Helping a Kitten Settle into its New Home
Bringing a new kitten home is very exciting but can also be stressful for a young kitten. Kittens are so much fun and can be a wonderful addition to any home. As with all pets you need to make sure that your new kitten is happy with you which is why you need to help it to settle into its new home. If you have never brought a kitten home to live with you before here are some tips to try out that will help your kitten fit in and be a fantastic member of the family.
Choosing a Suitable Room for Your New Kitten
When bringing a new kitten home, firstly you will need to choose a room in the home for the kitten to settle into. This is usually used for a week or more when you first bring the kitten home as they need somewhere that becomes familiar to them that is peaceful and creates a sense of calm in them. You should make sure the room is at a good temperature and you have the kitten’s bed, food, water and litter try in the room. Don’t put the litter tray next to the food, water or bed as the smell can be off putting for the kitten. Your living room is a good choice for this room as your kitten then won’t suffer from loneliness.
Feeding Your New Kitten
Make sure that you give your kitten enough to eat and drink during the day as they will need quite a lot as they are growing up, especially in these early stages. From 8 to 12 weeks a kitten will need feeding around 5 times per day (any pedigree kitten should not leave home until 13 weeks old). By the time the kitten is 3 to 6 months old it will only need to be fed around 3/4 times per day. You should always give your kitten fresh water to drink to stay hydrated and this should be changed regularly, kittens and cats can be very fussy about old water. Dry kitten food is a great choice as this should be left out during the day and refreshed at the next meal time, but you should also offer wet food during the day. You should not give your kitten milk as this can cause them problems with an upset stomach, so it is better to stick with water as this is the best for it.
Playing With Your New Kitten
Next don’t be disturbing the kitten too much, even though you might want to shower it with love and cuddles. Sure you can stroke it and give it love but if you are pestering it too much it will not be happy and could start to feel uncomfortable and bite or scratch. If your kitten wants to come and sit with you or play that is fine, but never force it to play as you could scare it. If your kitten does start to scratch you should move it away from where you are playing and tell it ‘no’ in a firm but soft voice. Repeating this will show the kitten that their behaviour will not be tolerated by you.
Make sure that you have some suitable toys for your kitten to keep him or her occupied. You will easily be able to find these in a pet shop and make sure that you don’t encourage your kitten to scratch you while you are playing. Doing this can show your kitten that you don’t mind it scratching, which of course you do, so keep play to a level that you can control.
When you feel that your kitten is settled you should let it go around your home and explore. Don’t force your kitten to do this as it will go at its own pace.
Follow these tips and soon you will have a kitten that is fully adjusted and settled into your home and is a happy member of the family for many years to come.