Category: Adoption Advice

Our friends over at Petcentric recently posted this great article with five great benefits of dogs and children growing up together. Puppies and babies can be a tough combo to juggle, but adopt a young or older adult dog who’s already trained and good around children, and the mix can be magical! Here are some of the many benefits of dogs being in children’s lives that Petcentric describes.

There are lots of articles online already about how to introduce your newly adopted cat or kitten to your current cats or dogs… but most of them, including ones we’ve written, start out with something along the lines of: “Put the new cat/kitten in a separate isolation room.” While this very sound advice, as it allows your new cat to get adjusted to your home before trying to acclimate to other pets, what if you live in a studio apartment or loft? With a bathroom so tiny or dark or hot you can’t possibly keep a cat shut up in there for a week or two? Also, many times the iso room is the location of your current cat’s litter box, and suddenly cutting of his access while at the same time introducing a new cat can really raise stress levels, which could cause a variety of problems. All which can likely be avoided if you use the crate method!

What’s the crate method? The crate method using an extra large dog crate to create a tiny room within your room, when you don’t have another good isolation room you can use.

Important: Since the crate method is not isolating your new cat completely, make sure to talk to your vet about any preventative health care you should take with your current pets, before bringing your new cat home.

What is a crate? A crate is a large pet-safe enclosure, also called a pet carrier or kennel. There are three common styles of crates: fabric, wire bars or molded plastic.

What size of crate? If you already own a cat, you probably have a plastic cat carrier crate already. That will be much too small to use as an introduction crate. To use the crate method of cat introduction, you will need a crate big enough to fit a litter pan through the door, and room enough with the litter pan inside for your cat to sleep and eat. Generally at least twice as big as the litter box is a good rule of thumb. For example, a 36″ long by 23″ wide by 25″ high crate would be a nice size for a cat introduction crate.

What style of crate? If you will be using the crate for a baby kitten (under 4 pounds), we suggest the plastic style, i.e. an airline dog crate. The openings are smaller and there is less chance your kitten will be able to squeeze through the bars or try and get stuck. Still, check for openings where a paw or tail could get stuck, and securely block those with duct tape. If you are using the crate for an older kitten or adult cat (over 4 pounds), you can also use a wire style. Do not use the fabric style, cats can claw right though them.

How much do they cost? As of the writing of this article, you can get a brand new wire crate the size recommended above for $86 at the big pet supply store chains. You can find used less-expensive crates and kennels on Craigslist, thrift stores, and yard sales.

Create a moat! You will also need to set up a 2nd barrier around the crate, to create a “moat” around your crate castle so your current pets can’t go right up to the crate.  Some great ways we’ve seen studio dwellers do this include: putting the crate up against a wall, and making a waist-high U-shape cardboard wall taped with blue painter’s tape to dining chairs on the inside of the wall; putting the crate in the kitchen with a tall baby gate across the doorway and filling/blocking the pass through with a suitcase to prevent their cat from jumping into the kitchen; putting the crate on their dining room table, pushing in all the chairs, and blocking the remaining tabletop with empty plastic water jugs so their cat couldn’t jump on the table. You get the idea, you just need to be creative! Some moats can also help you when you’re cleaning and feeding your kitty in the crate, in case they slip past you, you have a barrier to prevent an instant escape.

Visually block. If the crate is in an area like on the table or behind a baby cat that can be seen through, you’ll want to block the cats from seeing each other. Cover the baby gate with a towel, or cover the exposed side of crate with a very light weight sheet or gauzy fabric. You of course want to make sure the cat inside the crate will remain at a comfortable temperature with plenty of air. You can also lean flattened cardboard boxes up against the sides of the crate at an angle for plenty of airflow.

