Congrats on your new kitten friend! Over the next few weeks, your kitten will be exploring his new home and bonding with you and your family members, in between lots of cat naps, and playtime. Welcoming a new kitten into your house is very exciting, yet it could also be overwhelming, especially if you’re not properly prepared.
Being prepared will help create a smooth transition, that is less stressful for your new kitten and yourself. You’ll need a number of essential supplies to help you care for your new kitten.
Here are the basic items you should have before bringing home your kitten:
- Cat Carrier
- Veterinarian. You should research veterinarians in your area so you’ll be prepared for your kittens first vet visit.
- Litter box.
- Cat Litter type: Our kittens use an open pan litter box with non-clumping, non fragrance, dye free clay cat litter. They can transition to clumping cat litter at four months old.
- Kitten food : High quality wet and dry food.
- ***Please remember to continue their current diet after taking them home. If you plan to switch kitten to another food this needs to be done slowly and over a period of time. Otherwise the kitten can get an upset tummy and have diarrhea and not eat at all.
- Separate kitten safe room or space for your new friend.
- Separate water and food bowls, preferable stainless; or better yet, purchase a pet drinking fountain. The sight of running water encourages drinking. Check out Pioneer Fountain Big Max on Amazon.
- A cozy pet bed.
- Scratching post or pad. If you do not provide them with something to scratch on, they will pick out something I’m sure you don’t want them to use. Why not have cat scratching posts in multiple rooms.
- Chew proof plastic covers for electric cords / cables to protect your kitten from risk of electric shock. Check out PetCords.
- Cat tower for climbing and play.
- Safe simple kitten approved toys.
- Grooming tools (quality cat brush, cat specific nail trimmer),
- Light weight cat collar with an identification tag.
Kitten proof your house
Just like toddlers, kittens are curious with an insatiable appetite for mischief. However, unlike toddlers, they have terrific leaping, climbing and chewing abilities. Plus, they have a great sense of smell and kitten’s have claws too. It’s no wonder they often get themselves in some precarious situations due to their curious and playful nature.
Before your kitten arrives home, make sure the home is safe or rather kitten proof. Do a thorough walk around the house and remove any potential dangers. View each room from the kitten’s level. While some safety measures are obvious, like keeping the outside door closed, perhaps you might not think about keeping your toilet lid down so your kitten doesn’t drink from it, or worst, accidentally drown.
Here are some important tips to help you kitten proof your home:
- Be sure to close outside doors and windows to stop your kitten from escaping or accidentally falling out a window. Secure vents, crawl spaces and any nooks and crannies he might be tempted to ‘investigate’.
- Secure dangling blind and curtain cords and keep them out of reach. Kittens can get tangled up and harmed in the string. Worst yet, blind cords can be a choking hazard to kittens and cats.
- Always remember to close the washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and oven doors. Place post-it notes to remind yourself and others to check inside appliances before and after using them. Kittens cannot resist a warm cozy place to hide and nap.
- Kittens love to chew on things, just about anything; and they are more likely to eat things they shouldn’t. For example:
- Electrical cords can cause a fatal shock if chewed through. Unplug appliances that aren’t in use and hide dangling or exposed electrical cords that are within reach of your kitten. You can also use a proper dog / cat cord protector for exposed electrical cords. What also works well to deter your cat from chewing cords (or furniture, plants, shoes, etc.) is applying a bitter apple no chew spray, available online. Keep anything that you don’t want to be chewed out of reach and give them plenty of toys suitable for chewing. Check out PetCords.
- Make sure you put away all toxic substances such as cosmetics, medications, and keep household chemicals out of reach.
- Keep lids on garbage cans, and never leave garbage bags exposed where your cat can have at it.
- Strings, ribbons, elastic bands, hair ties, yarn, needles and thread should all be stored away securely, since these things are all potential chokings items for a curious kitten.
Be careful with foods that can be harmful to kittens and cats. Avoid exposing your kitten to the following foods:
- Chocolate, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks can be fatal to cats.
- Grapes and raisins are poisonous to cats, and can even lead to kidney failure.
- Dog food, although not toxic to cats, it does not contain the required nutrients that cats need to be healthy, namely vitamin A, taurine, arachidonic acid and plenty of protein.
- Onions, shallots, scallions, chives and garlic can cause damage to a cat’s red blood cells and lead to anemia.
- Raw eggs, raw meat and raw bones can carry salmonella or E. coli.
- Raw, uncooked dough causes a cat stomach to expand form the yeast, and the yeast in the dough creates alcohol, which can be poisonous to cats.
