Kitten Off to Her New Home!

Koroleva - Russian for "Queen"

With a name like Koroleva I know her new family will spoil her.

Cats were once worshiped as gods in ancient Egypt, something that I don't think they ever forgot.

As of yesterday June 29th, 2014 my little kitty went off to her new home!

Its a little bittersweet, I think that Ziva and I will miss her the most.

Ziva loves the kitten.

Her final weight with me was 1 pound 10 ounces, and we're guessing she's about 6 1/2 - 7 weeks old now. Still a little young to be away from mom (that would be me) but she's become very independent as foster kittens tend to reach milestones quicker than if they were to be with their mother.

 She had become extremely fast, running her way around my house and zipping up and down our stairs.

On top of becoming very independent she also is brave and curious, scared of nothing and chasing anything that moved including my two cats and Dante.

As far as feeding goes, she is eating wet food no problem and even drank water for the first time ever! We've been trying to get her interested in it, but she finally decided to try it out on her own!

First time drinking water!!

I think it helped her to try is by seeing Belle drinking from the water dish.

She went back for more the rest of the day!

And as you can see she's gotten much bigger!

Having a kitten was a wonderful experience, and a lot of work. Don't let anyone fool you, babies are work. Fun work, but work nonetheless. Puppies are even more work than kittens, they grow slower and aren't considered an adult until 2 or three years old depending on their breed.

Its nice having a quiet house back, Merlot hated the kitten and he's been very loving since she left. Its also nice not having to chase her out of things that she would get into.

But I already miss the little patter of her feet running around on our hard wood floors, on a good note she's living with some great friends of mine and i'll still get to see her!

We owe Koroleva a big thanks, she helped Ziva conquer her prey drive! Check out that story here. I'm curious if overtime she will remember Ziva. We plan on letting Ziva visit her.

Dogs have an incredible scent memory, cats though? I'm not sure...I know Ziva will remember her.

Wonderful Experience for everyone involved.

She's gotten so big!

Some pictures from her new family.

Kitten Update 6 Weeks Old!

Preparing Her for a New Home.

Well sad to say but this is it..the last week that I will have this pretty little baby. She will be transitioning to her new family this weekend.

We are all going to miss her, Ziva too!

Snuggle buddies, Ziva will miss her kitten.

She's been fun! As of 6/23/14 kitten weighs 1 pound 6.7 ounces.

Here's what she's been up to:

• Still not drinking water straight.
• lapping up watered down food just fine though! We're getting closer!
• No longer drinking milk.
• Steady diet of wet cat food slightly watered down into a gruel like consistency.
• Introduced kibbles into her wet food, sometimes she spits them out - sometimes she eats them.
• She can now sprint up and down our stairs.
• She can launch her way partly up onto the couch, grab a hold, and pull herself up the rest of the way.
• Likes to chase feet, and string.
• Loves paper bags and paper towel tubes.
• Loyally using her litter box!

Currently she has a little bit of feline acne, this is most likely due to the wet food - if their face is not well cleaned after eating then the oils in the food can clog her little pores.

Feline acne can also be caused by dirty dishes or plastic dishes, but we keep hers clean and it's ceramic so I'm pretty sure its just the food. In the mean time i'm back to washing her face, and it should go away with regular cleaning and after switching to kibbles.

Ziva's kitten

Kitten loves playing with Ziva's collar.

Dante hoping for a chance to lick the bowl.

Preparing a Home for your New Kitten

Environment is Important

Inspired by upcoming events I thought I would put together a fun list of things you should consider getting before bringing home a fuzzy fur-baby (kitten specifically).

Most kittens are potty trained by 8 weeks and should not be separated from their mother or siblings before this time - if offered a younger kitten decline for the sake of the baby if you can help it. They are still learning to socialize and take cues from their mother and siblings, you also don't want to cause undue stress issues with you new family member.

Things you will need:

• Cat Carrier - for emergencies, transportation, and vet visits.
• Personally I do not like the soft carriers, the hard ones are a much safer option for your pet, they are also sturdier and easy to clean. Here is a great article about picking out a good one!
• Larger is not necessarily better. If the carrier is too big then its awkward for you to carry and the cat ends up being bumped and slid around inside. Cats also feel safer when their back is up against something.
• The carrier should typically be one and a half times the size of your cat.

• Litter box  - covered or non-covered it's your choice!

• Keep in mind if you want one with a door you may need to introduce it in steps.
• First step - uncovered
• Second - place lid on top (no door)
• Third - add door slightly closed so that they learn to push it open
• Each step will take about a week, don't rush it! Or you'll have accidents.

• I recommend a good stain & odor remover - sometimes kittens forget where their litter box is and you don't want them picking a corner of your room thus it is important to remove their urine scent in its entirety. I use: Nature's Miracle Advanced Formula

• Cat Litter - kittens sometimes ingest litter, do not use clay litter until the kitten is closer to 6-8 months in age. Young kittens learn by digging around and occasionally playing in their box. So stick to something natural. For example I have our kitten on: Nature's Miracle Natural Cat Care Litter its a corn based litter, dust free, and forms gentle clumps but won't harm your kitten if accidentally ingested.

• Cat Tree or Scratching Post  

• Cat Bed or Blanket - you want them to have a spot that is designated as theirs that is warm and cozy, kittens can get cold easy.

• Water and Food Dishes - always use stainless steel or ceramic, many cats have plastic allergies and develop cat acne on their faces from plastic dishes, plastic also hold in germs due to its porous nature.

• Toys! - Every cat enjoys something different have fun getting to know your little buddy!

• Good Food - See my previous post for picking out a food.

• Flea Medication - only use vet approved meds!
• Frontline
• Advantage
• & Activyl   are all safe to use on cats/dogs

It's important to use only vet approved flea medications, many store bought ones although less expensive are not safe to use on your pets. 

Hartz - is extremely unsafe! Many animals have been put into the emergency room with seizures and vomiting after having been medicated with Hartz.

If you must bathe your pet (most cats unless extremely dirty do not need bathes) use preferably an all natural and gently shampoo. Shampoo will kill fleas and make them easier for you to pick off of your animal, store bought flea shampoos are an unnecessary expense and you should always talk to your vet before using such a product on your pet or kitten.

Remember kittens are almost always born with worms and many also have ear mites. Your veterinarian can confirm these parasites in your kitten and can treat them for you or instruct you to a safe over the counter drug you can purchase at a local pet store (always check with your vet first!) just because it is sold in a pet store does not make it a safe product.

Kittens must be at least 8 weeks old to be de-wormed or given medication for ear mites, if you kitten has a bad infestation call your vet for approval to do it early.

*Ear mites are extremely contagious to other animals in the house (not humans) if your kitten has ear mites your whole furry family must also be treated.*