Bringing a new kitten home for the first time is an exciting and memorable experience. But it’s important that you do your best to make sure your kitten can get settled into its new family. Follow these tips to help your kitten thrive in its first few weeks at home.
1. Be patient
Although it can be easy to get swept up in the excitement of the occasion, try to remember that your little kitten is just a baby that needs to be given time before it is ready to come back with you. When it comes to kitchen development the best age to adopt is between ten and twelve weeks. This extra time spent with its mother and siblings is important for its development and it gives time to get used to contact with humans. Your patience will pay off when your kitten is less stressed and better adjusted to being around people.
2. Prepare your home
While you wait for your kitten to be ready, you can spend the extra time preparing your home for its arrival. Just like a human baby, kittens need a lot of supervision and protection when they are young. They can get caught in anything that is dangling down, like wires or ropes, and might even end up choking. They may also chew through electrical wires, which is a hassle for you as well! To prevent all of this, make sure you tie up hanging chords so that they are safely out of your kitten’s reach. Also be careful with small items that might be swallowed. This includes items like bleach, so be sure to keep all harmful products out of your kitten’s way. A kitten is curious and it won’t understand the things that can hurt it so it’s up to you to keep it safe!
3. Don’t isolate your kitten
When you bring it home, you will be taking it away from its mother and siblings. Once you have had it checked over by a vet and immunised against any diseases, it is important to let it socialise with other animals. If you have other pets in the house, make sure to introduce them to each other slowly and give your kitten lots of extra attention to ease their stress. Always reward pets for being good around each other and encourage them to interact.
4. Keep your kitten entertained
You can’t spend every minute of the day with your kitten. Whether you are going off to work or looking after the children, your kitten is going to spend some time by itself. So make sure there is plenty for it to do while you are gone. Be sure to give them a litter box and bed and if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time, leave on a television or radio – the background noise will help soothe your kitten and drown out any stressful noises from outside your home. You can also leave toys to play with – making sure that they aren’t small enough to be choked on, of course!
5. Do your research!
It is important to know everything you can about raising a kitten. The first year is a time of growing and development. You need to know what to feed baby kittens and when to let them venture outside. It’s a lot of responsibility and it is good to know as much as possible so that you are prepared. But it is also a lot of fun too!
So there you have five tips to bringing your new kitten home. If you follow these, it is sure to be a fun and smooth experience for the whole family!
What advice do you have about taking care of a kitten? Let us know in the comments!
