Please read this information. These guidelines are provided to help care for your new kitten. These hints, plus tender, loving care, will help keep your kitten healthy, playful, and affectionate.

Please remember that this is your kitten’s first time away from the only home it has known, and it will probably be insecure and confused at first. Give the baby time, and don’t expect it to be best friends with you right away. Keep the kitten introduction to other family members and pets quiet and stress-free as possible and, most of all, give it time to become used to the new surroundings. Show the kitten it’s litterbox, food, and water, as soon as you get home, and then be prepared for accidents!  However, don’t spank the baby if it misses its litterbox!  Rather, pick it up, put it in its box, and gently make digging motions with it’s front paws. Young kittens sometimes forget where their boxes are – this is normal, and will pass quickly. Introduce the kitten to one room at a time, offer encourage and petting, but allow it to procede to others. Try not to startle the kitten, and again, remember that this is a stressful time, which brings us to:

Contrary to popular belief, cow’s milk is not good for cats, as most cannot digest it properly, and consequsently get diarrhea.

We recommend metal or china dishes. Plastic dishes can harbor germs in the surface which can cause a condition known as feline acne. Feline acne is small pimples on the chin, which cause swelling and discomfort, and can be very difficult to clear up. We recommend the “Drinkwell” brand electric water fountain (or a water fountain of your choice) for our cat’s water because research has shown that it encourages cats to drink more water. More water intake is beneficial for their health and urinary tract health. I know that the water fountains are made of plastic which contradicts the above recommendation of metal or china dishes but the benefit of the water fountain outweighs not using one. We recommend keeping the fountain as clean as possible, cleaning with antibacterial liquid soap (do not clean the charcoal filter with soap), every few days to keep bacteria from forming. Please rinse well.

Kittens like to taste everything. Keep all cleaning products and other chemicals (lighter fluid, furniture polish, etc) stored away and out of reach. Anything with phenyl (check the label) is deadly to cats (this includes Lysol). Cats love to drink out of toilet bowls, it’s wise not to use anything in your toilet or make sure the lid is down at all times (except some cats have been known to raise toilet lids). The best disinfectant to use is: 1 part bleach to 30 parts water. Remember, a cat will lick its paws, so be careful what you use on your floors.

4: Training

 Squirt Bottle Method:  Behavior problems that don’t respond the “NO” can usually be modified by giving the kitten a quick shot from a spray bottle. This method removes you from the punishment in the kitten’s mind, which is desirable for two reasons: The kitten does not begin to fear you as the source or punishment (as it would if you spank!  Please do not spank!) it thinks the water an “Act of God,” and will refrain from the undesirable behavior even if you are not around. (A similar method works from keeping your kitten from running outdoors: Stand, outside, hose in hand, door open, and spray the kitten when it steps outside, after a few times, the kitten will decide that there’s nothing out there it wanted anyway). It is best to never let you kitten get used to the outdoors in the first place, because then they usually do not have the desire to go running out the door. 

Play – When, How long, What Kind:  Kittens and adult Maine Coons like to play.  Generally the morning or evening (following afternoon naps) is the best time if you want an enthusiastic response, especially in an adult cat. We try to discourage rough play as this can make the kitten aggressive. DO NOT roll the kitten over, grab it, and vigorously rub their stomach. This will also make the kitten become aggressive. When you play with the kitten always use a toy, do not use your hands or feet as a toy. Imagine an adult Maine Coon attacking your feet and hands! Soft toys with no easy to remove/easy to swallow pieces are good; large pom pom or tinsel balls, catnip bags, furry mice and feather teasers are all good choices. With these you can have the kitten fetch, chase, pounce, and jump, which is all good exercise for the kitten. (If you are using a teaser, do not leave the kitten unattended with them; the kitten may ingest the feathers or tinsel or get poked in mouth or eye with the stick).

Remember that what your kitten needs most is your time and attention. Especially if it is left alone during the day, it will be very glad to see you and will be very demanding of your attention! Please remember that kittens are sensitive, living creatures, and do not allow your children, friends, or other pets to manhandle this baby. One sure way to guarantee an unsatisfactory pet is to mistreat it, even if inadvertently. On the other hand, plenty of attention, love, and considerate play will result in a companion that will give you years of pleasure.

