Bringing Baby Home

[Carapop]

Hi all, I am a terrified soon to be mother and hoping for some help from the experts! In two weeks time we collect a 12 week old Siberian kitten. We chose to buy rather than rescue to cater to allergies, with many allergy sufferers responding well to Siberians. The breeder is a real cat lover, and the kittens are part of her family until they reach their new home.

I grew up on a farm with cats but they slept outside and looked after themselves. This is the first time a beautiful baby kitten will be reliant on me and I don't want to let her down.

The breeder is kindly providing a blanket and some toys that will smell of her family and home, along with some of the food she has been eating. We also asked what litter she uses to ensure that we have as much consistency as possible.

We plan on keeping her in the kitchen for her first week to not overwhelm her with the whole house. She will have food and water (in separate bowls), litter box, toys and bedding. I thought we could leave the car carrier in there with her, keeping the blanket that smell of her mum in there to give her a contained safe space. We also have been keeping cardboard boxes to offer her some additional refuge as the kitchen offers no hiding spaces! While she is litter trained I worried that the change might cause a nervy tummy or anxious peeing so thought easily cleaned floors a must!

I have read a few people recommending getting a big wire crate to help her acclimate to her new surroundings, and ensure her safety if home alone at the beginning. Can anyone speak to this?

Is there anything else we could or should do to help our little Mishka settle in?

 

[di and bob]

Cats hate change. Your little girl will be VERY scared and lonely the first week or so. Expect a lot of crying and she may stay hidden and will not interact much. But kittens bounce back quickly with patience and lots of love and good food. Sit quietly in the same room with her, offer her yummy treats and try to engage her with interactive toys such as a string wand. Make sure the room/house is kitten proof, no cords or string to strangle, no poisons or places she can get into and not be able to get out. Spend as much time as possible with her. A smaller area such as a wire cage would be good, but you won't need it long so a room shut off will do just as well. Kittens very rarely have accidents, just make sure the litter box is low sided and she is placed in the box so she knows where it is. Feed kittens up to a year old all they will eat, cats don't often overeat like dogs do, and she will be growing rapidly. Providing hiding places is a very good idea, a heated cat mat would be welcome too, to a baby that is used to warm bodies to sleep next to.
She is absolutely beautiful, a true little princess! She will surely win your heart!

 

[Draco]

She's too cute!! Congrats!!

A crate is not needed, IMO. I personally think the bathroom would be a better contained space for her (close the toilet lid). Considering the in kitchen she can attempt to get into cabinets and find stuff on the counters that may not be good for her. Kitchen might even be too big of space to adjust to. She'll learn the litter box in a closer area too.

Considering she's so young, she'll adapt better than adult cats.

Smart idea to bring home bedding and toys she's used to. If you haven't yet, ask the breeder what food she's on to keep the same food and slowly switch if you want something else.

 

[Carapop]

Our bathroom is just too small, there's barely enough space in it for the bathroom utilities! And the breeder is kindly providing some of the food kitty uses and we will stock up on same.

She is already litter trained but might she regress with the change?

 

[susanm9006]

She is old enough so that I doubt she would regress on the litterbox. If you are planning on keeping her in the kitchen, hopefully you have a door you can shut rather than caging her which I think would stress her out the most. She needs to have the opportunity to run, play and crawl up in a human when she needs comforting. If you have no other pets I would honestly start her out in your main living space so you can keep an eye on her and she on you. If she is coming home in a cat carrier, leave it out because it will become her safe space and put her litterbox near it.

 

[danteshuman]

Those baby proofing thins on the kitchen cabinets (especially the one under the sink where many people store cleaners) would probably be a good idea. A long with tall cat trees/beds/scent soakers to help her feel more like she own the place. Plus in time =you can spread her blankets/towels/beds/I use baby blankets around the house to spread her scent/ownership around the house. Lastly I would largely caution against not letting her sleep with you past the first week or two. * you may want to get her a second box * the baby blanket cover their cat beds and then I wash them every 4-6 weeks to reduce the chances of fleas

 

[kittens mom]

Just for a FYI no one has to justify buying a cat/kitten from a reputable breeder.
Make sure there are no places like behind appliances that your kitten can get behind. I think it's why so many of us prefer bathrooms. One reason to keep the kitten's territory small is to establish good litterbox habits. Young kittens should not have the run of the house unsupervised. Mine were over 7 months old before we had a successful night out of their large cage. Which was in my living room.
Because you bought from a reputable breeder you should have a ton of support from them.
I am not a cat expert but have raised 4 kits at different times from days old and Frog and Toad from 3 1/2 weeks. Unsupervised kittens can and will climb and get into everything if your kit is used to being crated part of the time I'd continue that routine until you have established a bond and litter box habits. A kitten on the loose is the equivalent of having Rocky the Flying Squirrel loose in your home.
Learn to smile and say I love you kiss the baby instead of getting mad or frustrated take loads of pictures because before you know it they're almost grown. My rule is if you wouldn't leave a two year old toddler alone in the house unsupervised you shouldn't do that with a kitten either.

 

[kittens mom]

She's too cute!! Congrats!!

A crate is not needed, IMO. I personally think the bathroom would be a better contained space for her (close the toilet lid). Considering the in kitchen she can attempt to get into cabinets and find stuff on the counters that may not be good for her. Kitchen might even be too big of space to adjust to. She'll learn the litter box in a closer area too.

Considering she's so young, she'll adapt better than adult cats.

