|
|
Reproduced with permission of
Author, A.D. Lawrence from the book:
"The LaPerm Cat: The New Wave in Cats for the Millennium" ©
All Rights Reserved ®: No part of the following can be
copied or used in any manner without consent of the author.
Disclaimer: This information is intended as a guideline only. You will find what works best for you as time goes by, or you may already
have a program intact. By providing this information you will know what your kitten is accustomed to.
PRODUCTS I use are:
Liquid Chlorophyll & Purified Water; Wood stove pellets for litter; Raw Meats (organic, for cats with organic vegetables, herbs and vitamins added); Flora-Zyme EFA; Nutri-Biotic Grapefruit Extract; Healthy Powder for vitamins.
For LITTER, I use wood stove pellets. I have found that they are much more absorbent than regular litter and there is also
much less odor. There are companies who make wood chip litter which is basically the same product only a little different
shape and a much higher price. I begin with only one to two cups of the pellets as they expand when urinated upon. I first
remove the stool matter with a regular slotted scoop placing it into a disposable bag. Then I use a small dust pan (about 4"
across), tip the litter pan to each side and scoop the caked wet litter (like sawdust) out. Generally, using only 1-2 cups of
litter I find I can just dump the litter, starting fresh each day. The box is then sprayed with Novalsan (a
disinfectant) and wiped clean. Now I add another cup of litter. This is done daily (twice depending on the number of cats using the litter box). I find
that this method helps with odor tremendously. Also, by separating the stool matter from the rest you can dispose of the stool
either by flushing it or bagging it and putting it in the trash. The broken up sawdust portion makes wonderful organic matter to
improve your flowerbeds. If you are not into yard work, then just dump everything into a bag and dispose of however you wish.
The litterbox should be bleached at least once every week. Submerging the pan into a 10% bleach solution and letting it soak about one hour takes care of this. A laundry tub, bathtub or outdoor receptacle large enough to hold the litter boxes will work
for this chore. This disinfects the pans and helps with odor and disease. I do NOT, under any circumstances, recommend the
sand clumping litters that form urine balls. When your kitty comes out of the litter box, he licks his feet to clean them and
thereby ingests the small sand particles. These can then form balls in the intestine and can lead to intestinal blockages.
Another important point here is that IF your cat/kitten is not using the litterbox, there is a reason and you are being put on
notice. An unclean litterbox is often the answer to this problem. But it can also be a medical problem or perhaps the cat
does not like sharing the box with another cat or wants a different type of box (covered or uncovered…try the opposite) or
perhaps even the type of litter being used. Too often people turn their new animal lose in unfamiliar surroundings much too
large for the animal to quickly adjust to also. Common sense is important here.
For my WATER, I have a filtration (reverse osmosis) system. You can purchase bottled water as water supplies can be
contaminated with giardia as well as the fact that the agents added to public water supplies such as chlorine can cause bladder problems and are very unhealthy for your pets. Problems can happen at any time or to any cat, so don't take the
chance. To one gallon of purified water I add 4cc of liquid Chlorophyll. This helps with bad breath and also in the control of gum disease. I also use a clean Q-tip, dip it in the liquid chlorophyll, and then rub the gums of each of my kitties at least
twice a week, more often for more severe gum problems. This helps with the control of gum disease. If a cat has a particular problem with it's gums, I then add a similar treatment to the gums but use straight hydrogen peroxide on the Q-tip, this is in
addition to the liquid chlorophyll, so that would be three treatments or more per week. (Up to three times per day with using the peroxide only about 3 times per week.) I keep water available at all times changing the water and dishes daily to help
control chin acne. The use of dirty dishes can be the cause chin acne and the spread of disease, so be sure to thoroughly
wash all dishes after each meal.
For my FOOD program, I use fresh, natural, organic foods. I feel these are best for the cats, as the preservatives in
the processed foods are unhealthy in addition to the heat processing of them destroying most of the actual food value. Babies are fed three times a day from the time you get them until about 5-6 months of age. (They will tell you when to cut back.) I
then go to two meals a day. Think about what is healthy for you and then apply it to your cats in the uncooked form. If you
cannot bring yourself to care for your pets in this way, then I would recommend using INNOVA OR WYSONG DRY FOODS.
