Bringing home baby….kitten, we mean!

Congratulations, the pitter-patter of tiny paws is soon going to fill your house and bring with it the joys and adventures of owning a kitten. Oh, and lets not forget – the sleepless nights, the little accidents on the floor and the sudden presence of another being who is very demanding of your time!

Let’s face it, a new kitten in the family, while wonderful, also means a whole lot of work and uncertainty. To help get you through this sometimes challenging time, we’ve put together a list of our top tips and tricks that will get your furry new friend settled in as smoothly as possible.

•    Kitten Proofing and Kitten Safety! Of course, no matter how hard you try to make sure that everything that a kitten could destroy (or could destroy a kitten) is out of his or her reach before the arrival, there is bound to be some dangling wire or loose couch thread that will attract the baby as soon as they’re brave enough to explore.

The real trick to kitten-proofing is to “see through the eyes” of your kitten! Don’t let looking silly stop you! Just lie flat on your stomach and survey the room as if you were an inquisitive feline looking for trouble. This includes looking for loose cables, wires, threads, glass objects, or plants which may be harmful if eaten.

Another tip is to always make sure that the toilet seat is always left down and the toilet door closed. Sadly, it is all too common for kittens to meet their demise in the toilet bowl after becoming a little too inquisitive.

•    Help The New Kitten Feel Secure With Its Own Special Safe Space. It is often overwhelming for a kitten to be brought into a strange new home, no matter how much love and good will it is showered with. It is important, especially in the first few days, that you set aside a small, comfortable and warm space for the kitten to be left alone when he or she needs their space.

It is far easier for a kitten to familiarise themself with a quiet, smaller area than to try and confront all the unknown nooks and crannies of a family house. Make sure you place food and water within easy reach of this space, as well as a litter-tray nearby (although not too close to the food, cats are fastidiously clean animals). Once they have become comfortable and familiar with their small ‘safe space’, they will feel more at ease to explore the rest of their new play-land.

•    Ease the homesickness for mum…A heartbreaking reality of bringing home a new kitten is that for the first few days they will most likely long for the comfort of their mother and their litter-mates. There are a few ways in which you can ease the pain of separation for your new family member. One tried and tested trick is to put a ticking clock in the kitten’s bed. The noise will replicate its mother’s heartbeat and soothe some of the loneliness. Another well-tested trick is to provide a hot water bottle (not too hot) to give comfort to the baby.

Above all, the most important thing is to watch your kitten closely and give it plenty of love. It will soon show you what it is comfortable with and what it likes. Responding to these needs will settle your kitten and make it a part of the family in no time.

Have any other tips or hints to help the new kitten settle in to its new home? Let us and others know about it!

Image by: Andreas Solberg,  mathias-erhart and jm2c