Once you’ve set up your crate and moat, you can then follow all the same advice for introducing your cats to your other pets. You can find our articles on bringing your new cat or kitten home and introducing him or her to your other pets linked towards the bottom of the articles list at https://www.adoptapet.com/blog/adopting-a-cat/

 

Getting ready to adopt a new puppy? Adopt-a-Pet.com’s “The Puppy Manual” is not a complete guide to raising a puppy – there are entire books devoted to that topic! However it is a super-helpful and concise 21 pages covering the basics, to help you prepare for the arrival and first few months with your new puppy.  The basic training, socialization, and guidelines explained simply with many easy-to-follow steps can be used starting at the age of 8 weeks, the earliest age at which most people would be bringing a puppy into their home. If your puppy is slightly older, as long as they are under 6 months old, these steps can still be helpful! For puppies older than 6 months, many of these tips still apply, but you’ll want to look at the other articles we have in our blog that are for older puppy & dogs too. We have several formats of The Puppy Manual for you to choose from, click any of them to download and start reading:

1. PDF free download, two sizes:

• HIGH-RES 2.5MB “The Puppy Manual” PDF  great for printing
• WEB-size .5MB “The Puppy Manual” PDF great for reading on your screen

3. Kindle download: http://amzn.to/19Dr7a8 — this version costs 99 cents, the lowest we could make it available on Amazon.

We’d really appreciate your time if you’d post an honest review on Amazon, no matter what format you choose! Reviews will help it be seen by even more people, helping more puppies.

If you need any assistance with the PDF download, please email Jennifer at blog@cms.adoptapet.com

The highest percentage of dogs surrendered to shelters are adolescents – thorough puppy training and socialization can prevent many puppies and dogs from becoming homeless. Help puppies everywhere by sharing The Puppy Manual a free download from Adopt-a-Pet.com with everyone you know who has or will soon be adding a new puppy to their home! Click the icons below for easy sharing.

What is the best age to fix a puppy or kitten? Ask ten people, and you may get ten different answers! Those of us in the animal sheltering and rescue world usually recommend early-age spay/neuter at 8 weeks of age, or as soon as possible after that. Promoting early-age spay neuter is part of the social responsibility we feel to do all we can to reduce 5,000 dogs and cats euthanized in animal shelters every day. We see the number of puppies and kittens barely 6 months old that come to shelters, suffering from such an early pregnancy. Decades ago, when many vets were receiving their education, 6 months old was the randomly recommended age for fixing a dog or cat – you read that correctly, the 6 month old recommendation is based on clinical sentiment, not than scientific studies! 

On the other end of the spectrum, you have pet owners who mistakenly think it is better for a female dog or cat to have one heat – or even one litter – before being spayed, or don’t believe in spaying in neutering at all. They believe this myths in spite of vets and scientific organizations supporting the benefits and safety of early-age spay/neuter. To clarify: Early-age spay/neuter includes both pediatric surgery which happens at 6 weeks to 16 weeks, and spay/neuter done before 5 months of age. Early-age spay/neuter is endorsed by the the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) among others.

To encourage veterinarians to educate pet owners about the benefits, the Clinicians Brief is promoting a wonderful campaign, Five-Saves-Lives. “Five-Saves-Lives, or Spay Before Five Months (Spay B4V)  is a national spay/neuter public awareness campaign that strives to prevent unintended litters by reducing the routine spay/neuter age to 4 to 5 months in private practices.” They remind us, “Both cats and small-breed dogs can go into estrus with pregnancy risk before 6 months of age, but rarely before 5 months of age… Five-Saves-Lives promotes the addition of a spay/neuter appointment between 4 and 5 months of age. As with pediatric spay/neuter, the procedures are faster and easier, and patients recover more quickly with fewer complications…” Plus female pets never become pregnant, and male pets do not develop undesirable sexual behaviors! 

We encourage caring pet owners to share this information with their vet, who may not be aware of Five-Save-Lives. You and they can help more pet owners make a compassionate decision about the age to spay or neuter that is best not just for their pet, but for the pets in their community too.

