SRI - Siberian Research Inc.

• Inova Evo
• Royal Canin

Allerpet Solution can be purchased from many online stores, including National Allergy Supply.

Feline Pine Litter is made from pelleted pine sawdust, is low dust and flushable.

Green Tea Litter - is pelleted pine with tea leaf. The tea leaf reduces both allergens and odor.

Dr Elsey's 'Precious Cat Litter' has less dust than most clay litters. Their "Kitten Litter" is heavily perfumed.

Worlds Best Cat Litter is a flushable litter made from corn. Some individuals are allegic to this litter.

• Mylar teaser wand
• Round plastic balls
• Star Chaser Turbo Scratcher

This is your kitten's first time away from home, and it may be afraid or unsure at first. Give the kitty time to adjust and do not expect to be best friends right away. Keep this "new" time as stress free as possible. Speak softly and introduce it to family members gradually. Give it time to become secure with its new surroundings. Try not to startle the kitty and do not chase the kitten if it runs to hide. It is best to start your kitten in one room (perhaps a bathroom or bedroom) for the first few days. Introduce your new kitten to one room at a time, allowing it to explore on its own. When it is comfortable with a room, wait a few days before expanding territory. Remember, do not ever chase the kitten--once you begin chasing, it will learn to run from you. Use a wand toy and teach kitten to come.

Show the kitty the litter pan, food and water as soon as you get home. Do not ever chase the kitten for any reason, teach the kitten to come to you. If you have ANY concerns about your kitten, please call or email your breeder or veterinarian promptly.

Be aware the kitty may cry a little and miss its Mom and litter mates. Try to comfort it so the kitty knows he/she is safe with you. It is not uncommon for a new kitten to hide, be skittish, or refuse to eat a few days. Kittens may get a runny nose and/or sneeze for a few days. This is OK as long there is no fever, diarrhea, or “sticky” eyes. If you change foods, do so gradually, mixing the new food in with the old. Food changes may cause diarrhea; to stop this, you can give the kitten Benebac Gel which may be available at a local farm/pet supply store. Kittens may experience stress in the following way: constipation, listlessness, lack of appetite, hiding, vomiting (often clear), diarrhea and crying. If the kitten refuses to eat, try a little Gerber Chicken Baby Food (this brand has no onion; onion is bad for felines). This may kick start the eating reflex. Do not allow non-eating to go longer than several days without calling a veterinarian.

If you have other pets, allow the kitten to settle and be comfortable before introducing other animals. Do not leave the kitten alone with other pets until you are certain that they are friends (this may take several weeks!). Give the "old pets" lots of love and attention so they do not become jealous or territorial. It is always possible that the other pets may not like the kitten using their food and water dishes. Serve in separate bowls for awhile. Make sure that each cat has their own litter pan. It is a good strategy to let the animals get to be familiar with the new animal's smell by placing them in adjacent rooms. They can sniff under the door and play "paws" for a day or so until they really want to meet each other.

Your kitten has been eating meat or premium cat food. Premium foods have chicken or chicken meal as the first ingredient (not chicken by-products). This allows the kitten to obtaining its protein from meat rather than cereal. Foods containing corn, wheat, and soy are poorly digested. Chicken, rice and vegetables are optimal. Dry food and fresh water is kept available to the kitten at all times. Because it takes the Siberian so long to fully develop, please use kitten food or premium food for TWO years unless the cat shows signs of becoming overweight. Canned wet food has both benefits and drawbacks: it may encourage bacterial growth in the gums, but studies have shown cats tend to drink less water than they need. Canned food does provides additional moisture. Kittens should never be given cow's milk as they cannot digest it properly, and may have loose or bloody stools. Introduce new foods mixed with your current food. Start with 20% new and gradually increase over several weeks. We recommend metal or china dishes. Plastic bowls can harbor many germs in the surface that can cause a condition known as "feline acne. Feline acne is small blackhead infections in the chin which cause swelling and discomfort and can be very expensive to clear up. Cats will drink more water from a drinking fountain than a dish. We clean our plastic fountains weekly with a light bleach solution.

Most Siberians present little grooming problems. Their coats are easy to maintain with weekly combing. Pay close attention to the softer hair on the britches and under arms which tends toward matting. Prior to routine combing, moisten your kitten with Allerpet grooming solution which prevents loose fur and allergens from becoming airborne. Kittens can be taught to be accept baths calmly. A shampoo with aloe, oatmeal or lanlin will keep the skin from becoming dry. If you choose to take your cat to a groomer, ask them about their grooming process. Do not let them tranquilize your cat, and do not let them leave your cat unattended with a blow dryer.

Simple Grooming Tools

You may find that kitty nips at your fingers and hands. These may be playful “love bites” or your kitten may be teething. We have found that letting kittens chew on wood chopsticks takes care of the teething urge, and is satisfying for them. Keep one handy wherever Kitty joins you on your lap, so you can offer it. You can also punch chopsticks in the side of a cardboard box at kitty head height to make a great toy. Discourage “love bites” by blowing on kitty’s face.

Many potentially fatal feline diseases such as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), FIP, Feline Aids and respiratory viruses are common in outside cats. Other dangers include automobiles, wild and domestic animals, and poisonous landscape plants. Many outdoor kittens do not survive the first year. If you keep your kitty inside, you can enjoy many years with this new friend. Your kitten has had no training in being outdoors, so please do not allow your kitten outdoors without a leash or an enclosed run. A large disadavantage of introducing your kitten to the outdoors is that the kitten tends to become a pest at the door, looking for opportunities to slip outside.

We strongly discourage declawing or the use of claw caps. A declawed cat cannot properly defend itself, and may learn to bite as a defense. Their fastidious litter box habits have been known to become non-existent due to tender feet. Claw caps are plastic caps that are put on the claws, and they force the claw to remain extended, which is painful to the soft tissue around the claws. If for any reason you decide that you must declaw the cat, we strongly recommend laser surgery. Unlike conventional surgery, laser surgery does not amputate the first joint and will not cause permanant damage to kitten’s feet. Please train your kitty to a sisal rope tree and he/she will not claw your furniture. Get a tree that is tall enough for your kitty to stretch upright on when he/she is full-grown. Try to get one of sisal rather than carpet, as the kitty will think it is okay to claw the carpet of your home if his scratch post is of carpet. Have several scratching posts around the house, and during training, get them out in the middle of the room, where kitty will enjoy getting praise for scratching on them. Rub in catnip for an extra attractant.

• Electrical and phone cords -- “Bitter Apple Spray” will stop chewing on cords
• Toilet lids left up -- kitten can easily drown in a toilet bowl
• Open fireplaces or woodstoves
• Open stairways or lofts
• Loose window screens
• Reclining and rocking chairs -- can crush a kitten that has crawled inside
• Fringe or mini-blind cords -- can strangle kittens
• Accessible garbage -- some bones can splinter and injure the kitten’s stomach
• Rubber bands -- if eaten can twist around the intestines
• Plastic wrap and bags -- kitten can eat it, strangle on it, or suffocate in it
• Cellophane and Christmas tree tinsel - can cause severe internal lacerations
• Plastic bags Styrofoam which the kitty could eat
• Cigarettes
• Needles, pins, and/or threads, knitting and/or crocheting materials
• Cat toys -- remove small bells, eyes, other swallow hazards for kittens
• Open appliances - dryers, ovens, freezers, etc...
• Keep your workshop and sewing rooms off limits
• Photographs -- kittens will lick them
• Tape - kittens will lick and try to eat it
• Cleaning products - Lysol and many other cleaning products are toxic to cats. A 10% bleach solution can be used without harm.