Kittens are the most enchanting creatures but if you want one – or two – please contact your local pet rescue centre first. They cannot cope with the vast numbers of unwanted kittens and will be grateful for your call. Cat and Rabbit Rescue, Sidlesham near Chichester of which I am President took in 273 kittens last year apart from the 318 cats rescued and the large number they had to turn away because of lack of space. Here at the sanctuary we concentrate on taking in older unwanted cats but do take in kittens when they have nowhere else to go. There are a huge variety: long-hairs, short-hairs, grey, ginger, tabby, tortoiseshell, black or white , extrovert or shy, talkative or quiet and they all need loving homes. As you can see though it is VERY important to neuter them by the age of six months as there are far too many unwanted kittens around.
Cats, like people, have different personalities and I have come across instances where a cat and a person have not got on. One was a white cat I rescued who didn’t like me! Fortunately it is the only time it has happened but I was most offended!She went on to live very happily with a lady journalist whom she adores. Another cat, a black and white Cornish Rex called Harriet, ran away from home twice because she couldn’t stand her owner, but was very happy and didn’t ever wander when she went to live with my friend Wendy Gaye. Therefore do make sure the cat takes to you and you to it before giving it a home. A more out-going personality will be able to cope better with children while a sensitive one will spend the entire day hiding under a bed or in a wardrobe to get away from them. Another friend adopts animals that are physically imperfect so if you have a kind heart don’t just go for the most beautiful kittens that will find a home easily, but also consider the less fortunate, physically imperfect ones who also need loving homes.
Before getting a kitten do consider your circumstances. Are you on a main road? Do you live in a small flat? Are you out at work all day? If so you would be better off with an older cat. A kitten is not traffic-wise, a tiny flat will not give the kitten the room it needs to expend its energy, and if you are away all day a single kitten may well get bored and depressed and even move in with one of your neighbours instead. If you are away in the day-time two kittens would be the better option as they would keep each other company and play with each other rather than with your possessions.
Before you bring your kitten home you need to invest in a cat litter tray and cat litter, a flea comb, some cat biscuit and some kitten food and the appropriate wormer as all cats should be wormed regularly. There aren’t many kitten foods on the market but I prefer ones with no additives, no colourants, no preservatives and no sugars like Denes and Burns both foods that were started by vets. I feed 3 times a day up to 6 months then twice a day thereafter. I also keep handy vitamin C powder and stomach enzymes and feline vitamins, oils and minerals, which I give at the first sign of a sneeze. I have also been known to give Abidec children’s liquid vitamins to the very poorly. I tend to alternate supplements on a regular basis to make sure they are getting optimum nutrition. Also cats must have taurine in their diet which is in commercial cat foods but which may not be in home-cooked meat.
Some vets suggest you vaccinate at about 8 weeks, but I prefer to keep kittens of mine inside and vaccinate at 14 weeks when their immune system is stronger. I never vaccinate a kitten that is not in optimum health . Alfie my rescued kitten who had a very bad start in life was so unwell that I had to wait until he was 6 months old before he was strong enough to cope with being vaccinated. Also be on the alert for a bad reaction from the first one and inform your vet before embarking on the second. After the first two shots the American vets advocate vaccinating every 3 years as they say the antibodies stay in the system for that period. The book by Catherine Driscoll “The Darling Buds of May” gives several examples of possible bad reactions to vaccinations. And if any cat of mine has health problems- particularly the elderly- I personally never vaccinate them again.
If you live in an area where there are hazards outside like large tomcats, dogs or foxes only let a small cat out under supervision or wait until it is large enough and smart enough to protect itself. It is also important to familiarise your cat with its new territory so that it knows the safe areas to flee to if it is being pursued.
Most important of all, do handle and play with your kittens. If they have had a bad experience it may take a little more time and patience but I have always found seeing a scared, timid fragile kitten turn into a trusting, affectionate, purring cat a most rewarding experience.
by Alexandra Bastedo.
Alexandra is the founder of the ABC Animal Sanctuary at www.abcanimalsanctuary.co.uk which is staffed entirely by volunteers and where all donations are used entirely for the animals.
Alexandra Bastedo is the author of the veterinary approved “The Healthy Cat” and “The Healthy Dog ” books (J. Kemnitzer did the recipes). She also co-founded Pet Nutrition Concepts www.petnutrition.co.uk with the eminent homoeopathic vet, Mark Elliott and the pharmacist,Kalpesh Patel the founder of Vega Vitamins (They do vitamins in vegetarian capsules ) in order to produce vitamin supplements for her own and other people’s cats and dogs.
copyright A.L. Bastedo