Even the most responsible pet owner can be caught with an unexpected and overwhelming potential vet bill. Our vets tell us sadly time and time again of owners that, when faced with their pet’s medical emergency, end up choosing to put their pet to sleep simply because they can’t afford a costly veterinary surgery, and their pet is suffering too much to live without it. While we certainly advise preparing for your pet’s vet costs, it simply isn’t always possible. Pet insurance can be a life-saver, but perhaps it is a pet you just rescued off the street, or a pet with a pre-existing condition not covered by insurance. We often get emails from pet owners asking us if we know where they can get help for their vet bills. While there are a few charities that offer limited help (usually small personal grants around $100 – here’s one directory of them, and here’s another), and some that offer help to specific breeds or diseases, in most cases YOU the pet owner are going to have to figure out a way to fundraise to cover your pet’s expenses.

Here are some tips on how to lower or get help paying for your vet bill:

1. Talk to your vet
Veterinary hospitals are businesses that need to charge what they charge to survive. It may seem like they are making a fortune, but the cost of insurance, staffing, supplies, rent etc make a for a huge overhead. That said, they sometimes can offer you a discount if you can prove you qualify for low-income assistance. They may know of any local charities that offer financial support to people who can’t afford vet care. They may have a new vet-in-training on staff who can do a procedure for a much lower cost, especially if the only other option is euthanasia.

2. Get a 2nd Opinion
Sometimes all you have to do is ask to speak to another vet in the same hospital, and they may be able to offer a less expensive treatment option to try first, say a medication vs. a surgery. It that might take longer or not be quite as effective, but can still help your pet live comfortably and happily. Or they may confirm there is only that one treatment possible. A sole vet, just like a human doctor, can’t possibly know everything about everything. You may need to visit a 2nd vet hospital to get a 2nd opinion, see #3.

3. Look for a less expensive vet or clinic
Call other veterinary hospitals to ask how much they charge for the treatment your pet needs. Explain in advance what your budget is, and see if they can offer a treatment within that budget. You can also see if there is a Veterinary College near you as they may offer discounted care.

4. Fundraise
If your pet’s vet care need isn’t urgent, or you’ve used your credit card or CareCredit, you can try fundraise yourself to cover each month’s payment. Have a yard sale; offer your services (whatever skills you have) to friends, coworkers & neighbors in return for a donation; setup an online fundraiser and ask all your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc and in your email contact list to donate. This is how rescuers pay their vet bills, and you as an individual pet owner can certainly try this too. You may have to swallow your pride to ask friends and family to help, but isn’t your pet worth it?

5. CareCredit
A regular credit card is great if you have one with an available limit, and you can fundraise (see #4) to cover the monthly payments to pay off your balance. However, what if you need the funds urgently, or aren’t sure if you’ll qualify for a regular credit card? There is a special kind of credit card that is exclusively for vet costs, called CareCredit – it can be a lifesaver. If your vet doesn’t take CareCredit, they can help you locate a local vet who will, including a participating vet locator on their website.

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This is no April Fools joke: your furry friends – and helping nonprofit rescues and shelters – can save you money come tax time! As Uncle Sam comes-a-callin’ this time of year, Adopt-a-Pet.com spokesperson and MarthaStewart.com Daily Wag contributor Dr. Pia Salk consulted with her accountant and fellow animal lover Mary Tonden. Mary shared some priceless pet-related tax tips for everyone who loves animals! (Photo: pets really can help at tax time.)

To all you tax-paying animal lovers out there,

I can’t tell you how many clients ask me if they can claim their beloved pooch or kitty as a tax deduction. Unfortunately, until our pets get their own social security numbers, all the kibble in the world will not lower our tax liability. That said, here are several ways your love for our furry legged (or feathered or gilled) friends can pay off at tax time. Remember to check with your tax preparer to make sure these tips apply to your particular situation.

Give Money: Any cash donation you make to a qualified charitable organization is tax deductible for those who itemize deductions (ask you accountant if this is you!) Don’t know if your favorite rescue fits the bill? Check out IRS Publication 78 for more information on qualifying organizations.

