Adopted a kitten from the street: what to do first

Every day, when we go outside, we notice stray dogs and cats. Having glanced at them furtively, we immediately forget about their existence and plunge into the bustle of everyday life. Days, months and years pass. Street animals live next to us, without affecting our feelings in any way. And suddenly someone’s plaintive “Meow!” turns our world upside down and makes our heart beat more anxiously: “How small you are! Poor thing, you’re very cold...”

Another feline miracle, having melted the stern heart of a city dweller, was able to find a loving owner and warm shelter. The animal is happy, but the breeder is in deep thought: “What should I do with you now?” Let's consider several options for the development of events. Let's start with the ideal.

What to do with a street kitten first?

First of all, when you find a kitten, you need to make a plan for what to do with it. First, you can simply inspect it. For your own safety, it is better to do this with rubber gloves. Bald patches, discharge from the eyes and nose, and fleas should cause concern. A kitten from the street can easily have injuries to its paws and tail. Their inspection must be done carefully so as not to expose the baby to unnecessary stress.

The first step with a kitten that has been picked up from the street is a visit to the veterinarian. This step should be taken as soon as possible, especially if animals already live in the apartment. You will not be able to independently determine whether an animal is healthy or not unless you yourself work as a veterinarian.

"Cat distemper"

A mortal danger for a kitten is the panleukopenia virus (“feline distemper”). In the absence of timely treatment, the kitten will die in 90% of cases. The virus itself is very tenacious. If it ends up on the sofa or bed in the apartment, it will no longer be possible to get rid of it.

At the veterinary clinic, the kitten will be tested and examined for fleas, ticks and ringworm. The doctor will prescribe medications for treatment against parasites and give nutritional advice.

How to train a wild kitten to the litter box without much effort

Almost all cat owners are afraid that their pet will start going to the toilet past the litter box. Or even worse - into shoes or things. Due to the peculiarities of feline physiology, all that remains after “use” is to throw it away, since the clothes are saturated with a specific smell that cannot be destroyed in any way. Choosing a tray for a cat is not so easy, since pet stores offer a wide range of products. To begin with, it is better to choose a regular rectangular tray with a lattice insert. This is especially important for a wild kitten: closed trays or containers with a high side can scare him away.

Are you solving the problem of how to toilet train a feral kitten? Patience and more patience will help with this. At first, your pet may leave puddles and piles everywhere. Under no circumstances should you poke him with your face or hit him for this. Severely reprimand the baby and take him to the tray. Having planted it in the right place, explain what needs to be done in it. A little trick: blot the urine on the floor with a newspaper and put it in the tray. The kitten will come to the smell of its discharge and do its business where necessary.

Why shouldn't you use physical punishment? This will only cause fear in the kitten; he will become aggressive towards the owner and begin to mark shoes and things out of revenge. Therefore, before taming a wild kitten to go to the litter box, learn the carrot and stick method. As soon as your pet makes a puddle, sternly reprimand him and take him to the litter box. It has been scientifically proven that animals clearly distinguish between intonations. Therefore, a dissatisfied voice will affect them, and they will understand it as “you can’t do that.” When the kitten goes into the tray, pet it and gently praise it, treat it with meat or a piece of tasty food.

What to feed a stray cat from the street?

Life without a permanent roof over its head, malnutrition, and sometimes hunger for several days make the street cat unpretentious in food. But this does not mean at all that food from your table is suitable for a small kitten.

Fried and fatty foods, sausages and smoked meats, as well as fresh pork can lead to poisoning and gastrointestinal upset in a future pet.

beef or wet food. The portion should be small so that the kitten does not overeat. You should not give your kitten cow's milk, as it will most likely cause diarrhea. It is better to just give water at room temperature.

The portion for the baby should be small

Getting used to the new home

The life of a street cat is full of hardships and dangers; he is in constant stress. Therefore, when caught, it may not give in to your hands, hiss and scratch. To prevent a frightened animal from causing you harm, it is better to deliver it to a new place of residence wrapped in a hat or other warm thing, or in a carrier.

The pet should be placed where it will be easier for him to get used to his new home. At first he may hide, this is normal. The main thing is that the kitten does not climb into a hard-to-reach place. The animal can also be injured due to compression by a door, a folding sofa or another object. To prevent this, it is advisable to temporarily place the cat in a separate room.

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Get rid of fleas and parasites

How to properly treat a kitten from the street against lice, fleas and ticks should be asked at an appointment with a veterinarian.

First, the kitten should be thoroughly washed with kitten shampoo. Under no circumstances should shampoo be used on humans. The substances contained in it can cause allergies in the animal. It is advisable to bathe your kitten with a helper to reduce the likelihood of injury during bathing.

After water procedures, the kitten should be wrapped in a towel, gently dried and released so that it can lick itself and dry.

