Congratulations and thank you for choosing an Amber Mountain Bengal Baby, I am so pleased you have chosen one of our babies, many of you will have had kittens before and this information will mostly be reminder stuff.

The most important thing to remember is that your kitten is just a baby and leaving mum and going to a new home is very stressful for your kitten so the following advice is designed to help the transition go as smoothly as possible for both you and your new Bengal Baby. If you are a first time cat owner there are many books available and this would be a good place to start. Always remember I am happy to support and advise should you have any worries or questions about your kitten at any time.

Introducing your new Bengal baby

What you need for your new baby Bengal
Water - Always ensure they have a water bowl available at all times and make sure its fresh each day.

Food - To avoid stress and tummy upsets its best to start them out on what they are used to if you want to change their diet then you need to introduce new foods one at a time and wean them from one food to the next. Big Bengals are what they eat if you want to make sure your baby reaches maximum size you need to feed it very well while it's still growing.

The kittens currently eat a variety of whiskers, optimum one and Purina kitten formula biscuits these are available at all times for snacks and top ups. If you change brands make latter sure you use a high protein high fat kitten formula until your kitten is at least one year old. For the first few months I recommend as well as biscuits, you feed 1/3 - 1/2 a cup of fresh meat at least twice a day but preferably three times a day. I feed mostly fresh chicken hearts but supplement them with chicken wings and necks, fish (ours get trout when we catch them and sardines) and jimbos fresh beef mince. it's best to ensure they get variety. Once they get to about 5 months they can go to twice or once a day fresh meat feeding.

A bed - Kittens usually start out in the laundry or bathroom in a box or basket with warm woolly blanket and usually move in to beds once they get the run of the house. They will be cold and lonely and want lots of cuddles and company especially at first. You can use your pet carrier as a bed/house at first if you like they usually feel nice and secure that way.

Training - If your kitten does something it shouldn't like jumping on the bench make a ssssss...ing noise and gently remove it. Bengals are very smart and easy to train this way.

kitty litter box and litter - All the kittens are brought up in our home and housetrained and using litter boxes when they leave here however they often get lost and confused about moving so you need to start them off confined to a small area such as the laundry or bathroom off your bedroom, where it is easy for it to find its litter and food. Slowly introduce them to the rest of the house keeping an eye on them, after meals and sleeps or if they look like they are squatting or sniffing they ground it's a good idea to pick them up and take them to the litter box until they start to find it by themselves. If you turn it loose in the house it may not be able to find the litter and will go behind the TV, etc, and then develop habits you must break. If this happens call me for directions. I have never had any complaints about my kittens not using the litter, but you must make it easy for them to find it.

Kittens do not like using dirty litter boxes so make sure you scoop the lumpy bits regularly during the day and regularly change it for them. If you do have an accident - clean it up quickly and thoroughly so there is no smell remaining that gives the kittens the wrong idea. After a few weeks when the kitten is thoroughly settled in and going outside freely you may want to encourage your kitten to start going toilet outside to do this move the dirt box just outside the door at first, and then once it gets the hang of that empty it in a nearby garden or area where you want it to start going, make sure you show the kitten any new locations, so it knows where it should be going toilet. If your kitten can not get to its litter box or outside freely it won't use it!

Pet carrier cage - If you have arranged to have your kitten air freighted it will come with a pet carrier for you to keep, if you are picking your kitten up yourself make sure you bring a pet transporter for the journey home you will need one for trips to the vet etc as well so its best to invest in one.

Scratching post - Most Bengals love being outside in the garden with you however it's a good idea to get a scratching post inside and if they scratch the wrong thing make a ssss…ing noise when you catch them and gently take them to the scratching post so they know what's expected.

Health
Your Bengal baby will be vet checked, wormed, treated for fleas, micro chipped, vaccinated and de-sexed before you take it. If it ever appears sick or stops eating or drinking properly consults your vet immediately.

If you ever have any concerns that your kitten is not healthy when you receive it please contact me immediately.

Complimentary Insurance Offer - Your kitten has been vet checked and comes with a 30 day complementary insurance offer from the day of pick up. There is a seven day stand down period for illness , and exclusions are lited on the back of the form. Please insure you send the white copy to pet sure within seven days if you would like this offer.

Vaccinations - Your kitten will need a follow up vaccination from your vet in the next few weeks - check your vaccination card for the due date. Note your kitten has had a killed vaccine please discuss whether you want to continue to use killed vaccines with your vet.

Worming - You should worm your kitten monthly till 6 months old then three monthly after this. It is best to get the vet to give you some worm tablets when you go for the vaccination.

Micro chipping - you will need to call 0800 lost pet or go on line at www.animalregister.co.nz to register your kittens microchip with your details on the national data base. Or alternatively your vet can register it when you take the kitten in for its vaccination.

Fleas - Your kitten has been treated with frontline, check it regularly for fleas, and discuss a treatment, suitable for kittens, with your vet.

Showing - Showing your cat can be very rewarding and promotes what is quite a new breed to New Zealand I encourage you to think about showing your kitten once it reaches four months, check out the cat fancy website and discuss any queries on this you have with me. http://www.nzcatfancy.gen.nz/

Re Homing - I would like to ensure all Amber Mountain Bengals have loving homes for life. Please contact me if you are considering re homing your cat for any reason I am happy to help and would like to ensure my records are always up to date thanks.

Terms of Trade:
A 50% non refundable deposit must be received prior to confirmation of any kitten being able to be reserved. This deposit is transferable and/or refundable, at the owners discretion in the event anything happens to a reserved kitten prior to it being ready for going to its new home. Our kittens are vet checked, microchipped, flead, wormed, vaccinated, come with a free insurance policy offer and ongoing advice and support to ensure lifetime care of its kittens. All kittens must receive a clean bill of health from our vets, whom specialize in small animal care, prior to going to their new homes. Full payment is required upon notification that the kitten is ready for going to its new home. Any kittens required to be freighted are done so as the purchasers risk and cost. The ownership of any kitten is conditional on purchasers ensuring all kittens receive timley adequate care and attention for life - including regular vaccinations and medical care, in the event of an owner failing to provide proper care the ownership shall revert to Amber Mountin Bengals. All purchasers are required to notify the breeder if for any reason an Amber Mountain kitten's ownership changes or kitten requires rehoming. Amber Mountain Bengals can be returned for rehoming and we will assist in rehoming at no cost to the owner, however no refunds will be given for kittens that are returned for rehoming.