Available Cats & Kittens for Adoptions

Congratulations! You are now the proud parent of a wonderful cat companion.

Your adoption fee goes towards covering the medical cost of your new companion, including spay/neuter, microchip, vaccines, deworming and more. Funds from lounge entry fees we receive goes towards continued care and operation of Cat Nap and feline residents.
THIS LETTER IS TO SIMPLY INFORM YOU OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT OWNING A CAT/ KITTEN

 

As a new cat owner here is some information to help you through this very exciting but delicate stage. 

Prepare Your Home
Before you give your new kitten the run of the house, it is important to “kitty-proof” (for his/her safety as well as protecting your belongings) and to make sure you have all the basic supplies. Here is a quick checklist to get you started:
· Create a safe room, such as a bathroom (close the toilet lid!), home office, or guest room, for your new kitten’s first few days. Place the litter box at one end with the food, water, and bed at the other. Allow your kitten to adjust at his/her own pace. It is especially important to keep your kitten in this safe place for at least 10 days if you have other pets in the home.
 · Cover electrical cords so your kitten can’t chew on them. You can also coat the cords with bitter apple liquid spray, which can be found at pet supply stores.
 · Remember, kittens like to explore and can get on top of most anything. Until your new kitten learns right from wrong, it is a good idea to put away breakables that may be knocked off a shelf by an exploring cat. You may find your kitten exploring in areas you’d never dream of—like your refrigerator, a washing machine/dryer, behind drawers, and inside a box spring, sofa, or chair. Keep an eye out to make sure you don’t accidentally trap your kitten!
 · Toys: Kittens love to chase and hunt down toys. Avoid toys with small parts that can break off and be ingested. Yarn, string, and curling ribbon will cause problems inside your kitten’s digestive tract if swallowed. To be safe, stick with toys specifically designed for felines.
· Many plants are toxic to cats, so do a thorough check of your home before bringing home your pet. Here are some of the most common household plants that are toxic: Amaryllis Cyclamen Daisies Holly Lilies (all) Poinsettias Baby’s Breath Daffodils Geraniums Ivy Mistletoe Tulips For a complete list, visit: aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants

FIRST FEW DAYS
Your kitty may be very uncertain for the first few days. Be patient and take things slowly. A frightened or unsure kitten’s tendency is to hide. Let him/her do that, and know that s/he will eventually become comfortable and come out. Under no circumstances should you force a kitten from his/her hiding place by pulling legs or other body parts. Encourage your kitten to come out safely by enticing him/her with food or toys. Normal Behaviors During the First Days at Home It is not uncommon for a kitten to exhibit the following behaviors during the first few days. However, if issues persist, please contact us or your veterinarian for guidance:
· Not eating very much
 · Upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea
· Hiding (make sure your cat has safe, comfortable access to food, water, and litter box)
 · Not using the litter box (urination needs to occur daily, Bowel movement can usually go few days.
Things You Can Do to Help
 · Be calm and patient.
 · At first, keep your kitty in a single, small room (such as a bathroom) to give him/her time to adjust.
· Gradually give your kitty access to other parts of the house as s/he shows signs of confidence and is successfully using the litter box. Allow several weeks for your new kitten to adjust.
 

· Keep your kitten indoors. Don’t leave him/her unattended around open windows and loose screens, as a  Frightened kitty could easily break out.
 · Provide plenty of fresh water and high-quality food.
 · Initially, keep your new kitty separated from other pets until familiar with environment then introduce slowly.
· A loud household with lots of foot traffic can be especially stressful for a kitty who is still getting used to a new home. So make sure has a quiet space away from all of that.
· Kittens get bored easily, so provide lots of toys, daily interaction, and other entertainment to help your kitten adjust. If you have a windowsill with a view of the yard, open the curtains or blinds so your kitten can get a view of the world outside.
Your kitten is full of curiosity and knows no boundaries. It is important to watch and correct undesired behaviors from an early age. Distraction is a great tool for getting a kitten to stop what s/he’s doing. There is a variety of safe toys to use like wand toys, laser pointers, plastic balls, or crumpled paper balls. Make sure the toys don’t include anything that your kitten could swallow, such as strings, ribbons, yarn, or tails on toy mice. Scratching post is essential they naturally scratch, so a post will suffice instead of them using furniture. Trimming nails every 3 weeks or so is a good practice to help avoid scratching and getting your kitty used to be handled.

