Care and Feeding Guide

BRINGING YOUR NEW RUSSIAN HOME

Russians as a breed can be somewhat timid around new people and in new environments. To make their adjustment easier on you both, confine him to a room (the room with the litter tray) for the first several days. This will give him a smaller and not so threatening place to adjust to at first. Because he is confined to one room, you will be able to keep a closer eye on him - fewer places to run and hide. Make sure that you have "cat - proofed" this room (and the rest of the house). Remove all rubber bands, string, and small breakable objects - anything that he might try to eat or knock over and hurt himself. Many a cat has died from string, feathers, or rubber bands that have lodged in their stomachs or wrapped around their intestines.

GROOMING

Russians are pretty low maintenance as far as grooming. Comb them with a medium to small toothed metal comb every few days (they will like it because they think that they are getting attention). This will remove any loose fur before they ingest it and it forms a hairball.

Nail clipping is pretty easy. Remember, your cat has had his nails clipped from the time he was only a few weeks old, so he is used to it. Get a good pair of nail clippers. These will be easier for you to manage and you will do a better job. Cradle the cat on your lap and push up on the pad of the foot to make him display his nails. Russians have a translucent nail, so the pink vein is easy to see. Cut just beyond the vein. Don’t hit that vein or he will bleed, be in pain, and not trust you for a while. Quickly do each foot (back ones, too). T

Examine ears weekly. If they are dirty, put some olive oil on a Q-tip or cotton pad and swab out the ear.

PLAYTIME

Russians love to play, and most like to play rough. Give them fur toys that they can bat, carry and kill, balls to bat around, and paper bags and boxes to hide in. Vacuum cleaner belts are great because they can toss them, but they are big enough that they can’t destroy them. Watch your cat with a new toy - some rough players can hurt themselves if they ingest something that they have destroyed. Give them feather "birds" on a string or mylar kitty teasers - but only with supervision. Put them away some place where your kitten cannot get to them when playtime is over so that she won’t eat them.

IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER CAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU CONFINE YOUR NEW CAT AT FIRST!

This will allow both cats to smell and check out each other in a non-threatening manner. If you were to just drop the new cat into the house, your older cat would perceive him as invading his territory and try to drive him out. Let both cats talk to each other under the door and smell each other on you. Later, they can have "supervised visitation." Let the older cat in the room while the new one explores the house. They can then have face to face contact in the room for a few minutes a day. This may seem like a lot of effort, but it will help them to adjust to each other. Think of it as new room-mates writing letters about themselves before moving in together as opposed to some stranger who just barges into your house one day and makes himself at home.

As he adjusts to you and his new home, you can let him have more and more time out in the house. Gradually, he will make himself at home.

Please take your new cat to your veterinarian as soon as possible for a thorough examination. This will give your vet a baseline reading of your cat’s health and he will already have seen him and have his records in the event that he does become sick. We have provided you with a record of the shots that your kitten has already received. Your vet will also need to send us a letter stating that he has neutered/spayed your kitten when he does that procedure.

CORRECTING BEHAVIORS

Russians are very smart cats and generally can be disciplined. Consistency is the key. The same action must get the same response all of the time; it can’t be right to do something sometimes and not right other times. If he is doing something undesirable (getting on the counters, for example) catch him in the act and shout "NO" (or "DOWN" if appropriate). If that doesn’t work, repeat "NO" and shoot him with a water-filled squirt bottle. Remember, you can’t go back and discipline, because one minute later he won’t understand what he has done wrong.

Do not ever let your cat do anything once that you will not want him to do again! For example, if you don’t want them trying to steal food from your dinner plate, then never give them a treat from the table. If a cat does not realize that something is available, he won’t seek it out.

Most Russians will not scratch furniture if you provide them with plenty of alternatives. Regular scratching posts are fine, but most seem to prefer the rougher types covered with sisal rope. Flat cardboard scratching boxes (Bizzy Kitty) are great too. Rub catnip into them well and they will go crazy.

The key here is to have plenty around; only one small post off in a back room just isn’t going to cut it when the urge strikes. And remember, because their nails are clipped, they should do little damage anyway.

Never call your cat if you are going to punish him or do something that you know that he won’t like (such as going to the vet). If you do, he will never trust you again.

FEEDING

Food is very high on a Russian’s list of priorities, followed by attention, then food. They will try to convince you that you have not fed them for a week. Do not fall for it!!!. Russians like to eat and will become fat if you let them eat what and when they want. We recommend that you feed twice a day (three times until they are 7 months old) and have fresh water available at all times. Do not let them free feed. A cat does not need to pick at food all day. This will make him a fussy eater. This will also enable to monitor his food intake. You will know how much to cut back if necessary and if he is not eating properly, which can be a sign of illness.

Cats, by their nature, do not drink enough water, and it is important that they to do maintain healthy kidney function (for to insure that males do not have a blockage of the urethra). As your cat matures, you will need to switch to a "light" or "less active" variety of the same food. These contain less fat. Remember, if you keep your cat’s weight down, he will be healthier.

Speaking of water - did you know that cats are more inclined to drink water if it's in a fountain? Studies have shown that given the choice, cats prefer to drink running/moving water. You might think about getting a pet fountain.

LITTERBOXES

This should seem obvious, but a cat should have easy access to his litter box. If he has to travel two flights of stairs or go through some other type of maze, he may decide to seek out an alternative that you may not approve of. It should also be large enough for your cat to move around in.

Use whatever type litter your cat seems comfortable with . A Berber–style mat in front of the box will catch most loose litter that your cat tracks out.