- Milk and Dairy Products–cats have trouble digesting the lactose in milk, which can cause an upset stomach or diarrhea.
There are a number of common household plants that are poisonous to cats.
When choosing plants for inside or outside in your garden, be sure they are not harmful. For example, lilies, found in popular bouquets and perhaps growing in your garden are one of the most toxic plants to cats. All types of lilies should be avoided: Tiger, Day Lilies, Stargazer, Easter Lilies, and Oriental varieties are ALL highly toxic to cats. Every part of the plant is toxic — the stem, leaves, flower, pollen, even the water contained in the vase. Just a small amount of the plant can be fatal. Below is a partial list of household plants that are toxic for cats and dogs:.
Aloe, Asparagus fern, Croton (Joseph’s Coat), Caladium (Elephant Ear), Chrysanthemum, Daffodil, Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane), Lilies (All types), Spanish Thyme, Philodendron, Oleander, Tulip, Hyacinth, Jade plant (succulent), Sago palm,
For a more complete list, visit ASPCA Plants Toxic to Cats.
Can you burn essential oils?
I would refrain from using / burning essential oils in the home with cats as some are quite toxic to them. Essential oils are extracts from plants so they can be as toxic as a plant in your home. Please read this article for more information: Essential Oils for Cats: Are They Safe?
Use animal-safe pest control.
Many commercial tick, fly, mosquito, roach, rodent, and ant poisons can kill cats if ingested. For that reason, always use animal-safe pest control.
The pick up
Bringing home your new kitten is a very exciting time for the family. However, introducing a young kitten to a new home can be a bit overwhelming for her. Your new kitten left behind a loving mother, sibling playmates and a familiar environment. Now she is being introduced to new sights, new sounds and new smells.
Since you can’t take all those familiar comforting sights and scents along with your new kitten, we provide you with a small towel to use as your kitty’s security ‘scent’ blanket. It contains all those ‘old’ comforting scents your cat is familiar with. These familiar smells will help calm kitty nerves for her journey home.
The ride home
First, you’ll need a cat carrier for your kitten’s journey home. This carrier will also be necessary for later trips, like to the veterinarian or vacation travel. Gently place kitty in your cat carrier along with her scented security blanket. Make the ride home quiet, pleasant and stress free. Cats prefer cozy spots so they usually like being in a carrier. However, if she resists being place in the carrier, try removing the top of the carrier and place her in from that way. You don’t want to force her in through the carrier door. By encouraging your kitten to travel in a cat carrier, you will help to foster a good routine for future trips.
Arriving home
As soon as you arrive at home, place the kitten and carrier in the quiet place you prepared for her, and open the door to the carrier. Keep her room and the house as quiet as possible. Allow the kitten some time to come out freely. Have the litter box near the opening of the carrier and place fresh water and food nearby within eyesight of the cat. If she is too timid and does not come out within 30 minutes, gently remove her. Place the kitten in the litter box first. Make sure she knows where the litter boxes are and where to eat and drink. All their basic necessities should be located within their small safe space. Keep the carrier in the kitten’s room. She might want to curl up inside of it from time to time, especially when feeling nervous or shy about something.
Give your kitten time to become familiar with his new room. At first he may be timid, and stay hidden under a chair, or in his carrier. Don’t worry, this is normal. Just don’t use force by pulling him out. Let him come out willingly in his own time. Once he become familiar with his room, and is acting curious about what is beyond the door, gradually introduce him to the rest of your home one room at a time, but make sure you stay close by him for security. In no time, your new kitten will adapt to his new home. The sights and smell in your home will replace the old smells from his previous home and he will reattach to you, your family and his forever home.
How do introduce my kitten to other cats and dogs?
If introducing new animals (other cats and dogs) please do so slowly. Please read: How to Introduce a New Cat to Your Current Pets, for a complete guide.
Once you get your kitten home and she settled in nicely, then what?
It’s play time! Kittens and cats hone their hunting skills through play and they love it. Since a house cat doesn’t have to hunt for its food, it still needs to burn its pent-up energy. The stalking and hunting instincts of their ancestors are still strong. Adequate active play keeps the heart healthy, joints lubricated and is great for mental stimulation. It’s also an opportunity to bond with your new kitten. Maine Coons are very social and love interactive play with their owner and other family members. We recommend scheduling playtime twice daily, with about 15 – 30 minutes per session. Visit your local pet shop and pick kitty-safe toys that you can move around to look alive, and watch your kitten stalk, pounce and attack them, rather than your toes.