Puppies and Kittens

Kittens Information

Before you bring home a new kitten, it's important to kitten proof your home. Never underestimate the destructive creativity of a kitten – kittens will try to nibble, scratch or climb pretty much anything that looks exciting. Be especially careful to remove toxic plants, electrical chords, low hanging curtains or anything else that looks enticing from a vantage point of about eight inches off the floor. Get on your hands and knees and take a look around your home – you'll be surprised at what you'll discover.

If you have other pets in the home, it's important to get your new kitten to the vet before bringing it home. Even the youngest of kittens can carry diseases and parasites that will afflict the other pets in your home. Save yourself the headache by doing a little prevention at the veterinarian's office. A new kitten's health schedule should be the following:

• 3 weeks: fecal exam
• 6 weeks: fecal exam
• 9-10 weeks: FHV/FCV/FPV vaccine, ELISA test for FeLV, FeLV vaccine, fecal exam
• 12-14 weeks: FHV/FCV/FPV vaccine, FeLV vaccination, Rabies vaccine, fecal exam

If you decide to bring your new kitten home before these shots and exams are complete, keep your kitten in quarantine until it has received all the necessary exams and vaccines.

When your kitten is finally ready to be brought home, be sure to have planned enough in advance to have a bowl full of food and water ready, as well as a sleeping box and litter box in the cat's new living space. The kitty will quickly learn to call this space their own and will need to learn that the litter box is the appropriate place to "go."

To introduce a new kitten to existing cats in the home, place the new kitten in a room by itself for a few days with a slight crack in the doorway so that the other cats can introduced to the new kitten's curious nose that will appear in the doorway. Rub down your cat with a towel and place the towel in the existing cat's sleeping space so that the cat will become accustomed to the kittens scent – do the same for the kitten, so that the kitten sleeps with a towel that carries the scent of the existing cat. After three days, the new kitten can now be "introduced" to the existing cats in the home.

Spaying and Neutering

Males: The earlier the better. Male kittens can be neutered as soon as they are at least two pounds in weight and have two descended testis. Delaying neutering increases the likelihood of testicular and prostate cancer, and can result in a pet population explosion in your very own neighborhood.

Females: Spay before the cats's first heat cycle – delaying spaying beyond the first heat cycle increases the likelihood of breast and uterine cancer.

Visit SimplePetCare.com for more information.

Puppies Information

Puppies, as playful and as carefree as they seem, learn and develop habits quickly. Before bringing a puppy home, it is important to plan out how the puppy will interact with you and your home – where it will sleep, what rooms it is allowed in or not allowed in, etc. When a puppy is first brought home, it is common for the puppy to miss its mother and whine or cry during the night. Until this new addition to your family bonds with you and becomes accustomed to its surroundings, whimpering will probably be the norm. Although this whimpering may cause several sleepless nights, it's important that you do not teach the puppy that if it whimpers you'll come to comfort it. Like a young child, the puppy does not have control over its emotions but learns very quickly the results of making the whimpering sound. If you feel it is necessary, you can comfort the puppy with soothing sounds and a gentle touch – although picking up the puppy to cuddle it will reinforce its desire to whimper in order to be cuddled.

Be sure to provide your puppy accommodations that are comfortable and that makes them feel safe. A snug, warm area, like a travel crate can provide the needed comfort a new puppy desires. Place a warm, loose blanket on the bottom of the crate so that the puppy can burrow into a comfortable sleeping position. If your puppy is having a hard time learning to settle down at bedtime, place a light sheet over the opening of your puppy's sleeping space. The puppy will come to learn that when the sheet is over the opening, it's time to go to sleep.

When picking up your puppy from the breeder, ask the breeder for a cloth or toy that has been with the mother and that carries the mother's scent to provide additional comfort during the separation phase.

If you choose to let your puppy sleep in your bed with you, remember that this habit will be extremely difficult to break as the dog gets older. Puppies that are allowed to sleep in the owner's bed will grow into large unwelcomed sleeping partners later in life.

Puppies are inherently mischievous and extremely determined. In an effort to contain their enthusiasm, puppies will need a safe place to play and explore during the hours of the day when they are unattended. Make sure to keep small objects that they may choke on out of reach, as puppies are not afraid to try chewing or picking up a new or interesting object with their mouths. Just like children, puppies must be watched closely and protected from household dangers.

When leaving your puppy outdoors during the day, make sure it has plenty of food, water, shade and a comfortable place to stay. Lonely puppies will find trouble and develop bad habits of digging, barking and destroying things around the yard. The more time you spend with your puppy, the quicker they will learn what is and is not acceptable behavior and become a wonderful, integrated part of your family.

Potty Training

Potty training can be a difficult and frustrating experience, but following a few simple rules will make the process easier.

Puppies should begin potty training as soon as they are brought home. Like children, puppies usually need to go potty when they wake up, after they eat, and after they play. Take the puppy outside at these times and be patient in waiting for them to accomplish the task. Always praise your puppy when it goes potty outside at the appropriate time. If your puppy does not go potty while outside, take him inside so that he'll quickly associate outside time as potty time.

When it is not possible to supervise your potty training puppy, the puppy should be tied up close to its sleeping box or placed in a small kennel. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their living space clean and will not go potty when confined to a small space, especially near their sleeping area.

Watch for signs that your puppy needs to go potty – sniffing, scratching at the floor, or circling. If your puppy does have an accident indoors, show them the accident and tell them "No!" It is not necessary to rub your puppy's nose in the mess. Take your puppy immediately outside and clean up the mess inside. Make sure to use an ammonia based cleaner to eliminate the smell completely – any remaining scent in the house will only encourage future accidents.

Spaying and Neutering

Males: Neuter at 6 months old – delaying neutering beyond 6 months increases the likelihood of testicular and prostate cancer.

Females: Spay before the puppy's first heat cycle – delaying spaying beyond the first heat cycle increases the likelihood of breast and uterine cancer.

Visit SimplePetCare.com for more information.