What you need for your kitten
What you need for your kitten:
One of the questions that we hear often is what to buy for a kitten. Here is the list what we usually use for kittens for the first 4 months:
Litter box
Any simple litter box with or without a cover will do. If you buy an open box, choose the one with curved sides so the litter is not spilled over. You can buy one from WalMart or Petsmart. However, buy a bigger size as Siberians grow quickly. These two are examples of what we use right now.
Litter
As kittens are very curious and are likely to eat some of the litter, we use natural litter for the first 4 months of their lives. The clumping, clay based litter can cause digestive problems and even intestine blockage. Most natural litters are made from corn, wheat or pine. SweatScoop multi-cat formula works great and has good odor control. Once kittens are older, we switch to different clumping litters such as CatAttract. Do not forget the litter mat – it is a lifesaver! We use a honeycomb, double layered mat which is super easy to clean and does superb job of trapping the litter.
Food dishes
The food dish shouldn’t be too deep or too shallow. Choose one that’s easy to clean and dishwasher safe. For water, we use a large, deep metal bowl as well as water fountains. Recently, we switched to a motion-activated water fountain, and it’s been working really well so far.
Food
Our preference is raw homemade food; however, we understand that not everyone are comfortable with this. Therefore, we introduce our kittens to all types of food: dry, wet and raw.
DRY We offer “NOW” for kittens and “Orijen” Cat and Kitten formulas. You can buy these brands in many local pet stores such as Petland, PetValu, Global Food, Homes Alive, etc. PetSmart does not carry these brands. However, dry kibbles are the worst choice and usually lead to health problems in the future.
Canned. Our feed “KOHA” pates and Mericks Kitten Dinner pate; however, any food without grain/potato will do. Hint: Check the first 5 ingredients on the list. You will want to avoid any grains, potatoes, peas starches, gums, and other fillers.
RAW food – We switched to raw diet more than 5 years ago and honestly, we see only benefits. Our cats and kittens never been healthier. Raw meat gives them all the nutrients they need in a way that’s closer to their natural diet. It’s important to choose fresh meat and keep things clean, but it’s been totally worth it for us. Our cats refuse to eat anything older than 2 months. We buy raw meat from Back to Basics, a store in Calgary. We offer variety of meat proteins but the main one is Chicken Meal, It consists of 80% whole ground chicken, 10% organ meat, 5% vegetables, kelp and 5% eggs (with shell).
In addition we give our kittens FortiFlora, a probiotic, to help with digestion and with the stress of moving to a new home. You can continue with probiotics at home. FortiFlora can be purchased at your local vet or through Amazon.ca
Toys
Basically anything will do. Make sure that the toy is safe for a kitten though. Avoid toys that can be easily torn apart such as feathers or sponges. So far, springs, balls, tunnels and teasers are the favorites. They also love running after the laser pointer.
Cat tree, scratching posts and a car carrier
You would also need a cat tree, scratching posts and a car carrier. Cat tree and scratching post have to be stable and do not move or tipped over. We buy Whisker City cat trees along with custom made orders.
A cat carrier should be easy to clean and lightweight such as plastic ones. Choose a bigger size carrier as your kitten will outgrow the small one quickly. You can also buy puppy training pads to use inside the carrier in case of “accidents”. I like the ones with two doors – easier to get a reluctant cat in and out.