General Notes:  Booster shots will not be required until one year from the kitten’s last shot. We do not recommend the FeLV or the FIP vaccine. But if your vet advises giving your kitten the FeLV vaccine, be aware that having the FeLV vaccine series does NOT guarantee that the kitten will be immune to FeLV, and you must be just as careful about exposing the kitten to a possibly FeLV-positive cat as you would be if the shots had not been given. FeLV vaccines have been known to cause cancer at the shot sites.

Following is a list of plants that are in some degree poisonous to cats: Anemone, black cherry, bloodroot, buttercup, caladium, castor bean, elemadis, crocus cycads, daphne (splurge laurel), delphinium, dicentra (bleeding heart), dieffenbachia, elephants ear, English ivory, foxpulpit, jerusalum cherry, jimson weed, lantana (red sage), larkspur, lily-of-the-valley, mistletoe, morning glory, mountain laurel, oleander, philodendren, Poinciana (bird of paradise), poison ivy, poison oak, pokeweed, rhododendron,  solandra (trumpet flower), star of Bethlehem (snow drop), sweet pea, thornapple, wisteria, and yew.

Collars and Leashes:  If you use a collar on your kitten, check it daily to be sure it is not becoming too tight as the kitten grows. However, a kitten can catch its lower jaw in a too-loose collar. A breakaway collar is the best choice, as it will separate if it becomes caught on something. If you train your kitten to use a leash, use a harness designed for cats – not a collar. Remember that harnesses are not totally secure, and a cat wearing a harness or a leash should NEVER be left unsupervised. The cat can slip out of the harness or strangle itself. Never walk a leashed cat near a roadway or busy sidewalk unless you are sure that the cat is very calm. The noise and motion of cars, people, other animals, etc, can cause a cat to panic, slip out of the harness, and dash into danger. The best place for your leashed cat is in your own quiet backyard with you.

Travelling:  When you take your cat in the car always put it in a carrier.  A cat or kitten roaming around the car is dangerous for you and your cat. A carrier will also protect you cat or kitten if you are in an accident. When you go to the vet make sure you use a carrier to take the cat into the clinic. It helps keep the cat from getting away from you in a stressful situation and protects the cat from other animals.  Put a towel or pad in the bottom of the carrier and cover the carrier in cold weather. It is a good idea to have paper towels and plastic bags in your car in case there is an accident. NEVER leave your pet in the car in any kind of weather unattended. People are known to lock themselves out. J It only takes a short period of time for temperatures to become dangerous for your cat or kitten.

Grooming:  Maine Coons coats are easy to maintain. A weekly combing with a steel-tooth comb (course/medium type) that has wide teeth on one end and narrow teeth on the other is all that is generally necessary. However, you may have to comb your cat more often in the spring and fall, which may be seasons of heavy shedding. Pay particular attention to the areas behind and around the ears, the ruff, flanks, britches, and under the front legs. These are the areas where mats most readily form. Very important: Please handle, bathe, clip nails, and groom your kitten regularly so it becomes second nature to them.  It will make these things much easier to do when the kitten is an adult. 

 If you wish to keep your cat looking like a champion, a bath once a month with a good shampoo, plenty of rinsing, blow drying, and combing afterwards is recommended.  Show Bath: If the cat is oily/greasy, usually behind the ears, the ruff, the underside and tail, work GOOP (the hand cleaner) into the greasy areas on a dry coat. It helps to warm the GOOP in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to make it lukewarm and easier to massage into the coat. Wrap the cat in a towel and hold for 5 to 10 minutes. In one side of the sink make a mixture of warm water, Woolite, and Dawn. It works best to put the cat in the empty side of the sink. Rinse out the areas where the GOOP was applied then pour the water/woolite/dawn water of the whole kitty (except for head). Soap the cat using the Dawn and then rinse. Then soap the cat a second time with MegaAussie Shampoo and rinse. Rinse, rinse, rinse! Put the stopper in the sink and rinse one more time to be sure all of the soap has been rinsed out the hair. Then using a damp paper towel, clean the kitty’s eyes, nose, and ears. Squeeze out the feet and tail and then towel dry. For blow drying, we put the cat in an empty carrier with a towel in the bottom and either hold the dryer or prop the dryer at least 12 inches away from the carrier until cat is mostly dry.  Let the kitten air dry the rest of the way. Once dry comb the coat to remove any knots or tangles. The kitten will not be use to the GOOP procedure, as we have not done this on them (until they are older). We only use GOOP to clean greasy areas before a show.

Coongratulations on your new baby and family member!!!  You will LOVE your easy-going, yet active, gentle Maine Coon!  They are the best!!