Cat Care
New Home:
Bringing a new himalayan kitten or exotic kitten to your home is an exciting time but for your new cat or kitten a new home can be scary. New smells, new noises and your cat will be missing it's mother or other cats that it played with at your breeders home. That's why when you first bring your exotic kitten or adult exotic cat home I recommend keeping them in a safe room. Make this safe room comfortable and fun by including a bed and some toys. You also may want to purchase a Feliway Diffuser, this product duplicates your cats pheromones. Your cat or kitten will let you know when they are ready to come out of the safe room. A cat that still hides or isn't eating still has some adjusting to do. Once your exotic kitten or cat is eating, drinking, using the litter box and is moving about the safe room comfortably then it's time to let them explore another room of the house. Some cats and kittens adjust quicker than others. Let your kitten/cat be curious about you and let them be the one to approach you.
Food and Kitty Litter:
Make sure you use the same food and kitty litter that your breeder uses. I feed all of my exotic cats, himalayan cats, himalayan kittens and exotic kittens Royal Canin and a quality canned food. I also feed all of my exotic cats and exotic kittens a supplement called L-Lysine. L-Lysine has been proven to help cats immune system. You can purchase L-Lysine from many companies on the internet. One of the companies I purchase it from is Entirely Pets All of my kittens use The World's Best Kitty Litter. This is a corn based kitty litter that you can even flush in the toilet. Sometimes when kittens first start using the litter box they eat the kitty litter so that's one of the reasons I use this product. I also use it because it has less dust then some of the other clumping litters on the market. My adult cats use Scoop Away Kitty Litter.
Rumors, Lies and Myths:
1. Cats are aloof. I actually used to believe this one myself and thought only dogs were loving. My exotic cats and himalayan cats greet me when I come home, when they hear my voice they want to be near me, when I'm at the computer they all sit next to me and when I'm in bed they all pile in bed with me. Cats are different then dogs. Cats are predators so they take in their whole environment and they are stimulated by even the slightest movement that may indicate there is the chance of them catching prey. Cats are not like dogs in the sense they don't have the pack mentality and therefore some cats prefer to have more space than others. That being said Exotics, Himalayan's and Persian's enjoy the company of other cats compared to other breeds of cats such as the Siamese. I often find my cats sleeping in a pack with each other. I also find them grooming each other.
2. Litter boxes always stink. As long as you maintain an adequate cleaning schedule your litter boxes will not stink. You should have one litter box for every 3 cats. If you have a two story house then you should have a litter box upstairs and downstairs. I scoop all of my litter boxes twice a day this is neurotic and probably not necessary, but I have noticed as soon as I start scooping all of my cats start using the litter box. Cats are very clean creatures and they don't like using dirty bathrooms (neither do I). I also believe by scooping my cats kitty litter boxes frequently I prevent bladder infections. I know some breeders have issues with bladder infections. So far none of my cats have had a bladder infection!
3. Cats ruin your furniture. There's some truth to this but only if you neglect to provide your cat with a scratching post that satisfies their need to scratch. Some cats are vertical scratchers and some cats are horizontal scratchers. I have a nicely decorated house and one thing I didn't want was an ugly, rug covered scratching post in my living room. I just purchased a beautiful one from the Refined Feline, it looks more like an elegant piece of furniture instead of the traditional rug covered ones. What I like about it is the scratching surfaces are made of velcro so they can be easily taken off and cleaned.
You can visit this website for more information on cat myths: Cat World.com
4. Certain genders are more loving. I have owned and bred many exotic and himalayan kittens and cats. I disagree that one gender is more loving than an other. What I have seen is that they usually are born just like people, with a certain personality that is more laid back, friendly, afraid or aloof. All Persians, exotics or Himalayans are loving but some require time to build a relationship with and some take no time at all!
4. Certain genders are more loving. I have owned and bred many exotic and himalayan kittens and cats. I disagree that one gender is more loving than an other. What I have seen is that they usually are born just like people, with a certain personality that is more laid back, friendly, afraid or aloof. All Persians, exotics or Himalayans are loving but some require time to build a relationship with and some take no time at all!
Kitten or Cat:
Before I started cat breeding my first experiences with cats were adult cats. We inherited one chocolate point male himalayan cat, one short haired exotic seal lynx point female and a brown patched long haired exotic female. All three of these cats became members of our family. It took about a month for them to adjust to their new home. The nice thing about adopting an adult is you know what you are getting physically and you can get a good sense of their temperament. All kittens tend to be playful, friendly and cute. As they grow up though their personalities can change. They also change physically. Their coat, body type and eye color can change. Also if you adopt a kitten you need to make sure your home is a safe place for them. Kittens tend to get in more trouble than an adult!