Give Stuff: Local animal shelters need your newspaper, old towels, sheets, pet beds, sweaters, crates and blankets. They may also be looking for items such as digital cameras, video recorders, printers, fans, heaters, cleaning supplies, office equipment, printer paper, carpeting, and furniture. You can also purchase and donate new items including food, toys, new litter boxes, dog beds, and cat trees.

Even if your donation isn’t useful to the shelter itself, they might be able to use it to raise funds. The value of items donated can be a tax deduction! Again, assuming they are a qualified organization, you can deduct the fair market value of the property at the time of the contribution, so keep track of what you give and when, and be sure to save the receipts of those newly purchased items.

Give Your Time: While you typically cannot deduct the value of your time, you can deduct mileage traveling to and from the shelter or rescue. For 2010, the IRS allows a deduction of 14 cents per mile driven in service of a charitable organization. Keep a notebook in your car to track mileage, or use an iPhone or Android app such as Mileage Pad.

Partner with an Organization: If you are providing a service such as trap, neuter, return (TNR), or ongoing food and medical care for a colony of cats in your area, find a registered non-profit animal rescue to affiliate with and have them write a letter to document your charitable work to the IRS. As a result, your out-of-pocket expenses may be deductible.

Make It a Business Expense: There are some instances in which caring for animals is a legitimate business expense. If you own a business or farm, properly caring for, sterilizing, and feeding a few feral cats can be a green way to manage a rodent population or simply a way to keep them away from your inventory. Ditto for a guard dog. (Be sure he is being paid with love and shelter too!)

Foster an Animal in Need: This is a great alternative for those who aren’t in a position to take on a pet of their own. You can deduct many of the costs you incur including food, veterinary expenses, cleaning products, medications and supplies. Just be sure to ask the organization for a letter stating that you are a registered foster and keep it in your tax file.

Keep in mind, the smallest gesture can brighten the life of an animal in need!

And if you keep meticulous track of all that you do, you might just find yourself with a fatter refund!

Mary Grace Tonden, Tonden & Associates
Accountant/Cat Lover
Mary@TondenTax.com

Thanks Mary for such great info!
In kinship,
Dr. Pia Salk

How do you raise a friendly puppy? Puppy socialization is key! That means exposing your puppy or young dog to a variety of people and situations so he or she becomes accustomed to them. For young puppies, between four and twelve weeks is a critical stage for socialization, and is a period when they quickly absorb new information. Puppies that are not sufficiently socialized during this time are very likely to grow up fearful and unsure of themselves, people, and their environment. Since fear is often at the root of aggressive behavior such as biting, proper puppy socialization is critically important! If you are adopting a fearful dog, you can often help them by socializing them at any age, to help them get used to new situations. Below are some very basic puppy and dog socialization guidelines and exercises!

TAKE IT SLOW!
The overall plan is to slowly introduce your puppy or dog to noises, people and places, and make the experiences enjoyable. It doesn’t do any good to expose your puppy to, say, a room full of very loud children who pull on the puppy’s ears – that’s terrifying, not socializing!

REWARD THE GOOD
As you expose your puppy or dog  to noises, places and people, praise or reward the puppy for any appropriately friendly response.

IGNORE FEAR
If your puppy or dog responds fearfully to anything new, remove your puppy from the cause, but avoid ‘reassuring’ him or her, which is actually praising the puppy for acting scared. Fearful body language to keep an eye out for includes: tail tucked between legs, white of eye showing, trembling, lying down or hunching over and not wanting to move, careening about on the end of a leash trying to escape.

REDIRECT BAD BEHAVIOR
Don’t allow any unwanted behavior while you are socializing. So jumping up, biting you or the leash, or barking should all be cut short by ending the socialization exercise and moving away from what is causing that behavior. Then in a few minutes or the next day, try again more slowly, from farther away, working them up to being well-behaved in the situation where they were previously misbehaving. Practicing obedience commands while in new situations can keep the puppy focused on you and the commands, and help avoid the unwanted behaviors.

