Hygiene in the cattery
Good hygiene is not only achieved by thorough cleaning and regular disinfection, but is also closely related to the materials used in the cattery itself.
Therefore first something about the layout of a cattery. In rooms where the cats spend a lot of time you should have easily scrubbable floor covering and the
walls should also be scrubbable. A good quality vinyl or marmoleum is the best solution for the floor. It insulates and does not feel cold, it is smooth and easy to
clean. Even when e.g. diarrhoea, urine or vomited food has been left on it overnight, no stains need to remain, when you have used good quality.
You can also run the vinyl up the wall or even cover the entire wall with it. You can also cover the walls with laminated panels, but you must make sure that no
gaps develop between the panels, in which all kinds of dirt and bacteria can nest. It is best to seal the seams between the panels.
A good washable wall paint also works, although you will have to reapply it more often.
A tiled floor has the disadvantage that it is rather cold, but the worst thing is that cement dissolves in cat urine.
Eventually it can become so bad that the whole floor comes loose. So less suitable for a tomcat accommodation with a regularly spraying tomcat!
For wall tiles you can use the special grout sealant that is used for tiled countertops.
This grout is resistant to acids and chemicals.
Scratching posts, baskets and blankets:
Because many tomcats have the habit of underlining their presence by means of "spraying", in which they spray a good jet of urine against all kinds of objects,
all material in the tomcat accommodation must be resistant to this. Spraying is natural behaviour to mark his territory.
That is why we often see after cleaning the tomcat accommodation that the tomcat sprays again.
Some tomcats go so far that they even urinate against their curtains at shows! Therefore, as little iron material as possible should be used in a tomcat
Accommodation. Even if iron is well primed and painted several times, this material will rust very quickly, because the ammonia in the urine acts as a paint
remover and rust becomes visible after only a few months.
Wood is much better; the paint is less quickly affected and wood can be repainted fairly easily if necessary.
Wire mesh:
When you use wire mesh, also consider plastic-
It also holds up well in all weathers. It has a very small mesh size, so that the cats cannot injure each other when they are on either side.
It is also very strong mesh, so you can span large areas with it and need fewer posts.
It is highly resistant to cat urine and disinfectants. Nowadays you can also buy metal cages that are plastic-
They are very practical and easy to disinfect after use in case of illness, or when you have let a "queen for mating" get used to the tomcat in it.
Carriers and litter trays:
Wicker carriers are difficult to clean and disinfect and take (too) long to dry again. It is better to use carriers made of plastic, wood or a combination of these
materials. It goes without saying that the carriers and the baskets or blankets and cushions in the house on which the cats often lie must also be regularly
cleaned, washed and if necessary disinfected. Some litter trays can be lined with a plastic inner bag, where the cat litter goes in and then the plastic bag with
litter and all can be thrown away. But these trays must also be scrubbed and disinfected regularly, as well as the associated flap.
Do remember to check in advance whether the paint you use is non-
Blankets made of fake fur or other textiles are ideal: easy to wash and quick to dry. In a warm basket or on a warm plate, cats like to lie on such a fur.
Cushions, blankets and baskets made of good washable fabric are also excellent, provided they are also washed regularly at at least 60°C. Due to the fairly
long washing process at this temperature, virtually all viruses that may be present are killed. When you wash by hand, you must leave the items in the hot
water for at least 30 minutes (refill with hot water if necessary). Bacteria are somewhat more persistent; in case of infection with them, you must rinse with a
disinfectant (e.g. chlorine, which however bleaches, or Halamid which has a less bleaching effect). Also the baskets, the sitting planks and other edges on
which they can sit or walk, must be easy to clean and disinfect.
The curtains, baskets and cushions for the show must also be washed after each show.
You can clean a scratching post well with a vacuum cleaner and if it needs to be disinfected, you can put a disinfectant (e.g. Halamid) in a plant sprayer and
spray the scratching post with it.
Then let it dry. Remember to also vacuum the inside of attached play and sleeping places and occasionally spray with disinfectant.
Do you remember that the vacuum cleaner mouth must also be disinfected if you have used it in a room where something contagious is present?
Cleaning articles:
The material with which we clean has not yet been discussed. Windows and walls can be wiped with sponge and chamois, for example, but walls can also be wiped with a sponge on a stick. If they are dirty, however, you can brush them better with a brush or squeegee.
You can also use this squeegee for the floor. Caked-
If the floor is not really dirty, you can also wrap a mop with a lot of soapy water around a squeegee and mop the whole floor this way.
