Welcome to our family
We would like to thank you for opening your heart and your home to a WinterForest Graduate.
Every WinterForest Graduate has been lovingly raised in a home environment and kept with their furmily and our family dog till they are 17 weeks old. They are used to all the creature comforts and sounds of a home.
On this page we will incorporate links and instructions on how to
create a TICA TDS account to receive your pedigree certificate
Information required to prepare the Purchase Agreement
Kitten Care Instructions
What’s included in your Welcome Package
Vaccinations
Insurance coverage reimbursement
In-depth Health guarantee and coverage
A Video link with instructions on how to groom your kitten will be included at a later date.
Congratulations
Kittens leave us between 17 to 23 weeks. They would have been completed at least 3 core vaccines and at your requests, additional vaccines (rabies or Felv )
These additional vaccines are not included but are usually administered at their 16 week vaccination and 1 week post neuter at their post neuter check up. They are not without risks as the immune response and sensitivity is higher with these vaccines and should be done after Pawrents have done their research and weighed the necessary risk.
We will need to verify with our vet on the availability of the additional vaccines and their costs.
FIV vaccines are not recommended as the strains the vaccine covers is possibly different from the strains in the region.
The additional vaccines are compulsory if you have a FELV positive cat or are likely to travel in the next year with the kitten.
Most countries require that Kittens be vaccinated with the Rabies Vaccine or have anti-bodies 6 months prior to departure. Singapore is a Rabies free country and a Rabies vaccine is not necessary.
Over vaccination has its own risks and pawrents should weigh the decision carefully.
Where necessary, the first does for FELV, should be done whilst with us as it takes upto 3 weeks for coverage to start and kittens must be negative prior to vaccination.
The vaccines requires a pre-order and due to the increase in FELv numbers locally from Backyard breeders and imports from High FELv countries. The vaccines may be out of stock. The vaccine once administered twice, is effective for upto 3 years
The main source of contagion for FELV is from mother to kitten. As our neighboring country has approximately 3 times more FELV and FIP positive cats than most countries, and the alarming number of kittens sold into Singapore as locally bred cats or illegally transported here without health testing has lead to the surge in numbers. An interesting article on FELV numbers maybe found here
The vaccine for FELV will not result in a positive FELV test. This is unlike FIV.
FIV vaccines are no longer in production or used in most countries as they make diagnosis difficult as well as being unable to give sufficient coverage to prevent the disease.
WinterForest is a FELV, FIV, Fecov negative cattery. Kittens maybe vaccinated at our vet prior to them leaving the cattery without first having to do a blood test.
Pawrents may want to consider Rabies if the pet needs to travel in the next 6 to 8 months.
WinterForest vaccinates against Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calici Virus, Panleukopenia & Chlamydia Psittaci.
RCP are the 3 core vaccines.
Kittens are dewormed at 8, 12 & 16 weeks.
Kittens will be showered at 6, 11 and 17 weeks and will have had either advocate spot on or revolution spot on treatments after their shower against fleas, ticks & mites.
In addition, they will be treated against giardia, roundworms, hookworms, lungworm, whipworm, and certain types of tapeworms at 7 weeks and 11 weeks.
Their 16th week deworming is usually done using Drontal.
We recommend that they should be dewormed annually or 6 monthly if you own a dog or birds or walk your cats.
You should continue with the spot on parasite treatment for at least 3 months after collecting the kitten from us and use it at least 3 days prior to any boarding or visit to vets or event with other pets. Ideally just after a shower.
We shower our cats and kittens monthly to keep dander levels down as well as better disease management.
Mature Siberians blow their coats twice a year and they will change coat more frequently in their first 11 months.
They are similar to Pomeranians and get more glorious with each change.
You will need 3 types of combs to maintain your Siberian’s coat.
They need a good combing a day before their monthly shower and a day after. If on a quality diet and kept dry, a Siberian rarely matts or stains. They have a relatively easy to maintain coat
As a general rule of thumb our kittens consume about 150g to 250g per day of raw/ wet food.
This will go up to 350g a day and may sometimes go as low as 90g a day.
