Kitten care (birth to 6 months)
Congratulations on your new kitten! A clean bill of health by a veterinarian is important to the wellbeing of your kitten and to avoid spreading viruses, parasites, fleas or diseases to other pets. Talk to your veterinarian about:
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Vaccines and Deworming - Find out more in What every Feline family should know: Vaccines & Deworming.
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Spay/neuter for a healthier, more sociable pet
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Choosing high-quality canned cat foods
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Taking time to introduce your new kitty to your home
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Training and socializing kittens early. See
Behavior & training. -
Keeping kitty occupied with play and toys. See
Choosing cat toys. -
Accommodating scratching. See Declaw decision.
For more information, read What every Feline Family should know: Caring for your new kitten.
Discouraging rough play
Young, active cats and kittens less than 2 years old commonly display play-motivated aggression. Kittens explore anything that moves, and may swat at, pounce on, or bite objects that resemble prey (i.e. your hands and fingers!). This is normal cat behavior. A kitten that was separated from its family early may play more roughly than a kitten that has learned when to stop the rough play from its mother and siblings. Use toys instead of your hands to teach kitty appropriate play. See Choosing cat toys.
Choose the best CAT TOYS for your feline. Watch our video:
Choosing the right cat toys is more than a game of cat and mouse.
Click on the link above or scan the QR code with your smartphone to watch the video!
Microchip at a young age
Microchipping is the best way to locate a lost pet. Shelters, humane societies, and veterinary hospitals regularly use scanners to identify found pets and contact their families.
A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice,
programmed with an ID number, and is injected under
your pet’s skin, usually in the scruff of the neck. The Home Again Microchip Identification System recovers a lost pet in the U.S. every 7 minutes and operates 24/7.
