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Complete Guide On Taking Proper Care Of Your Kitten
Complete Guide On Taking Proper Care Of Your Kitten

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Complete Guide On Taking Proper Care Of Your Kitten

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Kittens are super adorable, and it is wonderful to have one as a pet. While it’s fun to have a kitten at home, it’s important to understand your kitten’s various needs during the different stages of its life and take care of it in the right way. ‘How to take care of kittens’ is a question that most first-time kitten owners ask. But taking care of newborn kittens can be quite a hassle-free process if you follow a routine and understand a few do’s and don’ts about kitten care. We, at IAMS, are here to help you with this process in every way we can.

 

Why Is Kitten Care Important?

Kitten care is extremely important to make sure your kitten grows up to be a healthy cat. While in the kitten stage, it is still trying to get used to the new surroundings. Therefore, we recommend that you be by its side and help the little kitten acclimatize to its new house.

 

What Does It Mean To Raise A Kitten?

A kitten becomes a part of your family right from day one. But raising a kitten might sound like a strenuous job if you’re a new pet parent, but it isn’t. The whole process can be quite fun and will help you bond with your kitten.

 

What Are The Important Aspects Of A Kitten That One Has To Look After? 

Some of the most important aspects of looking after a kitten are:

  • Hygiene: Maintaining good hygiene is always important. You must clean your kitten’s den regularly. 

  • Feeding nutrition-rich food: Your kitten needs a nutritious, balanced diet for healthy growth and development. It is advisable that you buy IAMS Healthy Kitten food. IAMS is Developed with Veterinarians and Chicken is the 1st ingredient of this recipe. This premium kitten food promotes brain development and helps build a healthy immune system. 

  • Regular health check-ups: Take your kitten to the vet regularly to understand its progress in terms of behaviour and health.

  • Grooming: It is advisable to start grooming your cat at an early age, especially if it has a furry coat or long hair.

 

Understanding Kitten Development Stages

As a first-time kitten owner, you might not be well aware of the growth stages your little feline friend will go through, but it’s very important to understand them. So, here’s a table that can help you with the same:

 

Growth stage

0-2 weeks

(Neonatal)

2-7 weeks

(Socialisation)

7-14 weeks

(Most Active Period)

3-6 months

(Ranking Period)

6-18 months

(Adolescence)

Character traits

Learns to incline towards sounds

Learns to socialize 

This is the most active play period of your kitten

In this stage, the kitten gets most influenced by other kittens in their litter or even other animals. 

Asserts maximum dominance in this stage.

 

Eyes start to open by this time

Senses of smell and hearing are fully developed by the 4th week

Starts expressing affection through hugging and licking 

Starts understanding and asserting ranks on people it lives with. 

Exhibits sexual behaviour if not spayed. 

 

If the kitten is separated from its mother or siblings, it may tend to get aggressive towards people and other cats. 

Sight is fully developed by the 5th week, and they can run and pounce without colliding with obstacles 

Can paw, mouth, and hold objects as well

   
   

Starts grooming itself

Also starts chasing its tail and starts pouncing and leaping around

   
   

Starts developing sleep patterns, motor abilities and interactions 

     

 

Preparing For A Kitten

 

How Kitten Care Differs With Growing Age?

The major difference that occurs in taking care of kittens when they grow up is switching their food. Cats need more nutrition and vital elements that keep its body strong and healthy. It is advisable to switch to premium cat food while transitioning your kitten to adult cat food.

 

Impact On The Kitten If Care Is Not Taken:

If your cat is neglected and does not receive proper care, attention, and nutrition, it may become depressed and weak. Your cat may also contract diseases if it is not kept clean.

 

What Are Some Of The Preventive Care Measures That Could Be Taken Up For Kittens?

While in the kitten stage, it is advisable to schedule frequent visits to the vet to check on the overall health of your kitten. It is advisable to keep a tab on their allergies while it is in the kitten stage.

 

Tips For 1st-Time Cat Owners

Here are a few tips for first-time cat owners: 

  • It is advisable to familiarize your kitten with its litter box right from the moment it is brought home. 
  • You may also show your kitten around its crate so that it understands that this is its own space. 
  • If, at times, your kitten bites you, sternly say ‘no’ to it. By doing this, your kitten will learn that these actions are not acceptable. 
  • You may also reward your kitten every time it obeys your instructions. This will condition them to inculcate good habits as well.

Kitten Care FAQs:

  1. Where should a kitten sleep at night?
  2. It is advisable to make your kitten sleep in its crate. You may keep a soft blanket inside the crate to make the crate a cosy place for your kitten.

  3. How do you take care of a kitten without its mother?
  4. Taking care of orphaned kittens requires patience and dedication. These kittens need to be fed using a bottle, and they should only consume food formulated for kittens. You also need to help them urinate, defecate and clean them after.

  5. What should I feed my baby kitten?
  6. Once your kitten is about 4 weeks old, you can start weaning it to IAMS Perfect Portions Kitten Premium Pate with Chicken. Here are the steps to follow when you wean your kitten:

    Step 1: Add little water to a shallow dish. 

    Step 2: Mix IAMS ProActive Health Healthy Kitten to water. Also, ensure that you keep a separate dish of freshwater next to the food bowl. 

    Step 3: With every passing day, increase the amount of food and decrease the quantity of water until your kitten is eating soft food only. 

    Step 4: We recommend you start feeding your kitten IAMS ProActive Health Healthy Kitten food and slowly increase the amount of solid food. 

    These steps can enable your kitten to easily transition from soft food to solid food. 

    Baby kittens need a lot of nutrition to grow into healthy cats. We recommend you feed your baby kitten IAMS ProActive Health Healthy Kitten

     

  7. At what age can you bathe your kitten?
  8. Your kitten learns to lick and clean itself when it is about 2-4 weeks old. But giving a bath is necessary to keep the full-body fur of the kitten clean. You may bathe your kitten when it is at least 4 weeks old. You may consult the kitten’s vet if your kitten experiences stress post bathing.