Kittens For Dummies

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 3
Copyright Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 7
About This Book......Page 15
Conventions Used in This Book......Page 16
Foolish Assumptions......Page 17
Part 4: Kitten Psychology: Understanding Your Furry Friend......Page 18
Icons Used in This Book......Page 19
Beyond the Book......Page 20
Part 1 Your Companion for Life......Page 21
Chapter 1 Getting the Lowdown on Owning a Kitten......Page 23
Can You Fit a Kitty into Your Life?......Page 24
Keeping Kitten Healthy......Page 26
Occupying his every waking hour......Page 27
Opening Your Home to an Orphan......Page 28
Chapter 2 Choosing the Right Kitten for You......Page 29
Out and about......Page 30
Serving life on the inside......Page 31
How Old Is That Kitten in the Window?......Page 32
Fluffy or Baldy?......Page 35
The longer the hair, the greater the care......Page 36
Shorter hair means easier care......Page 37
Considering an X or a Y Chromosome......Page 38
A Random-Bred from the Pound or Registered with Papers and a Crown?......Page 39
Picking the Right Place to Pick Out the Pick of the Litter......Page 40
Selecting the “Purr”-fect Kitten......Page 42
Looking at Purebred Registered Kittens with Pedigrees — Huh?......Page 45
Understanding What’s Behind that Pedigreed Price Tag......Page 46
Matching Your Lifestyle with a Breed of Kitten......Page 47
Looking at patterns......Page 52
Locating a Registered Kitten......Page 53
Buying directly from a breeder......Page 54
Performing a “purebred” rescue......Page 58
Chapter 4 Adopting a Random-Bred or Special Needs Kitten......Page 61
The cons......Page 62
Locating a moggy......Page 63
Loving an amputee......Page 66
Loving a blind kitty......Page 68
Caring for a deaf kitten......Page 69
Part 2 Preparing for and Bringing Home Your Kitten......Page 71
Chapter 5 Making Your Kitten Comfy......Page 73
Getting the Lowdown on Litter Boxes......Page 74
Automated litter boxes......Page 75
Plain plastic open litter pans......Page 76
Sniffing out scented litter......Page 77
Getting the right kitty litter......Page 78
Looking into Scoops......Page 81
Discovering Kitten Dinnerware......Page 82
Soft-sided carrier......Page 83
Hardshell carriers......Page 84
Kitten hammocks......Page 85
Finding a Scratcher for Scratch-Along Cassidy......Page 86
Collaring Your Kitten......Page 87
Toying with Your Kitten’s Affections......Page 88
Chapter 6 Welcome Home, Kitty!......Page 89
Preparing a safe room......Page 90
Coming Home......Page 92
Finding sanctuary in The Porcelain Refuge......Page 93
Coaching Kids to Care for Kitties......Page 94
Instructing kids how to handle kitties......Page 95
Meeting the other cats......Page 98
Getting along like cats and dogs......Page 100
Survival of the smallest......Page 103
Sniffing Out Quality Cuisine......Page 105
Keeping it familiar for a few days......Page 107
Making the switch......Page 108
Weighing your options......Page 109
Deciding How Often to Ring the Dinner Bell......Page 110
Treating His Tummy......Page 111
Don’t Forget the Water!......Page 112
Part 3 Caring for Your Kitten......Page 113
Being Prepared for Emergencies......Page 115
Having information on hand......Page 116
Losing the auto race......Page 117
Avoiding unfriendly people and animals......Page 118
Eating lilies will have ’em pushing up daisies......Page 120
Understanding the Perils of an Indoor Kitten......Page 122
Looking out for things your kitten may swallow......Page 123
Medicines your kitten can’t take......Page 124
Steering clear of harmful chemicals......Page 125
Watching out for pesticides......Page 127
Keeping your furniture and appliances kitten friendly......Page 128
Catching Kitten Colds......Page 131
How you can tell if kitten has a cold......Page 132
What to do for a kitten with a cold......Page 133
Acne: Not just for teenagers......Page 134
Ring around the ringworm......Page 135
Coughing up info on hairballs......Page 136
Worms, worms, and more worms......Page 137
Itching to find out about fleas, ear mites, and ticks?......Page 140
Other tiny, icky, problematic thingies......Page 146
Feline distemper......Page 148
Feline leukemia virus — ugly name, ugly virus......Page 149
Feline immunodeficiency virus — say what?......Page 151
Feline infectious peritonitis — this one’s no fun......Page 152
Knowing When to Take a Kitten to the Vet Immediately......Page 155
Understanding Vaccinations: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Him......Page 157
Timing is everything: What shots your kitten needs when......Page 158
Keeping an eye out for reactions......Page 160
Forget Shots, Give ’Em Tabs or Dots: Preventing Heartworms......Page 161