FULLY VACCINATED
Keep in mind that puppies must be kept safely away from areas where un-vaccinated dogs may have been until their last series of puppy vaccinations are effective. Typically this is around four months, but verify with your vet for your puppy. No parks, walks or contact with the ground outside your yard and your house until that time. Puppy socialization will help you end up with a happier, better pet, which is good for everyone.

NOW FOR SOME EXERCISES!

1. Noises: If your puppy lives in a quiet room, set up a CD player to play normal household noises: doorbells ringing, vacuum cleaners running, doors slamming, toilets flushing, music playing. Start out at a low volume and over time raise it to a real-life level. Bring the puppies to different rooms so they can hear the noises and acoustics of various spaces. Take them for a pleasure ride in the car to expose them to outdoor sights, sounds and smells. Further widen their horizons by taking them for an outdoor walk in your arms if weather permits.
2. Places: Take car rides (using a crate is best), visit friends, pet supply stores, and, once vaccinated, parks, beaches, outdoor cafes, the vet’s waiting room, everywhere and anywhere dogs are allowed.
3. People: Try to introduce your puppy to at least one new person a day for the first few weeks. A store clerk, the mailman, your neighbors, your neighbors kids, friends, family, strangers walking down the street. Encourage positive interactions with the people, starting with just standing near them if your puppy or dog is at all unwilling to approach, and progressing to the people petting and giving them treats. As with noises and places, praise or reward the puppy for any appropriately friendly response.
4. Other animals: If you want a dog that is friendly towards other animals, such as dogs and cats, and you don’t have any of your own, you’ll need to find a way to regularly expose your puppy to them. Training class is a great place to start for other dogs, especially classes just for puppies. Cats that live with dogs already can help ‘train’ a puppy to keep his nose and teeth to himself – but until puppy has learned to keep his or her distance from kitty’s claws, keep puppy safely in a crate, playpen, or use baby gates to give kitty security.
5. Classes: puppy classes that allow off-leash socialization are wonderful! When your puppy is older, obedience training is a good way to get your puppy to practice focusing on you in a distracting environment, so you can continue your puppy’s socialization on into adulthood and new situations.

If you have questions about puppy socialization, consult with your pet trainer or behaviorist.

photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/943033

Declawing is a surgery to permanently remove a cat or kitten’s claws. Many pet owners are unaware that in order for the nails not to grow back, the operation is actually 10 to 18 amputations, removing the end bone in each of the cat’s or kittens toes! If that made you think “ouch!” you already have an idea of how painful that is for a kitten or cat.

A feline’s claws are attached by powerful ligaments and tendons so they can extend and retract. Those tendons, ligaments, as well as the skin and nerves (and often the pads of the paw) are cut to remove the entire end toe bone, as the claw grows out of tissue within the end bone. The operation in veterinary terms is called an onychectomy . There is another operation called a tendonectomy, in which the vet severs the tendons that extend the cat’s claws. Both are painful, unnecessary operations, with a good chance of serious life-long medical complications. Most vets and vet associations do not recommend performing onychectomy or tendonectomy on cats. Declawing is painful enough to be considered illegal animal cruelty in many countries and a growing number of US cities.

Why would anyone want to declaw their cat?
Cats have a natural desire to scratch. Scratching exercises and stretches their body from the tips of their nails up through their shoulders and back. In nature, wild cats whose claws aren’t trimmed keep their nails from growing into the pads of their feet by scratching rough surfaces, which removes the longest layers. Scratching also creates a visual and scent territorial marker on the scratched surface.