Then you pull all the soapy water to one spot with the squeegee and mop up the remainder.
If you have a drain, you can simply pull the soapy water there. Clean and disinfect regularly!
You can also use a mechanical floor cleaner that cleans with hot soapy water or hot steam (115-
For each accommodation you must make a new soapy solution and rinse the used material in between.
Mould:
In case of fungal infections you can also use Koudijs dry disinfectant to fumigate the contaminated rooms. Because smoke penetrates everywhere, this dry
disinfectant also reaches the hard-
Clinafarm Smoke for sale to disinfect the room by means of smoke. And it was specially developed for the disinfection of animal accommodations and
Hatcheries. It is mainly used to combat and prevent fungi and spores.
These candles are no longer available in the Netherlands, because all medicines must be registered and the demand for these candles is so small that
registration is far too expensive. They are still available at the regular pharmacy in Belgium. Sodium hypochlorite, also called bleach or chlorine, is easy to get
and easy to work with. It is effective against contagious cat infections. It is available under various brand names at the supermarket and the grocer.
The instructions on the packaging must always be followed carefully.
Sick cats:
Sick cats should always be isolated as quickly as possible, to keep the danger of (repeated) infection as small as possible. You must wash your hands well with
disinfectant soap (Unicura liquid with pump is very handy) and possibly wear protective clothing and footwear, or a doormat with disinfectant in front of the door to wipe your feet in case of serious infections. Also remember that the sick cat stays in an even temperature.
When the heating is lower at night, provide a warm spot by means of a (red) lamp, or an electric cushion or pad. Despite the insulation, the cat must still have regular human company, that actually promotes recovery.
Disinfection:
What is the best way to clean and disinfect? You must first know something about the different types of disinfectants that exist. The most dangerous
disinfectants for cats are agents containing coal tar or wood tar, or derivatives thereof (including pine oil) and chemicals such as phenol (carbolic acid) also
present in TCP and other disinfectants, cresol (in e.g. Lysol) and chloroxylenol (in Dettol and similar products). Other agents you should not use are iodine,
iodophors and hexachlorophene.
By humans and dogs all these agents are generally well tolerated, but definitely not by cats. There are very few ready-
all ingredients are listed on the label. Therefore be extra careful and inform thoroughly first (e.g. with your vet) whether they are also suitable for cats.
The shopkeeper is usually not the right person for this!
The English products Tego and Savlon (used in many hospitals) are safe for cats, provided they are used according to the instructions for use.
Don't think "I'll use a bit more, that disinfects better", because often high doses of disinfectant are very dangerous for the cat.
The solution of 150 ml to 5 litres of lukewarm water can be used well for disinfecting floors and walls made of vinyl or tiles and for woodwork etc.
For disinfecting carpet, baskets and cushions you can use a solution of 75 ml chlorine per 5 litres of water; this solution has a strong bleaching effect, so be
careful with your clothing and coloured materials.
The food and water bowls can also be disinfected with this solution. Halamid is also a chlorine compound and as such an excellent disinfectant. A solution of
2 grams per litre of warm water in a plant sprayer for fabric materials and a solution of 5 grams per litre for disinfecting floors etc. works well.
Before you disinfect, you must first clean everything "domestically". So first clean everything well with a soapy solution of liquid detergent. Before you
disinfect, rinse with water, because residues of most soaps and cleaning agents make the disinfectant ineffective.
Fleas:
Flea eggs are killed by ordinary crystal soda. Soda can be used well together with liquid soap in a soapy solution.
Vacuuming a lot in the house also helps with flea control. When you apply a disinfectant, you must let it work for at least a quarter of an hour before you dry
everything, or just let it dry. It goes without saying that you put the cats somewhere else during treatment. Wear rubber household gloves during cleaning and
disinfection work. Nowadays there are excellent products available from your vet to prevent fleas!
When and how often to disinfect:
Disinfecting the cattery or tomcat accommodation does not need to be done every day. Apart from being unnecessary, it is also far too polluting for the
Environment.The tomcat accommodation must be disinfected after each visit of a visiting queen to your tomcat, or when there has been some kind of infection.
The whole cattery should be disinfected from time to time, even if everything is healthy.When there is a contagious disease in your cattery you can best consult with your vet how to tackle it. He has the right agents and knows how they work.
Contagious diseases should always be reported in writing to the contagious diseases reporting point of your cat association.