They will grow upto ages 5.5year old and maybe kept on a kitten diet till then.
Its more crucial to weigh you kitten then it is to weigh the amount of food they eat. Once Kittens past a year old we recommend feeding times be extended to approximately 12 hour cycles
On average our kittens are between around 2.5 to 3.5 kgs when you collect them post neuter and should reach 4.5 to 5.5kgs by their first birthday.
Some of our kittens will hit 6.5 to 7kgs by the 2nd birthday and max out at 8.5 to 9Kgs at age 5.
This is entirely dependent on the kitten and lines from which they descend from.
Your Kitten would have been exposed to a variety of proteins including but not limited to
Kibble - Oven Baked Chicken Grain Free Kitten
Oven Baked Duck Grain Free all life stages
Kibble - Wellness Core Kitten Turkey/Duck
Freeze Dried Raw - Northwest Naturals Complete Knibblets
(Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Beef & Sardines)
Freeze Dried Raw - Green Lipped Mussels, quail neck, salmon, Sardines, Sprats, Oysters
Raw - Beef, Rabbit, Pork, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, Veal, Roo
Wet - Zealandia, Wellness, Aixia ( All complete diets)
We will include a number of the above in your welcome home package and highly recommend that this diet is continued for at least 3 months with at least 60% of the diet consisting of wet or Raw.
Fish when given should not be more than 15% of entire diet to prevent the occurrence of UTIs and Addiction.
Supplements are an integral part of your kittens diet and should be given for periods of no more than 45 days with a few days rest in-between.
Avoid over supplementing and refrain from fish oils as they get rancid very easily. Those that do not are usually loaded with additives that whilst ok for dogs, don’t sit as well in a cat’s digestive system.
When choosing a supplement. It is best to take a wholistic view on what is required for your cat.
Where possible use natural whole food supplements to avoid overloading their system and toxicity. We do not recommend commercial treats and reserve those for training or medicating purposes.
WinterForest Supplements our kittens with a variety of Pre & Probiotics ( Natural as well as commercial available items), Immune boosters ( Natural formulas ) and freeze dried whole foods that help plug the nutritional gaps like zinc (oysters) in commercial food .
A complete formula meets the bare requirements set out by AAFCO but is generally insufficient or may sometimes be too rich in certain minerals and vitamins. Most pets on a commercial only diet live to the average lifespan of 10 to 14 years.
Siberians on a diet supplemented by a properly formulated raw kitchen have been noted to live way past 20.
Studies have shown that kittens that has been introduced to a varied , natural and inclusive pre & probiotic infused diet ( mother’s milk or directly from food) in the first 8.5 weeks to 12 weeks of life, have a distinctive advantage in recovery, lower allergy occurrences and are more robust and bounce back significantly faster than counterparts that are not exposed to such practices.
These supplements and diets are costly but save you more in the long run when compared to veterinary fees.
WinterForest Cats are health tested and Negative for FELV ,FIV, Fecov.
Their ancestry can be traced beyond 20 Generations and are free of PKD and HCM.
There are no genetic tests for PKD and HCM in Siberians.
These are dominant genetic diseases and will be present in all kittens and parent.
The disease may have a lifestyle component and a good diet and exercise helps to maintain their health.
We conform to show standards and have Zero percent inbreeding* .
Our Kings and queens are genetically diverse and imported from various distinct countries and catteries to ensure robust and low allergen kittens.
We discourage any external boarding or grooming of our kittens prior to 18 months of age due to the likely exposure to Fecov.
Should you require such services, please get a reference from us on which establishments would be more suitable or have a better track record. There are plans to expand our gallery to accommodate the needs of our graduates in the near future.
We will be uploading some self-care videos shortly and maybe accessed here .
Pedigree Certificates and Registration forms will be emailed to you with hardcopies mailed by TICA.
You will need to set up an account and provide us with your
TICA ID, Last name and email address.
The link to set up an account maybe found here.
It is important that the address given to TICA is accurate as they will be mailing the original certificate from the USA, via non registered to your physical mail box.
Should you be keen to participate in cat shows, you may have to transfer and register their pedigree with the association that is hosting the show.
