Basic Cat Care and Behaviour
The following section contains information on the more common areas of cat care, their behavioural traits and required medical assistance. If the information reproduced here does not help please check out the useful websites in relation to these topics on the links page.
Feeding
It is always wise to give kittens food that is specially formulated for their needs. Kittens need a different level of nutrients than adult cats and can become ill if not fed kitten food.
Most shops/vets do sell kitten food as well as adult food.
Kittens should be fed small meals often and adult cats twice a day. Always make sure that fresh water is available at all times and do not give milk as this can cause diarrhoea.
The use of dried food is encouraged as much as possible out here as the smell of the wet meat can encourage flies.
Litter
Litter training even an adult cat can take plenty of patience, or it can be very easy a lot of it depends on the cat. The first thing to remember is to show the new cat/kitten where the tray is located. Unlike humans if a cat does not know where the toilet is it will not ask or look for it!
Most cats will naturally be clean and will not have a problem using a tray. However, if you do find a cat/kitten is not using the tray keep a close eye on him, if you see him sniffing around or looking at your plants with too much interest take him to the tray praise him when he uses it and he will soon get used to it.
Remember no cat will use a dirty tray so make sure that you clean it out at least twice a day. You do not need to completely re-new all litter at each cleaning session. If it is not too dirty just remove any faeces with a scooper.
Body Talk
Whatever the cat’s background or breeding you can tell a lot about its mental and physical state by learning to recognise common vocal and visual signals.
Facial expressions and body postures reflect a cat’s mood. An alert cat will have its ears up and forward, while its nostrils and whiskers twitch as it uses senses of sight, smell, sound and touch to investigate its surroundings.
An aggressive cat will grow in size as it arches its back and draws it’s self to full height. Its hairs stand on end and its tail fluffs up like a bottlebrush. You will notice its eyes are wide open, with ears flat against the head for protection in anticipation of an attack.
An attacking cat, or a very confident animal, may also open its mouth wide to expose its teeth. In contrast, a cat that is feeling defensive will seem smaller – crouching and flattening its body. It may avert its gaze in an attempt to avoid conflict.
Cats have mobile tails to aid balance and express emotions. A cat that runs towards you with its tail held upright is saying ‘good to see you’. However, avoid a tail with a twitchy tip – this is the warning the cat’s feeling threatened or is in predatory mode.
Aggression
Aggression can be a problem in some hand-reared cats if their behaviours are interrupted or frustrated; it is no different from a child throwing a temper tantrum because he has been told 'no'.
Just as our children must learn to do as they are told, to be able to cope when they cannot get their own way and to fit in with our social rules, mothers will teach their kittens the feline equivalent. The solution is to reward the behaviour you want with attention and food and to ignore or prevent situations when aggression comes to play.
Aggression between cats can be a problem when new cats are introduced into a household. Time, patience and careful introductions can tackle this. Sometimes even cats that have lived alongside each other for years will have a breakdown in their relationship and begin to fight.
Introducing a New Cat to the Others in Your House
Remember that cats do not need to be social creatures- unlike the pack-orientated dog they function happily on their own without a social structure around them. You cannot force cats to like each other; the best you can hope for a lot of the time is that they tolerate each other.
Kittens are much easier to mix both with other kittens and with adult cats, as they are still sexually immature and therefore not too territorial.
At the time of writing this, I have four adult cats and six kittens all living under the same roof. There is only one adult female who will not get on with the others, but she is known as a loner. The others all get along fine by either ignoring the others presence and giving the odd warning hiss to anyone that comes too close or accepting another playmate. The latter is more so for the kittens. I know that if you do encounter problems one of our veteran fosterers or the homing coordinator will be happy to advise.
Introducing Cats to Your Children
Excited children can easily injure a cat (especially a kitten) unintentionally, so supervise play and do not allow the cat to be picked up unnecessarily. Children should be encouraged to sit on the floor and wait for the cat to explore them.
Make sure kittens are allowed to stop playing when they want to and are not treated like toys. Kittens like babies need a lot of sleep and rest.
