By Harith A.R.
Edited by Syafiqah Suhaimi
Having cats as pets is no easy task. There is an abundance of responsibilities cat owners have to bear when it comes to keeping these fur babies safe and sound. I am currently taking care of three cats, I had nine kittens before but due to many problems that happened, they sadly passed away because of my own ignorance and inexperience in handling these little angels. This guide is written in memories of my cats that had sadly left me and will hopefully help those who are still on the fence or interested in having a cat soon; to help them in doing things I wish I had done earlier for them.
1. Newborn
Kittens, like human babies, are extremely vulnerable to many things. They need full protection to be able to grow and thrive as anything can be a threat to them, even their own mother. As a good cat owner, you should provide a safe place for the mother to hide her children from threats, including from yourself. Kittens can easily catch colds, contact with numerous viruses, malnourishment, and threats from other cats or animals/bugs.
Try to keep an eye on the mother and check on her from time to time. Do not overdo it as the mother may feel threatened or uncomfortable and she will start to move her kittens somewhere else.
2. Vaccination/Supplement
Once the kitten has reached 2-3 months old, the mother will stop breastfeeding the kittens. This is a phase where the kittens will be extremely vulnerable as their antibody is still developing. The owner must bring kittens to the vet for vaccination and other medication such as deworming and flea treatments. Further delay in doing so will expose the kittens to many forms of diseases and viruses. One common virus is parvovirus which attacks the lung of a kitten and kills it instantaneously. To make things worse, the virus is airborne, meaning that it can spread through the air and strike any exposed and unvaccinated kittens, even adult cats.
This is my kitten who passed away at the age of three months because of parvovirus.
3. Environment
Make sure the place where the cats are kept is always clean. If there's a virus outbreak, clean the surroundings with bleach and make sure all areas are disinfected properly. As mentioned earlier, common parvovirus will attack kittens instantly and is extremely fatal. When this happens, almost all kittens in the area where the outbreak happened will be infected and will die on the same day if the surroundings are not disinfected properly.
4. Spay/Castration
Cats can easily get in heat once they reach maturity. During this period, both male and female cats will start finding mates. They will start to disappear from time to time as they search for mates. Females will howl loudly searching for males while male cats will spray their fluid as a sign and go on a trip searching for female cats.
This is why it's always good to castrate or spay your cat as soon as possible. This can be done when the cat has completed the vaccination and has reached full maturity. This can help the cat to regulate their hormones and stabilise their body.
That pretty much covers and concludes the simple guide of what I believe is fundamental information that helps in taking care of your fur babies. Handling cats is a very difficult job and comes with great responsibility but at the end of the day, it is extremely rewarding to see your furballs grow healthier and healthier.
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