Preparing for your kitten

Here is what you need to prepare:

• information from the breeder (or other carer)
• get your home and equipment ready
• ensure good health and hygiene
• prepare the home environment
• plan any introduction to existing pets
• pre-travel considerations
• prepare your family.

Information from the breeder (or other carer)

It is worth discussing with the breeder (or other carer) how they have prepared the kitten so you know how much more you may need to do. Key things to ask are given in the previous chapter (under ‘What the breeder needs to do’). Also ask about your kitten’s feeding regimen (type of food, timings) so you can start by setting things up the same way (more on this later). If you have had a piece of your used clothing placed with the kittens at the breeder’s, make sure this comes home with you — it will have the litter’s smells on it, plus the kitten will already have been exposed to your smell, so will be familiar with it when she arrives home. This will allow some early imprinting to you, which will give you an important head-start. My kitten Zen got a blue blanket.

Getting your home and equipment ready

It is very important to prepare your home, get all the gear you need and set it up before you kitten arrives. The first few days with your new kitten will be busy, so it’s very useful to have the house and equipment all set up so you can focus on bonding and settling him in.

In particular, you want to do the following:

• Kitten-proof your property, securing harmful items such as electrical cords and toxic chemicals, identifying any possible toxic plants in the garden, and ensuring there are safe places for your kitten to explore, particularly if he’s allowed outside (ideally under supervision).
• Determine your house-training plan, such as litter box set-up and location, ideally keeping this the same as the breeder’s or transitioning from that over a few days (see Part B — House training).
• Set up your kitten’s sleeping bed and area (see Part B — Enrichment and play)
• Set up your kitten’s feeding regimen — your breeder should ideally give you a kitten pack that outlines this, including the type of food and the amount to start with.
• Purchase essential supplies (see below).

ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES

I recommend purchasing and setting up the following:

• a cat crate, secure and comfortable and IATA-approved if you need to air transport; a soft crate is good for car travel for shorter.
• a crate cradle to sit the crate in, up 1 to 1.5 metres off the ground and set open, for your kitten to sleep or camp in it
• a front pack or carry bag
• food and water bowls; stainless steel or ceramic are best for cleaning and hygiene
• easily cleanable litter trays × 2: minimum 30 cm by 50 cm by 10 cm deep
• litter material, non-clumping to start with so your kitten doesn’t eat it, same as the breeder’s to start with
• litter scoop and disposal system to maintain the box in a clean state
• wellbeing and safety items, e.g. first aid kit, medicine box, calming pheromones and diffuser, disinfectant
• bedding, including soft beds × 3, blankets, towels
• sturdy scratching posts (as many as you need to have near furniture and in activity areas)
• catio and equipment (if possible), including walking platforms, high beds, climbing apparatus, litter box areas, natural spaces, sunny spaces
• toys — soft toys and interactive toys that offer mental and physical stimulation
• grooming tools — soft brush and/or grooming glove, nail trimmers and scissors, plus cat towels and shampoos for grooming at home
• training supplies — depending on the level of training you will do, I recommend:
• harness, lead, clicker, pouch and training treats
• toys for training
• more-advanced tools might include buzzers, marks, training table, touch target.

Preparing these items and environments early will help your kitten transition smoothly into your home and ensure she grows up healthy, happy and bonded to you and your extended family.

Ensuring health and hygiene

Veterinary care is important, so make sure that follow-up vet visits occur for vaccinations, deworming and general health check as needed. Undertake a health check that serves insurance purposes early if you want to insure your kitten to prevent unexpected vet bills. Check that the breeder has done genetic tests on pure-breds.

MICROCHIPPING

It is ideal to microchip your cat so he can be identified if needed. It is also useful for veterinary purposes and the transfer of cats if necessary. Breeders often do this.

Preparing your kitten’s environment

It’s good to have a safe room to confine your kitten in initially, with a litter box and with the bed situated up high and in the sun. This will help her acclimatise to her new home and to establish a central den area and territory, both important to a cat. Ensure the room is kitten-proofed by removing any obvious hazards. It should only be a small area initially and can be made bigger once she is house-trained. If possible, have a small catio, ideally allowing access to an enclosed outdoor area via a window.

