Behaviour

Kitty’s Homecoming

Introducing a kitten or cat to its new home properly is important. When your kitty is home alone, keep it in a “safe room” with food, water, litter box, and a warm place to sleep. Much as you are tempted to, for the first few days it’s imperative not to give kitty full roam of the house until it has fully adjusted to your home (this also helps any pets you currently have to adjust and feel comfortable). Kitty needs time to feel secure before being ready for a larger space, and can get lost if exposed before being given time to gain its bearings.
IIf there are older pets in the household an excellent way to introduce them is through a closed door. Both cats and dogs are ‘scent’ animals which means they will acclimate to each other’s smells before even sight. By making friends with ‘paws under the door’ they’ll each know the other one is there and be curious, but the new kitty won’t be overwhelmed by the older cat or dog and will be comfortable in a safe place. Also, your current pets will not feel threatened by the newcomer. Another tip is to trade bedding and/ or toys during this time to assist the familiarization process, since cats and dogs are scent animals and this is the first way they get to know each other. When you feel they are ready to meet each other (the longer the better), supervise their time together for awhile so you can intervene if either pet become too stressed. Make sure you show all of your pets lots of love and affection during this introduction time period.
Four days is the usual adjustment period for kittens... 2 weeks to a month for adult cats; so bear this in mind and be patient!

Litter Box Training

Our kittens are litter box trained from the first time they are introduced to food at about five weeks old, so they are well-acclimated. For the first few days after homecoming, frequently pick up your kitten and put it in the litter box at your house so it knows where to go - do this especially after feeding.
While they are young, it would be a good idea to keep a box on each floor or at either end of your house. Our kittens are used to Clay Litters and it would be best to stay with that so it is not confusing. If kitty has an accident, it may ‘revisit’ that spot later, so you want them to form good habits from the start. Keep the litter box clean, scoop when needed, and deep clean the box when full litter changes are made.
We like the convenience of having food (see our Nutrition page) and litter delivered straight to our door - so here’s a link for the litter we prefer: Dr Elsey’s Precious Cat (Cat Attract is great for cats with any issues)
Clients have reported issues of kittens not using the litter box; the most vexing of all problems! We recommend going to the sources listed below and viewing the excellent tips offered. If you don’t reach a resolution through this helpful advice, by all means contact us as we are here to help and never want you to cope with this most frustrating of problems on your own! We do believe that with investigation and some thoughtful ‘cat sense’, most if not all problems will be resolved.

Many thanks to Molly at Mythicbells Persians for this excellent video and allowing us to benefit from her wisdom. It is not the most pressing problem in the world, but I, like Molly, have tried all manner of boxes and though it is my dying wish to have an electric box that works (read: contact Polly if you need a vigilant tester for prototypes!), the simplest works the best at this point in time. Other excellent sources are below:

Behavior Issues

(click Puss to return)

Cats International (Don’t miss page two!)
Cat Info

Obedience Training

An excellent product for keeping kitties off counters and certain furniture is a harmless spray and alarm combined in one product. The key to training kitties is consistency; and if you can enforce a rule when you are not around, your trouble-maker will get the idea that much quicker! See below; it works a treat for us!
Order Stay Away on Amazon
Stay Away Website