The Kitten Care Handbook
Have you found abandoned, feral or orphaned kittens and are not sure what to do? Should you take them in? And if you rescue them, what do you do next? Never fear we have all the answers in our Kitten Care Handbook!
Our Kitten Care Handbook is your expert online source for everything you need to know if you wish to rescue and raise orphaned kittens. Its also great information for people who have recently adopted a new kitten or cat and want to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Because if theres one thing that Kitten Rescue knows its how to rescue and care for kittens!
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For example, these two breeds are the most recognizable without a pedigree.
- Siamese: Long, slender body with big ears, triangular face, and color points. This may indicate that the cat is part Siamese and has a talkative, active, curious personality.
- Persian: Cobby, heavy body with a longhaired coat, short, round face, and small, triangular ears. This may imply the cat is part Persian and therefore has a docile and calm personality.
Persian
The Best Option: Animal Shelter Or Humane Society
The best place to adopt your new cat is through a local, reputable animal shelter or humane society. You may have considered adopting a stray or feral cat off the streets, however, the cat’s health and temperament are completely questionable. Shelters will have a wide variety of cats, most of which, are spayed or neutered and up to date on their vaccines.
Many shelters have websites of their own where you can see the cats up for adoption, or you can check out websites like Petfinder.com that show all adoptable cats in your area. When finding the right shelter, the most important thing to consider is whether the shelter spays and neuters, provides necessary vaccinations, and offers veterinary checks to ensure the cat is free from diseases.
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Make A List Of Requirements For Adoption
At the least, potential adopters should agree:
- To make the kitten an Indoor-Only pet. Had the mother cat been kept indoors-only, this litter would likely not exist.
- To spay/neuter before 5 months of age. Assuming this wasn’t done prior to adoption.
- To return kitten to you if it can’t be kept. After being a surrogate for these kittens, you wouldn’t want one dumped out on the street or in a kill shelter.
- NOT to declaw the kitten. Print out and hand this information to all potential adopters.
Get The Most From The Cat
Our Cat-a-logue shows all available cats. Next to each cats photo, youll find a list of home requirements and a description of each cats unique personality and needs. Please look beyond a cats appearance and read these carefully as this is important information to help set you up for success in choosing your pet! A cats personality, age and ability to fit into your lifestyle are the most important considerations when selecting a companion who you will share many years with.
When selecting a cat, evaluate what type of home you have. Do you have a young family? An action-packed, boisterous home? Or perhaps you have a quieter home with only a few people and often spend time at home/work from home. Or maybe youd describe your home as serene, with a mature family or a quiet house with few visitors. Remember to keep these basic home characteristics in mind when selecting a cat.
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Schedule Your Adoption Appointment
Ready to find your new best friend? Choose two pets who youd like to meet, then schedule a visit to their location either at our South Mountain Campus or PetSmart in Old Town Scottsdale. We do accept walk-ins when availability allows but appointments are given priority. Adoptions are first-come, first-served. Although we cannot put pets on hold, rest assured we have new pets becoming available every day!
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Did you fall in love with a pet at our South Mountain Campus location?
Schedule your appointment by clicking here or select the pets photo below and click the Schedule a Visit link at the bottom of their story.
Some pets may still be making their way to us and wont be ready for adoption until approximately 10 a.m. Those pets are marked In transit to South Mountain under Location.
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Did you fall in love with a pet at our PetSmart Scottsdale location?
Schedule your appointment by clicking here or select the pets photo below and click the Schedule a Visit link at the bottom of their story.
Some pets may still be making their way to us and wont be ready for adoption until approximately 10 a.m. Those pets are marked In transit to PetSmart at Old Town Scottsdale under Location.
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I am a neutered male, black and tan German Shepherd Dog.
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How To Adopt A Kitten
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 62,435 times.
The sight of a kitten is irresistible. They’re also instinctively clean, will grow up to be independent, and don’t need to be housebroken. For these and other reasons, they’re popular as adoptive pets. However, you can’t just pop down to the shelter and adopt on a whim. Becoming a kitten parent involves assessing your readiness and preparing your home before going through the adoption process. Once you meet and bond with your new little friend, you’ll realize it’s worth the effort.
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Kittens 8 Weeks Old And Older
Kittens of this age are weaned from their mother, meaning they dont rely on her milk and are eating on their own. So, dont hesitate: Take them to a veterinary clinic for spay or neuter!
