New kitten.. really need help! PLEASE!!?

Question

Im getting my new kitten in a few days.. i have everything he needs. but i dont no what room he should be in for the first few days. and to where the litter box should be. i have lounge, kitchen, bathroom, my room, and my mums room. there is a big cupboard where he could go for the first few days and the litter box could go. if he went in there should we put a cat flap on the door so he can get in there when the door is shut?? please help.. hes my very first cat

Answer 1

Cat flaps are good. both my cats learned to use the cat flap right away if you are buying one get one that latches so you can use it to control the cat area like when someone comes to visit that is a dog person...

I would keep the cat in the room where you expect him to spend most of his time...when he becomes comfortable he will expand his territory to take up the whole house.  The big cupboard is good if he likes it..a place of his own. If you already have a cat carrier...leave it on the floor so he has a known place of refuge for the first few days.  Avoid dragging him out into the room  just leave the door open and he will soon be exploring. Limit the amount of picking up, holding, petting and hand feeding him for the first day or two .. I know this will be hard to do but it will be less upsetting for the cat he will be friendly enough soon enough.  Kittens are easily trained as long as you are consistent.

none of my cats would get on the kitchen counter, dining table etc.

use a rolled up newspaper to swat him gently but pet and praise him when he is in places you want him to be... Tone of voice is very important...get down should be loud and clear.... nice kitty should be quiet and soothing .

This cat is so lucky to have such a pleasant and caring "owner" I am sure you will be happy with him.

Answer 2

well it depends if you want the cat to be closer to you,you should out the cat in your room  

Answer 3

The other posters all have good advice: make sure he has constant access to food, water and litter and make sure that the litter and the food/water are far enough apart.  However, when deciding what room to put your new addition in, think about what room is most easily "kitty-proofed."  Kitten are crafty, curious little guys.  They like to scratch, jump, bite, investigate, hide and play with EVERYTHING.  Think about what might be harmful for the kitten to get into or play with and what you don't want torn up in each room when deciding where to put him the first few days.

Answer 4

when i got my first cat we put the litter box in the kitchen under a bench, showed him where it was, he seemed to get used to it quite quickly. For the first few days just let him explore the house, he needs to get used to his new surroundings. when we let our cat out in the hallway he just sniffed his way around! Dont keep your cat in a cupbourd please! he needs to explore, cats are very curious and in a while he will act as if its his house not yours haha! good luck with your first cat im sure you'll do great! x

Answer 5

puttinga kitten in a cupboard isn't a good idae . Imagine how you would feel cooped up in a very small dark room, no light and no way to get out .. For good ness sake the kitten is having enough to cope with leaving its Mum without being totally isolated .

take a look at my kitten care sheet .. I give this pout to all new kitten owners.

It is advised that the kittens are not exposed to any other cats or animals prior to completing its course of vaccinations and for the first 5 days following rehoming.

Your kittens have been feed on Royal CANIN kitten/ simply tuna/ pilchard in jelly adult tin food from asda .They has two wet feeds a day 8am   and 22.00 Complete dry food is left down all day and night for him to nibble on . If you intend to change the kittens diet you are advised to introduce new foods gradually. Please insure that your kitten has access to a supply of fresh water at all times.

Kittens cannot tolerate lactose you are advised not to give them cows/goats milk, please do not allow your kitten to eat dog food, or over eat on Christmas treats as these foods will upset their digestive system and can cause diarrohea.

Your kittens were wormed/ protected against fleas and ear mites using stronghold spot on  

. It is recommended that you worm your kitten monthly until 6 months old then every three months. Your kittens were  wormed with panacure at 2, 5, and 10 weeks old.  They are due  for worming again on . (milbemax has been supplied use half a  tablet for each kitten.

Stronghold lasts for up to one month.Stronghold or Advocate  spot on is recommened for future use, it can ONLY be used on kittens when they are over 1kg and it is available from your veterinarian.

Annual vaccinations are recommended but be aware that some cats/kittens do not respond to the vaccinations. Although kittens are vaccinated against it does not necessarily mean that he/she will not contract the disease if exposed to it, or a variant strain of the disease. YOUR KITTEN HAS BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST FLU  AND ENTERTITIS. They are due for their  annual booster injection on 26..07.2009.

We have litter trained using paper in the litter tray. It is not unusal for your kitten to defaecate after each feed and you will find that he/she will like nothing more than to soil a litter tray just after you have cleaned it. Please be warned not to use a heavy chalk based litter, if you choose to use litter please use a paper based one. All kittens are tempted to put things into their mouths and the chalk based litter if eaten can cause bowel obstructions whilst sawdust cat litter can irritate the eyes. Paper based litter is best.

When you take your kitten home for the first time, it is important to introduce him/her to the litter tray, you are advised to restrict him/her to the one room with the tray and his/her food in until he/she becomes orientated to the environment. Little accidents can happen(imagine having the freedom of the house and then forgetting where the tiolet is.)

Kittens have a keen scene of smell, once an area is soiled they will return to it.

Kittens love compost/ peat and soil around indoor plants, to avoid the use of these as litter trays a good deterent is to cover the exposed soil with large decorative pebbles. Be advised that some house-plants if eaten or chewed are poisonious to animals.

He will love to explore and get into things.

Insure your home is kitten friendly. Plug up all the small tiny holes that they can get into and inunder. (Behind the fridge/freezer, under the kitchen cabinets, up the chimney)

Beware of kittens lurking on the stairs and under foot.

Always shut the bathroom and toilet door serengeti kittens love water and might be tempted to take a swim.

