How To Care For A British Shorthair Kitten: Best Proven Advice
British short-haired cats have gained popularity and admirers around the world. And no wonder, because cats of this breed have excellent appearance, beautiful color, and good morals, they have good health and practically do not fade. What to pay attention to if you bought a kitten of this breed — let’s understand how to care for a British shorthair kitten 😻
Table Of Contents
· Let’s get the place ready for the new tenant
· Place of stay
· Place for feeding
· Tray
· Tidiness and appearance
· Ears
· Claws
· Eyes
· Fur
· Nutrition
· Basic principles
· What is the better way to feed British kittens?
· What is not suitable as a meal
· How to care for a British shorthair kitten
· How to raise a kitten
· Forbidden activities
Let’s get the place ready for the new tenant
The most suitable age for a kitten to take him in is 8–12 weeks. When you bring your baby home, he will most likely be scared. You should not be embarrassed by this. Naturally, a change of scenery and even a young age is stressful for the animal.
Before the housewarming, carefully study the room space. See where you think the kitten can hide. Thoroughly rinse all the corners where he can get into, and close any niches and crevices that are difficult to reach.
Don’t try to get her out of there if she does find one. The best option in this situation is to put food and water next to his hiding place. The animal can stay in the shelter for quite a long time — do not worry. The main thing at this time is not to leave the cat alone. Try to keep someone at home all the time.
Place of stay
It’s not a good idea to determine a kitten’s place of living in advance — see where she likes it. If the kitten has chosen a place for herself, try putting a soft bed there, or better, a basket inside.
At first, if it happens in the cold season, try to protect the animal from drafts. You can put a heating pad (a plastic bottle with warm water) in the basket. If the cat has chosen its own place, it will most likely not leave it.
Important: In case your kitten wants to sleep with you on the bed, you should dare him. Give him his place. Otherwise, it will be harder to do it later.
Place for feeding
The kitchen often becomes the “dining room” for a kitten. This is a typical choice. You only need to take care of the dishes. You will need at least 2 containers (some experts recommend 3 — another one for feeding).
One is for water, the other is for food. Choose bowls of simple round shape (they are easier to wash), made of quality material — stainless steel, eco plastics, etc. You will need at least 2 containers. The bowl should be cleaned after each meal, and the water should be changed as often as possible; it should always be fresh.
Tray
Cats have this quality on the genetic level — they do not like to cope with the need in a prominent place. Probably, for the same reason, cats bury their feces. The predator, in this way, removes the traces on which it can be found.
Think about this before you install the tray. Find for a kitten a secluded place away from unnecessary attention, where the animal will feel safe. The tray should be spacious and without unnecessary decorative elements.
Pay special attention to the filler. You may have to change it because your chosen kitten may not like it — then you will have to try others.
Usually, kittens are used to the tray at the age of 2–3 months. The animal only needs to specify a new place. To do this, put a tissue in the tray with the smell of kitten urine. For the kitten, it will indicate where to go if needed.
Tidiness and appearance
The British are a breed with excellent external data. This is probably one of the reasons for their immense popularity. A separate conversation deserves their wool, quality, and color, leaving few people indifferent.
We can’t say that cats of this breed are incredibly demanding in care, but some rules must still be followed for your cat to look good and be healthy.
Did you know? In the Middle Ages in Orthodox countries, a cat was the only animal allowed to enter the temple.
Ears
Ears need to be examined every week. They must be clean, free from dirt, or pus. Various fluids (camphor oil, hydrogen peroxide, etc.), cotton pads, and sticks are used to clean the ears. It would be best if you cleaned the ear from inside to outside.
Wrap the kitten in a blanket, talk to him, stroke — it will calm him down.
Turn the ear out and gently wipe the inner surface of the ear with an absorbent cotton disk. Do everything carefully, but without fear.
Even if you use a cotton bud, you will not harm your animal’s health because its eardrums are behind the auditory canal curve, and you will not be able to get there with a cotton bud.
