What You Need to Know Before Bringing Home a Kitten
Bringing home a little fuzzy friend can be a very exciting time for any household but, like most good things in life, taking on this (cute) new responsibility comes with a few challenges too. However, this is nothing to be scared about! Here, we will take you through the key things you need to know to successfully raise your new kitten.
Pre-arrival
Before your kitten appears at home, there are a couple of straightforward but essential things you should do to prepare. Firstly, you need to kitten-proof your home by closing windows and blocking off vents or nooks that your kitten may want to explore. Make sure to move any form of cords or strings (be it power cables or blind strings) out of reach, as well as any items such as small children’s toys that your kitten could choke on.
It can also help your kitten to feel at home if you designate an area of your home to be its base, away from other pets and off-limits to small children without supervision. This should be the place where you put your cat’s bedding, litter tray and food and water and will allow them to slowly acclimatise to your home.
Feeding
As with any small animal, what your kitten eats in its early weeks and months will have a big impact on its growth and health. Kittens should ideally remain with their mother and litter until at least the age of 8 weeks, at which point they can be weaned onto solid foods. If this is not the case with your kitten then it’s best to consult your vet.
You should be looking to feed your kitten with quality foods targeted specifically at kittens as, at this growth stage, they need food that is calorie-high, protein-rich and easily digestible. At around nine months, your kitten will be approaching the end of kitten-hood and can be gradually transitioned to adult food.
Time to bust a popular myth: do NOT feed your kitten milk. Despite the common misconception, cats do not have the capacity to properly digest milk and feeding them milk or cream can lead to stomach problems. Instead, make sure your kitten has regular access to clean and fresh water.
Health
You should aim to visit the vet with your kitten within the first week or so of them coming home. Make sure you have already bought a carry case to be able to take your kitten to the vet, where you can then make sure your new furry pal has all the necessary health checks, vaccinations and a plan for future boosters. This is also the perfect time to ask any questions you may have about raising your kitten at home.
Sleep
Sleep is crucial for kittens at a young age, which means they can often sleep up to 20 hours a day. This means it’s essential that your kitten has a comfy place to nap and sleep at night. It’s also important that you learn to resist their meowing for attention at night, so they learn that night time is for sleeping – you’ll thank us later.
Training
As well as training your kitten in crucial home skills, such as learning how to use a litter tray and ride in a carry case, it is your job to socialise your cat too. Regarding the litter tray, hopefully your kitten will know what to do from having watched its mother and it is just a case of showing it the tray.
Use positive reinforcement – praise your kitten with attention and treats when they use the box without prompting and ignore or distract them if they are doing something against your household rules. For example, if they bite you then distract them with a toy. Kittens are clever animals; training them just takes patience and will be completely worth it in the long run.
Raising a kitten is a truly rewarding experience and, hopefully, these tips have reassured you about how to raise a healthy and happy kitten once you have brought it home. Good luck!
SynergyVets is a dedicated veterinary recruitment agency, with almost 30 years of collective experience supporting the profession with locum and permanent personnel. They have a great blog which, alongside advice for veterinary candidates, includes useful animal care tips for pet owners.