All associations will recognize TICA.
Siberians are a curious energetic bunch. They would benefit from a pet Insurance in the first few years of their lives.
Cats unlike dogs tend to develop UTI, gum disease or immune stresses in their youths before they mellow out and get more confident and aware.
Although Siberians are generally robust and healthy, their curiosity often leads to improper digestion of items that may need veterinary care.
WinterForest highly encourages our pawrents to take up a suitable policy for your kitten and have a partial reimbursement in place.
Select a pet insurance that you feel suits your needs and check back with us once you have decided.
Insurance
Acclimating your kitten to your home especially if you have other cats may be a cause for concern for many.
To ensure success, you should check your current cat’s vaccination schedule and ensure all shots are upto date at least 3 weeks prior to kitten arrival. Where possible, test current cats for FELV,FIV, Fecov and Giarda whilst getting their shots.
Where possible, they should also shower and be treated with a spot on parasite treatment and dewormed a week prior to the arrival of your new kitten.
These steps ensure your that they would have recovered from any stresses and be treated where necessary prior to kitten arrival
Should you’re cat test positive for any of the above. Please reach out to us so that we may either vaccinate your kitten for FELV and delay their going home or reschedule their arrival until your cat has been cleared of the disease.
WinterForest has a health guarantee that spans 48 hours for your kitten to get checked or test at our vet.
Extension of the health guarantee to the initial weeks that kitten is home with you requires that the kitten be kept away from your house cats / dog as well as visitors that may have any interface with a cat.
Collection is usually scheduled on the same day as a vet check for your kitten’s enrollment with the insurer at our vet. They will examine kitten to ascertain that they are fit to be insured.
Sometimes kittens may get minor irritations and abrasions on their eyes or nose during the trip home, you may choose to bring along a soft e collar for the transport in their carrier. This is common and usually from pawing on their new carriers.
Treatments during the health guarantee has to be performed by our vet.
Tips on acclimating your kitten,
Keep kitten in an area where your current housecats will be able to smell but not see it for the first day, able to see and smell but not touch from the 2nd or 3rd day onwards.
Although most of our kittens are completely at home within the first day. We should still set expectations that in most scenarios, it take about 4 days for a kitten to really be at home with its new surroundings.
Try not to pick up the kitten whilst they are still uncertain of their new home and scent to minimize injuries to both yourself and kitten.
We guarantee that our kittens are treated and free of parasites and intestinal worms.
Being a Fecov negative cattery, your kitten’s mother would have been retested for it prior to weaning, ensuring that your kitten is free of Fecov.
We cannot guarantee that your kitten is Fecov free once it has left our cattery as the Virus is rampant.
We encourage reading of our article on Fecov prevention and thus FIP prevention in the first 18 months of your kitten’s life.
Most cats that eventually contract with a mature immune system are usually able to ward of the virus and thus have very low likelihood of mutation.
As the lineage of our cats can easily be traced beyond 10 generations, you are be assured that their ancestors are well and free of HCM and PKD.
We schedule scans on our cats once every 3 or so years. They have to be sedated and shaved for the exam ruling out the possibility of showing as well as an increases stress on our kings and queens.
Litter Box training
Your kitten would be used to the following types of litter.
They are introduced first to paper pellets, silica non clumping and wood pellets ( unicharm ) between 5 to 10 weeks of age.
They are subsequently introduced to Zeolite litter( Unicharm) and automatic litterboxes using either clumping clay or corn. Our kittens go home with a unicharm open zeolite litter box to ensure less accidents.
They use glass drinking bowls and metal eating plates. You may want to purchase a relaxivet calming diffuser prior to kitten arrival and deploy it in the kitten’s room an hour prior to his or her arrival. The defuser should last 30 days and would help calm both the kitten and any other house cats thus reducing the likelihood of stress induced UTI.
For the first week that kitten is home, we do not recommend visitors so that kitten may get used to all the family members and establish itself in the home. For more tips, the kitten care sheet will be included in your docket when you proceed to collect your kitten.
We hope this has been helpful and will see you in a couple of weeks, when you come by to pick up your kitten.