Your kitten has been handled since birth, raised in a home with children, other cats, dogs, parrots and a multitude of other animals. Although he/she will adjust easily to his/her new surroundings, he/she will still require a gradual introduction to your home and other animals.

PLEASE KEEP HIM/HER CONFINED INDOORS FOR AT LEAST TWO WEEKS AND FROM DUSK TO DAWN THROUGHOUT HIS/HER LIFE!
 
 

TOILET BOX
DO NOT USE ANY CLUMPING LITTERS!
These have been known to kill kittens if they eat the litter, which they often do being inquisitive. Please have your kittens litter box ready where you intend to keep it, and pop  him/her in it as soon as he/she gets home, and after every meal for the first few days. Remember to praise him/her when you see him/her using the litter box. Personally I would confine him/her when unsupervised to a small area of the house, it can be a long journey to the toilet for a very little cat. If he/she makes a mistake, say no firmly and put her directly into his/her litter box, and clean up thoroughly where he/she made the mistake, to deter him/her from returning to the scene of the crime.
I highly recomend using Wood pellets, made for wood pellet fires, you only use enough to barely cover the bottom of the litter tray, it swells incredibly as it absorbs the urine, as with all litter you scoop out solids. the litter is light, very reasonable, and excellent for odour control.

DIET
Your kitten has been raised on a variety of foods., Whiskas Advance kitten biscuits, raw chicken necks and ox cheek, tongue and heart mince. He/she will require three meals a day up to the age of six months, they may then be fed twice a day up to the age of nine months and daily from then on. Please continue to feed a calcium supplement or or a kitten biscuit or food with calcium supplement in it daily up to nine months of age
Always have fresh water available; Especially if you choose to feed any quantity of dried food. Raw chicken necks are excellent for keeping tartar build up down on teeth. If you choose to use dried food, only feed good quality biscuits, not the cheap supermarket brands.

Egg Yolks may be served raw, however the whites must be cooked

Include Fat in your cats diet, a little butter or lard. The rex breeds especially require this.

Raw Liver  is important in the diet but should not be fed more than twice a week, as it may cause diarrhea, and in large quantities it may also cause vitamin A poisoning. Beware of "pet mince" too often it contains large quantities of liver.

Dog Foods  are not suitable for cats as they have very different nutritional requirements from dogs. Cats require more vitamins A&B, taurine, fatty acids, and animal protein than dogs. Cats are still primary hunters whereas dogs are scavengers, dual cat/dog foods are actually cat foods suitable to dogs, and are perfectly adequate.

If your kitten prefers one type of food, try not to give into him/her, a varied diet is better for her health and your budget.

PLEASE NEVER ALLOW YOUR DEVON/ DEVON REX VARIANT TO GET FAT  They love food and will try desperately to convince you that they are starving to death.

IF YOUR DOG DOES NOT LIKE TO SHARE it's meal Please lock your kitten away while your dog eats, as they will show no fear where food is concerned.
 

GROOMING
Fleas: Your kitten has been treated with Advantage prior to leaving our home. It is your choice what product, if any, you choose to use for fleas. Spot on can have quite severe side effects and is best avoided for cats.

Claws; Devon Rex and Devon Rex Variants grow longer nails more quickly than most other cat breeds. Your kittens claws have been kept clipped, scissor style clipper seems the easiest to use, but human nail clippers work well.  Because all cat claws are clear it is straightforward identifying the quick and cutting to avoid this. Wait until she is settled on your lap, speak to her reassuringly, and she should cooperate. Just put your fingers under her pads and gently press down on her paw with your thumb to expose the nail.
A scratching post is essential,  Do not be seduced by looks, you need a solid base and a long enough pole for the cat to stratch. If your kitten uses the furniture a sharp clap and no should discourage her (while you are looking) alternatively I use a garden spray bottle of water to spray offending individual and that way they don't know where it came from, but stop their deviant behavior temporarily at least.

Eyes  If your kitten develops any eye discharge gently swab it from the nose side outwards; never use the same swab more than once. Bathing in the other direction can spread any infection to the other eye. I find makeup pads wonderful to have on hand for any minor first aid requirements, they are absorbent and the cotton wool is covered in gauze to stop bits of fluff getting into the eye or wound. If the discharge continues for more than two days contact you veterinarian. Do not use drops or ointments without advise as they may destroy the natural antibodies on the eye surface and can therefore make the condition worse by allowing harmful organisms to multiply on the eye surface.

Play  is extremely important for kittens, Try to have a collection of things for her to play with, they need not be expensive, old cotton reels, ping pong balls, pipe cleaners, milk bottle caps and the rings around them will all provide hours of fun. Yours will have each other as well!
Most devons love to retrieve, lengths of ribbon on any toys helps to encourage them. Praise her when she does bring her toy back to you and throw it again.
Never allow your kitten to use their teeth or claws on human flesh. It may seem cute when she is small, however it is not very acceptable when she becomes fully-grown. If she does catch your hand, do not pull away, flick her nose lightly with your finger and say "no"!

SAFETY
Disinfectants; Savlon, Hibitaine and Cascade are all safe for cleaning surfaces used by cats. I use household bleach, as it is very effective and reasonably priced. Do not use; Dettol, Jeyes Fluid and Pine disinfectants or any other cleaner containing coal tar derivatives, as they are toxic to cats.

Flyspray; Black Flag, Morteins and other 'long acting' fly sprays can be absorbed off surfaces through your kitten’s paws. They can also become poisoned eating the dead and dying poisoned flies. Some ultra low allergenic sprays are safe with cats. However I favour the use of fly screen and the good old fashioned fly swat. Whatever kills flies in greater quantities would surely kill cats or humans!

Open Fires, Garage Door Openers, Lazy Boy Chairs,  Washing Machines, Freezers, Dishwashers, & Vehicles;  All of these everyday tools can be hazards to the young inquisitive kitten. Please be aware of where your kitten is before moving vehicles, closing clothes dryers, fridges, washing machines, ovens etc. It takes only a moment to check and possibly prevent a tragedy.

Roads A New Zealand pet magazine has published the fact that %94 of cat deaths occur between dusk and dawn. Your kitten has not been allowed outdoors at all yet, if she is never out at night, she won’t know what she is missing.

INDOOR/OUTDOOR DILEMMA
Sadly there is no right or wrong answer to this issue, As I have quoted 94% of cat road deaths occur between dusk and dawn. Having said this I have had many tragic phone calls to tell me about cats lost to vehicles, during the daytime! In the end the choice is yours. I do very strongly advise keeping your kitten/cat inside from dusk to dawn throughout their lifetime. If you do choose to allow them outdoors, start letting them out when they are hungry, so that there is a strong urge to come home when called, and stay out with them initially.
If you choose to keep your Devon indoors only, they will require cat grass as a part of their diet. Most Devons adapt easily to walking on a harness and this can be a good compromise. An outside run is also a wonderful idea but is costly.

BLOOD TRANSFUSION
If for any reason your cat should require a blood transfusion (which is extremely unlikely, but accidents do happen) because they are Devon Rex or Devon Rex Variants they have a good chance of their blood type being ‘B’. Your vet needs to be aware of this.

If for any reason what so ever you are concerned, please feel free to contact us
Judy, Gordon, Joshua, Chloe and Jessica at
 Phone/fax   (07) 5420462
 Email          devons@clear.net.nz
 Website       http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/devons

IF FOR ANY REASON YOU FIND YOURSELF UNABLE TO KEEP YOUR KITTEN, PLEASE CONTACT US AND WE WILL HELP IN ANY WAY WE CAN WITH REHOMING