Spaying or neutering kittens when they are 8 weeks old and at least 2 pounds is ideal for their health and wellbeing. You can learn more at alleycat.org/2Months2Pounds.
If the kittens mother is with them, spay her at the same time. This is critical so she does not become pregnant again. We have tips for trapping a mother cat and kittens for a Trap-Neuter-Return program at alleycat.org/TNRKittens.
As you are preparing to spay or neuter the kittens and/or mother cat, you have a choice:
Return the kittens outdoors.Returning kittens to their outdoor homes as part of a TNR program is 100 percent okay! Like all cats, they will thrive. Be sure they are eartipped during their spay or neuter appointment. If a mother cat is not socialized, meaning friendly and accustomed to people, return her to her outdoor home as part of TNR as well.
Foster and adopt the kittens. If you have the means, you can foster the kittens for adoption, or adopt them yourself. You can also do the same for a mother cat who is socialized. We have a guide to find the perfect adoptive home atalleycat.org/AdoptionTips.
Adopt Through Home To Home
Home To Home is a program that helps pets stay out of shelters. Adopters looking for a pet can see cats or other pets needing a new home on our Home To Home website. The site connects potential adopters directly with the guardian looking to rehome their pet, so the pet can find a loving new home without ever seeing the inside of a shelter. Please note that the pets on this page are not part of Cat Towns adoption program, and Cat Town has not evaluated or assessed the available pets. To see all pets available on our Home To Home website, please visit
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Search For Cats And Kittens
When it comes to adopting a cat or kitten, there is no better place to begin than a search on Petfinder.com where youll never find cats and kittens for sale but rather adoptable, potential family members ready to join your home and share your lives. To find adoptable pets near you, start a search for cats and kittens.
The Best Place To Adopt A Kitten
Your best bet is to adopt from a shelter or rescue. From May to October , shelters are inundated with unwanted kittens. Chances are good that you can even find a purebred through these sources. You can find wonderful kittens waiting to be adopted through your local ASPCA, check out Petfinder, or look up a breed rescue group. Petsmart and Petco also support local shelters by sponsoring adoptions through their stores.
Feral cats often choose quiet spots in garages or under porches to have their babies. If brought into a home and socialized to people before about 8-10 weeks of age, these kittens can be wonderful companions. For more information on feral cats, Alley Cat Allies is a wonderful resource.
Other places where you shouldnt get a kitten are through newspaper ads, internet classifieds , and friends whose cat accidentally got pregnant. Unplanned breeding is the #1 cause of pet overpopulation in this country. Please urge your friends to get their cat spayed before another accident occurs cats can produce 2 or 3 litters per year.
Hobby breeders are a cut above the backyard and accidental breeders, but they are still purposely bringing kittens into a world where many million of homeless animals die in shelters every year in the U.S.
Remember: buying supports cruel mills and irresponsible breeding, but adopting saves lives.
The Top 4 Things You Should Do/Know Before Your Kitten Comes Home
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How To Choose The Best Cat Name For Your New Cat
Are you looking for just the right name for your new cat? Weve got all the inspiration you need to pick a pawsitively pawesome cat name. So you have a new cat, but you want to find a name that suits her to the nines. Youve come to the right place! Cat names can convey a cats personality, behavior, or
Try Your Luck On Craigslist
For those of you that dont know about Craigslist, it is an online classified ads website.
People from all over the United States post listings of anything they have for sale, including pet cats. However, some owners may not actually require payment for their posts.
Alternatively, you can post an ad stating that you would like a free cat. Dont forget to mention your location and be wary of any fake accounts trying to talk to you.
With the number of people that post on this website every day, youll be sure to find someone you can trust to have this transaction with.
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Make Sure The Kittens Are Completely Weaned
The mother cat will usually start weaning the kittens somewhere around three or four weeks old. However, some kittens are needier than others and will continue to suckle for several more weeks. They should all be trained to eat canned kitten food, to use the litter box, and be well-socialized before releasing them to new homes.
Check The Daily Newspaper
From websites, we go back to the old-school way of searching for free cat adoption announcements newspapers.
Before you get lost in the sea of pages and information, I suggest that you look straight into the classified ads section.
Find postings with captions related to free kittens for adoption and contact the owner directly with the information they included.
