Cats seem to be obsessed with their personal hygiene: they groom themselves in the morning when they wake up, after eating, before going to sleep ... They do not want to feel or be dirty, something that in the wild helps them to stay protected from possible predators . Although there are no such dangers at home, instinct ... is instinct.
But when we talk about kittens, things change. Even after they have spent their first two months with the mother, they need a little more time to learn to behave as an adult feline would. Meanwhile we wait, we are going to tell you how to keep my kitty clean.
Caring for the hygiene of an orphan kitten
Kittens that are not being cared for by the mother need many attentions. During the first three weeks of life they will need us to give them replacement milk for kittens in a bottle every 2-3 hours at a warm temperature (about 37ºC). After each feeding, it will be necessary for us to stimulate the ano-genital area to relieve themselves., since otherwise they will not urinate or defecate.
Thus, We will take a clean gauze, we will moisten it with warm water and we will pass them several times through the area. It is important to use one for urine and another for feces, thus avoiding the risk of infection. When finished, we will clean them well with new gauze.
Keeping a kitten clean
Once the kittens start to eat solids, more or less from the third to fourth week, we will immediately notice how they change. They have much more energy, and they spend their days running around and investigating everything in their path. When doing so, they tend to get a little dirty, something that they do not care about. Even after using the litter box they seem to be in no rush to clean their paws. What to do?
Well the first thing is keep calm. You have to think that in a few months they will become adult cats that will know well when to groom themselves. Meanwhile, we can clean the paws with a wet wipe for animals (Do not use for human babies, as the foam dries a lot the skin of felines, causing scales to appear). We can use another to clean their fur and another to keep their eyes clean.
With two months it will be time to get them used to brushing. Thus, with a brush glove or with a soft bristle brush we will brush them little by little while we give them treats for cats. Thus, we will get them to like it.
We hope these tips are useful to you 🙂.