Preparing for a New Kitten

if you're getting ready to be the first time owner of an energetic, yet fragile, kitten that needs to be raised and cared for, this will help you get prepared.

Bringing a new kitten into your household is exciting. He or she will liven up things more than you can imagine. To have the most positive experience with the feline, ideally, you should adopt a kitten that is completely weaned from its mother. Kittens who are eight to twelve weeks of age are usually ready to leave their mother.

The kitten you have chosen to bring into your home should be healthy and energetic. Healthy signs include bright, clear eyes, a clean, shiny coat, pink paw pads and a pink nose. The kitten should also be energetic. If your new kitten hasn't already had a physical examination by a veterinarian, you should schedule an appointment as soon as you can. Plan and budget to spay and neuter all kittens.

Kittens identify you by your smell, sound and voice as much as by sight. Some kittens take to people right away others are shy at first. Talk to your kitten and slowly allow them to get comfortable with you and learn you are safe and friendly for them. Get down on the ground at their level so you don’t appear to be a giant predator to the kitten.  Pet the kitten gently on the head and then the full length of their body. They especially like under their ears rubbed. It will sometimes take a kitten a bit longer to get used to small children, other pets or a noisy active environment.

To start out with, you should have a small room that's located away from the main rooms of your house for your new kitten. As he or she becomes familiar with its new environment, you can let them wander farther. Or, if dedicating an entire room isn't possible, you can section off part of a quiet room. Make sure kitty has a box or kitty shelter he/she can hide and feel safe in.

Kitten proof your home: Your new kitten will be like a human baby. It will want to chew and play with everything it can reach. So it's important that you keep electrical cords, drapes and drapery cords, plastic bags, house plants, and toxic products out of its reach. Also, your new kitten can choke on small items. So keep rubber bands, buttons, small toys, nuts, bolts, jewelry, safety pins, needles, and other small items out of its area and out its reach.

To prepare for your kitten, you'll need a small litter box, food and water bowls, and toys to play with. You'll also need some dry kitten chow- NOT adult cat food- and I recommend Purina™ Kitten Chow. You'll also need some moist kitten food to feed your growing kitten once or twice a week in order to give it a balanced diet.

Litter boxes come in different sizes. You'll need to provide a litter box that's the right size for your kitten to climb in and out of. Personally, I prefer to use non scented biodegradable litter such as feline pine pellets or wheat pellets or even yesterdays news. You need to scoop on a daily basis, as kittys do not like dirty litter boxes and this may cause kitty to think about “going” elsewhere.  You’ll want to get a litter scooper.

To prepare for your new kitten, you should also have a scratching post for it to exercise its claws on, a small cat bed or a fuzzy blanket you can fold up, and a cat carrier. The bed or blanket will give your feline a warm place to sleep. The cat carrier will provide a safe way to transport your new kitten when you bring it home, take it to the veterinarian, et cetera.

Scratching. Your kitten will start to scratch at things at an early age. This is the time to start training her! Provide a small scratching post or flat scratching pad and keep it wherever she usually plays. Encourage her to use it by enticing her with a toy or with catnip. Gives her praise when she uses it, and divert her attention when she scratches the wrong thing. A continued diversion is generally all it takes to communicate the error - don't yell at kitty or hit her or squirt her with water. That just makes kitty think that you are a mean person. You can also start trimming her claws. Wait until she is sleepy and relaxed. Start by trimming just a few of her claws, and don't force it if she starts to resist. Pet her and tell her good she is! She will soon get used to it, and it will become a lifelong good habit.

Playing. Play time is very important to a kitten. They learn to socialize, develop physical skills, get exercise, and have fun! Kittens have a great time playing with each other - rough housing, stalking, pouncing, chasing, and grooming each other. Young kittens don't know they are hurting you when they grab at or bite your hand, or run up your pant leg, so be patient and forgiving. If you have just one kitten, you will the focus of all of his playmaking attention! You can "train" your kitten not to bite or scratch by giving a high-pitched yelp whenever she gets too enthusiastic. This is how kittens let each other know that the play has gotten too rough. An idea which can help save your arms from scratches is provide what I call a "wrestle buddy" for your kitten - a stuffed toy or old sock filled with soft cloth or socks - that they can be free to sink their little teeth and claws into. Use it to rough house with your kitten and she won't become accustomed to using you as her scratching toy!

And finally, talk to your household members, room mates and family about the new addition to your household. Make sure children understand that a kitten is a living, breathing animal that needs to be cared for and loved. Show them how to be gentle with kitty. Let them know kitty might fear noise and fast movement. Talking to kitty and sitting on the floor with kitty will help kitty feel comfortable. Kittens are a lot of fun to play with, or just watch, as they perform hilarious antics. Then, as they grow up to be adult cats, they can be wonderful companions. Getting a kitty is a long term commitment that should be taken seriously. Healthy indoor kittys can live to be 14 – 22 years old.