Food and Water
Everyone needs it! By the time your kittens are ready to be picked up, they have their own relationship with it and their routines and habits. We will teach you their routines before pickup, and send you discounted links to purchase the food they are used to eating through our affiliation with Royal Canin. They should not switch from this food for at least the first two months, and any transitions should be done gradually.
As kittens, they drink from small water bowls, but they get a lot of their hydration from their wet food. Some dry food is okay for them to nibble on throughout the day, but we focus on meals of wet food for their best development.
When they come home, we recommend having food bowls ready, and water fountains rather than water bowls, as cats like moving water and it's easier to keep clean. See our recommendations below to get started, and tap the image to see the product.
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Simple Fountains
We used the stainless steel version of this, but if you want a budget option to get you started, at less than $25 this is a perfect option for you! It has a high water capacity, which seems like a great plus but it also makes it easy to forget about it. Monitor closely for water quality, or put it in your weekly schedule to clean it to keep quality up.
Stainless Steel Fountains
The next step up is stainless steel, and these are particularly great because many promote themselves as being dishwasher safe. Stainless steel is very easy to keep clean, but you will still need to monitor the water as you can't see the water level in many of them.
Glass Fountain
These are often dishwasher safe, have an interesting look, and it's very easy to immediately see the cleanliness of the water and when it needs to be cleaned. We personally use these, as sometimes a schedule is hard for us to always keep but when we walk by every day, we clean it sometimes more often or as needed.
Luxury Fountain
If you have multiple cats and really want to forget about watering, this is your product! Fully automatic and it even keeps track of how much water your cats are drinking, and it doesn't recycle old water, so it is always fresh.
Basic Food Bowls
In the beginning, this is all that most kitten owners need because you or someone will be with your kitten! We always do stainless steel for the easy cleaning and it's dishwasher safe. If you go on day trips or on vacation more as the kitten grows older, check out some of our automatic food dispenser recommendations.
Basic Automatic Food Dispenser
For weekend getaways or vacations, this is a great option. You can set the feeding schedule through an app on your phone and feed dry food throughout the day while you're gone. You can also keep it set up when you're at home for easy feeding.
Advanced Automatic Food Dispenser
This dry food dispenser allows you to see your pets while you are away and you can actively check on them to make sure they are eating. There are other great capabilities through the app as well. Put 2 different types of food in the compartments, and control the mixed ratio when dispensed!
Wet Food Dispenser
Wet food is essential for a cats nutritional health and hydration, as they get a lot of their water from their food. If you leave for up to 3 days at a time regularly as your kitten ages (we will ask that you remain home for the first few months of your kitten moving in), this might be a great option for you to keep up their nutrition.
Salmon Oil Supplement
We like to mix salmon oil with our cats food because it has so many benefits. Many who visit us comment on how soft our cats fur is, and how little they seem to shed. That's because salmon oil helps reduce dryness, flaking and itching, leading to a shinier, softer coat. This also potentially helps with allergens in the house if that is a concern. Beyond this, the natural anti-inflammatory properties help to ease stiffness in older cats with arthritis, and promotes heart health, cognitive function, and efficient kidney function.
Probiotic Supplement
Transitions can be tough for cats, even for enthusiastic little kittens. While we do a lot to socialize our kittens and prepare them for the big day, there are still stresses associated with traveling for the first time and being in a totally new environment. We've been using this probiotic supplement since day one and helps keeping those little stresses from disrupting their digestion and also helps them switch onto new foods if desired after the kitten is settled.
The best treats!
This treat is becoming very widely known, and it's something that our cats love! Our vet uses it when giving vaccines or microchips, we use it when harness training, coaxing them from unwanted places, or just because we love them!
A well-rounded dietary fiber supplement
Not just pumpkin! There are many natural fibers in here that is safe for cats, dogs, AND humans to provide all kinds of digestive benefits. We especially like to recommend this to new kitten owners when they bring their kittens home to help with any stress related digestive upsets that may happen when switching environments or foods to keep their gut biome healthy and balanced.
Multi-Vitamin for Appetite
A great multivitamin to stimulate appetite for kittens and cats, and a perfect way to help ensure the proper intake of nutrients to support your kittens growing needs! This, combined with the other supplements will give your kitten an important head start in life!