SHOULD I LET HER HAVE ONE LITTER BEFORE GETTING HER SPAYED?

Absolutely not. It is better to spay a kitten before she has her first heat, and letting her have kittens simply adds to the overpopulation of cats. In addition, you cannot be sure that those kittens will not go on to have more kittens. An adult cat can have up to 3 litters of kittens a year, and a pair of adult cats can have 20,000 descendants.

 

HOW LONG MUST I KEEP THE KITTEN OR CAT IN, BEFORE LETTING HIM OUT?

Generally, cats and kittens are kept in for up to three weeks. Of course, small kittens will need to be kept in for longer, or allowed out after three weeks only under supervision. The “keeping in” time also depends on whether the vaccinations are completed, what hazardous may be in the neighbourhood, and the time of year, i.e. in the cold dark months, kittens should not be let out, unsupervised.

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They are kept in for two main reasons –

1) because they will try to find “home”, e.g. their mother, or their litter mates, and after three weeks they will have forgotten that they had another home, and

2) because small kittens cannot fend for themselves in a strange environment, and they will wander away and get lost.

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Generally cats do not “run away”, but they can get lost, and they can be killed by traffic or dogs.

 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO HOUSE TRAIN MY NEW CAT OR KITTEN?

Cats and kittens are amazing.

Small kittens will use a litter tray as soon as they can walk, following their mother in and doing as she does. If the kitten is an orphan kitten, without a mother’s help, all that needs to be done is to lift the kitten gently into the litter tray, scrabble its front paws gently in the litter, and the kitten works it out for him or her self!!.

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Older cats will look for somewhere to use as a toilet, (always supposing that they have never seen a litter tray) and will be very pleased to find that a place is provided for them. They may also ask, and prefer, to go out. Litter trays should be kept clean – cats do not like to use dirty litter trays. Cleaning out the tray once a day is a must.

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Lost and Found

· If you have lost or found a cat search for them in the lost pet sites, Put up posters and call all local vets and rescues

 

· There are many local online groups for lost and found cats in Leicestershire

Prevention

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· It is vital to take preventative measures. Chip your cat, keep them in at night and a collar with ID if your cat will wear one.

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· Feeding your cat at set meal times, rather than leaving a bowl of biscuits out all day, helps too. Feed your cat in the morning , and Set evening meals when you are home from work ensures your cat comes home to be kept in overnight or at least lets you know they have not gone missing during the day.

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Found a kitten?

If you find a kitten without its mum that you think is too young to be away from mum (younger than 8 weeks), it is adviseable to keep them warm. However make sure you do not remove if there is any chance that mum may be nearby. Wrap them in a blanket and put them safe in a box or carrier. With a hot water bottle or near a heater if it is winter. Provide clean fresh water. Take them to a vet as soon as possible. Or take them home and ring local vets for advice and help. Young kittens will need to be put with a nursing mum cat or hand reared by an experienced kitten foster carer. If the cat is older than 8 weeks, follow the 'Found a cat?' advice below... Lost a cat? If your cat is microchipped, ring the chip company on the paperwork and report your cat as missing. Inform all local shelters and vets of your missing cats details and chip number. Make sure the contact details on the microchip are up to date.

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· Lost cats are often nearby, but disorientated or trapped. So put flyers through all neighboring houses doors, asking them to check sheds and garages. Also put up posters.

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· Familiar smells and sounds can help your cat find their way home. So empty the hoover in the garden, put the litter tray in the garden and hang dirty washing on the line. Go out calling your cats name and shaking a bag of treats or tapping a tin of food with a fork. Do this early morning and late evening. Put a warm tin of tuna or smelly food by the windowsill.

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· Ring local councils asking if any cats have been hit by cars. It's not nice but can save a lot of worry and searching. And not all councils will scan or report deceased cats.

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Found a cat?

· If they are ill, bring them indoors and get them to a vet or shelter asap. Even if they turn out not to be lost or stray. A sick cat needs your help.

 

· Use the links at the top of this page. If they are not ill put a paper collar on the cat and write 'this cat visits me, is he yours?' and put your phone number on it. Put up found posters and ask neighbors if they know this cat.

 

· Still try to get them to a vet or call out a cat charity to scan them for a chip and put them on their lost&found list. This is by far the quickest way to find the owner. Even if they are not chipped it will be easier for the owner to find them by ringing round local vets and shelters.

 

· The vet may keep the cat if they have room or you may need to take them home with you and continue trying to find the owner. This will be easier now that the vet has given you details such as the cats gender, age, neutered/chipped or not.

 

· Please note that when you find a cat you believe to be ill, lost or homeless, you may be that cats only chance at being reunited with their owner, getting vet care or finding a new home. If you bring a stray into your home please please do not let them out again until a shelter, vet or its owner collects them. Especially if the cat is not neutered, letting them out again creates hundreds more feral cats to suffer the homeless life.

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· If no owner is found they will need to go to a shelter to be re-homed. As well as ours, try all local rescues on Cat Chat.

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Message us on facebook if you have lost or found a cat you would like us to share on our page. Try to provide a photo and the following information when you get in contact: Name? Gender? Neutered? Breed? Colour? Microchipped? Wearing a collar? Distinctive features? Last seen when/where? Contact details? (Please DO NOT use this to ask us to rehome your cat or trap/rehome a stray. Ring the shelter for that) We strongly recommend micro-chipping your cat. It can be very cheap to do and makes finding a lost cat much easier.

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