Claws
After three months, the cat needs to cut the claws once every two weeks. For this purpose, you should buy special scissors. Carefully manicure — cats have capillaries close to the claw, do not harm them.
The procedure’s time is better to choose one when the animal is calm and peaceful. All care activities should include an element of play and caress.
Important! Don’t forget to buy your kitten a scratching post in advance, if you don’t want her to sharpen her claws on the upholstered furniture.
Eyes
Up to 6 months, kittens often have tears in their eyes. After the normalization of breathing (about 5–6 months), this phenomenon should pass. You should wipe your eyes with a cotton pad and boiled water.
Use a separate disc for each eye. You can use special lotions (Beaphar Oftal, Globalvet), but it is not necessary, warm boiled water is enough.
Fur
In winter, you need to brush your kitten’s fur every week; you can do it as needed in summer. You’ll need two brushes: one metal brush used to brush the undercoat, and one smaller brush for the fur.
The British shorthair undercoat is not very thick, so the combing procedure will not require much work from you.
Combing a kitten should be both on the coat and against its growth. Soon he will get used to the procedure, and he will be happy to take part in it. It would help if you combed the “pants” on the hind legs, which are the British breed cats.
Nutrition
In infancy, the most necessary product for kittens is a mother cat's milk. It is the main food product. After 4 weeks, the kittens start feeding.
The main food for a predator is meat. Fresh meat contains all minerals and vitamins necessary for cat growth and development. On average, the daily rate is about 150 g of meat. It must be fresh.
As already said, the bowl should be washed after each meal. It is better to do it with warm water without using detergents.
Basic principles
When a kitten grows up a little, you can start giving it industrial feed. It is worth reminding once again that the food is better to choose a premium or super-premium class.
Also, the cat should be given products of natural origin. In other words, the feed should be balanced — industrial feed combined with natural products. All products, of course, must be fresh.
The liver of cats is much weaker than humans, most of the food we eat is poison for cats.
Did you know? In Japan, cats appeared in the VI century. They were valued very highly, the cat was considered the highest award that the emperor could give to his subjects.
What is the better way to feed British kittens?
The best meat for cats is fresh beef. It can be either processed or processed, but must be fresh. To process it is enough to cook the meat to prevent parasites from entering the kitten’s body.
You should start with minced meat for feeding at the youngest age (from 4 weeks). At first, it will be enough 50 g per day. Stuffing should consist only of beef twisted on the meat grinder. There should be nothing extra in it.
When you reach the age of 6 weeks, beginning to feed whole beef, grind the meat into minced meat is no longer necessary. Before eating, cut the meat into small pieces and put it into the freezer for 72 hours (this procedure eliminates parasites).
The daily rate is 60–80 g of meat.
After 6 weeks, it is necessary to enter into the kitten’s menu beef liver. Among other things, it contains taurine — an amino acid, absolutely indispensable for cats. It promotes normal heart function and helps to preserve eyesight. Boil down the liver, cut it finely and give it to the kitten. It should be done once a week.
Chicken liver, heart, belly buttons are also beneficial for growth and development. Put them on your diet in a day. The daily norm is 100 g. Up to 6 months, a kitten should eat 4–5 times a day.
Of the chicken, eggs can be given as food only boiled yolk. It should be stretched and added to the leading food, such as porridge. Grains are also needed for the cat.
In the first 12 weeks, they are cooked on sugar-free milk, then water is added to the milk, and after 6 months of milk is not used at all, only water.
The cat’s porridge is fed after a day, meat (beef) is added to the rice. After 12 weeks, the British can introduce boiled vegetables into their diet. A good option is the mashed potatoes of cooked carrots and cabbage, mixed with minced beef or shredded liver (by-products). Vegetables should be given alternately with porridge.
It is important not to pour in a bowl the daily norm of dry food. The result of such feeding will be overeating at one time of day, and malnutrition — in another. In addition, you should make sure that the food does not lie in the bowl.