When the baby is completely dry, apply special drops to the withers and rub the product in thoroughly.

A suspension is suitable for fighting worms for a kitten, since even adult animals are reluctant to take tablets. 14 days after treatment, the pet is ready for the next stage - vaccination.

Vaccination

In order for a kitten in a new family to be healthy and happy, it needs to be vaccinated. Viral diseases such as calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, viral leukemia and “feline distemper” are deadly for animals. Even a domestic cat can easily become ill and die without treatment. She doesn't even have to look for them specifically. The owner can bring pathogens from the street on shoes or clothes.

Timely vaccination is the only way to avoid fatal diseases for your beloved pet.

Be sure to ask your veterinarian about the vaccination schedule.

The kitten must have all preventive vaccinations

Limiting contact with other animals

As soon as the furry tenant is brought home, where pets already live, you should take care of a separate closed place where the kitten will spend at least a month. A new pet should not cause other animals to become ill. If you can’t allocate a whole room, you can place it in a spacious, lockable cage or glassed-in loggia. The furry resident should be completely isolated. Pets should not be allowed to interact with the new pet for the duration of the quarantine.

Temporary isolation is an important stage on the path to a new life

After treatment for parasites and vaccinations, the kitten must be kept in isolation for 21 days. For some, this path may seem too long. But this is the only way to protect old-timers at home from unwanted diseases.

How to tame a pet

If you want to hold a furry pet in your arms at least sometimes, you need to make a series of efforts, and act slowly so as not to scare the animal away.

According to zoologists, cats, even adults, can be tamed if you are consistent in your actions.

We establish contact. First, you need to establish general contact with your pet - stroke its fur as often as possible, pamper it with healthy treats, and spend more time playing with it.

Training. As soon as the cat begins to communicate with pleasure with a person, you can train it to sit on your knees and hands, using the following recommendations:

1. Give your pet his favorite treat by hand more often. In this case, the cat will form a causal-hereditary relationship, and the owner’s hands will be associated with something pleasant.
2. Do not raise your voice near your pet, and do not laugh loudly. Cats don't like annoying sounds.
3. Get interested in a glowing toy by placing it on your lap.
4. Accustom it to hands when your pet has eaten a hearty meal. The fact is that the cat will be in a pleasant half-asleep and is unlikely to resist the additional warmth emanating from the owner.
5. When you pick up your cat, you should immediately offer him his favorite food. As soon as the cat eats, it must be released. Having done this trick several times, the pet will be happy to be picked up on its own in the future.
6. If a cat has a fear of heights, you need to tame it slowly, sitting on your knees, gradually rising higher.
7. The training procedure should be carried out in a light playful manner. Toys on strings - bows, mice - are perfect for this. First, you need to properly “play” your pet, gradually moving the toy closer to your lap. In pursuit of the target, in excitement, the cat will jump onto its lap and not even notice it. By practicing such games more often, the mustachioed tabby will quickly get used to jumping onto his owner’s lap.
8. While the pet is small, it can be carried in a pocket robe, like in a baby carrier. The baby will really like this fun, and he will perceive the robe as his property. An adult cat will associate the smell of a person on clothes with childhood.
9. Talk more and calmly with your pet. The gentle, monotonous voice of the owner will calm the animal, giving a feeling of peace and security. If you stroke a cat at the same time as talking, it will quickly get used to close communication, begin to trust its owner and go to its knees for affection and attention.
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Radical methods. If the above measures do not help, you can take an extreme step. Pet stores sell special aerosols that contain pheromones. These products will attract the cat. Just apply a small amount of aerosol on your palms, and your pet will always reach for them.

The use of aerosols has a disadvantage - there may be a problem in weaning the animal from the aerosol.

To help your cat get used to the smell of the product, you can use catnip. Accustoming an adult pet to handling is much more difficult; things will go faster with a kitten.

Education

So, the kitten has been treated and the quarantine is over. It's time to help him get comfortable in the house. And here the owners may encounter difficulties. When the kitten lived on the street, he was left to his own devices and could do whatever he wanted: go to the toilet in any flowerbed, sharpen his claws on trees. Now the space for maneuver has changed and turned out to be unfamiliar. The owners’ task is to help the new resident quickly get used to the new place.

You need to get used to the tray right away. It should be open and large in size. First use sand or soil as a filler. These are exactly what the kitten got used to when he lived on the street. Gradually you can mix cat litter into the soil/sand. Eventually the kitten will get used to it and you can completely switch to it.

On the street, the kitten had to hide from danger. Therefore, in the new home there should be places where he can hide and be alone.

Kittens love to play. Games will help your pet quickly get used to it and begin to trust its new owners. A fishing rod toy will be a great helper. The kitten will be at a safe distance during play so that it can relax and not be afraid.

