Congratulations on your new Chinua kitten!  Norwegian Forest cats are wonderful additions to your family.  I’ve put together a few things to help your kitten adjust more quickly to his/her new home.  I hope these suggestions help!

This information is intended as a guideline only. You will find what works best for you as time goes by or you may already have a program intact. By providing this information, you will know what your new kitten is accustomed to here, where they are born and raised as members of the family in our home and "underfoot."

Food and Water

The kitten food we use here at Chinua is a blend of several premium dry kitten foods. Your kitten should remain on a premium kitten formula until they are a year old or when your veterinarian advises you to change.  We send some of our mix with all our adoptees and recommend that you mix it with your food of choice, gradually decreasing the blend until your kitten is totally switched over to what you have chosen to feed him/her.  This needs to be done gradually increasing the new food to avoid diarrhea, which a sudden switch in foods can cause. 

The kittens are fed a blend of:

Royal Canin Special 33, ProPlan Kitten & Eukanuba Kitten

These foods can readily be found in your larger stores such as, Petsmart, Petco, etc. We keep dry kibble down all the time. We offer a premium-wet food 1 time a day for those who like moist food.  We also offer yogurt (full fat) or goat’s milk as a treat.  We use only stainless steel or ceramic bowls as these can be sanitized, while plastic cannot.

DO NOT EVER change foods all at once. At about 11 months of age start to switch over to adult food and blend the adult and kitten foods (more of the kitten food at first) together and gradually wean the kitten food out. Again, a drastic change in food can trigger diarrhea.

For water, we suggest that you use bottled water (distilled rather than spring water) at first then gradually mix whatever water source you have at home with the bottled water to help convert your new arrival to what your family is using. A drastic change in water is a quick way to start experiencing diarrhea, an unpleasant experience for both you and your new kitten.

The CHANGE OF HOMES, WATER AND FOOD are often enough to cause stress and thereby result in a problem of diarrhea. This is not at all uncommon, nor is a sudden bout of sneezing from a change in homes or after being given a vaccine. DO NOT let the kitten go without treatment. Doing so can cause a chronic diarrhea problem and/or dehydration resulting in the possible death of the kitten.

Litter

For litter, we use two different kinds. One is used as soon as the kittens start using a litter box. We use non-medicated Chicken Layena (chicken crumbles) from a farm & feed store.  This is harmless to the kittens if they taste or eat it as most tend to do and will pass on through their systems.  For the adults we use a clumping litter (Tidy Cat w/Crystals or Ever Clean) mixed with the Layena. 

If you have more than one cat in your household, you should have at least one litter box per cat.  If using scoopable litter, scoop at least 1 time a day and completely change the litter and disinfect the box every 1-2 weeks. Bleach diluted 1:10 is a very effective and inexpensive way to disinfect the litter box.  Wipe the box out with soap and water, rinse then fill with the bleach water and allow soaking for 15 minutes, then rinsing thoroughly.  The best protection you can give your kitten’s health is to maintain the cleanest conditions possible.

Health and vaccinations

Your kitten has received at least his/her first two sets of kitten vaccinations. (If your kitten went to his/her new home after 16 weeks of age, he/she will have received three sets of kitten vaccinations, plus a rabies vaccination.) Depending on your local ordinances and/or your veterinarian’s recommendations, the kitten should also receive his/her rabies vaccination at this time. The vaccinations included in the kittens’ series are Feline Panleukopenia, Feline Viral Rhinotrachieitis, and Feline Calicivirus.  

I do not recommend the Feline Leukemia vaccination unless there are risk factors such as exposure to another cat in your household that has Feline Leukemia or another cat that goes outside regularly. If you do have other outside cats (your contract with Chinua stipulates that this kitten will NOT be allowed to roam freely outside), I highly recommend that cat be tested annually for Feline Leukemia and vaccinated. Your kitten has been tested and is negative for both Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.

Your contract also specifies that you will spay or neuter your kitten. Norwegian Forest Cats mature more slowly than many breeds. While it’s good to have your kitten altered before he or she becomes sexually mature, it is also fairly safe to wait until he or she is 6-10 months old. The longer you wait, the more mature the immune system will be and the better able to handle the stress of the surgery. The most important factor in making the decision of when is that he or she be in good health and not under any extraordinary stress when you take him or her in for the surgery.

If you do not have a veterinarian, I can assist you in finding a caring professional for your cats based on recommendations from breeders in your area and/or through my veterinarian.

