Eight Important Steps to Kitten Care

There are eight steps to kitten care that will increase the upbringing of your kitten into a cat. Following the eight steps listed below you can rest assured that you will have a practically perfect kitten that grows up into a great cat.

Lots of human contact as soon as possible
It's a great time when your kitten is young to start with human interaction - the sooner you can do so, the better. Kittens that are born out of the reach of humans will begin hissing at humans as early as two and three weeks old. Kittens that are handled by humans daily do not react to humans with fear. In fact, there is research that suggests that kittens that are handled by humans daily for the first month of their lives learn faster. It is also best to ensure that the mother cat is present when kittens are being handled and they are young.

Playtime is more than just fun, it's an integral part of your kitten's development
It is important for kittens to play and does more than just allow your kitten and you to have fun. It helps introduce kittens to their environment. Between four and eight weeks old, kittens should socialize with humans with frequent petting and handling. This can help the kitten be more responsive cat when he is older. It's a good idea to introduce your kitten to many people including children. Of course, take some time to teach children how to handle and pet kittens.

Visit the vet as soon as possible
It's never too early to take your kitten to the vet to be checked out. All kittens, regardless of whether they are indoor or outdoor cats, should be vaccinated to protect them. Some viruses are spread virally through the air and others can be brought in on the shoes or clothing of humans.

Feed your kitten only with kitten food
There are specially formulated kitten foods that provide the necessary nutrition for kittens. Kittens grow rapidly and have a high energy requirement that increases their need for nutrients in their food. In the first 20 weeks of life, a kitten can increase it's weight by 2,000 per cent over its birth weight. Kittens continually grow until they are approximately one year old. Kitten food has the necessary calcium, protein, phosphorus and other nutrients that are required by your kitten.

Groom now
By establishing a grooming routine with your kitten early on in life will ensure that grooming in the future is not a big deal. This is especially important if you have a long-haired cat, and grooming should happen at least once or twice a week.

Watch for signs of poor health
When you are grooming you should look for signs of parasites and skin disorders. It also gives you the opportunity to check the skin and body for lumps and lesions

During your examination of your kitten you should check:

Their eyes - should be clear and bright. Discharge or cloudiness is a sign of illness or infection.
Ears should be clean and pink - if they are red or have sores, or an odor, your kitten may have ear mites or an infection.
Teeth - should be clean white and gums should be a healthy pink color that has no sores.

Enforce good behavior
If you set the rules early on, your kitten will understand how he should act. Ensure that you choose one name for your kitten and that everyone in your household uses it.

Begin litter training right away
You can always start to train your kitten to use the litter box. Use cat litter right from little kitten-hood and start putting your kitten in there to do his job. Kittens usually pick it up quickly.

By following these kitten care steps, you can be sure that your kitten will grow up to be a healthy, well-mannered cat.