Smart idea to bring home bedding and toys she's used to. If you haven't yet, ask the breeder what food she's on to keep the same food and slowly switch if you want something else.

The kitchen was the last place my babies were allowed to explore. Ex large dog crate in the main part of the house worked for us but a bathroom is safe and easy to kitten proof.

 

[Carapop]

Thanks so much. I had been questioned elsewhere regarding why I didnt rescue a kitten in need so I wanted to make my position clear to avoid further confrontation. I am relieved to know that such judgment isn't likely to occur here!

We have a small two bed town house. Hubby doesn't want her in our room and while he might make an exception at the start I dont want her getting comfortable and happy there and then change her routine again. The spare room is used for storage and utilities and is too cluttered a space for the little one.

The upstairs bathroom is our primary facility and has barely any free floor space so would not accommodate her bed and litter tray and be possible for us to use also. We have a teeny tiny downstairs toilet which will be her litter box home in the long term but for her first week or so is too tiny to be her main lodging.

This leaves our kitchen and living room. Two separate and independent spaces with closing doors. We rent the house and I was concerned that the living room with carpets and sofa would be at risk if a new kitten was left in there to roam freely. There are also so many hiding places in there that I worry she may have an accident that we dont find for days or she may bury herself away somewhere in a scared state. It's so big a space.

Our kitchen has washable floors and the only items out are a kettle and toaster. The counter is otherwise clear and the table also kept clear. The floor is bare but for the bins and dining table and chairs so plenty of room for all her necessities but easy for mummy to find any puddles.

After a few days of kitchen living I thought she could make visits to living room with us. I would bring her in carrier to have her safe space with her at all times. Should I also bring litter box? If I keep moving it will she get confused? I want to make her life as easy as possible. Should I maybe just ignore my concerns 're hiding places and smelly secrets and keep her in living room from day one?

 

[Draco]

No judgement where you get cats from on this site! We're here to help. As long as it's an honest breeder that's licensed.. more for your safety than anything.

To answer your questions.. I'd keep the litterbox in the same place, and one where you intend to keep it long term. that way you can remove the temporary one and she'll know where there's the other.

Make sure the toaster isn't plugged in when she's around, she will jump on the counters to explore.

I wouldn't worry too much about accidents. as long as she knows where the litterbox is, she'll use it. She may have one with anxiety from being uprooted and into a new home, but she's a kitten, she'll acclimate faster than adult cats.

Do you have scratching posts for the livingroom? Horizontal (floor) and taller trees. My cat likes to scratch my carpet so I have to give her alternatives to keep the carpet safe.

 

[danteshuman]

I would give her a litter box in the living room ... and if needed move her litter box by inches, slowly over days/weeks. Ah kittenhood I remember those days. You can never have to many toys. I talk about letting your cat sleep with you, for their feeling of security. My second cat was a hyper menace that got locked out every night. It wasn't until a couple years later that I let him sleep with us ..... and like magic half of his behavioral issues cleared up. I had no idea being separated was so hard on him! That cat still follows me around the house ..... but he now sleeps by my feet every night Now if I could just pee in peace instead of them bugging me for water Your kitten will learn your schedule, so keep that in mind. Lastly if you are not a morning person do not feed her first thing in the morning. They will wake you up at 3 or 4 am for their 7am feeding (the whole reason my guys get wet food at 6 pm! ) Please keep us posted

 

[kittens mom]

You will need a litter box for each room your kitten has access to for now. They do go away but you are establishing good potty habits and young kittens get busy playing and don't always make it. Or it's an out of sight out of mind thing. They are babies.
I believe in slow introductions to bigger spaces under supervision. I always say go with your gut and be careful. Introduce her to scratchers NOW I'm sure the breeder already has. Use redirection and a sense of humor not yelling and water bottles or confinement. There is a difference of confinement when not supervised and using it as a punishment. Remember to laugh and enjoy it all it is the best frustration relief there is. Cats are much smarter and trainable that people give them credit for.

 

[catlover73]

I have a 10 year old cat that I adopted when she was 4 weeks old. I agree about having a litter box in multiple places. When my Starbuck was a baby I had two litter boxes on my 3rd floor one in the den where I confined her when she was not supervised because she was too small to safely navigate our stairs without help. I had a 2nd one upstairs in our master bathroom because she would cry all night if she was not allowed to sleep with us. All 3 of my cats were contained in my bedroom over night because they wanted to hang out with Starbuck. I also had a litter box in my living room because she would hang out with us when we were downstairs. Then I had the litter boxes for my adult cats in my basement. Starbuck never had an accident anywhere but she would use the litter box of each room she was in. Once she was big enough to navigate the stairs on her own. We kept a litter box in the den and she would use the one's in the basement when she was downstairs. Oddly enough my adult cats insisted on being in her room with her when we were not home. She was happy to have the company and my adult cats helped raise her. We scooped out the litter boxes twice a day.

 

[kittens mom]

Of course to continue to be helpful we will need lots of pictures of Mishka.

 

[Carapop]

Thanks everyone for your support and advice. In a rather surprising and delightful turn of events we found out today that Mishka has a little sister who has not yet been homed. The breeder said the two are inseparable. Two cats is better than one right!? We are calling her Sadie and will be bringing home both babies in two weeks time

We had received a lot of advice about two kittens actually being easier than one and hope they will find it easier to settle in together than they would apart.

 

[kittens mom]

Oh that's wonderful. And they will entertain each other.