Kitten Care Basics
Basic kitten care is a very important part of being a new cat mommy or daddy. It’s important that you understand the what it means to care for you new kitten, beyond cuddling and loving your new fur baby.
Click on any of the following topics to view more information on basic kitten care:
Do you know why breeders tell you to quarantine your new kitten from other household pets?
Why do breeders have that quarantine clause in their contract?
You have just been entrusted with your wonderful new fur baby, and all you want to do is show them to your other pets and friends so that the great memories can begin right?
I know…I’ve been there too.
Let’s go over the crucial reasons for the quarantine time so that you are sure to be successful and your new kitten stays healthy.
Quarantine is for the health of your kitten, the health of your other pets, and for all of their emotional well-being.
Your kitten will most likely arrive cheerful and outgoing, acting like he or she has always known you and your home. This is a testament to lots of early socialization here at the cattery, as well as the relaxed and confident nature of Maine Coon cats. Undoubtedly your new kitten will still be stressed even if they hide it, and your kitten will still need you to create a safe, relaxing, and calm environment so that your kitten stays healthy.
To quarantine correctly means that the moment you bring your new kitten home, you have a separate and sterilized room for your kitten to adjust to their new home. In this room they have everything they need, fresh food, water, litter box, a bed, and toys. You don’t let them see or sniff other pets, they go directly to their new quarantine room. This quarantine time should be at LEAST two weeks to a month long.
Ideally this room is quiet and calm, and not too large or cluttered with belongings. That way they are sure to be clear where the new litter box is and accidents can be avoided. The calm environment will allow the new kitten to focus on learning your family’s routine, feeding schedule, rules, litter box location, and to love the new family members.
You can sleep with them in this room if you like, and visit them, but children should be supervised, and absolutely no other pets should come in contact with your new kitten.
It is ideal to wash your hands before and after playing with your new kitten. During this time, you should keep them on the same food as they were fed at our cattery, and then after quarantine you can slowly begin to switch over to the food of your choice.
One of the main reasons for quarantine is to give your new kitten’s immune system a chance to adjust to the unique bacteria and viruses of your home slowly. That way their young and developing immune system doesn’t get overloaded. It takes over a month for your new kitten’s body to completely adjust, and when they are stressed, their immune system can sometimes take a dip. Your other pets may have viruses, and yet be totally asymptomatic, and if your new kitten were to be exposed to them during the stressful period, you risk your new kitten getting ill.
Your kitten may cry and try to get out of the quarantine room, but it is your responsibility to do what is best for it, and finish the quarantine time. This way your kitten gets time to adjust, build its immune system back up, allow its body to go through the change of the different flora in your household.
Please, please, please follow the quarantine to give the strongest immune system a chance to build, and the best bonding between your new kitten and your family.
This will make for a smooth transition when quarantine.
Below is a link to a great video on the quarantine “basecamp”. It has all sorts of good ideas and wonderful insights on cat behavior.
At Pura Vida Maine Coons we strive to give our cats the absolute best diet possible.
The first five months of life, our kittens are free fed on Purina Kitten dry food, which is a brand easily found anywhere in the U.S. They are also fed a special balance of ground, raw chicken. During the 1st two weeks of your kitten in your new home, I strongly recommend you do not change this dry food. Once your kitten has adjusted to the many changes of the new environment, you can slowly switch over to the dry food of your choice over the course of the 3rd week.
When your kitten is at least five months old, you can introduce small amounts of fresh, uncooked meats like beef or chicken.
*NEVER feed a large amount of fish to your cat, as too much fish becomes toxic to them.
We strongly believe in free feeding a BALANCED raw meat diet beginning at five months of age. Feeding raw is not just tossing your cat some raw meat, it is a very carefully balanced mix of raw bone, meat and organ meat in the same proportions as their natural prey would have. This is the diet your cat has evolved to thrive on, and nature is rarely wrong.
Some of the benefits of a balanced raw diet include healthy teeth and gums, a wonderful coat, proper weight, highly digestible nutrition, less poop, and practically odorless litter boxes. It would also be advisable to select a veterinarian that is educated about a balanced raw diet so that your decision is supported.
There is a very helpful Facebook group called Cats Completely Raw and Proud, and they will practically hold your hand as you learn everything and more that you could ever want to know about this diet. They have a raw meat calculator freely available to download so that you can ensure that the mix is properly balanced, and files on everything from nutritional studies, identifying healthy poop, reviews on meat grinders, etc. Everything is in their files at the top of the homepage. Link is below:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatCrap/?ref=share
There are many companies that offer high quality frozen natural whole prey like mice, rats, quail, or baby chicks that you can feed to your cats. It is MUCH more simple than making a raw balanced mix, because nature already did the work for you.
Sadly, this is not available in my area, so I make my raw balanced mix using the raw food calculator from the Cats Completely Raw and Proud Facebook group files.
This is the raw food recipe I use.
I grind it smooth because I prefer to avoid bone waste.
You can also chop the bones with the meat on them into chunks, and as long as the cut is clean and the bone isn’t shattered in a sharp way, your cat will chew it all up safely.
12.1 lbs chicken thigh + leg with skin
3.3 lbs chicken liver + heart
6.3 lbs boneless chicken breast with skin
1.4 lbs sardines in tomato sauce
Long hair means a bit of maintenance to look their best. It doesn’t need to be a struggle, it can be a great time for bonding with your kitten!
Each Maine Coon has a slightly different coat. Some have thick fluffy hair, some have longer hair, and some have both!
