KITTEN CARE
Kittens should not be separated from their mothers and siblings, and leave for their new homes any earlier than 12 weeks. They need this time, not just for their physical growth and well-being, but for their emotional and psychological growth and well-being as well. If separated too soon, kittens can become stressed or nervous. Some kittens can even develop physical ailments from early separation.
Vaccinations:
Kittens should receive at least 2 of their 3 rounds of CORE (FVRCP) vaccinations before leaving their cattery
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typically this is done at 8 weeks, 11 weeks, and 14 weeks of age
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Rabies vaccination can be given at their 14 week Vet visit.
We do NOT recommend vaccinating for FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus), as we have discovered this vaccination can be dangerous (sometimes even fatal) to the cat's health. We do, however, recommend that breeders test parents and kittens against FeLV and FIV regularly.
Spay/Neuter, microchip, and registration:
It is highly recommended that whichever breeder you purchase your Turk from, spay or neuter their Pet kittens BEFORE moving to your home. This is to protect the Turkish Angora pedigree from indiscriminate breeding, which will in turn protect the Turkish Angora from genetic and/or health issues which frequently accompany indiscriminate breeding practices.
We also recommend each kitten be microchipped at the time of their spay/neuter. This will provide peace of mind should your new kitten ever slip out of your home and get lost.
Kittens should also come registered within TICA, CFA, or some other registered cat fancy. And a copy of their pedigree should accompany the kitten. New owners should also receive what is called a "blue slip" (though it's just printed on regular white paper), which allows the new owner to register their new kitten/cat under their name and address.
At KayaKedi, our cats are fed a BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet.
Find a sample recipe here:
https://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers
and/or here:
Diet:
Cats are carnivorous predators. In other words, meat-a-tarians. Fillers such as carbs, fruits, and vegetables provide no dietary benefit to cats, and just add to weight gain.
A well-balanced BARF diet with appropriate supplements is the best diet possible for your beloved felines.
It is important to note that cats require a high protein diet. Most dry cat foods (and lower quality canned foods) do not provide enough protein to meet those needs, nor enough water content (which can lead to kidney problems). Additionally they often will pack additional carbs, fillers, animal by-products, and food dyes into their ingredients to make the foods cheaper and more eye appealing to pet owners, but which are significantly less healthy for your pets.
"All dry foods are dangerously low in water which wreaks havoc on your cat’s urinary tract and puts him at great risk for life-threatening and excruciatingly painful urethral obstructions and possibly cystitis." Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
See the following article for more information:
We highly recommend you feed your kitten/cat the BARF diet for his or her optimum health. *PLEASE NOTE that the BARF diet must include the appropriate amounts of vitamins and supplements to provide your cat with a balanced diet! Your BARF diet should also follow the 80/10/10 rule of thumb: 80% muscle meat, 10% bone content, and 10% organ meat (5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ meat).
(See link above for sample recipe)
Check out the group "Feline Nutrition" on Facebook.
They have a lot of RAW feeding information under their "files" section.
But PLEASE educate yourself thoroughly on the subject of raw feeding before you take on this task. While this is the best food you can feed your cat carnivore, done inappropriately it can lead to all sorts of health risks and or vitamin deficiencies! It's rather easy to create a well-balanced BARF diet. But those feeding a raw diet do need to maintain the proper portions of meat/bone/organ and the proper amounts of supplements based on the weight of the mix.
We do understand that a raw-fed diet is slightly more costly, and also requires more time-equity from us owners to prepare. For those owners who decide not to provide a raw-fed diet for their furry felines, we recommend a grain-free/low-carb diet of high-quality canned kitten food, such as Wellness Kitten (original, pate), and/or Instinct Kitten (grain-free pate).
We do not recommend feeding any dry kibble.
Things to look for in your canned cat food:
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NO sugar, soy, coloring, flavoring, or preservatives
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NO grains (or minimally in very small amounts, such as rice, etc)
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HIGH meat content (approximately 10-12%); (avoid options with high by-products)
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Balanced ratio of calcium and phosphorous
To learn how to easily transition your pet over to a RAW DIET, visit the "Paws of Prey" YouTube site.
Click on the link below:
Safety Protocols:
Your kitten is just like a toddler, in that his/her curiosity can often get the better of them.
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Be sure to have things like chemicals and poisons put securely behind closed doors.
