BASIC CARE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Please give me a bath at least once a week. I may not particularly care for it, or I may actually LIKE it, but I will get "greasy" and leave dirty places on your furniture if you don’t bath me. I may also rub my cheeks on corners of objects – this is where my scent glands are located and after awhile the grease from my skin can leave a brown stain if not consistently cleaned.  Call my breeder if you need help in bathing me. I’m used to J&J Baby Shampoo!
2. Please clean my ears at least once a week. You can use Q-tips (though I will eat them if you let me – not too deep in my ears please!) and cotton balls, or you can get ear-cleaning pads (I like these best) from Dr.’s Foster & Smith pet catalog (800/826-7206 – ask for EarClens pads about $7.99 www.drsfostersmith.com or visit www.revivalanimal.com ). Remember that if you do not clean my ears I might get an ear infection or have ugly, dirty ears. This applies to my toes as well!  I can get the same kind of waxy substance in the folds between my nails and toe and you need to clean it out - an unscented baby wipe works great for this and works even better right after bath time!
3. Please clean my eyes daily. Since I don’t have eyelashes I can get little particles in them that may hurt me. Using a plain Kleenex (unscented or without lotion) will work for this.
4. Please DON’T LET ME GO OUTSIDE!!! I may want to, but there are many "bad" things outside that can hurt me or make me very sick.
5. Please DO NOT USE FLEA & TICK TOPICAL MONTHLY MEDICINES on me (Revolution, Advantage, Frontline, etc.)  This can KILL ME DEAD.       
6. Please clip my nails at least once a week. Do this in bright light so you can see where my nail ends and my nail beds begin (don’t clip the part with the blood vessel). This will help keep me from scratching up things you don’t want me to scratch.  My philosophy is that if you don’t want an animal that barks, don’t get a dog… if you don’t want an animal that needs to scratch, don’t get a cat!  Declawing is mutilation of the toes and we will not place kittens or cats with any potential owner that wishes to declaw.
7. Would you please get me something that it IS ok for me to scratch on? An old rug or old chair that you don’t mind me scratching up is good. Look at garage sales in your area for a cheap chair or ottoman.  I also like wooden poles with rope wrapped around them!  As tall as you can get, like Jack in the Beanstalk!  You may want to pin upholstery plastic on the corners of your nice furniture until I am trained on my scratching post.  It is clear and will protect your furniture.  You can get it at any fabric store.  We learned to use a scratching post at the place where I was born.   You can also use a squirt bottle filled with water on me if you see me scratching in an area I am not allowed to scratch.
8. Please DON'T HIT ME if I’m bad… I do not understand what "hitting" means, it only hurts and it will make me afraid of you - use a spray bottle filled with water to "squirt" me and clap your hands loudly saying "NO" when I do something wrong! This will teach me that what I did was a "no, no". 
9. Please give me someplace warm I can sleep. When I’m not "snuggling" with you or you are gone I will need a little place of my own that is warm to sleep – the pet stores have nice little "covered cat beds" that I will really like (of course I will prefer being with you when you are home).  You can also locate a pet heating pad at your local pet store or online at Drs. Foster and Smith.
10. Please leave food and fresh water out for me all day. I like Hill’s Science Diet Nature's Best Kitten Formula dry food  or any high quality professional cat food (NOTE:  if you change me over to another cat food that I am not eating currently please do it slowly as this can cause stomach upset.) I eat a lot since I don’t have any hair and need more energy to keep me warm. Some cats can have allergic reactions to grain type bi-products (corn, wheat, rice) so if you notice a problem you may want to switch to an all natural dry food that does not contain these products.  You can give me canned cat food (I like Whiska's or 9 Lives) in the morning OR evening, but I understand that this is a treat and not my main diet.  Many owners are now feeding a form of raw diet or slightly cooking chicken or hamburger instead of using the canned food.  There is also a trend towards a mixture called B.A.R.F. which is a form of raw diet.  Remember that meet only will not provide all the nutrients I need so I must have vitamins added or dry food that contains those needed supplements.
11. Please empty my litter box DAILY!!!!! I do not like a dirty litter box and may find someplace else to go if it is not cleaned on a regular basis. I like the covered litter boxes, but please take the door off for me as sometimes I do not understand how to use it.  I am used to the pine/poplar or cedar shavings litter because that is what we used where I was born. If you plan to use clay or clumping litter please sprinkle some of the shavings in my litter until I become used to it.  The Omega Roll-Top litter box is great for clay.  This will not help if you use tree shavings, we simply buy a large tub from Dollar General or the Covered Litter Boxes (door removed) and use that, then completely empty it every other day, bleach it with Clorox clean-up to kill an micro-organisms, or so depending on the number of cats we have in our home.
12. Please supervise me when I am playing with "un-cat" toys. Strings and other "people" objects can get caught in my throat and hurt me very badly or even KILL me!
13. Please realize that I am a kitten and EVERYTHING looks like a toy to me and will be investigated. You will need to teach me what I can do and what I can’t do.
14. Please make sure I have all my necessary shots and vaccinations and parasite cures. Don’t let me around outside cats AT ALL! They may be sick and then make me sick too. Remember that fleas and ticks carry bad diseases as well!
15. Please give me lots and lots of love as that is what I need most! I will love you unconditionally if you let me. The more you love me the more I will love you.
16. Please call my breeder if you have any questions about me or anything I am doing. She loves me as much as you do and only wants the best for me!

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