Kitten Advice- Taking Your New Kitten Home

You might have heard your friends or family talk about baby proofing their home when their child became more mobile; if you plan on getting a kitten you will find yourself doing the same thing. A kitten is in essence a baby, but of the feline persuasion, and as such they are just as curious as any other type of baby. You need to take the time to look at your home from a kitten’s perspective, find any possible hazards and remove them.

You aren’t going to be able to anticipate everything, but there are a lot of precautions you can take.

• Kittens can be quite clumsy; make sure that all of your windows are secured and keep your kitten off of anything high which she may fall from.
• Move all household cleaners and any other harmful substances to an area your kitten cannot access. This goes for any harmful plants as well- kittens will chew on these.
• After you use the restroom, close the toilet lid. This will prevent a curious kitten falling into the toilet.
• Don’t leave plastic materials such as trash bags or plastic storage bags lying around, your kitten could suffocate.
• After you have finished your six pack of beer or soda, cut up the plastic ring containers so that your cat doesn’t get caught up in them. This is also an environmentally kind thing to do so other animals don’t become trapped.
• Anything electric, sharp, or pointy needs to be responsibly stored so your kitten can’t decide to make a dangerous object her next chew toy.

If you have children or other animals in the house you will need to make sure that your kitten is introduced to them slowly and properly. Older children are not as much of a concern as small children are. You need to make sure that they understand the proper way to treat their new kitten. You need to teach them how to hold it properly and not to pull on its legs, face, tail, or ears. Young children must learn that the kitten is a living thing that they need to treat with love, care, and respect. You can help your kitten feel a little safer by getting down to her level when it comes to play time. You won’t seem quite so huge and scary to her.

You also need to pay close attention to how other pets in the house treat the new kitten. It is not a good idea to simply leave a new kitten with an older cat or dog. Take the time to introduce them to one another while being attentive to their reactions to each other. Normally older cats will be tolerant of the new kitten and even groom her after they are comfortable with one another. Dogs may take a little longer to get used to a new kitten in the house. Just remember to be patient and to make sure your other animals in the house get the love and attention that they need to avoid jealousy. Below are a few tips that might help you;.

• Don’t rush your introductions, take it slow and easy.
• It might be wise to keep the kitten in her carrier for a while so the other animals can sniff around her without making direct contact.
• Get a new toy and put the kitten’s scent on it, and vice versa with the older cats or dogs, then give it to both in turn so they can become accustomed to the scent.

After going through these steps, your new kitten should start to feel right at home.