Kitten Homing Tips

Tips for when you bring home your kitten

Eating – we recommend free feeding your kitten if possible. If you are unable to free feed then it is best to split their food into 3 meals per day while they are young. They should be on kitten food until 1 year of age and then slowly transition to an adult food. It’s very important they are on a good quality food
Drinking – make sure the kitten has access to water at all times, it’s a good idea to give a kitten distilled water for the first week to help adjust to the change in water. We recommend water fountains for our cats; they much prefer to drink out of them to a dish
Exposure to outside – we do not recommend allowing your kitten to go outside unless they are on a leash
Vaccinations – our kittens have had 2 sets of the FVRCP vaccine and will need another one when they are 14-16 weeks of age
Vet check – we ask that you take your kitten to your vet within 2 business days of pick up for a kitten check-up. This helps establish a relationship with your vet and gives you an unbiased view of your kitten’s health. If for any reason your vet feels this kitten is not in good health you are welcome to return the kitten to us for a full refund minus any deposits given or to exchange that kitten with a future kitten. We ask that you have a health certificate printed from your vet from this visit and that you email us a copy within 1 week of picking up your kitten. We also recommend bringing a stool sample with you to this visit to have the stool examined to ensure there is no need for another dose of dewormer
Spay/Neuter – we ask that you have this done at 6 months of age and then send a copy of the spay/neuter certificate to Cedar Creek Kennels (mail or email). Once we have received the spay/neuter certificate we will send you your TICA registration
Insurance – you will be provided a 30 day trial insurance voucher from Trupanion and we highly recommend continuing with pet insurance as you never know when something unexpected can happen with your kitten
Nuvet plus feline supplement – we have the kittens and our adult cats on this supplement. We recommend keeping the kittens on this supplement for life as it’s a good multi-vitamin for them to have that will help with their skin, coat, joints, etc
Microchip – your kitten has a microchip which you will receive the documentation for when you pick up your kitten, you are to transfer the registration into your name when received
Elevated surfaces – when a cat is nervous, they like to climb up high. In the natural world this is usually a tree or fence post. If you don’t have a place for them to go when they feel stressed it will cause them to be more stressed and they will try to hide in corners and under couches, etc. These elevated surfaces also give the cat good vantage points so they will feel more confident. You will have to show your cat this space is allowed by luring them up there with a toy or a treat
Scratching – cats like to be able to play and have to scratch something. If you do not want it to be your couch or yourself, then you must give them a place they can do that. You can use scratch posts, cardboard boxes, or something else. There are tons of ideas online for fun activities for your cat
Children – these cats are fantastic with children, but your kids need to know the cat is not a toy. You need to be careful they are not letting them fall from high places or eating anything they shouldn’t. Do not let them pull their tails or have them try to fit into tight spaces. All these are small examples of things that can have the cat not be as friendly as him or her could be
Trimming nails – this is important, you can either do it yourself or have your vet or a groomer do it
Grooming – they have a thick coat, but they shed very little. Ideally if you can brush or comb them once a week to remove excess hair and help spread their natural skin oils it would be beneficial