Soaking the dry food in broth made from purified water along with some raw meat or a natural (no preservatives please) canned
food (this is in lieu of leaving dry food out at all times which tends to make picky eaters). IF you feel it is necessary to leave dry
food out at all times, then use the INNOVA or WYSONG. Also in this case, you can use canned food, preferably one of the
canned “natural” diets without preservatives for a wet meal treat. ALWAYS add the Flora-Zyme EFA and a small amount of healthy powder (about ˝ tsp. of each) to the wet food meal. Remember to rotate flavors so the kitties don't tire of one kind and
wash these dishes after every meal. I would suggest the use of GROWTH products until the kittens are about 7-8 months old.
Then change to maintenance or ADULT products. DO NOT change foods all at once but rather start at about 6 months of age
and blend the adult and kitten foods (more of the kitten food at first) together and gradually wean the kitten food out. If your cat
is overly fat, use the LITE formula. If you have a soft stool problem, try Science Diet RD or WD, which are high in fiber and only
available through a vet. If this is the case, then do not use anything else along with these products as you are defeating the
purpose of feeding the high fiber foods by giving the choice. You can also add 1 capsule of acidophilus to one meal daily (or
split it between 2 meals). Talk to me about my use of herbs for the cats as well if you are interested in this. You can also add
a very small amount of Vitamin C to the food. I feel that extra vitamin C is imperative to cats. As to the amounts of food, that will totally depend on the number of cats you are feeding. If you have only 1 or 2 cats I would recommend purchasing the
small cans and starting with about 1/6 can and about a golf ball size portion of the raw meat and about 2 TBS of dry food (then
soaked). If all that is consumed, increase the amounts until you find out exactly how much to use without waste or without
letting your baby go hungry. If your kitten is not eating for any reason, you can feed strained baby food (meat only) or Science
Diet A/D. They all seem to love it and it may get you through a rough time with the stress of a new home. At later times you
can use it as a special treat or if you happen to have a sick kitty. One last note on foods, whatever you do, don't leave food out
at all times. It has a tendency to go bad (even the dry food) and can cause health problems for your kitties.
The change of homes, water and food are often enough to cause stress and thereby result in a problem of diarrhea. This is not
at all uncommon, nor is a sudden bout of sneezing from a change in homes or after being given a vaccine.
You can try 1-3 teaspoons of FRUIT PECTIN or Knox Gelatin mixed in some wet
food each time your baby has a diarrhea problem. This will generally cure the
problem. If this does not work, contact your vet for a more powerful drug.
DO NOT let the little guy go without treatment.
Doing so can cause a chronic diarrhea problem and/or dehydration resulting in a dead kitten.
The INTRODUCTION of your kitten to other cats could be a problem. Do it very gradually so as not to stress anyone
too much. I recommend putting the baby in a small confined area such as a bathroom and closing the door between he and
any other pets you may already have. This not only allows them to get use to each other’s smells through the door first, but
also lets him know where his litter box is. Babies sometimes forget they need to use the litter box until it's too late to run
looking for it. They need to learn where to find it in a hurry! Just remember, that if you were put on thousands of acres and told
that there was a "Port-a-Potty" somewhere on the property that you were to use, IF you had to go really badly, you would NOT
go looking for that "Port-a-Potty"...you would make do with a bush! After a couple of days, you can change places putting the
baby where the other pet was and vise versa so they use each others litter pans, etc., and really get to know each others smells.
When you finally put them together, make sure someone is there. Don't go off and leave them alone. This is asking for
trouble.
I also recommend the small confined area as an initial practice even if you have no other pets so your baby knows where to
find that litter box. Most “toilet problems” come from improper introduction to the home. Be sure to increase the baby’s area very gradually so as not to frighten him too much. The bed and/or toys that come with your baby have been with him since
birth so they smell like home to him. They should be with him until he is comfortable in his new home to help with the transition. As to the TOYS, many of them are dangerous so be careful. The sparkle toy if ingested will cause bowel blockage
and you can "paper cut" the eyes if you shake it into their faces (very painful). Be careful of any small object as you would
with a child as they can also be ingested. Toys with lines on them such as the fishing pole toys if left out can loop around
the neck in a slipknot and ...need I say more? Some of the toys with the ping pong balls have holes in them large enough for
a kitten to get his head in and thereby caught. These are all things that I personally have seen happen and this is why I
caution you. The logical thing to do is NOT leave ANYTHING around for the babies to get into unsupervised.
KEEP YOUR BABIES SAFE AND ENJOY THEM!
-A.D. Lawrence
All Rights Reserved ®: No part of the above
can be copied or used in any manner without consent of the author.
Photos courtesy of AD Lawrence, Anthony Nichols, Alan Robinson and Robert Fox.
|