Though humans have domesticated cats and brought them safely indoors, the desire to scratch remains. If you don’t provide your cat or kitten with enough appealing scratching posts, along with redirection training if needed (as explained in the previous chapter), your cat will still need to scratch. She will seek out materials that remind her of rough tree bark, which can include the upholstery on your couch! A frustrated pet owner might consider declawing, not realizing the dark side, and the pain-free humane alternative of scratch training, and/or applying vinyl nail caps to make her scratching destruction-free.

The dark side…

Litter box issues. When a kitten or cat is declawed, they often wake up with gauze strips in each toe’s incision. The gauze is a drain to help the deep incisions heal with a decreased chance of abscess infections. Some vets use surgical glue; others use stitches. So that the kitten won’t rip out the painful drains, stitches, or glue with their teeth, or lick the wounds (high infection risk), the kitten must wear an e-collar – a plastic cone that looks like a small lampshade, tied tightly around their neck. In addition, to avoid litter getting into and infecting the wounds, the vet will instruct the pet owner to only use shredded newspaper in the cat’s litter boxes. Because of the pain, your vet may give your cat pain medication, which can cause drowsiness, disorientation, and nausea. Since kittens are the most often declawed (the operation can be even more dangerous for adults because of hemorrhaging), the lack of cat litter and pain when they try to dig in the litter pan, often causing a strong life-long aversion to going in a litter box.

Biting. When kittens discover they can no longer use their claws for stability when jumping or climbing away from something fearful, they will use their next line of defenses – biting. Declawed kittens may become aggressive and unfriendly cats. Cats in pain will often withdraw, hide, and not want to interact with you or other pets. Since cats can’t talk, and are historically stoic or reclusive when in pain, some pet owners who have declawed their cats claim their cats are just fine. But studies have shown that declawed cats are significantly more likely to have litter box issues and biting issues. [See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychectomy] That is not just fine for most cat owners!

Medical complications. Amputating all of your cat or kitten’s toes carries a risk of complications that last well beyond the day of surgery. Hemorrhage, infection, abscess, claw regrowth – often deformed growing into the pad causing more pain and abscesses, limping, permanent limping, and bladder inflammation due to the pain, stress and litter box aversion.

There is no way to know how much pain your cat or kitten will be enduring for the rest of their life if you have them declawed. Please, don’t declaw your cat! Instead, humanely train them to scratch where you want, and use vinyl kitty nail caps instead.

See our other related articles…

•  Training Your Cat To Scratch Where You Want

• What’s it like to be a declawed kitten?

• A Behavioral Alternative to Cat Declawing by Dr. Tripp

Today we share an article from Mamapedia about the complex issue of giving pets as gifts, written by Katya, the Director of Partnerships and Promotions for Adopt-a-Pet.com. Jenny always exchanges the gifts she gets. It’s not that she’s picky or hard to please; she just has her own sense of style. So whether it’s her birthday, anniversary, or the holiday day time, her family and friends know to make sure and get Jenny a gift receipt!

Last year one of Jenny’s friends, Suzie, thought it would be a good idea to buy her eleven and eight year old sons a dog for Christmas. Her boys had always said they loved dogs, and after many discussions, they convinced their mom they were ready to help take care of their own. Suzie came home December 25th of 2009 with an eight-week old puppy named Max.

When Jenny and Suzie went to lunch a few days later, Suzie expressed concern about her decision to get a dog. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach because she quickly saw that not only were her kids too young to truly help out, she also realized that buying someone a pet as a gift doesn’t require them to understand the responsibility and commitment that comes with it. She had explained it to her children in theory, but now, in practice, Suzie could foresee that all the work of owning a pet would all fall on her. Suzie was in a bind: this puppy was not a sweater or a blender. She could not simply return it. Yet now the brunt of the work load lay on her, and as a full time mom and career woman, she could not take on anything more.

Jenny, being the ultimate returner, did not have much advice for her friend and was grateful she’d just been given earrings and sweaters… she could not imagine trying to return a living pet! Suzie decided to try the local animal shelter, and that’s when Suzie’s life would be change forever. Just a few days after New Year’s Eve, Suzie pulled up to the animal shelter with 9 week-old Max to see a line of people turning in animals just like she was.

