F4 kitten arrives tomorrow!

[NikkiA]

So, our new baby flies in to NJ tomorrow evening. I am planning on QTing him in our master bedroom and bath. I have his litter box and food bowls set up in the bathroom, along with a scratching post, a kitten bed (with an old t-shirt that smells like mike and one that smells like me). I have a scratching post in there, a stuffed animal in case he is a cuddler, and a soft blanket, a couple kitten toys and a soft ball.
I will leave his blanket that he arrives with and his carrier in there as well.
I have chicken roasting in the oven now, and the canned food he is eating (from the breeder) on hand.
What haven't I thought of?
What do you guys suggest?
He arrives tomorrow night, and his first trip to the vet is Friday afternoon.

 

[admin]

Very nice, NikkiA...As far as the chicken...hopefully you haven't used any spices or anything like that?

 

[NikkiA]

No spices, just baked in the oven. My older boys LOVE chicken, so I wanted to have some in the fridge; the breeder tells me he loves Chicken drumsticks (which I will pick up tomorrow), but I wanted to have some form of cooked chicken if he refuses the zupreem when he arrives.

 

[admin]

Where did the kitten come from?

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

When a breeder says "drumsticks" that usually means raw, as you'd not want a kitten (or cat) to have a cooked chicken bone...

Sounds like you have the room prepared nicely. The litter is the same as he is used to, right?

 

[Patti]

Just be cautious with the stuffed animal that it isn't easily ripped apart and digested, same with the other toys. The only toys I ever leave out unsupervised are really sturdy balls that they can bat around but not breatk. I even had one cat eat a mylar crunch ball - thank goodness he vomited it up so I averted a trip to the vet and an expensive surgery!

 

[NikkiA]

Where did the kitten come from?

Well, I am glad I asked those questions. Thank you for your responses; we still have lots to learn about Savannahs. A1 is the breeder; all three of our boys have come from Maartin and Kathrin. When i spoke to Maartin, he did not mention that the kitten should be fed raw drumsticks (he may have assumed I understood what he meant). When Jarvis (our F3 boy) arrived in May, and was not eating well, Maartin had suggested chicken to entice him, so i have been giving the two boys here at home cooked (de-boned) chicken. It didn't occur to me that I should give him raw chicken.

Brigitte, this may be a silly question, but if I should be offering raw chicken, not cooked, (1) what quantities would you suggest, (2) how often, and (3) how long do I leave it out for him? 20 minutes? I don't have the contract for our new kitten here (Mike signed it), but neither of the other two contracts refer to raw food; I just want to be sure I do the right thing.

Patti, what would you suggest leaving him to play with when we at work? The stuffed animal is a dog toy; I assumed (incorrectly it sounds like) that it would be safe; i am glad I asked, I will remove it.

Regarding the kitty litter, it is the same type A1 uses.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions, i really appreciate your insight.

 

[Patti]

There is no reason to think that you MUST feed raw, although many recommend it. I think the point was rather to be sure not to give the kitten cooked bones as that could be dangerous. Nor am i saying that the stuffed animal is a bad idea, just to make sure is well made out of sturdy materials and with strongly stitched seams. Each kitten is individual so you need to assess the situation - some are just fine with stuffed animals, others will rip them to shreds, so you will need to evaluate Jarvis and see how aggressive he is with his toys. Anything that is strong and sturdily built, and too big to swallow works well with Savannahs.

 

[admin]

Nikki, you can ask martin what he feeds as far as chicken goes...this way your kitten will be getting the same food...I am not feeding my kittens raw right now - I cook the chicken and add it to their canned...

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I would definitely ask Martin what he meant by feeding him chicken drumsticks. He may mean cook the chicken and remove the meat from the drumstick before feeding...or he may mean the raw chicken drumstick. It really would depend on the breeder.

I wean my babies onto raw meat because it's been the most successful method for me. I also try to get them to eat kitten kibble and canned food before leaving home so that the new home has a choice. Not everyone is comfortable with raw feeding!

Look for toys made for puppies rather than dog toys...then likely they have looked at the chewing aspect. Look for sturdier fabrics, and things sewn rather than glued. I like the Petstages range of kitten and puppy toys for that reason.