DIET

At 10 weeks of age your kitten needs to be fed twice a day with good quality biscuits freely available for in between snacks. Water should also be readily accessible. Do not under any circumstances feed your kitten milk unless it is lactose free. Lactose is frequently the cause of bouts of diarrhea.

In the morning and at night give approx. 1-2 tablespoons of suitable tinned food such as Snappy Tom, Purrfect, Pounce, Kit E Kat, Whiskas plus a similar quantity of red meat. The meat could be roo, beef or mutton. The meat should be cut small enough for a kitten's teeth to chew. Mince is a good option at this age but as they grow they need something bigger to chew on so dicing the meat gives their teeth and gums more exercise. You can increase/decrease quantities according to your kitten's individual appetite. Like humans they eat more in cooler weather than in hot.

You will begin to notice which type of food your kitten prefers simply by watching which bowl it goes to first. If you think they might predominantly be a meat eater you will still need to feed some tinned food because it contains many vitamins and minerals such as taurine which is essential to a balanced diet. If they prefer tinned food still encourage them to eat some meat because it not only exercises their teeth but adds bulk to their weight during the growth period.

Don't worry if your kitten doesn't eat everything in one sitting. Birmans are commonly graze eaters and like to keep coming back for just another nibble until all is finished. They are very hearty eaters and really enjoy their food. You won't be able to forget meal times because they will very loudly remind you.

Don't give the same tinned food more than twice consecutively as they really appreciate variety. Just remember that a cat will very determinedly starve itself rather than eat something it doesn't like and they will keep this up for days until you give in. They like their food to be fresh at all times which is far healthier than trying to entice your kitten to eat something that was left over from a previous meal.

As a tidbit give your kitten a few pieces of cheese about twice a week and yogurt is also good for them if you can get them to eat it. Biscuits given should be kitten biscuits. I feed kitten biscuits up until 9 months of age, sometimes longer. They have quite a bit more nutrition than adult biscuits and really help to promote a good healthy coat and exercise growing teeth. Good quality biscuits preferred are Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Rice, Whiskas Advance Growth, Hills Science Diet and Royal Canin.

WORMING

Ensure your kitten is wormed every 3 months. As a baby they have been wormed every 3 weeks. At the age of 12 weeks you will need to start them on an adult wormer. After trying the gamut on the market the only one I have found that doesn't incite vomiting is Popantel. This is available through your vet and you can easily purchase just one at a time.

BATHING

It is a good idea to get your kitten used to being shampooed. Being a semi longhair breed their coat will benefit from a bath followed by some brushing when dry. It also helps to get rid of any loose hair on the coat. In winter particularly you will need to dry them off with a hair dryer to ensure they don't get a chill.

Whilst they don't entirely enjoy their bath they will usually allow you bath them without too much hassle. Be as quick as you can, talk to them the whole time to make them feel secure and keep their head above the water. Always towel dry first paying particular attention to the insides of their ears. Use a good shampoo that is gentle to the skin. There is plenty of choice available from good pet stores, vets etc.

GROOMING

Following a bath there is nothing better than to offset this experience with something your kitten really enjoys like being brushed. They enjoy it immensely and can't get enough of these pleasurable times. Buy yourself a good brush preferably one which has two sides; bristles on one and spikes for combing on the other. As a kitten only use the bristle side. As your kitten grows they like nothing more than a good comb through with the spikes. Brush against the grain of the coat to fluff and aerate the coat. The coat is non matting but when you do encounter a knot just carefully cut it out. With a Birman coat being long and thick, it won't even be noticed.

Be aware that their coat in the warmer months is not so long and luxuriant as in winter when they look their best. Obviously this is also when cat shows are conducted to show all breeds at their optimum.

FLEAS & OTHER PARASITES

Check your kitten regularly for fleas and other nasties. A bath will help you check for these. If your kitten is raised indoors it is unlikely you will have any problems. If, however, they come into contact with sand they will probably encounter fleas from time to time.

The best product to rid them of this problem is Capstar, which is available in tablet form from supermarkets, vets etc. Within approx. 30 minutes all fleas are dead and can be combed from the coat. It only kills adult fleas and will not account for flea eggs, which will still develop and hatch. Of course the best option is to give a preventative like Advantage, a liquid drop deposited on the back of the neck where they cannot lick it off. You can also vaccinate with Program which is also available in tablet form.

FURBALLS

Furballs are a liability of all breeds. They are quite prolific in the semi longhair obviously because of the much longer coat. Birmans being fastidious groomers ingest large quantities of hair which form inside the intestinal tract. They eradicate them by vomiting, usually in a most inconvenient place. It doesn't signify that anything is wrong. Quite often they can go off their food beforehand which signals that they are about to purge themselves. You will notice that in spring when they are shedding their winter coat that there will be a significant increase in furballs.

VACCINATIONS

It is really important to adhere to the schedule on the vaccination card. In their first year, kittens need to have 2 vaccinations for feline enteritis, cat flu, feline leukaemia, herpes, calicivirus and chlamydia. The first vaccination will be given at 8 weeks of age; the second at 12. Your kitten is then immunised for 12 months. Thereafter they will be given only 1 vaccination per annum as an adult. As feline disease is increasing it is important that you keep your cat immunised.

The other significant disease for which there is currently no vaccination available is feline aids. This is not transmissible to humans but is very contagious to other cats. Cats can however be FIV positive and not succumb to the disease. It is usually some other viral component, which promotes and develops the disease in a FIV positive cat. Once infected, there is no cure and if the illness does develop, symptoms are similar to human HIV. Similarly too, infection occurs from a blood to blood contact such as in fighting. The best defence is to keep you kitten indoors or at least secluded from the general moggy population where infection is rife.

STERILISATION

It is imperative that you sterilise your kitten at approx. 6 months of age. On average they will be sexually mature at this age. With boys it is preferable to avoid any onset of spraying occurring and with girls they are able to 'call' and attract unwanted toms into your yard. After sterilisation they can increase their weight particularly apparent in males.

4 week old lilac kitten

GENERAL

Have a supply of toys for your kitten to play with. Things that dangle, ping pong balls, toy mice etc. are a constant source of amusement for your cat and entertaining for you to watch them in action. Cardboard boxes with holes cut out keep them active and amused for considerable time particularly if you attach several together either side by side or one on top of the other.

Most of all your new kitten will want you cuddle them, talk to them and treat them as an important part of the family. In turn you will be well rewarded with a contented, socially well-adjusted cat who loves nothing more than just spending time with its family.

REFERENCES

If you would like to extend your knowledge of the Birman breed even further, I refer you to a book called "Birman Cats A Complete Pet Owner's Manual" by Phil Magitti. This book covers a whole range of topics on basic feline requirements, care, nutrition and behaviour. He also includes a section on the Birman's sacred history which makes interesting reading.