Bringing a kitten home is a new adventure. Kittens are adorable, active, and love to cuddle, but having to adapt your kitten to her new home requires some preparation. Prepare for your kitten's first days at home by buying all the necessities beforehand, such as kitten food, litter, and other supplies. Try to set up an environment where your lively cat can explore.
Tips for Bringing a Kitten Home
Make sure you have everything you'll need before bringing your new cat home:
Kitten food
Cat litter
Food and water bowls
Bedding
Scratching Poles
Cat Carrier
Toys
You may also want to consider some kitten treats to encourage good behaviour, but be careful not to overfeed your cat.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN GETTING A KITTEN
Sleeping Patterns of Your Kitten
Kittens have the ability to sleep for up to 16 hours every day. Find a comfy area with little foot traffic to let your cat get lots of rest. Find a comfy area with little foot traffic to let your cat get lots of rest.
Cat owners should provide an area where it includes the cat's bed, toys, and scratching poles to stretch and scratch when it wakes up. Be patient if it doesn't adapt to its sleeping area immediately. It will come around in the end.
Cats are nocturnal animals and most of them like to scamper around the home during the night. You can change this behaviour by playing with your kitten early evening to help it burn off some of her energy. Another approach is to feed it food earlier.
If the cat continues to disturb you at night, resist feeding or playing since this will simply reward and reinforce this behaviour.
Feeding Tips for Kittens
Giving your kitten complete and balanced food is a great approach to get it started on the right foot concerning growth requirements. Newborn kittens acquire their nourishment from their mother's milk or a kitten milk replacer, but as the weaning process continues, solid food can be introduced.
What Should You Feed a Kitten?
A protein-rich cat diet supports your dog's energy levels and growing body. Make sure that your cat is getting enough calcium and DHA for strong bones and teeth. Kittens require more nutrients such as protein, fat, and calcium since their dietary needs are different from adult cats.
To help your cat transition from milk, start with wet kitten food or moistened kibble. For around two weeks, mix one-part warm water with three parts dry or wet kitten food until it has the consistency of oatmeal. Then reduce the amount of water you drink while increasing the amount of food you eat.
As your kitten grows, her daily caloric requirements will increase. Depending on her age and weight, you'll need to adjust her meal portions to help her thrive. If you have any questions about how much to feed your kitten, consult the kitten feeding chart on the food package or contact your veterinarian.
Getting to Know Your New Kitten
You should expect your kitten to be curious and playful throughout her first week at home. It's sometimes difficult to tell whether it's being aggressive or playful. You can always provide toys that can help it act out its instincts. To make playing more enjoyable, provide wads of paper, ping-pong balls, or cat fishing toys. Keep an eye on your cat when giving it new toys and avoid toys that can be shredded, crushed, or swallowed.
Lastly, don't let it play with your hands, fingers, feet, or clothing, as this could teach it that it's acceptable to claw them. Stick to safe cat toys when you're playing together, and you'll both have a good time.