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Keep wires and cords out of reach, covered, and wound up and less enticing-looking.
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Establish boundaries of what is acceptable behavior, and acceptable sit/sleep spots. If a room is off-limits, close the door.
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Be very careful coming into and leaving the house, as your kitten is small and silent, and can so easily slip out.
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Introduce kittens to new things slowly and calmly – this includes other people, animals, rooms, even some new toys might be scary to your kitten at first.
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Keep lids on things you don't want your kitten getting into. (Toilets, washer/dryer, dishwasher, fridge/freezer, cupboards and cabinets, etc).
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Be careful when going to the bathroom. Kittens can be curious about that shiny bowl full of water.
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Make sure perches and cat towers are secure and not tipsy.
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NEVER hit your kitty to discipline it. A stern voice will get through your disapproval to them.
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Remember your kitten is small, so hiding under small spaces such as a nightstand, dresser, desk, closets, cubbies, etc, are free-game for him/her.
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Turks love climbing inside bags, boxes, or scooting in open doors (such as dresser drawers, etc). Be sure to check for kitties before leaving a room and shutting the door behind you.
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Kittens don't understand that stoves and ovens are often very hot and can burn them. Never keep a hot oven door open unsupervised. Always cover hot burners with a pot of cool water until the burner has cooled down enough not to burn kitten's paws.
Litter & Litter pans:
Which litter to use is truly a personal choice based on what is important to you.
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Clumping litter will clump the cat urine which can then be easily scooped out and tossed away
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Litter made from corn cob, pine pellets, or used paper is Eco-friendly and biodegradable
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Silicon crystals are light, making cleanup less of a chore
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We recommend avoided scented litter whenever possible, as the scent can be very invasive to sensitive kitty noses.
Then there are litter pan choices:
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Low sided for cats to easily climb into
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High-sided to keep messes inside
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Hooded, to keep litter out of sight and odors at bay
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Self-cleaning trays that do much of the work for you, etc...
My preferences:
Litter: I prefer to use a non-clumping clay-based litter for kittens under 6 months of age. After 6 months of age, I prefer using clumping litter, which gets scooped out once every day.
Pans: I prefer extra large sized litter pans with high sides. Cats like to dig in order to cover their litter. The high sides does a better job of keeping that litter inside the pan. And as Turks are long cats, the extra-large pans makes doing their business more appealing and more comfortable for them.
I do use hooded pans, only because my cats are rather vigorous in trying to cover over their business. However, I remove the front flap, as hoods do tend to trap in odors. This may be appealing for us humans as far as not wanting to smell the litter. But it does our cats a disservice as it may lull us into forgetting to clean the litter pans daily, which can lead to a build up of ammonia from the urine. And as cats have a great sense of smell, trapping in odors is bad for their respiratory system. A dirty litter pan also can cause your pet to find alternatives to eliminating their waste, in ways that are decidedly more unpleasant than daily scooping!
I do like litter cabinets where you can house an xlg litter pan. Litter cabinets are typically roomier than even the largest of hooded litter pans. They also typically don't come with a flap door that would trap in smells. But it keeps your litter pan neatly tucked away and out of site. It also does a great job of keeping dogs out of the litter box. Some litter cabinets also come with a space to store your extra litter.
Location(s):
It is important to know where best to set your litter pan(s). Cat's, by nature, are very clean animals. They do not like to eat in the same location where they potty. So be sure to place your food and water dishes in a different room than where you store your litter pan(s).
As a rule of thumb, you should have at least 1 litter pan for each cat in your household. Often (but not always) cats will use the same pan as other cats in the house. But having enough pans for your cat clan is important to keeping your cats healthy and happy, and your home clean. The more cats you own, the more frequently you will need to clean your litter pans in order to keep their toilets clean (which helps to keep cats healthy and free of diseases), and helps to keep your home clean and free from unpleasant odors.
Also, take into consideration the size of your home. The bigger the home, the more spread out your cats will be. Therefore, you will likely need to provide more litter pans, scratching posts, sleeping beds, etc, to accommodate your pets. And the smaller your home, the fewer number of pets you will be able to accommodate, in order to provide a healthy environment for your pet-family.
Cat Maintenance:
Even though Turks tend not to mat easily, weekly brushing will help to remove loose hairs and prevent matting, especially during seasonal changes. This is often easily done when your kitty is lounging on your lap.
