My aunt is allergic to kittens. In fact, one kitten she brought home ended up sending her to the emergency room at the local hospital. She didn’t know she was allergic to kittens and was letting it sleep with her.

That didn’t discourage her from keeping that kitten, though. Because she had some allergy tests done she knew she was only minimally allergic to cats, so she kept the kitten out of her bedroom for the first few months. After that it didn’t bother her to be around the kitten.

She still has to be careful never to pet a cat and then wipe her eyes, or her eyes will get red and puffy.

Many people are allergic to kittens who are not allergic (or only minimally allergic) to cats. There seems to be a period of time, usually the first 2-3 months, when kittens produce some dander or something that affects people with allergies and asthma.

Read more

When you are bringing home a new kitten and you already have a cat, there are some rules to observe in introducing the two. Because a cat typically likes to live alone, he will consider your home to be his own personal territory.

Unless you take special care in introducing the two, they may never establish friendly relations. This kind of stress can cause bad behavior to surface in either cat.

So how can you ensure successful integration of the new kitten? Slowly and patiently does the trick. You don’t want your top cat to be knocked of his perch as it were, so always be sure to give him plenty of cuddles and attention even when he is used to the new kitten.

Firstly, it might be a wise move to keep the two cats apart. Have the new kitten’s bedding, litter tray and food bowls in a different room to your older cat. If your old cat is forced to share everything with the new one, he will be sure to get jealous and harmonious relationships may never be established.

Read more

 Introducing Your Cat to a New Kitten [2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There are many old wives’ tales about how to get your cat to accept a new home. One of them is to rub butter on its paws and by the time he has licked it off, the place will be home to him.

Take no notice of this. The only thing that will happen if you do this is that your carpet will be ruined. But there are some other sensible suggestions to take heed of.

First, your cat will probably be feeling a little stressed out due to the move. Cats are very territorial creatures, so if you let your cat out of his carrier straight into your new home before you’ve even gotten settled in yourself, he is likely to take off and try to find his way back home.

He will certainly be frightened and attempt to escape as soon as possible, especially if strangers are lugging heavy furniture around and everything is in a state of disarray.

The best thing to do is keep your cat in the carrier until the movers are gone and everything is settled down and quiet. When you do let him out, confine him to one room and make sure his familiar things are in it with him.

Read more

 Introducing a Cat to a New Home [2:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download