Cat Litter & Litter Box
Young kittens are accustomed to a lower sided open style litter box. Using a covered box right away may cause them to be afraid to use the new litter box. Keep kitten confined to a small area or room at first as kittens tend to wait until the last minute to look for the litter box so you need one to be close by at all times when they are young. As they mature they can eventually have full run of the house. With some cats it can be best to have more than one litter box, especially if it is a multi-cat home.
We use Frisco Grass Clumping Litter or Smart Cat Grass Litter for our Kittens and Adults. I cannot say enough good about it! As long as you scoop it daily then the scent is in the grass family. No cover up scents are used. We note ZERO dust when pouring the clean litter into the boxes even when standing and pouring from 2-3 feet above the box. This litter clumps VERY tight and NEVER turns dusty. It is the very best litter we have ever used.
This litter can only be purchased through Chewy.com for Frisco Brand and Amazon.com for the Smart Cat
Feeding
We are feeding our kittens Iams Proactive Health Kitten food from weaning until departure.
Iams dry Kitten food is free from Legumes (beans, Peas, Lentils) which studies are finding block Taurine which is necessary for heart health and therefore contributing to heart disease in cats & dogs. This is why we switched to this for dry Kitten food.
This being said, our kittens primarily eat canned food and we are feeding Nulo Turkey flavor canned food.
Shampoo
We are often asked what shampoo we use as the kitten smells so good! We use EZ Groom Filthy Beast and lather twice.
If the kitten is solid white or high white then we do the first lather with EZ Groom Crystal White followed with a second lather of EZ Groom Filthy Beast.
Combs
Another thing we are often asked is what combs do you recommend? We only use Ashley Craig Greyhound Combs here.
Greyhoundcomb.com
Airline Shipping, Delivery & Pick-Up
We place our Kittens at age 11-12 weeks old depending on how we determine they are doing and their readiness to safely transition to a new home. This age can vary from one kitten to another and our recommendation will be based on what is best for the kitten and not the purchaser. We put the health & safety of the kittens first. Very tiny kittens may need to be even 14-18 weeks old before departing, though this is not the norm.
We can send kittens via the airlines and also have a Flight Nanny we work with. You may elect to fly in to pick up your kitten, or if you live within driving distance we can arrange to meet.
Convenia
Please do not allow your Veterinarian to inject your kitten with Convenia antibiotic. This drug has killed cats & kittens and there is a Facebook Page dedicated to this. So many vets will swear by this drug for even the simplest malady such as even a little conjunctivitis of the eye. Other Vets have stopped using it. Once it is injected there is nothing you can truly do if there is a reaction as it remains in their system for 65 days with nothing to counteract the reaction. Some become lethargic and come out of it while others continue on with ‘failure to thrive’ and die. We have seen this cause liver failure and extreme liver enlargement as the liver tries to filter this drug from their system. As this point we know of 3 kittens who passed away in this manner and adult cats who suffered for months before getting somewhat over the reaction, though never back to what they were. Most receiving this drug likely do just fine, but since a reaction cannot be reversed; why take the chance when it is only for convenience? I much prefer to daily dose my kitten/cat with antibiotics rather than take this chance.
This is promoted to owners as being easy for them as its one shot and done. However, it may be your kitten that ends up ‘done’.
Be proactive with your kittens health care and contact me if you have any doubts or concerns whether this is soon after you take possession of your kitten or years down the road. We never stop caring about them.
Car & Home Air Fresheners & Perfumes
We have now had two incidents of a kitten getting very sick when traveling in a vehicle with the air freshener that clips on the air vent. In both of these cases the brand was 'Febreeze'. The symptoms are excessive drooling that lasts beyond usual motion sickness some cats can have, refusal to eat and in one case difficulty breathing as well. These reactions were severe enough that I would also caution against using Febreeze in any form at home or in your vehicle for the safety of your kitten. I would also not use any Car Air Freshener when traveling with a cat/kitten.
This same goes for in your home. All Air Fresheners are an irritant to cats, including the 'Plug-Ins', Essential Oil Diffuser's & Scented Candles.
We have also met with people before where the scent of perfume, cologne or after shave is very noticeable. Cats can be VERY sensitive to this, especially in an enclosed environment. They can get watery eyes and excessive drooling (drooling alone is usually a sign of motion sickness which will resolve within a short time once home) on your drive home. We ask that when traveling with your Cat/Kitten you refrain from using all perfumes that day.
