- Feeding Guidelines:
- While dry food is an okay option for your feline, wet/canned food is recommended
- Cats are obligate carnivores meaning they MUST eat animal based food in order to obtain the necessary nutrients.
- Taurine is one of the most important nutrients as it prevents blindness and heart issues.
- Cat Food Brands and Formulas:
- Orijen Dry Adult Cat and Kitten Dry Food
- Nature's Variety Instinct Canned Chicken Formula
- Blue Buffalo Wild Delights Canned Chicken and Turkey
- Wellness CORE Original Dry
- EVO Turkey and Chicken Dry Adult Cat and Kitten Food
- Grooming and Care:
- All cats should be brushed (especially long haired cats) to avoid any matting and minimize shedding.
- Brushing your feline can keep the coat free of dirt, debris, and external parasites, and to distribute natural skin oils along the hair shafts.
- Stiff bristle brushes will help remove loose hairs from cats with short coats or sparse undercoats.
- Long-toothed metal combs or brushes, especially ones with rows of offset tines, are useful to remove loose hair and smooth minor tangles in medium and long-haired cats.
- Very rarely should you bathe your cat as it does most of the work on its own. However, if you do (in cases with old cats) then you should consult your local vet about a special shampoo to avoid any skin issues.
- Reproduction:
- Female cats can start getting in heat at about 4 and a half months old.
- Male and female cats will do anything to get to each other when in heat.
- When a female is pregnant she will show both physical and personality changes which will first become more evident around three weeks after mating.
- Litters can range from one to eight or more kittens.
- The first three weeks are the most crucial in kittens lives.
- Stages of Development During Gestation:
- The beginning of an embryo's development is coitus, the mating.
- Next is cell division which occurs 60 to 68 hours after coitus.
- After about 2 weeks the cells start to form into what will soon be a kitten.
- In the second trimester the cats features start to form such as lips, eyelids, and legs.
- Stage 25 to 28 days: at this stage the embryos are in fact virtually complete mini cats and should rather be called foetuses.
- In the third trimester the skin differentiates. It becomes thicker and starts to wrinkle. The ears become bigger, the tail grows longer. The inner ear is formed, but is still of cartilage.
- At last, the final stage from day 58 on. This is the stage just before birth. All organs are sufficiently fully-grown to make the foetus viable. A normal delivery takes places between 59 and 69 days after conception.
Credits:
Created with images by Jan-Mallander - "kittens cat cat puppy" • J i J y - "Grooming Milk" • Pexels - "adorable animal basket" • www.metaphoricalplatypus.com - "Kittens"