Kittens who are left alone for long periods of time may suffer from under-stimulation and loneliness. Many kittens will even cry at night from boredom and frustration—keeping you awake. It is imperative that s/he gets several structured playtimes during the day and especially before you go to bed to relieve boredom/loneliness. Sometimes getting him/her a kitten buddy is the best answer, as s/he will have an always-available playmate. If another cat isn’t the right fit for you, a cozy stuffed animal can make a good friend for a kitten too.

 

Litter Box Training

· Place the litter box in a convenient location for your kitten to find.
· Keep litter boxes away from heavy traffic areas and the kitten’s feeding area. Be certain a shy kitten can access the box without feeling threatened or exposed.
 · Clean the litter box every day.
 · When you first arrive home with your new kitten, place him/her in the litter box a few times to be sure s/he knows the location.
· You may need to experiment with different types of litter or boxes until you find the right one(s) for your kitten. We recommend avoiding scented litters. Kitten Attract™ brand litter is a good option to try for a kitten who is not using the litter box. .
· If your kitten makes a mistake, wipe up the urine with a tissue and put the tissue in the litter box (in the case of defecation, pick up the feces with tissue and then place feces in the litter box). This will help your new kitten smell where s/he should be going.
 · Any accidents should be cleaned with an enzyme-based cleaner (Nature’s Miracle® or Urine Off®, for example) or a solution of one-half white vinegar and one-half water.
· NEVER yell or rub a kitten’s nose in feces or urine—this does not help.
Other possible reasons for house soiling:
 · Your kitten may not have learned the location of the litter box—this is especially true of very young kittens. If your house is large or has multiple levels, place litter boxes in several locations and/or on each floor.
 · Your kitten does not like the brand or type of litter. ( cats can be finicky)
· The litter box is not clean. You should clean your litter at least once daily. The entire pan should be should be emptied completely, washed with a mild unscented detergent, and refilled with fresh litter monthly
IF you see at any time small quantities of urine or blood in urine this is a sign on UTI, easily treated with antibiotics BUT can be very serious in adult, neutered overweight male cats. Observe litterbox regularly if you feel your cat is not feeling well.

Feeding

Kittens (under 1 year old) Young  Kittens can be very fragile- they need to eat frequently.
· For kittens age 2-4 months, dry food should be available at all times and canned food should be fed 3 times each day. Always monitor your kitten’s eating habits and weight to ensure they are getting an appropriate amount of food. Your veterinarian can help you determine what is best for your kitten and at what age to limit free access to food.
 · Discard any food left after 24 hours before cleaning and refilling the dish.
· Follow amount guidelines on the kitten food bag
Monitor your kitten’s weight and adjust food portions accordingly.
Cats that dont eat for more then 3 days can get fatty liver syndrome, which can be fatal. If your cat is not eating for a few days please see veterinary help straight away.
 

Common Kitten Illnesses

Because a kitten’s immune system is not well developed, s/he is more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, eye and ear infections, Ringworm and diarrhea. These conditions are usually easily treated with care, time, and medication. Serious problems, not urinating, constant diarrhea, not eating, vomiting all very serious and need immediate attention!

