How to Prepare for a New Kitten

If you're a seasoned cat owner like I am, then you can automatically tick off in your head everything you need. From experience, you know how to prepare for a new kitten in the house. But, if you're getting ready to be the first time owner of an energetic, yet fragile, kitten that needs raised up and cared for, then you might not know where to begin.

Bringing a new kitten into your household is exciting. He or she will liven up things more than you can imagine, if you've never had one before. To have the most positive experience with the feline, ideally, you should adopt a kitten that is completely weaned from its mother. Kittens who are eight to twelve weeks of age are usually ready to leave their mother.

The kitten you have chosen to bring into your home should be healthy and energetic. Healthy signs include bright, clear eyes, a clean, shiny coat, pink pads and a pink nose. The kitten should also be energetic. If your new kitten hasn't already had a physical examination by a veterinarian, you should schedule an appointment as soon as you can.

To start out with, you should have a small room that's located away from the main rooms of your house for your new kitten. As he or she becomes familiar with its new environment, you can let them wander farther. Or, if dedicating an entire room isn't possible, you can section off part of a quiet room.

Your new kitten will be like a human baby. It will want to chew and play with everything it can reach. So it's important that you keep electrical cords, drapes and drapery cords, plastic bags, house plants, and toxic products out of its reach. Also, your new kitten can choke on small items. So keep rubber bands, buttons, small toys, nuts, bolts, jewelry, safety pins, needles, and other small items out of its area and out its reach.

To prepare for your kitten, you'll need a small litter box, food and water bowls, and toys to play with. You'll also need some dry kitten chow- NOT adult cat food- and I recommend Purina™ Kitten Chow. You'll also need some moist kitten food to feed your growing kitten once or twice a week in order to give it a balanced diet.

Litter boxes come in different sizes. You'll need to provide a litter box that's the right size for your kitten to climb in and out of. Personally, I prefer to use "scoopable" litter. It's easy and it's cost effective. It allows urine and feces to form into clumps. Then, all you need to do, on a daily basis, is to scoop the clumps out of the box with a litter spoon.

To prepare for your new kitten, you should also have a scratching post for it to sharpen its claws on, a small cat bed or a fuzzy blanket you can fold up, and a cat carrier. The bed or blanket will give your feline a warm place to sleep. The cat carrier will provide a safe way to transport your new kitten when you bring it home, take it to the veterinarian, et cetera.

And finally, talk to your family about the new addition to your household. Make sure children understand that a kitten is a living, breathing animal that needs to be cared for and loved. Kittens are a lot of fun to play with, or just watch, as they perform hilarious antics. Then, as they grow up to be adult cats, they can be wonderful companions.

- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)