Cats, dogs, bunnies, puppies, kitties – person after person who had purchased a pet for their family and decided it was a wrong idea. Person after person turning in an animal to the shelter. Person after person returning a sentient being as if it were a thing. The reason this day and this event changed Suzie forever is because it was the day she saw herself in that line and she didn’t like what she saw. It was also the day Suzie became an active animal shelter volunteer.

Why our country continues to breed animals when millions are put down in shelters every year is a baffling question. Suzie soon learned that buying a pet from a pet store is never a good idea, as reputable breeders would never sell their animals to a pet store. Pet stores sell pets as if they are products, commodities, things that can be returned or exchanged. When Suzie left that line, with Max in her hands and went back home, she felt a new-found bond to Max. He looked back at her with trusting eyes, and she knew she had made the right decision. Giving pets as gifts absolves the recipients of accountability and may even keep them from learning the most important lesson: the need to respect a life.

Suzie now volunteers regularly throughout the year at her local animal shelter, but during the holiday season is when she dedicates most of her time. She shares her story, she tells people what she learned; this is her way to make a difference and hopefully help reduce the thousands of animals that are dumped in shelters every year after the holidays. Her friend Jenny recently asked her about getting a dog for her daughter’s birthday, and Suzie relayed all that she’d learned. She invited Jenny to come volunteer with her for a few days, and told her that if indeed she still felt ready to get a pet for the family after that, she could bring the whole family to the shelter so they could all adopt their dog together. Teaching children to value animals’ lives and making them part of the adoption decision process, invest them in having a pet. It is also hopefully the answer to ending pet overpopulation.

Suzie realized that not only did her kids have to learn commitment when she first brought home Max, she did too. How else would her kids have learned about commitment other than my watching their mom? Suzie led by example and she still has Max. Going on walks with him is one of her favorite times of the day- just her and her dog, quiet and enjoying the sunshine. She has since last year adopted two more pets, a loving Boxer mix and adult cat.

Keeping Max was one of the best decisions Suzie ever made, and he has become her greatest muse. She is so grateful that she did not leave him at the shelter that day, but that she was there to awaken to the reality. Suzie will never buy a pet again. Her friend Jenny continues to volunteer with her and somehow in the process, she has learned to appreciate presents for what they are not to return gifts so much! Now that’s a holiday miracle.

Katya Friedman is an active Los Angeles shelter volunteer, certified dog trainer, and the Director of Partnerships and Promotions for www.adoptapet.com.

The thought of bringing home a new kitten can be at once exciting and overwhelming. Here are some kitten-specific suggestions that will help make your new friend’s welcome a warm and lasting one.

Kitten-Proof Your Home

Keep small items such as tinsel, rubber bands, buttons and beads out of reach–your kitten could choke on them. Place all electric cords out of reach. Also be aware of those household products and plants that may be harmful to your new kitten.

 

Cat Carrier

Bring your new kitten home in a cat carrier. Cat carriers are a safe and familiar place for your kitten when you visit the veterinarian or travel, and can keep your curious kitten out of trouble when need be.

Litter Box

You can help your kitten to understand what is expected by placing her in the litter box after feeding. Kittens do not need a full-size litter box and might do better in a box with lower sides (about 1 inch). You only need about 1/2-inch depth of litter.

Litter Box Training

Most kittens over 8 weeks are already litter trained, but in a new home, they should be confined to a small quiet room with a hard floor (no carpets) like a bathroom for at least 1 day, until they are consistently using only their litter box. If that will not be the permanent location of your litter box, after day 1, move it no more than 6 inches a day until you’ve moved the box to its permanent location.

Watch your kitten closely. When she begins nosing in corners, scratching the floor, or squatting outside the box, gently pick her up and place her in the litter box. Gently scratch the kitten’s front paws in the litter or scratch in it with your own fingers next to her, so she begins to learn that this is the place to dig and bury waste.

