Maureen’s Advice for adopting a cat or kitten: In association with J & D Pet Products

Always adopt a cat or kitten from a reputable animal welfare organization If you purchase from a pet shop, or a friend of a friend, you don’t know that the animal has undergone adequate veterinary checks or even been cared for properly. You can use the internet to research the reputable re-homing organizations

When you have decided upon the cat or kitten you wish to adopt, ask as many questions as you can about its history. The welfare organization should have paper work relevant to the animal which will allow them to answer your questions

Ask when  adopting an adult cat, if it has had a negative result, blood test for Fiv / Felv  If you are adopting a kitten, ask if the mother has been tested and found to be negative of Fiv / Felv

Cats & Kittens alike should be treated for flees and worms, using products only obtained from a veterinary surgery. The vet will advise which product to use relevant to the cat or kitten’s age, and when to repeat the treatment

Adult cats whether male or female should be neutered or spayed. It is not necessary for a female to have a litter before being spayed

Kittens, at the time of adoption if too young, should be neutered or spayed at the age of 6 months. Up to this age they should not be allowed to go outside as they can become sexually mature from approx 5 months old and so become pregnant.

It is always advisable, that all cats & kittens be identi-chipped, so that if they are lost, when found they can be quickly identified by a vet, an animal welfare organization or the police and returned to the rightful owner.

Hopefully, your pet will only need annual booster vaccinations at the vets, but should your pet become ill, it is advisable that you have them insured as veterinary treatment can be expensive

Kittens should remain on kitten food either wet or dry until they are 12 months old. Kitten milk can be given as a treat but cow’s milk must not be given to a cat of any age, as this can cause diahorea. Adult cats should be fed on a good quality adult feed. It is essential that water should be available at all times for your pet.

Always keep your pets feeding dishes and water bowls clean.

Cat families always play better with even numbers, therefore it is always better to adopt, cats & kittens in pairs

Cats will respond much better to names ending in “ee”

Cats have become Britain’s favorite pet, there are approx 7.7 million cats to 6.6 million dogs.

 

Maureen’s Cat Facts: In association with J & D Pet Products

It will normally take 7 to 10 days for a kittens eyes to open properly and  approximately 2 weeks for them to hear well.

An adult cat can see 6 times better than a human at night and has far superior hearing at both ends of the spectrum to both humans and dogs.

A cat has a third eyelid which you will normally only see when the cat is unwell

Cats have a total of 24 whiskers, that is 4 rows on each side of the face. Their top 2 rows move independently of the bottom. Cats use their whiskers for measuring

A cat has 30 teeth, 12 incisors, 10 premolars, 4 canines, and 4 molars, whilst a dog has 42. Kitten’s, baby teeth are replaced at 7 months with their adult teeth

A cat can jump between 5 – 7 times higher than it is tall.

Cats can smell with their mouths as well as their noses. The Jacobson organ allows the cat to analyse smell, through the roof of its mouth.                          

Cats will sleep 16 – 18 hours each day, but are still aware of what is going on around them. They will respond to outside stimuli faster than any other animal.

The normal temperature of a cat is 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.5 degrees Celsius

The print of a cat’s nose pad is as individual, as a human’s finger prints.

Domestic cats can purr when both inhaling and exhaling. Purring isn’t  always a sign of contentment; it can be a sign of pain or being ill.

Cats have 5 toes on their front paws but only 4 on their back. It is not uncommon for cats to have extra toes front and back.

When drinking a cat scoops the water up backwards with its barb covered tongue.

In most cases, a tom cat which is neutered will stop spraying, which is a form of marking territory.

In most cases, a tortoise shell cat is nearly always female, a ginger is usually male and White cats are prone to deafness and the effects of sunburn on their ears.

A cat’s usual term of pregnancy is approximately 9 weeks, between 62 – 65 days.

A litter of kittens is actually known as a kindle.

The average litter (kindle) is 3 – 7 kittens. Each kitten in the litter can have different fathers, hence the difference in colours.

A mother cat can have a litter of kittens every 4 months. An un-neutered female can be responsible for 20,000 descendants in a 5 year period.

Chocolate is poisonous to cats as well as dogs.

Finally Sir Isaac (where did that apple come from) Newton, who was a cat lover invented the cat flap.

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