From 8–9 weeks, kittens start feeding with fermented milk products. It should be done in a day. A nonfat kitten, yogurt, buttermilk, cottage cheese, etc. will do. You should give fermented milk products no more than 2 times a week with age.
Ensure that the buttermilk or yogurt does not stay in the bowl for more than two hours. After this time, the collapsed protein may harm the cat’s health.
The finished food division divides its daily norm, indicated on the package, into 3–5 parts. Pour one portion into a bowl immediately before meals. What the kitten will not eat after 1–1.5 hours, remove, wash the bowl.
For a more balanced diet, the British should be fed a combination of dry food and canned food. There are different recommendations for the ratio of dry food to canned food: 1:1, and 3:2, and even 2:1. Whatever scheme to choose, it is up to you. Consult them if you take a kitten in a cattery or a breeder.
Canned food should be put into a bowl a single portion, about this amount:
- up to 12 weeks — 2 tbsp.
- up to 25 weeks — 3 tbsp.
You can feed the cat canned food for breakfast and before bedtime, and give dry food during the day. This diet scheme has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
What is not suitable as a meal
Milk should be treated with care. If a kitten has been fed with mother’s milk, she will not have any other need. In other cases, you should enter milk with a low fat percentage into the menu (you can use baby formula feed).
It would help if you fed her through the nipple until she can eat on her own. After 8–9 weeks, it is unnecessary to feed with milk anymore.
You cannot feed the kitten raw fish. It is necessary to boil it, remove bones. Fish for cat nutrition should be taken only sea fish (there may be parasites in the river) and introduced into the diet no more than 2 times a week.
List of foods that categorically can not give a kitten:
- chicken egg white
- pork
- freshwater fish
- confectionery
- dairy butter
How to care for a British shorthair kitten
British shorthair is quite a smart breed of cat. With the right upbringing, you will not have to spend a lot of nerves and time to get accustomed to the toilet or ban on spoiling furniture.
Cats are brilliant, but again, with the right attitude on your part, so it is up to you.
How to raise a kitten
The main rule is not to try to make the cat a toy. He is a companion; remember that always. Yes, kittens love affection, love to be messed with, and spend time, but you need to know the measure in everything.
At the age of 2–6 months, the character of an adult animal is laid down. How it grows will depend on how you behave. From an early age, prevent unnecessary pranks (we are not talking about harmless pranks) without screaming, swearing, but persistently.
So that the cat has no doubt that he did something forbidden.
Important! Under no circumstances should you shout at a cat if you don’t want it to harbor a grudge. The cat’s revenge can be very decisive.
Some techniques for easy punishment, or rather, instructions that you should not do this:
- blow the cat a little in the face, they take it as a punishment
- can be splashed with water
- gently click on the nose
- clap your hands loudly if you notice an animal’s “bad” intention
- if you want to get the cat away from a place, spray it with vinegar or air freshener with a strong odor.
For the game, use toys without small details, so that the kitten can not swallow them. The cat, above all, a predator. It feels good when it is dominated by a pair. This does not mean that she can allow everything, but you should give in to the kitten in the game. Otherwise, the cat may not want to play.
Teach the pet to distinguish the game from reality at an early age. You can set a kind of tacit law: “In the game, the cat is the main, but life in the house goes according to your rules.
Forbidden activities
A little something that you should not let the cat categorically:
- you can’t give food from the table
- bite and scratch the master
- let you sleep in your master bed
It would help if you did not play with a kitten without special devices (arms, legs, clothing) — the animal perceives the game as an element of hunting, respectively, can attack for real.
As long as the kitten is tiny, you can influence his upbringing, then it will be much harder to do. Whether he will grow up to be a tender companion, a giver of joy, or a spoiled egoist, depends on you. In any case, try to show patience and endurance, because the pet becomes what its owner made.