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Why Cant I Bring The Kittens And Their Mother Indoors
Even if your home is very nice, a mother cat may become so stressed by being confined in the new environment that it impacts her health and her ability to care for her kittens. Community cats thrive in their outdoor home and the mother cat has likely chosen an ideal space to raise her kittens, so there is no need to intervene.
Pros Of Getting A Free Kitten
Lets start with the advantages. Here are some benefits of getting a free kitten:
1. You can save a lot of money
Since you dont have to spend a single cent, you can save thousands of dollars usually spent buying a newborn kitten from a breeder.
You also dont need to pay for adoption fees required by shelters or rescues. Its the most practical option.
2. You can allot more budget on cat supplies
With the money you saved, you can focus on purchasing high-quality items for your cats convenience. These include carriers, beddings, toys, cat trees, scratching posts, and grooming essentials.
You can also invest in a good pet insurance policy to ensure your cats health for the years to come.
3. You dont have to wait for long approval periods
Adopting a cat from a rescue usually takes two weeks or more since they are run by volunteers. When you get a free kitten from a friend or other sources, you dont have to deal with these lengthy processing times.
You can instantly get your kitten and take it home. You can also save yourself from interviews, home visits, and tedious evaluations.
4. You can have an instant companion
When adopting a free kitty, you dont need to be approved by rescue volunteers or be waitlisted by a breeder.
Once you settle the meetup schedule with the cat owner, you can take your pet home instantly.
Typically, this is also a paperwork-free transaction so you wont have to worry about time-consuming contract signing, settling of payment, etc.
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Unable To Care For The Kittens Yourself
DoNOT take the kittensto an animal shelter. See if a friend or family member can care for them, or contact local rescues, animal protection groups, or advocates. You may be able to find such advocates near you through Alley Cat Allies Feral Friends Network®. Find a member in your area at alleycat.org/FindFeralFriends.
Dont Take Kittens Or Their Mother To An Animal Shelter
Most shelters do not have programs to provide the careunweanedkittensneedto surviveand thrive.As a result, there is a risk that the kittenswill be killed.Shelters in general are not good environments for mother cats and kittens. Even in the best of shelters a mother cat can become so stressed that her healthy is affected, as well as her ability to care for her kittens. The shelter environment can also be dangerous for kittens because their immune systems havent fully developed, and can easily catch diseases.
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What Kind Of Personality
It is important to consider how much time you are willing to spend with your cat before you can determine what personality you are looking for. If you can’t spend a lot of time exercising and playing with your cat, you may want to find a calmer, mellower cat.
On the other hand, if you think you want to spend a lot of time with your cat, you may consider adopting a cat that is playful and energetic. No matter which kind of cat you prefer, when visiting the shelters, ask yourself these questions.
Find Adorable Kittens For Adoption In Your Area
Have you been thinking of adding a new kitten or two to your home? Pet Rehoming Network can help you find the little purring machine to add love, joy and laughter to your life.
Our kitten rehoming program helps owners needing to find a good home for a kitten or litter of kittens to find a home where kitten will be cherished and kept safe, happy and healthy for life.
So when you adopt a kitten through our service, you know that your new kitten has been pre-loved. Most of the kittens we rehome come with vet records, supplies and accessories. Many have been fully vaccinated, litter-box trained and well socialized. Adopt a pre-loved kitten today!
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Cons Of Getting A Free Kitten
As they say, there are two sides to every coin. So before you get a free kitten, consider the following disadvantages:
1. You can get a cat with several diseases
There is very little to no guarantee that the free kitten you will get is healthy. Its likely that the owners havent taken them to the vet or that their parents might have suffered from a grave illness.
Stray cats, especially, may have acquired infections, injuries, and life-threatening diseases.
2. You might end up spending more money on medical needs
If you adopt a free kitten, you dont have the advantage of getting a cat with complete vaccinations and preventive medications. You will also need to pay for neutering or spaying services out of your own pocket.
If they have any form of sickness as Ive mentioned, you need to spend money on treatment. As these expenses add up, you may find that the money you spent is almost equal to the price of a kitten from a breeder.
3. You might need to deal with a feral cat
Aside from medical concerns, you also need to observe the cats behavior. For instance, if you adopt a feral cat, you may have trouble dealing with aggressiveness.
Because they are not used to humans, they have a tendency to hiss, claw, or even bite when approached. You need to be very patient in taming them.
4. You can get scammed by people on the internet
Since anyone can post anything online, you cant be sure that the free kitten ad you see on Facebook or Instagram isnt a scam.