Ragdoll Cattery Di Dossie - voor lieve, gezonde en gesocialiseerde kittens!

Ragdoll Cattery Di Dossie

How do our kittens grow up

Our kittens are born in our bedroom if mother allows it.
The first 3 to 4 weeks they also stay in peace in our bedroom, we notice that the mothers also like the peace and quiet in the first few weeks.
The kittens are weighed daily and we and the children are already gently cuddling with them.
As soon as they climb out of the whelping box or box, it is time to move them to the living room.
There is a large run in the living room and the kittens are free to walk in and out as long as we are present.
When we leave or go to bed, we close the door.
We actually do this because of Bobby our dog, he is really super sweet to the kittens and will never do anything to them, but he is a young, large and sometimes a bit clumsy dog.
So for safety, we close the door.

From this age we will also start offering meat and kibble.
The first thing they get is mousse from Royal Canin, which we mix with some kitten milk so that it becomes a kind of porridge. Most kittens love this and after a few days they also understand how to eat this mess.
Eventually they will get wet food 3 times a day for a period of time, which we will reduce to 1 or 2 times when they move.
The kibble is available 24/7 for all our cats, including the kittens.
They get the Mother and Babycat from Royal Canin and later the kitten kibble from Royal Canin.
Some kittens nibble on the kibble at the age of 4 to 5 weeks and for the kittens who have a bit more trouble with that, we will also first soften the kibble a little with some kitten milk.

We also immediately put down a small litter box for the kittens.
Because kittens tend to want to taste everything, we start with tofu granules in the bowl, if they decide to eat some of the granules, this is not harmful.
At a later age they can also use the boxes for the adult cats, these are filled with clumping grit.
As soon as the kittens have moved to the living room, they will immediately get used to all the living noises, sounds that any cattery has to deal with, vacuum cleaner, radio/TV, coffee maker, visitors you name it.
But you can probably imagine that because of our busy family, our kittens are just a little more accustomed, so we sometimes lovingly call them "bomb proof".

The kittens will be dewormed at 7/8, 10/11 and 13/14 weeks of age.

In the past we did this from 4 weeks but it always resulted in misery in the form of spitting up and diarrhea.

From the age of 7 to 8 weeks, the entire digestive tract is a bit stronger and it just goes much better.

Around the 9th week, the first visit to the vet is on the agenda.

Curious as they are, they immediately start investigating when the crate opens.

They are then completely checked by the vet for the first time and their passport is made.

Of course, they also get their first vaccination and are microchipped.

With the chip number, the pedigree can eventually be requested.

Around 12 weeks they get a second vaccination and they are checked again by the vet.

Depending on their weight, they will be neutered/sterilized around 13 weeks.

When the kittens are between 14 and 16 weeks old and have healed well from the neutering/neutering, they can move and then our job is done!
A very nice and rewarding task that we have completed with love and pleasure!