Upper Respiratory Infection-, and it is not uncommon in shelter settings. We do all we can to prevent its spread, including carefully disinfecting our kennels and vaccinating each cat with FVRCP vaccines , quarantining all our kitties before they enter cat nap and separating sick kitties to our sick room.
Despite our best efforts, some kittens will come down with URI. When a number of kittens are housed in a common area, a single sneeze from a cat can expose all the others, just like a cold is spread through a classroom. Also, all the kittens in the shelter are under stress just by virtue of being here, which lowers their resistance to illness. If your kitten begins to sneeze or have runny eye(s) or nose within a few days after you get him/her home, it’s possible that your cat has URI. The virus is contagious to other cats. We highly recommend that you separate the cat(s) showing URI symptoms from other cats in the home (this virus is not spread to humans or dogs). URI symptoms typically last for 7 to 10 days, and they may vary in intensity a great deal (just like a cold!). Your kitten may sneeze, have discharge from his/her eyes and nose, may drool, and breathe with difficulty through his/her mouth. Your kitten may lose his/her appetite and even stop drinking. If you see yellow/green discharge, drooling/mouthbreathing, or loss of appetite/thirst, you should see a veterinarian as soon as possible to determine a treatment plan. Remember we offer free treatment of any ailments that arise within the first 10 Days of adoption. Please contact us directly first If you feel your kitty is not feeling well.

 

FIP- Feline Infectious Peritonitis Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a disease that most cat owners will never have to deal with first hand. It is a mutation of the coronavirus specific to cats and  It affects about 1 in 100 cats—most under the age of two. The first symptoms of FIP present similarly to URI. They can become lethargic, stop eating and sometimes develop fluid in belly. If your cat shows any sign of illness, please take him/her to a veterinarian, who can diagnose the situation and provide more information. If your cat is diagnosed with FIP, please contact us and  give us all the information that you have, a lot of veterinarians will tell you that there is no cure for this disease, but in the rescue community there is and we’ve had great success with it, please before making any decisions contact us first, we have information and referrals that could save your cats life. FIP warriors on Face book is a great source.

Diarrhea – Is a very common problem in cats and especially kittens, there Gi can get upset over simple things as food changes, environmental stresses, parasites and illness. If the diarrhea is constant, contact your veterinarian. Repeated bouts of diarrhea can be very serious, as dehydration can occur very quickly in kittens. If your kitten becomes lethargic, not eating or has watery diarrhea it will need treatment, Pumpkin and probiotics is useful in some cases, but in some cases medicine and antibiotics need to be introduced to solve the problem. Although our kitties receive several dewormings, there are a lot of microscopic parasites that can live in the GI and flourish at time of stress. Again if you notice excessive diarrhea after adoption within 10 days please contact us, we can get you some medicine to treat it.

 

Ringworm- Is actually not a parasite or worm but a fungus that can grow on your kittys fur, it causes hair loss and lesions, it is very easily treated with oral and topical treatment, which you can get from Cat Nap or your Veterinarian-. It is a very common and easily spread from animal to animal and people. A lot of kittens especially are susceptible to it and can take days to several months to appear sometimes. Since we don’t always know the background of all our kittys past situations and what they were potentially exposed to this unfortunately is one of those things we cant treat or test for until we see active status. Contact us if you have any questions.

While Cat Nap does everything possible to make sure your new kitten is healthy at the time of adoption, we cannot guarantee the current or future health of any animal adopted from us. Any illness(es) discovered post-adoption are the sole responsibility of the new family. If during the first 10 days after adoption your kitten becomes sick, you may contact us for treatment.
 

Microchipping- All our felines are microchipped and we have them all registered to the rescue, this is a double check system to ensure if any of our kitties get out and lost, we will always be informed if found. If you have lost your kitty please let us know, if we hear anything from anyone we will contact you directly. This is why it is so important to keep your new companion IN DOORS only and update us with any address or phone number changes. There are so many threats out there, coyotes, hit by cat, poison, viruses, cat fights and infection. We have spent a lot of money, hours, and a lot of tears getting these cats to a place of health and safety, we don’t want them to end up on the streets again.

Cat Nap is here beyond adoption, if you ever have any questions or concerns about anything please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We want to ensure that our kitties and you are happy. If for any reason you cannot keep your adopted kitty we always take back our cats, please do not rehome them or send to the shelter. Thank You
alfieskr@gmail.com
714-922-3399

www.catnaphangout.org