Congratulations! United Paws is very happy that you have chosen to adopt a rescue kitten(s) or cat(s) from our organization. We are all volunteers and we are committed to offering the best care we can for the animal companion(s) you adopt. There are important cat care concerns we hope you will pay close attention to when caring for your new family member. The following info highlights key concerns for caring for your kitten or cat.
Introducing Your New Cat to Other Animals in Your Home
This is a very important first step that will make a huge difference in successfully integrating your new kitten or cat into your home. Please watch this video by Jackson Galaxy, an international expert with more than 30 years of working with cats in homes, shelters, and on TV. He understands the world of cats and offers excellent advice on many different cat concerns. His video, “The Dos and Don‘ts of Introducing Cats” is especially helpful and will lead to a successful and happy animal family. Visit his web site for this video, as well as many other educational & fun videos on cat concerns.
Feeding Your Cat
The single most important thing you can do to keep your new kitten or cat healthy is to feed them a quality WET FOOD diet. Dry cat food, or kibble, is not the best thing to exclusively feed your cat. A kibble diet leaves your cat dehydrated constantly, and dry food does not nourish them, it only fills them up. Cats are carnivores and they need wet food with protein.
We understand cost may restrict you from buying a higher quality pet food, but we offer a few tips that can go a long way.
- Add a little water to wet food when you feed your kittens and cats. The water adds extra moisture they need in their diet.
- Read the labels on cat food and be sure protein ingredients are listed first, second, and hopefully, third.
- AVOID any pet food labels that include “meat by-products.” This means the protein source includes some highly questionable ingredients, including garbage remnants from the slaughterhouse industry.
- Do not feed cow’s milk to your kittens and cats.
- Canned tuna is not recommended as a staple in a cat’s diet. Use sparingly, since it’s one of the top foods cats can become allergic to and this leads to further health issues.
Register Your Cat With MicroChip Company
Your cat and/or kitten has been microchipped for their safety.
You must register your pet with HomeAgain.com, immediately, to activate the microchip.
When registering, you may choose the no cost option. To register, log into https://www.homeagain.com
The microchip is registered with HomeAgain unless United Paws tells you differently. The HomeAgain Pet Microchip Registry has trained specialists dedicated to the safe recovery of your pet. Each pet has a unique I.D. code, so if your pet gets lost, veterinarians and shelters nationally can use a microchip scanner to find out how to contact you. Protect your pet!
Beware of Houseplants & Cleaning Products Harmful to Cats
There are at least 20 houseplants that are toxic to cats. If they ingest a toxic plant, this can lead to kidney failure or cardiac arrest in cats, depending on the plant. Read more on this at United Paws’ web site.
Also beware of certain cleaning products that can make your cat sick. Among them are ammonia, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, essential oils, and more. household toxicants like cleaning products are one of the top 10 toxins that pets are exposed to. Depending on the toxic ingredients, cats can be affected by licking, ingesting, inhaling them, or if the toxinscome into contact with your cat’s eyes.