when your new pet arrives, show them where it is. It would also be best to clean it daily if possible. A soft bed tucked away in a quiet spot is essential to your new pets. Remember that cats sleep on average, 16 hours a day, and kittens even more!
Please note- cats are naturally dehydrated so please make sure they have fresh water available at all times. Adding a little to their can food is a great idea!
Cats often chew and play with anything they can get their paws on, so put away all rubber bands, paper clips, ribbons, string and yarn as these may be chocking hazards. Keep your kitty safe by putting away cleaning supplies, as well as antifreeze and motor oil, medication and cleaners as they are toxic! Some plants are also toxic as well.
Drinks like alcohol, coffee, and tea are dangerous for your cat. To help keep kitty safe, avoid onions and garlic, as these foods cause anemia in cats. Offer your kitten his own goodies, like a pot of catnip or oat grass. Call your vet if your cat may have ingested something you think may harm them.
Because cats nails are attached to the bone, declawing is done by chopping off each nail at the last knuckle. We feel this is inhumane and are hoping it will be banned in our country soon as it has been in others. Declawing makes a cat defenseless and often brings on behavior issues that can lead to an unhappy cat. Nail clippers are easy to use and usually you only need to clip the front claws, but be sure not to cut the central pink part, or the "quick," as this is the blood supply to the nail. Gently press on the foot pads to extend the nail before clipping. You can ask your vet to show you how. Scratching posts work well to dull the nails. Claw caps, soft claws (or nail caps) are tiny vinyl sleeves that fit over your cat’s claws, making them dull as well. Our local HS sells them at a decent price and in many different colours!
If you notice your kitten is losing hair, has irritated skin, is chewing and licking often, or is scratching a lot, he may have fleas. Some flea treatments used in dogs can be very toxic to cats, so always read the package carefully. And ONLY use medication purchased at your local vets office . We at SNAP for Cats, use revolution which kills fleas, and flea eggs, ticks, round and hook worms and ear mites. Advantage also works well for ridding your pet safely, of fleas. This application can be used on a monthly basis. This helps your kitten avoid roundworm which can cause diarrhea, vomiting and pneumonia. Hookworm can make your pet anemic. If you notice something that looks like rice around your pets bottom or in the stool- this may be tape worm. A different medication is needed from your vet.
Your kitten will need a vaccine to ward off rabies, feline distemper, feline leukemia, and upper respiratory infections. If you think your pet may be sick -refusing to drink or eat. Panting, sleeping much more than usual. Hiding, coughing, sneezing, vomiting or losing weight- call your vet. asap. Never administer human medications as many are deadly to cats and dogs. (aspirin etc)
SNAP for cat's vet suggests spaying/neutering be done at about 5 pounds or 5 months of age.
One of the most important health decisions you’ll make is to spay or neuter your cat. Spaying—removing the ovaries and uterus of a female pet—is a veterinary procedure that requires minimal hospitalization and offers lifelong health benefits with no more heats! Your female pet will live a longer, healthier life.
Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast cancer, which is fatal in about 90 percent of cats. Spaying your pet before her first heat offers the best protection from these diseases.
Neutering—removing the testicles of your male cat—will vastly improve your pet’s behavior and health! Neutering provides major health benefits for your male. Besides preventing unwanted litters, neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer, if done before six months of age.
Spaying and neutering helps fight pet overpopulation.
Every year, millions of cats of all ages are euthanized or suffer as the life of a stray. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering. SNAP for Cats will spay/neuter these strays.