Kitten Care
Bringing a New Family Member Home
Kitten Care - Bringing a new kitten home will be one of your most memorable experiences. A wide eyed little ball of fur that will share your home for many years to come. It is also a time of transition for you and the new kitten. In order to meet the physical, emotional and nutritional needs of your kitten you will need to plan ahead for it's arrival. This article will discuss kitten care and the things you need to consider when bringing your new family member home. Hopefully this will make the transition easier for both of you.
1)
Obtain a secure
Cat Carrier prior to picking up your kitten so that you'll have something to
take it home in. Your kitten is likely to be nervous when leaving it's old home
or mother and it will feel more secure in an enclosed carrier. As well, an
unrestrained cat can be very dangerous when driving. They can suddenly jump on
your arms or shoulder, or interfere with the pedals or switches on the car.
Also, your cat may vomit or have an accident on the way home, which they can do
if they are nervous.
2) When you bring the kitten home, it is helpful if an item from it's old home can be brought along or borrowed, such as a towel or blanket that it was sleeping on. This will help the kitten feel more comfortable as the item smells like it's old home. The towel can also be placed inside the carrier on the ride home.
3) Try to go with the same brand of food that the kitten was eating for the first few days in order to limit the number of changes that the kitten has to go through. If the quality of it's original food was poor however, start to switch to a better quality after a few days by mixing the two together for a week or so. Growing kittens require good nutrition, as do older cats, and what you might spend for better quality food will certainly be saved in veterinarian bills down the road. Best Cat Food
4) If possible, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to have your kitten examined on the way to it's new home. If you can't do it that day, schedule an appointment for as soon after bringing the kitten home as you can. Kittens often have parasites or fleas that they get from their mother or former environment, and you are better not to introduce those to your home (or children or other pets) if you can avoid it. If a veterinarian appointment is out of the question for a while, we suggest Homeopet Worm Clear to gently rid the kitten of any worm parasites that it might have. Avoid flea medications on kittens until they are at least 8 weeks and instead use Diatomaceous Earth or a Gentle Kitten Shampoo.
5) Make a shopping list and visit your local pet supply store prior to bringing your kitten home. You will need all of the basics such as cat food and water bowls, a litter box, cat litter, a litter scoop, a cat bed, a cat collar and a few kitten toys. You should have that all in place before your new kitten arrives.
6) In addition to getting the kitten care supplies, choose a room or area that you will largely confine your kitten to for the first while and set that up with the litter box, bed, food dishes, etc. When you bring your kitten home in the carrier, set it down in that room and open the carrier door. Let it take it's time in coming out and just let it explore that room for now. Don't try to coax or force it out of the carrier. Let it get comfortable with that area and with you before introducing it to other areas of the house or to other family members such as pets or children. A large house or children can be overwhelming to the kitten, especially if it had been confined to a small area with only it's mother.
7) When introducing children, do it one child at a time and only after it has learned to trust you. If you have another dog or cat at home it is particularly important to keep them separated for a while and to introduce them gradually. Our article on Multiple Cat Households covers making those introductions.
Follow these initial steps to kitten care and it should help you kitten to become a permanent happy member of your household.
Return to our Cat Training and Care page for more articles, tips. and information or visit our Home Page Home Page to browse for product solutions.
