Cat Care & Advice – Bringing A Kitten Home

Bringing A Kitten Home

Kittens can typically be rehomed from around 11-12 weeks old. By this time, they have usually had plenty of socialisation with people and their littermates. They learn a lot in these first crucial weeks. They will learn to trust humans, learn how to use the litter tray, learn how to play and learn how to be cats!

Littermates can sometimes form strong bonds, which is quite often the reason for rehoming a certain pair together, as it would be quite distressing to separate them. Whereas other kittens are so confident and independent that they don’t get too attached to their siblings. These are normally the kittens that can be rehomed separately to their brothers and sisters.

There are many things to be aware of when taking new kittens home. Imagine letting a toddler loose in your home……well, letting kittens loose in the home is quite similar!

For this reason, the first thing you’ll want to do is kitten-proof the house. The following list of things to be aware of is extensive, but by no means exhaustive:

● Toilet lid down at all times – you don’t want a soggy moggy!!
● Keep windows and doors to the outside closed or on the night-lock setting (kittens should NEVER be allowed to go outside on their own until at least 8 months old). Have a family meeting and agree on ways that you will all be entering or leaving the house so that the kitten/s can’t escape, whether this be using a different door that the kitten/s won’t have access to, or leaving the kitten/s in a room away from the external doors while you are out.
● Keep any electrical cables out of sight and reach.
● Store all medications and toxic substances (household cleaners, etc.) in secure cupboards.
● Never leave a filled bathtub or sink unattended.
● Keep small objects (coins, needles and thread, dental floss, rubber bands,paper clips, hair bobbles, etc.) out of your cat’s reach.
● Use only safe cat toys; put toys with strings out of your cat’s reach when you aren’t with them.
● Cords for blinds can cause strangulation. Either tie up the excess cords, or cut the loop in the cord.
● Close washing machine and tumble dryer doors as soon as you have finished using them, some kittens like to hide inside them!!
● Hot cooker tops, open oven doors, and toasters should be inaccessible to kittens. Close doors on microwaves.
● Be aware of where your kitties are when you are about to lay back on your recliner sofas and chairs, some kitties like to get inside them for a snooze themselves!
● Plastic bags or paper bags with string handles should be kept out of the way of your kitten. Although they will get immense pleasure from playing in a cardboard box instead!
● Make sure food on counters is well covered or keep it out of the reach of kittens. They are very inquisitive and will try anything, even foods that are potentially harmful to them!

Playtime

Remember! Kittens need lots of playtime in order to burn off all of that energy! Cats have a great routine in the wild, they will stalk and hunt their prey, then catch it and kill it, and then eat it.

Playtime mimics this and lets them use their instincts, followed by their meal. After eating they will normally find a comfortable spot to
groom themselves a little and then fall into a peaceful sleep for a while.

PLAY —- EAT —- GROOM —- SLEEP —- REPEAT!!