Bringing Home Your First Kitten

epending how you obtain your first kitten, I had a few kittens which was from a mother that made her home in the factory, fortunately before they destroyed the cats, I manage to obtain the kittens and the mother cat went to a cattery.

In this instance the kittens will often be full of fleas and worms so the first job is to shampoo them dry them flea and worm them, keep them warm and put them in a closure away from the other cats with their litter tray, kitten milk and kitten soft food to start with, they will also need attention since they are very young and need to bond.

If you are picking a kitten up from someone, then make sure you have a home kitten proof for where they will be living, they are like naughty children and will want to explore climb and swing off curtains, so you need to consider your breakables. Of course, you will need a cat box for the journey for safety put some soft blankets in because they need to feel secure.

One rule of thumb Do not adopt a kitten before eight weeks, their natural mother will give them the best nutrients and wean them, she will lick their bottoms and train them. Some breeders may keep them with their mother and littermates until they are 12 weeks old by that stage they should be weaned and have learned the basic social skills they need to interact with other cats, between eight to sixteen weeks they will begin to understand their position in the household, cats are territorial for the safety of kittens is best to keep separate from older cats for a few months when the other cats are used to them and they are old enough to defend for themselves then they will interact.

Ideally you need some quiet days to spend at home with your kittens and no scheduled visitors to get them used to you and their environment.

Some questions to ask? What routine and foods do they eat and their feeding routine? The tray arrangements check if they have had any vaccinations or worming treatments, do they have a chip and their favourite toys? If possible, leave some toys and a blanket with your kitten for a few days before collecting them so the familiar smell is comforting to them and the journey for when you get them home. Remember to take some paper towels and a replacement blanket in case of accidents during the journey, keep the carry case close during these journeys to comfort your kitten.

Always keep things calm and drive slowly to prevent startling your kitten, either fasten the cat box in with a seat belt so it does not slide around or have another passenger hold it steady and speak soothingly.

From the start, kittens need good nutrition so feed them both a high quality of commercial kitten food and natural foods to keep a balanced diet cut any meats up very fine they only have little mouths. Make sure their bedding is soft and welcoming with all my cats I have cat blankets that I wash regularly so their bed is always fresh. Position litter trays so it easy for them they will use them if you buy litter that is hard on their paws, they may not use the tray. Cats need attention and play time is important to stimulate them they can get bored.

Cats need grooming brushing combing, also teeth cleaned although best to start when they are around 16 weeks old. Kittens and cats love the odd treat, do not overdo it, for their claws best to have some scratching posts/poles around for them.

Video: https://youtu.be/cr5RmZAgyCc?si=lcIfs6O3WipjHnWx

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