You’ve done it, a little kitten has finally arrived in your home after all these years! Once you’ve chosen their name, you have to help them get settled into their new environment and teach them those good habits from the very start. Here is everything you need to know to facilitate this important step!
Discover our latest podcast
The essential shopping list
A nice food and water bowl - £8.99 on Amazon
A sophisticated water fountain - £24.99 on Amazon
A lovely cat litter house - £72.99 on Amazon
An expandable pet carrier - £32.95 on Amazon
A scratching post that is big enough for day to day use but will also protect your walls/furniture - £17.99 on Amazon
A brush to remove their hair from your clothes - £11.99 on Amazon
1/ Organise their space
To organise the kitten’s living space, it is important to organise your house or apartment depending on your daily life too. There needs to be a feeding area, with the food and water bowl, a hygiene area with their litter tray, an area for them to relax in with their basket, cushions and throws and an area for playing with their scratching post and little toys.
2/ Feed them properly
Kitten kibble isn’t just a marketing ploy: all the different types are important, and it has to make up their diet for the first 9 months. Kibble for kittens contains all the nutrients they need to grow big and strong.
3/ Leave them be
When you welcome a kitten into your home, you can’t forget that this time might be difficult and stressful for them. They are arriving in a new environment and everything they once knew and were accustomed to has changed or disappeared. If it’s possible, ask the organisation or family that you got the kitten from for a blanket or some material with the smell of their mother or other cats that they grew up with on it. This smell will help to reassure them in case they feel stressed. Make sure they also have access to their carrying case so they can find refuge inside if they ever feel they need to.
4/ Let them discover the house room by room
The kitten will have a lot to discover when they get settled in your home. Help them to do this by allowing them to discover the rooms one by one so that they can progressively find their feet.
5/ A scratching post is an essential
Your little kitten will quickly want to get their claws out, so to stop them making a mess of your sofa, buy them quite a large scratching post depending on your budget. As soon as they start to scratch at places they shouldn’t, take them straight to the scratching post and gesture to them how to use it. This will soon become natural for them and less problems will arise as a result.
6/ Don’t give them cow’s milk
Cow’s milk is very difficult for cats to digest and as a result, it is even harder for a kitten since their digestive system is completely new! If you want to give them milk to make them happy, buy milk that is specially designed for cats and give it to them in reasonable quantities.
7/ A litter tray to discover
A tray with a lid is very good for stopping odours getting out, but the little door can scare the kitten and stop them from wanting to do their business there. Start by buying them a standard litter tray, remove the lid until your cat is familiar with this object, then replace the lid while removing the hinged door until they start using the whole tray. You can rest assured that your cat won’t think of doing their business anywhere else!
8/ Choose the right food and water bowl
Your kitten is very small, but also very clumsy! So it’s not impossible to assume that they might overturn their food and water bowls. Because of this, you should go for a ‘heavy’ bowl to stop accidents like this from happening. The kitten will always have food to eat and water to drink without you needing to clean everything all the time.
9/ Buy toys for your kitten
A cat that gets bored is a cat that will end up getting up to no good. If there are no toys for them, they will be forced to find something else inside the house to amuse themselves with: clothes, shoes, toilet paper, plants… Buy them suitable toys (that they can’t swallow) or an sturdy play station.
10/ Secure the house
While your house is pleasant and comfortable for your cat, there are also things inside that can be dangerous for them. Secure electrical wires to avoid them chewing them up, hide sharp objects or objects that can be swallowed or suffocate them (plastic, threads, laces…) and limit their access to the windows.
And of course, shower them with hugs and kisses to show them that you love them!
Check out the video above for some more tips!
As an Amazon Associate Ohmymag earns from qualifying purchases.