It’s great to have cardboard boxes and other various climbing and hiding equipment, including scratching posts and walkways, to enrich your kitten’s environment.

INDOOR VERSUS OUTDOOR CAT

You will need to decide if you will have an indoor-only cat or one that moves between inside and out.

To prevent the hunting imperative from developing, I recommend keeping your kitten inside for at least the first 3 months (preferably 6 months), and when outside only under supervision and/or on a harness.

It is critical for a kitten raised inside to have some form of access outdoors, e.g. to a catio, to ensure he has a full, enriched life. If he is allowed fully out, then think about fencing, particularly in areas that are close to roads. Obviously, apartment-living cats may have to adopt to living inside full-time, so a cat room and catio is ideal to enrich their lives. See Part B — 8. Enrichment and play.

INTRODUCING TO EXISTING PETS

It’s important to cross-foster and socialise your kitten to any existing pets. For each of your existing pets, make a plan (write it down) around how and when you will introduce them to your new kitten. It is easier to do this when your kitten is young; however, she is more vulnerable then too, so any introductions need to be done under close supervision. See Part B — 2. Socialisation for guidance.

Other cats

When introducing to other cats in the family, identify whether the other cat has had social relationships with another cat in the past. If the other cat hasn’t been well socialised, it’s likely to be more difficult to socialise him with the new kitten. If he has had social contact with other cats, be aware that there may still be difficulties because the kitten will be more vulnerable. Care needs to be taken. The adult cat is most likely to be dominant and potentially at least somewhat aggressive towards the kitten, particularly if he hasn’t had another cat in his life for a while.

If your original cat isn’t friendly, it is still possible to build social confidence and a relationship between the cats if you proceed in the right manner. Review the section on socialising with other cats in Part B — 2. Socialisation for guidance. Also see Part D: Addressing Behaviour Issues if you need to address any aggression in the adult cat. However, if your original cat isn’t social, then consider carefully if it’s wise to bring another cat in. This has some risks, so you must consider both the kitten’s welfare and the time and effort you are prepared to put in.

Dogs

Dogs pose the biggest risk to your kitten, particularly if they are predatory and haven’t been socialised with cats, ideally from puppyhood. Dogs, just like cats, are best socialised with other species in their formative period (3 to 16 weeks of age).

A predatory dog is, of course, the most risky. If you are dealing with this situation I recommend you go to my book Dog Zen for advice on how to work with your dog. See Part B — 2. Socialisation for how to introduce your kitten safely to other dogs. Do make a plan for introduction before your kitten comes home. If your dog is predatory, again reflect carefully on whether it is wise and safe for you to bring in a new kitten.

Other species

Birds

Cats are well-adapted hunters, so our native birds can be vulnerable to them. I recommend that responsible cat owners raise their kittens not to hunt optionally by cross-fostering their kittens with friendly pet birds and by reducing (or removing) their opportunities to hunt. See Part B — 2. Socialisation and 3. No-hunt conditioning.

Rabbits and other small pets

Again cross-fostering onto rabbits and other smaller species is possible, though it does take time to do. See Part B — 2. Socialisation.

Travel and crate training

At the very least you will need to travel your kitten home, so some pre-travel preparation would be good. This ideally would start at the breeder’s with them popping 2 or 3 kittens in a travel crate for short periods of time. Once the kittens have got used to the crate, it can be popped in the car and they can do a little bit of short-distance travel. Having the kittens travel to the vet and various other places is great practice.

Ask about any signs of motion sickness, which might be either physical reaction to movement or anxiety. Your vet can recommend medication for motion sickness.

Preparing family members

It’s important that the whole family is consistent in how they treat your new kitten. It’s a good idea to all sit down before he arrives and agree on who is primarily in charge of the kitten’s wellbeing and how you will all raise and train him. See Part B — 1. Developing the bond for how to set up the Family Rules before your kitten arrives.

Summary

Prevention is always better than cure — take the time to set things up properly and you will have a smooth start to your kitten coming into your life. Enjoy!