Kitten/Cat Care Guide
South Carolina, USA
803-364-0232
www.castlepaws.net
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You have been approved to adopt a Castle Paws CFA Persian kitten or cat. This kitten/cat is well cared for and loved by us and spoiled rotten for you! In time, your new kitten/Cat will bond with you. Persians are very adaptable, quiet, lazy, loving cats. They love and are accustomed to luxury and comfort. To the best of my knowledge, this kitten/cat is healthy.
Note: (Kittens and cats adapt to their new environment according to THEIR terms. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing in advance which kitties will be the quickest or slowest to adapt.)
The following information consists of our recommendations for keeping your Castle Paws kitty in good health and to assist in the purchase of your kitty/cats food and supplies. Please purchase supplies prior to kitty’s arrival (unless you are coming to my shop) .
Kittens under 4 mos. of age have a premature immune system. A new and strange environment stresses both kitten and adult cats. Any kitten/cat under stress is susceptible to illness. Consequently, should your kitten/cat become suddenly ill upon arrival to his/her new home; it is due to the stress of entering a new environment. This is not an indication that your kitty will always be sickly. Your kitty will soon adjust and outgrow this; nonetheless, take your kitty to your vet at first sign of any illness. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. (typical signs of stress are diarrhea, no bowel movement, refusal to eat, catching a kitty cold (URI), eye ulcers & infections, fungus).
Stress factors: Try to keep your kitties stress factors as low as possible. You may contribute to this by limiting the number of stress related activities to ONE stress factor within a one month period. Stress factors include, trips to the vets, vaccines, spay & neuter, moving to a new home.
We suggest that your new kittens/cats be contained to one room for a minimum of 72 hours and gradually introduced to the remainder of the house as well as other family pets. Too many sudden changes will overwhelm kitty.
Your Castle Paws kitten/cat must be kept indoors at all times. Persians are not yard cats and would not be able to take care of themselves outdoors as feral and other non-pedigree cats do. Besides, romping outside will tangle and dirty their beautiful coats! (Perching in a window and basking in the sun is more relaxing for kitty!) Your kitten/cat should not be exposed to any strange cats or indoor/outdoor cats.
Feeding instructions: You will be instructed which foods to use. DO NOT CHANGE THE FOOD. This will cause stomach upset. We sometimes rotate but prefer, feed and recommend holistic dry foods such as “Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul”, “Felidae” and “Solid Gold”. These foods may be mixed with "Premium Edge Finicky Cat". Always buy the adult formulas. These foods contain no by-products and no corn, have low magnesium levels for a healthy urinary tract and overall excellent nutrition for your kitten/cat. These foods can be purchased at Specialty Pet stores or online www.petfoodexpress.com or www.petfooddirect.com. OR I can send to you myself. Remember your cat is carnivore. Cats do not do well on corn based diets found at discount and grocery stores.
Our cats get home made wet food twice daily. Visit www.catnutrition.org/recipes.html if you'd like to continue that regime. Otherwise we recommend feeding “Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul”, Felidae or Diamond canned twice daily: Final option is “Fancy Feast” in gourmet chicken or turkey flavors only. Do not purchase the beef or fish flavors. You may also feed 1 heaping tbsp goats milk or vanilla yogurt twice daily and up to 3 feline greenies per day. Also freeze dried chicken treats are acceptable. We feed “Glimborn”.
Use stainless steel, crock or glass feeding bowls. DO NOT use PLASTIC feeding bowls. Plastic causes feline dermatitis and it gives food and water a funny taste.
Litter: DO NOT use clumping litters. They have been known to clump inside the bodies of kitties. We recommend clay litters such as “Fresh Step” and/or crystal litters. Both types may be mixed together. We recommend covered litter pans for adult cats and low sided litter pans for kittens.
Toys: Provide fun, safe toys for your kitten/cat such as “Cat Trax”, rubber, cotton, lattice or tensil toy balls, feather teasers (hide when not in use), boxes, climbing trees and cat houses and beds. NO BALLS OF STRING!! Provide and continue to encourage your kitty to use a sisal scratching post.
Flea Preventative: Your kitten/cat is on “Front Line” flea preventative in the SPRAY PUMP and/or PROGRAM. We highly recommend that you continue using this product on your kitten/cat year round on a monthly basis. (Available thru your vet or veterinary suppliers). There is nothing more safe or effective for cats. Both can be used simultaneously.
Grooming: Grooming is an important part of all pets lifestyle. Your Castle Paws kitty is no different. He/she is accustomed to being brushed and bathed. Brush your kitty’s coat daily with a gentle slicker brush such as “Lambert Kay Itty Bitty”, “Sure Grip” or “Conair”. For kittens you will need the small size slicker. You will also need a small 6 " size stainless steel greyhound comb with both coarse and fine teeth in one or two different size combs. It only takes a few minutes every day or so to keep your Persian looking his/her best. Persian coats are very oily and will need to be bathed and degreased at least once a month otherwise the coat will become matted. Use a degreasing shampoo such as “Pure Pet”. (see photos at bottom of page) The Citrus Delimonene shampoos work great, also "Bio Groom" Products. If you are able to do the grooming yourself that is great, otherwise look for a professional “cat” groomer in your area. Never have your kitty groomed or boarded at a vets office. (that's where the sick kitty's go.)
You can still enjoy the wonderful purrsonality of the Persian without keeping them in full coat. The coat can be clipped by a professional Cat Groomer every 3 to 6 mos. Whether you decide to keep your Persian cat in full coat or clipped coat be consistent and don't allow the coat to become matted, dirty and tangled. This causes much discomfort. These cats are well aware of their beauty and expect and deserve to look and feel their best at all times!
Wipe your kitty’s eye daily with a warm cloth. If you notice colored tearing, kitty may need some antibiotic eye drops or ointment from your vet. It’s not unusual for cats to have teary eyes. L-Lysine, available in capsule or powdered form at Health Food Stores, sprinkled on your kitties food daily will reduce tear stains. You may also use “Eye Envy“. www.eyeenvy.com
Health Records: New owners will receive kitty/cat vaccination & health records upon adoption. We use the Heska ultra-nasal vac. You will need to follow the laws of your state in regard to Rabies vaccinations, but if you can find a vet to write all vaccinations for 3 years this is recommended over annually. Over-vaccinating is not without serious side effects!! We do NOT recommend the use of Feline Leukemia, Giardia or FIP vaccinations since field trial studies DO NOT conclude effective results. In fact, some of these vaccines have been known to actually cause the diseases. Most of these diseases are transmitted fecally and/or orally; therefore, keeping your cat indoors and away from untested cats is the best preventative medicine. Cats develop a natural immunity to Feline Leukemia after one year of age so that inoculation is useless. We only administer the Heska ultra-nasal vaccines and recommend that you follow that protocol. After the one year booster, vac.s only need to be repeated every 3 years.
FIRST CHOICE
in wet food
is the homemade recipe.
Second choices are
HOLISTIC
Chicken Soup
brand
&
Felidae.
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