If your kitten has an accident outside the box, wipe it up with a paper towel and place the paper towel in the litter box. (Clean up the accident with a pet enzyme cleaner so the scent will not draw her to go in that spot again.) Then place the kitten in the litter box and repeat the process of scratching with her front paws. Do not punish your cat for having an accident. This won’t help her to learn to use the litter box, it will only teach her not to eliminate in front of you.

When your kitten begins to understand, don’t take her good behavior for granted. Continue to praise her for using the litter box.

Grooming Your New Kitten

It is important to make your kitten feel comfortable about grooming from an early age. Look into her ears, eyes, nose and mouth regularly. Look at her paws to prepare her for claw trimming when she needs it. Brush or comb your kitten regularly.

Diet/Nutrition

Kittens can benefit from a different kind of diet than adult cats, as their stomachs are smaller and their nutritional needs somewhat different. Feed your kitten a kitten food that is specially designed to meet her nutritional requirements. Feed her in small amounts, several times a day.

Socialization

The experiences of kittens during their first few months of life are important in helping to shape their temperaments and personalities as adults.

Your kitten will need time to adjust to her new environment, and understanding this is the first step in getting off to a positive start. Place your kitten in a small, quiet room with food and a litter box. As she becomes more comfortable, you can gradually allow her access to other rooms in the house. Talk quietly to your kitten and gently pet her. Set a regular time and place for feeding your kitten.

A kitten separated before 8 weeks of age from her litter-mates and deprived of play activity with other kittens may demonstrate some behavior problems in later life. Play helps introduce her to her environment and is very important in her behavioral development. Stalking and pouncing on imaginary prey aids in a kitten’s neural and muscular development.

Your kitten’s socialization can be enhanced by frequent petting and handling, as studies show that petting a young kitten can make her more responsive as an adult cat.

Exposing kittens gradually to new people on an ongoing basis throughout their kittenhood is important in helping to lessen their fear of strangers as adult cats. Kittens should also be introduced to children. Show children how to pet the kitten. A kitten not socialized with children may reject or even bite them after she has matured.

Introducing Your New Kitten to Other Pets

Keep your kitten confined to one room of the house for the first few days, giving your other pet(s) a chance to grow accustomed to her smell. Put the kitten in a hard-sided crate so she is safe, put her down in the room with your other pets. Dogs should be on leash. Make the first introduction short and sweet, removing the kitten after a few minutes.  Continue these short crate sessions until everyone is relaxed and ignoring each other, which may take a few days or much longer. Then do short sessions with the kitten out of the crate. Dogs should stay on leash until they are ignoring the kitten. Even cat-friendly dogs can view a kitten as prey, so proceed with caution. If your pets are having difficulty adjusting, consult a professional cat and dog behaviorist.

Introducing a new kitten to an older animal can be very stressful on the older animal. Lavish most of your attention on the older animal, not the kitten, making sure that the old-timer doesn’t feel threatened by the newcomer.

Holding and Carrying

Place one hand under your kitten’s chest and use your other hand to support the rear. Gently lift the kitten into the crook of your arm.

Sleeping

Your new kitten will sleep up to 16 hours a day. Establish a sleeping place for her right away, but think twice before you make that spot your bed. Once she gets comfortable, your kitten may sleep there for the rest of her life.

Playing

It’s not a good idea to use hands, fingers, feet or clothing when playing with a kitten, as your cute little kitten will eventually grow into a healthy-sized cat and you do not want to encourage aggressive behavior. Providing appropriate toys for exercising her natural predatory instincts of pouncing, stalking and chasing will ensure she has a safe and healthy outlet for these behaviors. Do not use toys that are too heavy for the kitten to move or that are small enough to be swallowed.

Scratching Post

A scratching post is an excellent investment for your new kitten. It will allow your kitten to scratch, stretch and exercise all at once.