Clip nails regularly. Keep the kitten calm and engaged to help distract them from the task. Talking quietly to them, humming, or singing can help keep your kitten calm and engaged as you clip the tips of the nails. (Never clip into the quick; it's painful and it will bleed).
Bathing can be kept infrequent. But it's a good habit to introduce your kitten to frequent enough baths that it becomes something they come to expect, rather than something for them to stress over or fear. Some Turks actually enjoy the water.
Brush your kitten's teeth with a cat-appropriate brush and paste if you desire. The long-term effects mean less visits to the Vet for dental care. But the choice is yours.
Clean your kitten's litter box regularly and frequently. This will help keep your kitty healthy, and your home cleaner.
*A kitten feasting on a raw diet typically has less frequent, firmer, and less smelly poops. Their breath is less odorous, and their teeth stay cleaner and whiter longer. Just a few more good reasons to consider keeping your kitten on a more cat-natural raw-fed diet.
Supplies to have on hand:
You will need to have the following items ready before bringing your kitten home:
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Food
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Food & water dishes
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Suitable cat (or dog) enclosure, or spare room, for kitten to rest in and get used to his/her new home
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Litter pan
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Litter. We recommend Dr. Esley brand "Long Haired" variety. It is a silica gel "crystals" style litter that is lighter, absorbent, good with keeping odor levels down, and much lower on dust than clay litter. It is also so much healthier for the cat's general health. (Walmart sells a less expensive crystal litter that is also a good choice. The brand I prefer is "Vibrant" Mini Crystals, which I mix with a small amount of Dr. Esley brand clay litter, as the Walmart brand is slightly less absorbent).
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Cat-appropriate toys. Kittens enjoy toys that move, jingle or crinkle, and can be easily batted and picked up with paws and mouth. Cats are prey animals (and Turks especially so), so toys that allow them to use their prey instincts are ideal. We have found that our cat's favorite toys are plastic straws and plastic spiral springs.
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Scratching post – the best deterrent against kittens using your furniture or rugs, is to provide them plenty of scratching post options.
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Climbing trees or cat towers. Turks love to climb and perch high. So having options for this is ideal.
Introducing a new kitten to a new home,
or an already pet-established household:
If you are adopting your new Turk from a responsible breeder, they should already be socialized to other pets (minimally the other breeding cats and kittens) in the home, regularly held and played with from birth, and introduced to the various sounds and goings on in a typical home environment.
However, while breeders tend to do their best to expose and socialize their kittens prior to moving them to his or her new home, the best rule of thumb for the new owner is to proceed slowly, patiently, and provide plenty of protection and support for all animals involved. Moving to a new home is a big adjustment. It can be stressful and even scary, leaving their parents and siblings, and the familiarity of their birth home. Allow the kitten time to adjust to you, and to its new home and surroundings, and introduce other pets with caution.
Allow your kitten plenty of supervised exploring of his/her surroundings. If you have other pets, please try to keep them away from the kitten early on. As your kitten becomes more secure, you may begin to expand his/her area of exploration.
We have found that by first allowing other pets to sniff the new kitten through a gate, or some other boundary, it provides both pets an opportunity to experience each other without having to engage.
Be sure to play with all household pets, in front of each other, so that each animal understands that their humans love and accept all of them. Even pets can become jealous or depressed, if it feels a new animal has suddenly replaced it. If they get close enough to each other, you can even pet both animals at the same time, showering both with loving compliments, and showing each pet that you care for them all.
*Each kitten's personality is different. Some kittens may adjust very quickly and not need that extra time to get used to things. Your Breeder should be able to help you get to know your kitten as much as possible before picking him/her up. But you can also study your new kitten's behavior and determine how quickly or slowly to progress based on their individual reactions. Just don't push the bonding process to try and hurry things up. It will likely cause adverse reactions, and can create more issues for you, now and in the future, than if you'd allowed things to progress in their own time.
Responsible Breeders have a vested interest to ensure not only proper placement of the right kitten(s)/cat(s) in the right home based on the family's experience, understanding, and family dynamics. However, they are also very willing to help their new families with whatever questions they might have early on, or even later on down the road. And remember, Breeders also really like to know how their babies are doing even after leaving their home. So please consider providing them with, at the very minimum, a yearly update with a few pics. This also lets them know how well their breeding program is doing long-term.