Giving Your Kitten a Monthly Exam......Page 162
Step 3: Examine the nose and mouth......Page 163
Step 5: Examine the jaw, neck, back, and legs......Page 164
Step 7: Feel the tummy......Page 165
Step 10: Don’t forget the back end......Page 166
Other things to watch for......Page 168
The Latest in Identification and Loss Prevention......Page 169
Collars and tags......Page 170
Microchips......Page 171
Pet recovery services (owner notification services)......Page 172
Chapter 11 Cleanliness Is Next to Catliness......Page 175
Getting started......Page 176
Trimming the tips......Page 177
Brushing Up on Coat Care......Page 178
Deciding how often to brush your kitten......Page 179
Working from head to tail......Page 180
Dealing with mats......Page 181
Using the right supplies and suds for the situation......Page 182
Lathering up!......Page 183
Checking eyes and ears......Page 184
Cleaning Kitty’s Canines......Page 185
Leaving Kitty With a Qualified Pet Sitter......Page 187
Nosing around......Page 188
Preparing for your departure......Page 189
Making a surprise visit......Page 191
Interrogating the management......Page 192
Making it feel like home......Page 193
Packing kitten’s suitcase......Page 194
Driving little Miss Daisy......Page 195
Flying with your little feline......Page 196
Minding your hotel manners......Page 198
Part 4 Kitten Psychology: Understanding Your Furry Friend......Page 199
Chapter 13 What Did You Meow? Understanding Felinese......Page 201
Felinese 101: Kitten Vocalizations......Page 202
Felinese 201: Reading Kitten Body Language......Page 203
Understanding body talk......Page 204
Making sense of scents......Page 207
Head butts mean “I love you”......Page 208
Chapter 14 Managing Behavior Problems......Page 211
Pinpointing the problem......Page 212
Getting him back in the box......Page 214
Calling in the cleaning crew......Page 215
Nixing the Spraying: Spaying and Neutering......Page 216
Scratching off bad behavior......Page 219
Declawing: The last resort......Page 221
Keeping Kitty off the Counters......Page 224
Dealing with Aggression......Page 225
Seeking Professional Help......Page 226
Chapter 15 Keeping Your Kitten Entertained and Out of Trouble......Page 229
Going for a walk......Page 230
Killing da wabbit so to speak......Page 231
Do fence me in: Installing a kitten fence or run......Page 233
Teaching your kitten tricks......Page 235
Home Alone: Encouraging Safe Play While You’re Away......Page 236
Getting your kitten a kitten......Page 237
Keeping kitty high on life......Page 238
Watching Tweety from a window perch......Page 239
Treating kitty with a treat ball......Page 240
Part 5 Welcoming the Unplanned Kitten......Page 241
Chapter 16 Rescuing an Older Kitten in Need......Page 243
Rounding up a reluctant kitten......Page 244
Finding the Stray’s Family......Page 247
Putting up signs......Page 248
Screening the “families”......Page 249
Chapter 17 Critical Care for Orphans......Page 251
Making the Rescue......Page 252
Feathering his nest (so to speak)......Page 253
Taking a trip to the vet......Page 254
Making him feel comfortable and safe......Page 255
Feeding the poor little orphan......Page 256
Pee all that you can pee......Page 259
Keeping him clean......Page 260
Weighing In on His Progress......Page 261
Chapter 18 Combating Health and Behavior Concerns Common to Orphans......Page 263
Hypothermia......Page 264
Hypoglycemia......Page 265
Diarrhea......Page 266
Fleas......Page 268
Parasites......Page 269
Fading kitten syndrome......Page 270
Helping a lone kitten adjust......Page 271
Problems with orphan litters: Watching out for the little suckers......Page 272
Losing Your Bottle Baby......Page 273
Enrolling in Kitten Kindergarten......Page 275
Experiencing the joys of weaning......Page 276
Navigating litter box alley......Page 277
Introducing kitty to people and other animals......Page 279
Other stuff you need to know......Page 280
Looking at adoption options......Page 281
Placing kitty yourself......Page 282
Part 6 The Part of Tens......Page 285
Chapter 20 Ten Common Kitten Emergencies and How to Deal with Them......Page 287
Dealing with Bleeding Cuts......Page 288
Treating Animal Bites......Page 290
Handling Electrocution......Page 291
Counteracting Poison......Page 294
Treating Trauma......Page 295
Calming a Kitten in Shock......Page 296
Taking the Bite out of Frostbite......Page 297
Dining Together......Page 299
Offering Her a Little (Cat)Nip......Page 300
Grooming with a Soft Brush......Page 301
Going Fishing with Your Kitten......Page 302
Playing with the Irresistible Pheasant Feather......Page 303
Index......Page 305
EULA......Page 323