Vaccines:
I vaccinate my exotic and himalayan kittens at 8 and 12 weeks using the Felocell 3 MLV vaccine. This vaccine protects my kittens from Feline Viral Rhinotrachetis, Calcivirus and Panleukopenia. I choose to vaccinate my kittens at a later age then some breeders because I believe it is healthier for my kittens. I also believe that exotic kittens and himalayan kittens develop slower then some of the other breeds, such as the Siamese. Since my cats and kittens are healthy and I haven't seen some of the diseases and problems that some catteries have, this works for my cattery. I keep my cats and kittens indoors and I don't frequent the show halls on a regular basis, so this limits the exposure my exotic cats and exotic kittens have. I do plan on showing two of my exotic kittens this year for one show. These kittens will be isolated from my other cats and be tested for diseases before I allow them to play with my other cats and kittens. When my adults need to be revaccinated I use the Intranasal FVRCP vaccine because sometimes cats develop Vaccine-Associated Sarcomas at the injection site of vaccines. Once you take your new kitten home it's best to talk to your veterinarian about what your new kitten's life style will be like. If your kitten is never boarded with other cats and is an indoor cat then maybe it's not necessary to load your kitten up on vaccines. If you would like more information about vaccines I highly recommend the C.F.A. article that Dr. Susan Little wrote. Here is a link to that article: Dr. Susan Little Vaccine Information
Litter Box and Litter:
The number one reason people relinquish their cats is due to litter box issues. As a breeder I make sure my exotic and himalayan kittens are using the litter box before they leave my house. Most of our exotic kittens and himalayan kittens start using the litter box when they are around 5 weeks of age. That being said if the kittens new home doesn't have the litter box placed in a location where the kitten feels safe, or maybe the new kitten doesn't like the type of litter that was chosen for him or the shape of the litter box then the kitten may choose to go somewhere else. If your exotic cat or himalayan kitten is not consistently using the litter box the first thing you need to do is rule out a medical condition. Once you have established urinary health, you can aim at improving the litter box situation at your house. Some of the reasons your cat or kitten may decide to go "Outside the Box" are; Dirty box, poor location of box, box is covered or to small, unappealing litter, sudden change in litter, change in box location, two few boxes for the number of cats, Unappealing cleanser used on box, move to new house or renovation/construction, disharmony with other pet(s), arrival of new family member (spouse, stepchild, baby, grandmother, dog), Senior cat issues (discomfort getting into box; senility), anxiety and fear, change in food or feeding schedule, change in owner's schedule; person home less, Previous bad litter box experience (attacked by another cat midstream), Box is (or was) frighteningly close to a loud appliance like a washing machine or furnace, or negative association: pain during urination due to urinary condition.
One thing experts agree on is never line a litter box before putting in the litter. The plastic liner tears and urine flows underneath the liner and stays there stinking up the whole box. Experts seem to agree about two things about preparing the litter box; Start with a baking soda and then use only a small amount of litter, no more than two inches.
Litter box placement is also extremely important. Cats like a secluded, quiet place to relieve themselves. If your cat is physically well and able to get to an out-of-the-way box with no problems, then a room that is infrequently used is a good spot. If you have multiple cats then you need to have multiple litter boxes. One litter box per cat and if you live in a two story house you need to have litter boxes upstairs and downstairs. Never place the litter box near a cats food and water as they will not eliminate where they eat and vice versa. Never place a litter box near a dog's bed or a dog door. Never place a litter box where children play or make a commotion and never place a litter box in a high traffic area. Sometimes cats may confuse the feel of carpet with litter and may use the carpet as an alternative. To prevent this place a hard sheet of clean hard plastic available at office stores.
Grooming:
An exotic shorthaired cat or kitten requires a lot less work maintaining it's coat. For their coat I recommend a Zoom Groom or a Furminator. You can purchase both of these at Petsmart or online at Petedge.com. Brushing their coat once a week should be sufficient to keep them well groomed.
A long haired exotic kitten, persian kitten or himalayan kitten needs to be brushed more frequently. If I want their coats to look their best then I brush them with a metal comb everyday to prevent matts from forming. This only takes about two minutes if their coat is already maintained. You should have a small metal comb for their face and a medium size one for their body. You can purchase metal combs online with Petedge.com.
I just started using Eye Envy on all of my cats and kittens. I love this product!!!! It keeps all of my exotic cats and himalayan cats eyes so nice and clean. If you use it regularly your cats will not have crusty eyes that persian cats, exotic cats and himalayan cats sometimes have. Just
click on Eye Envy's picture to be directed to their website.
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An exotic shorthaired cat or kitten requires a lot less work maintaining it's coat. For their coat I recommend a Zoom Groom or a Furminator. You can purchase both of these at Petsmart or online at Petedge.com. Brushing their coat once a week should be sufficient to keep them well groomed.
A long haired exotic kitten, persian kitten or himalayan kitten needs to be brushed more frequently. If I want their coats to look their best then I brush them with a metal comb everyday to prevent matts from forming. This only takes about two minutes if their coat is already maintained. You should have a small metal comb for their face and a medium size one for their body. You can purchase metal combs online with Petedge.com.
I just started using Eye Envy on all of my cats and kittens. I love this product!!!! It keeps all of my exotic cats and himalayan cats eyes so nice and clean. If you use it regularly your cats will not have crusty eyes that persian cats, exotic cats and himalayan cats sometimes have. Just
click on Eye Envy's picture to be directed to their website.
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