Bringing a New Kitten Home – First Days

A lot will depend on your situation – eg. how busy your household is, whether there are other pets, children, how many rooms to “explore” there are, so take all of that into consideration.

Another thing to think about is your kitten’s personality – some will jump out of the carrier and start running around and exploring straight away (enjoy!), whereas others, even if socialised well, may need a day or two to settle.

A lot of the advice below is geared more towards those kittens that perhaps need a few extra moments to get used to their new home.

1. Set up a “kitten room” – a place that’s reasonably quiet, and where food, water and litter tray will be easily accessible, eg. your bedroom. If you live in a small flat, then this might not be necessary, but otherwise it’s good to have a space where the kitten can “decompress” after their journey
2. When you bring the kitten in, open the carrier and just let them come out on their own – don’t force them out. Give them a chance to explore at their own pace, they will come around
3. Leave the carrier in the room so they can go and sleep in it if they wish (generally, it’s a good practice to leave the carrier out so it becomes a sleeping spot rather than a piece of kit that only comes out when it’s time for vet visits)
4. If the kitten is hiding, again, don’t force them out, but let them come to you. Try gently playing with a wand toy as well. They will come around over time
5. It’s perfectly normal for them to not be very interested in food for the first 24 hours, so don’t worry if that’s the case. Just keep offering it (it should be the same food as what the breeder used, to avoid tummy upsets)
6. Other members of the household (especially little humans) will be very excited to meet your new family member – but it’s important to go at the kitten’s pace to not to overwhelm them. It might be best for kids to start the interaction by using wand toys, rather than picking up and cuddling the kitten straight away. Again, take it at the kitten’s pace!
7. Wait until the kitten is comfortable in the one room before introducing them to the rest of the house, or other pets. Always make sure litter tray(s) are easily accessible, and that they are filled with the same litter as what the kitten was used to at the breeders
8. Ensure you introduce the kitten to other pets (especially cats and dogs) slowly and patiently – read our other blog posts first:
   • Basics of Cat Introductions
   • Basics of Cat and Dog Introductions