Grooming. Short haired kittens are fairly self sufficient with their own care. Cats and kittens can be bathed if needed .

Vertical patterned wallpaper seems to attract kittens. Scratch posts and climbing frames are wondeful for cats and kittens to play on, they may save your furniture and your wallpaper.

Moving away from Mother and siblings, long car journeys, new faces, new home and a new routine can be stressful for a tiny kitten. Your kitten will need time to settle into his/her new environment and to get to know you.

We hope that this advise sheet has been of help to you and that you and your kitten will have a long and happy life together.

POISONOUS SUBSTANCES

Lemon scented bleach/detergents

As a general rule if a detergent or bleach when added to water makes it cloudy then do not use it.

Flash  floor  cleaner

There are a number of Tee Tree produces on the market designed for cats. Tee Tree shampoo, toothpaste,cream. Do NOT use these as they are toxic. Continued use can make your cat very ill and can lead to death.

please be advised that

Air fresheners can cause sneezing / runny eyes and noses in the sensitive cat/kitten

Answer 6

A new kitten should always have a cage, you can get one at any pet store. Kittens are very curious and can get into trouble when you sleep, go to school, or are away for any length of time. If you use the cage from day one, the kitten will look at it as their own private safe place. Get one big enough for a litter pan to go inside, and use the cage only for safety, never punishment. It is not cruel to cage a kitten, it keeps them from chewing on electrical cords in the middle of the night, or from falls when they climb higher then they can jump down, it also promotes litter pan usage. Another hint, give the kitten one of your shirts or sweaters to sleep on, it will comfort them and let them know that you belong to them.

Answer 7

"Kittens for Dummies" - sounds daft but is actually a reeeally good book! It will answer all your questions. You can buy it from amazon.co.uk

Answer 8

When I got my kitten about a month ago. I kept him in my room for a couple days and when I wanted to play with him I'd take him out. Then I made my way up to keeping the door always open so he can go in and out as freely as he wants so he could get use to the house.

Answer 9

Why should you want to lock the poor cat in a room.Just let him use the house.He will settle quicker.Closing doors you DONT want him going into.

Feed him in the kitchen.putting his litter tray at the opposit end of the kitchen,Pleas DONT lock him in a cupboard no mater how big, Remember hes away from his mum and litter mates ,hes going to look to you for comfort.Not to be locked away loke a toy you have finished playing with.Hes part of your family now,so let him wander were he wants.He will most probably sleep on your bed or couch.just make sure he can get to his tray.

Answer 10

I've had cats all my life (I'm over 40!) and we've always found that it's best to keep a litter tray in the kitchen, but away from the cat's dish.  Let the cat have access to all of the house but don't let him outside until you're confident he's content with his home.  I'd also recommend opening some windows just wide enough for him to sniff the outside air but not wide enough for him to get out.  That way, he gets the scent of all of his surroundings before he's out in the big wide world!!

Once he's happy with his home just walk him around the garden and once he seems eager to be outside fit the cat flap.  You may need to train him to use the cat flap.  Once the cat flap is installed try enticing him out by rattling some cat biscuits just outside.  He'll soon work it out!  Likewise, when he's out, rattle some biscuits inside to encourage him in.

Good luck - I'm sure you won't have any problems though.  Just give him loads of love but don't be tempted to keep picking him up and cuddling him.  Cats are very independent and prefer to take their time coming to you rather than being forced against their will!!!

Answer 11

well not in the kitchen (unhygienic) i put mia in the living room so she was wiv me all the time so she could be socialised

Answer 12

Your bedroom will be a good place for him to start - there are no harmful chemicals generally and there's no toilet- kittens are curious and he may try to check out the toilet-  if little one fall in they can't get out so don't use the bathroom-also you will want to have a small box in your bedroom - lay it on its side, put some bedding inside ( a towel will do) and drape something over the side of the box so that its dark and the inside is covered.  Cats feel more secure when they think that people can't see them- he just needs this for a little while-  Have fun!

Answer 13

awww a kitten how cute.

Just put the litter where its easy for him to find it so he can go potty....

I would try the kitty flap and see if it works but if it doesnt then leave the door open.

Answer 14

Well, he should always have access to his litter box and food. So if you put the litter box in the cupboard - make sure there's a door or it stays open. He should ALWAYS have access to it. And when you are training him to use his litter box I suggest you put him in it and grab his paw lightly so that his claws come out and make scratching motions on the litter. He will learn that that's where he does his business. The food should be kept at least 10 feet away from his litter and should always be clean! Water should always be clean for kit, remember that. I suggest dry food as it's healthier for a kitten and maybe canned food for special occasions, there's a chance that if he eats canned food he won't like dry food anymore. So you should maybe hold off on that. For the first few days, you should spend a LOT of time with him and he doesn't belong in a little room alone - so if you're thinking of keeping him in the cupboard - forget it.  

Answer 15

When you get him he needs to be left alone with food, water and his litter tray for several hours. After that, you can let him wander around the house as he likes. For the first few days let him come to you, rather than constantly picking him up.

I'd suggest collecting him up at about 6pm, take him home, put him in one room with his things and a couple of toys and then you and your mother go out for dinner and to watch a film or something that keeps you out of the house for 3 or 4 hours. Then you go home and let him explore the house. You go to bed and if you're lucky, you might be joined by your furry friend.

Answer 16

well, make sure the litter box is kinda private and easy to find. for his room...just make sure it's not close to the litter box.

i don't think it's a good idea about puttin the litter box in the cupboard cause then the cat can't find it easily. the cupboard would be a good bedroom though