Also be aware that some cats may come to you after being abused or dumped and are not so tolerant of humans these will need more patience from your children.
Grabbing the Hand That Strokes
One of the most common 'aggression' problems is known as 'petting and biting syndrome'- when you start to stroke a cat it turns around and bites you or attacks your hand. So why do they do this?
Think of a cat sitting on your lap and being stroked. It has to be very relaxed and trusting to put itself in that position – like a kitten being groomed by its mother.
For some cats, this is just a little dangerous; they relax and then suddenly feel very vulnerable. Accepting stroking is a learned response rather than a natural adult behaviour and some cats may be more naturally reactive than others.
You need to help the cat feel more secure with physical attention. Sit quietly with the cat when you will not be interrupted and keep everything very calm. Keep interactions short and stop before the cat reacts.
I have managed to make calm cats out of ones that would rather rip your arm off than let you stroke them, patience does work in most cases.
A Nervous Cat
Most cats will be quiet and wary for the first few days until it gets used to the new environment.
However, some cats remain fearful, what you have to remember is some cats come to us after being abandoned or mistreated so it is not surprising that they are nervous of humans.
A naturally nervous cat will need a lot of patience and time but it is possible to get them human friendly.
I had a kitten come to me she was very ill with a stomach illness that required her to have a lot of tablets and treatment both at the vets and from me at home and to be kept away from the other cats in what should be a home environment.
Naturally, this made her very wary of humans she was never sure what we were going to do to her next. Over the last few weeks we have bought her in to the house and slowly gained her trust, she will now come for a cuddle but will hide if you move too fast.
Things have to be taken at the cats pace and not yours. Never lose your temper or try to force things too quickly – this will just reinforce the cat’s previous fears. If the cat progresses, even slowly, you are likely to be dealing with an animal that is overcoming a fear rather than one which has missed out during its socialisation period as a kitten.
Build on your successes gradually. Remember that cats feel safe in high places so when you progress to letting the cat out in to the room with you provide it with a high perch where it can sit in safety and watch the world go by beneath.
Medical Section
All cats/kittens should have had a vets health check before they first come to you, this is very important not just for the cat but for you.
Ringworm can be passed on to humans through contact with an infected cat, although not a nice sounding condition it is easily treated with creams. If you are concerned that your cat may have ringworm, a quick vet’s visit can tell you if it is clear or not.
Worming
Kittens should be treated against roundworms at four-six weeks of age and then every three weeks until they are four months old. After this, they should be treated for roundworm and tapeworm every two-six months, depending on how much they go outside.
Worming medication is available from all vets and is extremely easy to administer.
Vaccinations
All kittens/cats should be vaccinated against certain diseases. Kittens should have their first injections at around eight - ten weeks of age with the second and final injections about two weeks later. Adults can have both sets of injections in one go as they are stronger and less resilient to any side effects.
Following the first sets of vaccinations, it is recommended that your cat receive booster shots on an annual basis.
Sterilisation
Feline Friends recommends that you have your cat sterilised at the earliest opportunity, this can normally be done between 5 and 6 months old.
The benefits are that it will generally stop a male cat marking his territory and will stop the female screaming for male company when she comes into season.
The obvious other benefit is that it reduces the number of unwanted cats within the UAE, thus reducing the amount of work for Feline Friends!
In all the documentation that I have read, I have found no evidence that this procedure will mentally affect your cat!
Supporting Veterinary Clinics
The following list of reputed veterinary clinics are those that have chosen to support Feline Friends in undertaking its task of caring for the cats and kittens within Dubai, contact details of most of them can be found on the links page:
- Veterinary Hospital
- Desert Veterinary Clinic
- European Veterinary Centre
- Modern Veterinary Clinic
- Municipality Veterinary Services
- Al Barsha Veterinary Clinic
- Jumeriah Veterinary Clinic
If your usual clinic is not listed, it is because it is not used by Feline Friends at present, and is in no way a criticism of the professionalism of the veterinary services that it offers.