It’s recommended to start daily brushing and handling of all parts of your kitten before they grow in their long adult coat. This way grooming is easy later on because trust is built.
A short, daily brushing is a great idea to limit shedding, avoid mats, and practically eliminate hairballs. Always try to be slow and gentle, and to pick a grooming time that your cat is appreciates….like after they eat, or while they are almost asleep.
A slicker brush has fine metal bristles that reach down to the undercoat to remove knots and shed hairs. This type of brush is great for most of the body.
A fine metal comb is great for the extra long hair of the mane, belly and tail.
Pay special attention to the mane, tail, pants, underarms and belly. If you notice a mat, it is best to choose a time when your cat is asleep and relaxed and carefully cut it out before it grows bigger. If there is too much risk of cutting the skin, it’s time to look for a recommended groomer for help.
Some kittens, and even adults do better with a “booty trim” so that your cat can go to the bathroom and come out clean every time- without anything getting stuck in their long hair. Again, CAREFULLY trim with sharp scissors when your cat is asleep, because one wrong snip could be catastrophic. Error on the side of caution here.
It’s common for your kitten to shed and regrow their mane several times before the final adult coat grows in. This is normal! Also, keep an eye on the fur between the pads of the feet, because it can accumulate litter depending on the litter you use. Not only is this uncomfortable for your cat, but it is dangerous for them to lick the area clean and ingest the litter.
Never cut the whiskers of your cat. They really need each one. Studies show that their whiskers are one of their primary senses, and to cut them causes extreme stress and can cause them to crash into things, possibly damaging an eye or tooth. Young kittens sometimes get carried away while grooming their mane and accidentally chew off their whiskers. If this happens, don’t worry, they will regrow.
The extra long mane hair sometimes falls into their food dish and gets stained and dirty.
It helps to raise the dish to chest level so that the hair stays as clean as possible. You can also wipe them clean with a damp rag after eating.
There is no need to completely bathe your cat. Cats are self cleaning. If you must give your cat a bath, trim nails first, and use warm water and human shampoo, or bring to a groomer that comes with references.
Here is a link to some more thoughts on bathing your cat.
Some people have their cat shaved or the hair cut like a lion because they think it is cute. While I prefer a shaved cat to a cat suffering from mats, I don’t believe either are necessary with proper care.
Don’t believe for a second that your cat will be cooler with a shaved coat!
Cats don’t sweat, so exposing their skin to the air does nothing but put them at the mercy of the outside temperature. Their thick coat actually insulates them from both heat and cold.
Some kittens or adults go through a stage where they develop a greasy spot on the tail.
This is called stud tail, it is caused by hormones, and can affect males and sometimes females. Sprinkle a little bit of fine cornstarch and massage it into the greasy area, then brush out. You may have to repeat this a few times.
Nail care
Part of your responsibility as a cat owner is to provide your cat with enough areas that they are allowed to scratch. Scratching is essential for nail health, helps the nail shed old nail covers, relieves stress, and marks territory. If your cat is using your furniture for this, try placing a scratching post in front of where they are clawing up your furniture.
Below is a link to a video for more ideas.
Declawing is not an option! This barbaric surgery removes the tips of the toes along with the nails, and leaves your cat in lifelong pain. If something absolutely must be done, and you have truly provided your cat with sufficient scratching areas, there are soft tips that can be put onto each nail of your cat. Below is a link to more information on the subject of scratching.
You can carefully trim your cat’s nails.
There are several YouTube videos on how to do this. You will need two people and special pet nail trimmers.
Polydactyl (extra toes) cats often need their nails trimmed so that you can help them avoid uneven wear of the nails or nails that could be growing at uncomfortable angles into other toes. This can be done weekly.
Below is a link to a video on how to trim nails.
Sometimes it will be necessary for you to clean your cat’s ear of excess wax or debris.
You will need an ear cleaning liquid, and paper towels.
Below is a link to a video with more information on how.
Potty Training Your New Kitten
Our kittens are taught to use the litter by their mother’s as soon as they are able to walk.
By the time you have your kitten in your new home, he or she will be very experienced and using the litter box perfectly.
If you are finding that this is not the case, then something is definitely wrong.
Cat’s have habits that are unique to their species, and in order to live harmoniously with them, we often need to become more aware of their needs and how best to support them in a way that also works well for us.
For example, cats don’t particularly like a hidden, tucked away litter box with a closed lid to further hide it, and keep in odors. Remember that they have to lick themselves clean, so stepping inside of a cramped dirty litter box with a lid can be all too much for large breeds like Maine Coons. Keep the litter cleaned every day to encourage them to continue using the litter box, instead of a cleaner option like your clothes hamper or couch.
Instead, look for a larger litter tray or Rubbermaid bin and take the lid off.
Place it in a convenient and easy place for your kitten to find. If you have a multistory home or many rooms, you may need to provide a few litter box options until your kitten is older and can be trusted to remember where the litter box is. The general rule is, provide one litter box per cat.
Clumping or non-clumping cat litter?
Personally I like to mix the two.
I put about 2 inches of non-clumping litter at the bottom of the tray, and about 3 inches of clumping litter on top of that. I like this method because the soiled litter doesn’t get stuck to the floor of the tray, and doesn’t get stuck in the fur on the pads of the feet either.
If your kitten has been spayed/neutered, you are doing everything correctly, and your kitten or cat is still having accidents out of the litter box, there could be a UTI infection or an emotional reason for this. I recommend to speak with your vet to rule out urinary issues if nothing new has changed in your home to warrant your cat being very upset.
Below is a link on litter boxes and cat behavior: