How To Prepare For A Kitten

Bringing a new kitten into your home is both exciting and a little daunting. Not just for the kitten but for you and any other pets that live in the home. 

Like most of you, we here at pet place love our animals and when adding a new member to our family we want all the advice we can get. With that in mind, we thought we would share some of our tips on homing a new kitten. 

Before bringing your new kitten home 

Your new kitten will have to stay with its mum and siblings until it’s at least eight to nine weeks old. This should allow them time to experience different things in the home. Such as listening to new and different sounds, smells, and meeting different people as well as being handled. 

The important things first, have you checked out your local vets? Make sure you do this before their arrival. Because you will want to register your kitten with a vet as they will need their vaccinations. If unsure of where they may be located then go to Vet Help Direct. Where you can put in your postcode and the system will pull up vets in your area. 

You should also check with their previous owners. Because sometimes they may have had their first set of vaccinations depending on the time they are going home with you. And whether or not you are adopting from a charity or breeder. 

As soon as you have settled on a vet. There is no harm in asking them for advice on pet insurance, micro-chipping, and worming treatments. For when they are at the correct age. 

When taking your new kitten home, you will need a secure cat carrier to transport it. Make Sure to get the right size for your kitten. Because you will want them to be comfortable when traveling. More than likely they will have never experienced a moving vehicle and this can be quite traumatic. 

This time before they move to their forever home should give you the opportunity to kitten proof your home because the one thing you should know about kittens is that when they are not sleeping they are filled with energy and love nothing more than exploring their new surroundings. 

How to kitten proof your home

Make sure to remove any toxic food that your kitten may be able to access, this includes caffeine such as tea bags, coffee, and painkillers.

Onions, garlic, salt, and alcohol are known to be dangerous should your new kitten ingest any.

Other common household goods that your pet would love nothing more than to get their paws into but can also be a danger are antifreeze, batteries, E-Cigarettes, and dustbins. 

Kittens also don’t know the difference between one of their new toys and the wires or cables running from the tv, try and avoid having these in a place where a tempted kitten might play. 

To avoid your kitten chewing on things it really shouldn’t, it would be wise to invest in a cat scratching post and some kitten-friendly toys to keep it distracted. Milly & Milo also supplies petplace with a safe and effective deterrent spray to dissuade your kitten from unwanted chewing. 

Helping them feel at home

You should also decide where you want your kitten to spend its time during its first week in its new home. Your kitten may be overwhelmed and anxious about being moved from one home into another and giving it the whole run of the house might be too much for a small kitten to handle. 

A suggestion would be to put a cat bed in the space it will be sleeping, Joules have some adorable hideaway beds which will make your new family member feel safe and secure. If possible you should give the previous owners a toy or blanket so your kitten can get used to your scent whilst at the same time the smells from its current home will be transferred onto the item which will comfort them in their new home. 

Another thing to consider ahead of your kitten’s arrival is to have its food station and toilet area set up. Make sure to keep these two stations apart because like you, your kitten won’t like to eat, sleep and go to the toilet in one spot.  

Getting to know your new kitten in its new home 

Now your kitten is home with you. Make sure to spend some quality time with it to help it get settled and feel safe.

Let your kitten explore its new space, young kittens may hide away when they first arrive at a new home. But don’t panic, allow them to come out at their own pace speaking to them in soft low tones because they will be sensitive to loud noises. 

Making introductions

Once they have come out of hiding, their new space will feel like an adventure. Your new kitten will want to smell and play with everything, however, don’t be surprised if they all of a sudden feel very sleepy, young kittens are growing and need to have regular naps, especially after such a busy day moving. 

If you have other family members we’re sure they will be excited and eager to meet this new family member. Keeping in mind that your kitten is being faced with a lot of new experiences it might be worthwhile gradually introducing new faces at a pace that suits your kitten, especially if you have young children in the house. 

It is important to make young children aware of shy kittens and how they should behave when interacting with them. To be gentle and calm. Over time your kitten will build up the confidence to play and be silly with your household. 