Introduction of your new kitten into your household

The introduction of your kitten to other cats and dogs could be a problem. Ours are raised with a dog as well but they have become accustomed to him over time; they need time to adjust to ALL their new "family" members. Introduce him or her very gradually so as not to stress anyone too much. We recommend putting the kitten in a small confined area (a bathroom or bedroom) and closing the door between the new kitten and any other pets you may already have. This not only allows them to get use to each other’s smells through the door first, but also lets them know where the litter box is. Babies sometimes forget they need to use the litter box until it’s too late to run looking for it. They need to learn where to find it in a hurry! After a couple of days, you can change places by putting the new kitten where the other pet was and vice versa so they use each others litter pans, etc. and really get to know each others smells. When you finally put them together, make sure someone is there. Don’t go off and leave them alone as this may be asking for trouble.

We also recommend that you start your new arrival out in a small confined area as an initial practice even if you don’t have other pets so your kitten knows where to find that litter box. Be sure to increase his area very gradually so as not to frighten him/her too much. The toys that come with our placements are the type of toys they have played with since birth so they smell like home to them. They should be with him until he/she is comfortable in his/her new home to help with the transition.

Grooming 

It will likely be months before your kitten NEEDS to be combed. The kitten coat on a Norwegian is remarkably carefree unless you’re going to be showing them. But the day will come when you notice your furry baby is shedding more or has a mat. I use a comb for grooming my cats – specifically, a 7 1/4 inch steel/Teflon comb with a combination of medium and wide teeth. (Sometimes known as a “greyhound-style” comb.) Get a comb now (or soon) and comb your kitten regularly to get him/her used to it even though he/she doesn’t need it now. The spots that will mat the most are their “armpits”, their front ruffs, in back of their ears, and their back legs. You can expect shedding to be heavy for a few weeks in the spring and should try to do a quick check for mats and comb daily during that time. The fall is another time when shedding may be a bit heavier and the mats more common. The rest of the year weekly combing should be more than enough. I find the best way to keep up is to keep the comb on the table near the chair I sit in at night. Then when I’m cuddling the kitties, if I feel a spot that needs to be combed, I can do it right then. If you tend to mats promptly, you shouldn’t have to cut them out.  

If you are interested in showing your kitten, let me know and I’ll help you with the steps in a show bath. Under normal circumstances, you should not have to bathe your kitten unless you are planning to show.

One other grooming task you should be doing regularly is clipping claws. Regular nail clippers will work fine, but they do sell clippers specifically for cats. If you need help with that first clipping, ask either your vet or I to show you how to clip their claws properly.  I find setting jar of turkey baby food where they can see it to be the best way to keep them still during clipping.  They love TBF so will normally stay still for the treat afterwards! 

Playtime and other thoughts

My babies are terribly spoiled and their toy boxes rival those of human children. J Obviously, kittens like to play. I just want to mention one area to be cautious: strings, ribbons, and yarn. Have fun playing with your kitten with the “fishing pole” or a ribbon, but when playtime is over, put it away. Strings can be a serious problem if your precious little one swallows them. If your kitten should swallow something like that, DON”T pull it out yourself unless you are absolutely certain in goes no further down than the back of the mouth. If you suspect the string goes down the throat and into the tummy, take your kitten to the veterinarian and let him handle removing it. The same applies if you should happen to spot a string coming out the other end. You can give the string a very gentle tug to see if it will come out, but if there is any resistance, take your kitten to the vet. Strings caught in the intestines can kill a kitten if not properly removed.  

Norwegian Forest Cats love to climb and be up high. A tall cat tree is almost a mandatory piece of furniture. If you don’t have one, check out a local cat show for vendors selling cat furniture. The quality is good and the prices are usually much better than PetsMart or Petco.  EBay is a good source too.  

This leads up to scratching… I can honestly say that I don’t have a problem with my cats scratching at the furniture. They have a couple cat trees and a small (kitten sized) scratching post and they’ve always seemed very happy to use them. Okay, now and then one of them will climb up the side of the couch and I hear those claws digging in… but gee, they need them for climbing!

If there is something in your house that is just irresistible to your kitten, try using Sticky Paws on it for a week or two. At the same time, move the cat tree or a scratching post (or the like) near that spot. Sticky Paws are strips of clear, double sided tape (sort of like extra big, double sided scotch tape.) Cats hate the sticky feel on their paws. Sticky Paws are available at PetsMart and Petco.

Showing your kitten

If you are at all interested in showing your kitten, do let me know. Showing a cat doesn’t have to be a huge time or financial commitment. You can show him/her at a local show once or twice a year and have fun showing off your beautiful baby without going all over the country to shows.

I hope you will enjoy many years of companionship and happiness with your new kitten.  We welcome your questions or concerns; please feel free to contact us at any time. Adopting a new fur baby is a lifetime commitment for both you and us. We make ourselves available 24/7 to answer any questions or concerns you may have with one of our kittens. There are just a few things that we ask…enjoy them, love them, keep them safe and keep us updated with their progress and send pictures when you can so we may enjoy.