Playing with a kitten is the best way to gain trust

Don't grab the kitten suddenly. Better call. When he comes over, give him a treat and pet him. The pet should see the owner as a friend, and not as an aggressor or a source of danger.

When raising a kitten, you should not shout at it, much less hit it. You need to talk to him strictly and calmly.

If, for example, he took food into the room, you need to return it to his bowl. This must be repeated until he understands that this cannot be done.

A natural need for a kitten is to sharpen its claws. If you want to keep your furniture intact, buy a scratching post. Take the time to explain to your animal how to use it. You can spray the scratching post with catnip, which cats love. Over time, the kitten will love it and most likely will not spoil the upholstered furniture.

How to properly pick up a cat

The kitten is positioned with its tail facing itself. Then they take it by the skin on the back of the neck, near the base of the neck and ears. The grip force should be moderate, not very strong. The animal is lifted and placed on the lap. If he allows, then you can stroke him, while talking affectionately and calmly.

Hand position when lifting an adult cat

Attention! The cat must not be lifted from the front!

You can tame a cat using the combing procedure. This is also a hygiene measure that keeps the coat and skin in good condition.

It happens that a cat is afraid of heights. Then, picking him up, place one palm under the armpits and hold the hind limbs with the other. Thanks to such support, the cat will not feel weightless, and the fear will pass.

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What kindness harms street kittens?

When you see an outdoor kitten, you will definitely want to pet it or help it in some way. And the first thing that comes to mind is to feed. Don't rush to give everything you find in your bag. It is better to spend a little time, go to the nearest store and buy suitable food. Try to leave food away from large crowds of people so that the baby does not get scared and avoid meeting, for example, stray dogs. Dogs are often aggressive. They can easily hurt a kitten or even maim them in order to take food.

If you are not ready to take the kitten with you, you should not call it over, giving false hope of finding a home.

How to accustom a kitten to being held?

The classic idea of ​​a domestic cat is a warm furry ball curled up in your arms, purring in different tones. But some pets are too independent, not very affectionate and do not strive for intimacy with humans. And then the owner is faced with the question of how to accustom the cat to handling.

There are several methods to help overcome fear or reluctance to handle.

• After a hearty meal, the pet is relaxed and sleepy. You can pick up a dozing kitten and gently cuddle it to keep it warm and cozy. After a short time, the baby will begin to climb up to the owner on his own.
• Treats will help lure the kitten onto the person's lap. While he is eating, you need to gently stroke him and scratch him behind the ear. Gradually, the pet will understand that sitting in your arms is pleasant.
• While playing, you need to pull the toy onto your lap from time to time. When the kitten jumps after you, you need to pet him. Over time, he will get used to close contact with a person and will strive for it himself.

Games bring people closer together

• Perhaps the cat is simply afraid of heights due to the fact that he was picked up incorrectly. In order for the baby to feel comfortable, one hand is placed under his front paws, and the other is placed under his hind paws. You shouldn't hold the kitten up; it's better to lightly hold it close to you.

When using one method or another, you need to carefully monitor your pet, and the right path to training will definitely be found.

Is it worth adopting a kitten from the street: care features

Street cats are a consequence of man's irresponsible attitude towards animals. Not all of them were born on the streets. Many were left to fend for themselves for various reasons. But whatever the reasons, they do not justify people.

Before adopting a kitten from the street, weigh the pros and cons. Think carefully about whether you are ready

• treat it (if necessary)?
• keep in quarantine?
• bring up?
• pay enough attention every day?
• ensure his safety in the apartment?
• not to offend or punish him?
• make him a full member of the family?

Loyalty and love do not depend on breed

If you give positive answers, quickly bring the fluffy ball home. Open your heart to him. Through tenderness and care, show that the most important thing is love for your neighbor. And it doesn’t matter what his origin is.

Quarantine

If the veterinarian examined the pet and did not find any serious health problems, nevertheless, the animal should be subject to mandatory quarantine. The event usually lasts a week (at the discretion of the doctor).

How to tame a cat and a wild kitten from the street

The first action after picking up a kitten from the street is quarantine. Ideally, during quarantine, the kitten should live in a separate room, without contact with other pets. In most cases, people do not have the opportunity to keep a new resident in a separate room; they buy a special cage or box for him. The box contains a tray with filling, a bed in which the kitten will sleep, and a bowl of water and food. Toys for the baby are also left here, and contact with other pets is excluded as much as possible.

For your information! Outdoor kittens adapt more easily to a new life in a confined space.
On the street, such kittens live with their mother cat, as a rule, and do not know anyone except her. It is difficult for them to get used to people, and this is why quarantine measures are required. After some time, when the baby gets used to it, he is released from the cage.