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Letting your cat go outside
Cats should never be let outside in Moscow.
There are too many stray dogs and aggressive
dogs that go after cats. Rat poison is also
deadly for cats and of course traffic poses
a huge danger to cats (and dogs). Keep your
cat safe inside, even if it used to spend time
outside in your previous country of residence.
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Bedding
Deep-sided cardboard boxes lined with soft towels
or a cuddly blanekt make good cat beds. You
can also buy a plastic or wicker purpose-made
cat bed at good pet stores. Cats very often
choose their own spot, however! Keep the location
warm, and if the cat is very young make sure
the bad isn't in a draft or the animal will
get a cold and that could be very bad.
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House training
For the first few weeks, kittens and cats will
need to be kept inside, so you'll need a leak-proof
litter tray of at least 45 x 25 cm (many people
use a washing-up bowl!). Place it in a convenient
corner and fill with sand, peat, dry earth or
cat litter. Make sure it is cleaned regularly
- cats are naturally very fastidious animals.
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Water
All cats and kittens need constant access to
fresh water. Milk is not necessary
for cats and may give kittens diarrhea. Cats
who eat lots of dry, crunchy food need plenty
of water; in its absence they may be susceptible
to bladder disease.
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Food
Kittens need four or five small meals a day
(approx. one tablespoonful) until 12 weeks -
use tinned kitten food, or make your own from
finely ground fresh meat, rabbit or fish. Ask
your vet for nutritional advice to make sure
your kitten is getting the correct nutrients.
After 12 weeks, reduce the frequency to four
meals (and increase the quantity of food). At
6 or 7 months the kitten should eat twice a
day. Ensure the ratio between wet
and dry food is initially 70-30 and gradually
increase the ration to 50-50 as the kitten grows
older.
Always make sure the food is at room temperature.
Cats should be given two meals a day - tinned
cat food or fresh meat, rabbit or fish - make
sure all bones are removed as these can get
caught in a cat's throat and cause death. Don't
feed your cat dog food - it doesn't contain
all the ingredients your cat needs. Make sure
all dishes are cleaned regularly.
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Grooming
Grooming prevents cats from swallowing too much
hair which can form a ball in the stomach and
cause serious illness. Long-haired cats will
need regular grooming to avoid tangled and matted
fur and skin problems. Use a comb, followed
by a brush. Short-haired cats will need to be
groomed occasionally - especially when moulting.
You can use a soft brush, or a damp wash leather
works well to remove loose hairs - hold it in
both hands and draw over the cat from head to
tail.
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Fleas, ringworms, mites, worming
and vaccination
If your cat has fleas buy "Advantage" drops,
also freely available in Moscow. Usually one
tube of "Advantage" is meant for one adult cat
with a weight of 4 kg. When treating kittens
a lot less liquid must be used. Again consult
your vet if you are in doubt about how much
liquid to apply.
Ringworm
disease (called "leeshay" in Russian)
is a fungal infection and pretty common in Moscow,
particularly among cats. Dogs can catch the
disease from infected cats (and so can people).
Patchy hair loss, particularly apparent on the
animal's head, can be a sign of ringworm disease
(although other problems such as vitamin-deficiencies
and ear mites cause hair loss as well). If you
take in a stray cat or dog from the street call
your vet as soon as possible to have the animal
checked for ringworm. The disease is NOT life
threatening or dangerous and can be easily treated
and cured within a matter of weeks. The treatment
of choice consists of antibiotic shots combined
with antifungal creams or sprays, followed by
a ringworm vaccination. You may also choose
to have your pets (cats in particular) vaccinated
against ringworm as a matter of precaution.
Ringworm in people is usually treated by applying
antifungal cream.
Ear mites are also a problem,
particularly in stray cats. They can easily
be treated by applying special ear drops, which
are available from veterinary pharmacies. Look
at your cats or dogs ears - if you see a lot
of dark brown or black patches inside, they
are most likely ear mites. Ear mites itch and
can cause the animal to scratch their ears intensively,
resulting in hair loss and wounds around the
ears and eyes. If left untreated, ear mites
can cause more serious infections and can even
lead to hearing loss.
All cats should be de-wormed
twice a year, preferably at the end of March
and the end of October. The medicine of choice
is "Drontal" for cats. They are freely available
at Moscow's pet food & supplies stores.
The tablets should be administered on an empty
stomach about 30-40 minutes before the animal's
first meal of the day. If in doubt about dosages
or if you have problems giving the tablet to
cat, please contact your vet.
Remember to keep your cat's vaccinations up-to-date.
Adult cats must be vaccinated against rabies
and canine/feline infectious diseases once a
year and the vaccinations should be documented
in your cat's health documents. You can carry
canine/feline infectious disease into your house
on the soles of your shoes, on gardening equipment
and other items that have been in contact with
soil (e.g. bicycles, skis, sleighs); therefore
it is imperative that your animal is vaccinated
REGULARLY.
Kittens are usually vaccinated only once at
the age of 3 months. If your kitten will go
outside, a second vaccination must be administered
three weeks after the first vaccination. Thereafter
the cat must to be vaccinated regularly once
a year.
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Holidays
If you can take your cat with you, make sure
they have a safe, comfortable carrier and are
used to it before the day of the journey. Unconfined
cats should not be taken in a car.
If you are leaving
your cat behind, visit recommended boarding
catteries in advance to make sure that you are
happy with the facilities and care offered.
Alternatively, if the cat is staying at home,
arrange for a responsible person to visit twice
a day - or better till, stay in your home with
the cat while you're away.
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Identification
Ask your vet to microchip your cat - this is
a painless procedure which puts a tiny microchip
under your cat's skin. If your cat strays, the
information on the chip can be read and matched
against a central database (note: such databases
currently do not exist in Russia, but you will
need an ISO Standard microchip for your cat
if you plan to travel with it.
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Neutering/Spaying
We strongly suggest that your cat should be
neutered - due to the overwhelming population
of unwanted cats! But more substantially here
are a few more reasons why the snip is a good
idea.
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Spaying
a female before her first heat protects
her from risks of uterine, ovarian, and
mammary cancers.
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Spaying
also protects her from the stresses of pregnancy.
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Spaying
reduces her frantic interest in the outdoors
and reduces the chances that she'll wander
far.
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Spaying
reduces the chances she'll mark your home
with urine when she's in heat.
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Unaltered
cats have urges that make them irritable
and anxious. They yowl or whine frequently,
fight with other cats, and/or destroy objects
in the house.
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Neutering
a male reduces his risk from numerous health
problems.
-
Neutering
lowers his urge to roam and to fight, and
thus lowers chances of disease transmission
and woundings.
-
Neutering
also reduces his tendency to spray in the
home. And neutering eliminates the powerful
odor of adult male cat urine.
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