This might not be your first pet but remember you are your kitten’s first human and if you have other pets it more than likely hasn’t interacted with or experienced other animals. 

A great tip is to give your kitten a blanket with the scent of other pets in the house and vice versa, this will get them used to their smell, the same way you may have taken a blanket from their first home or given them something with your scent ahead of arriving at their new home. 

Introducing other pets

If the other animal in your home is a dog, this might be an easier introduction than another cat. Before you introduce your dog to the kitten, why not take the dog for a walk as this should tire it out so its less energetic around the kitten. Another suggestion might be to get a stair gate so they can see and smell each other but there will be no physical contact. 

Cats can be quite territorial and often don’t have time for a new kitten so this introduction will most likely run at a slower pace than a dog. Don’t fret if your cat or kitten hides more than usual or starts having accidents in the house, all you need is a little patience and over time they will eventually be comfortable in each other’s company.

Make sure to feed your animals from separate bowls and that they each have their own bedding along with toys otherwise this could cause friction. 

Build in a routine

Cats like to follow a routine, you will begin to see that your four-legged friend likes to follow a pattern with its food, napping, and toilet which makes the process of looking after a cat a lot easier than other animals. 

Whilst your kitten is using a litter tray, be sure to check it at least twice a day because cats like to be clean and they will not use a litter tray that hasn’t been cleaned out. 

Their food and water bowls are as important as their litter tray, make sure to keep fresh water topped up in their bowl and to feed them four small meals a day. If you have any queries regarding kitten food then call into one of your local petplace stores where a member of our team should be able to advise you on the different foods available or you can always speak to your local vet if you have any concerns. 

Ready for the outdoors? 

When your kitten reaches the three-month mark they can go for their second set of vaccinations which will then allow them to go outdoors. Some cat owners like to keep their cats indoors but if you are opening the doors to the outside world there are a few things to consider. 

Some cats, although you might expect them to run out the doors may not want to. Never force your kitten outside, it may still be a little shy of trying new things. Going outside can be overwhelming with all the new sounds and smells. Not to mention weather changes which we still haven’t gotten used to. 

However, if your kitten is full of confidence and dashes straight for the door. Remember to keep their outdoor activities supervised. Take some treats with you so when they are called indoors. You can reward them the odd time so they will associate being indoors with home and food. It might be best to try this around their feeding time to avoid overfeeding. 

Some cats aren’t motivated by food. Perhaps playing with their toys or a pet on the head followed by verbal praise. As soon as you feel like your kitten is confident being outdoors and knows its way back to the house. You can start to let it go outside unaccompanied. They will let you know when they want to come back indoors. But if you work during the day then a cat flap is great for ease of access. 

Your kitten at six months old

At six months you should have a strong and healthy kitten with most of the boxes on your checklist ticked. 

However, being a new pet parent you can often forget to put everything on your list. One of the most forgotten things that pet parents forget is their pet’s oral health. 

As humans, it is really important to look after your pet’s dental health. Because they need their teeth to eat, an unhealthy mouth can lead to infection and tooth loss. 

Now is the time to introduce dental care into their routine. Before you start, why not let them play with the tools you plan to use such as a silicone brush. Allowing them to taste some cat-friendly toothpaste by letting them lick it off your finger or massaging it onto your kitten’s gums. 

Some kittens may not take to the brushing and in this case, a dental chew might be the better option. Although the chews won’t reach the areas a brush might. They are still an excellent way to maintain a healthy mouth. 

Going forward

Once you’ve reached the halfway point into kittenhood. You should have a very healthy and confident kitten but it doesn’t end here. Being a responsible pet parent means continuing to cater to your pet’s needs. Make sure to attend regular checkups at the vet. Because your cat will need boosters to keep them safe and healthy. 

As they begin to explore more they will be open to fleas, ticks, and other dangers. That you can help protect them from. Remember they can only tell us so much so keeping an eye on their routine and any changes is important. As a pet parent, they depend and rely on you to keep them happy and healthy.