Why It's Important to Spend Time with Your New Kitten

A kitten brings great excitement to a household, as everyone rushes to greet the newest family member and make her feel at home. It is important to provide a new kitten with your time by giving her plenty of attention so that she settles in quickly and feels at ease with you and the rest of the family.

Meeting the Kitten's Emotional Needs

Once you bring your new kitten home, you will need to make sure you take steps to meet her emotional needs from that point on. Kittens that have recently been taken from their mothers and adopted by their new family will adjust over time, but they will need a lot of emotional support and companionship in the first few days and weeks after they come home.

Be prepared for some crying, pacing up and down and restlessness at first. This is perfectly normal, as the kitten gets used to the idea of being separated from her mother and siblings and adjusts to life with her new family. Rather than chastise your new kitten for her wailing, scoop her up into your arms and hold her close to your body, as you speak soothingly to her.

Getting to Know Kitty Better

New kittens are a source of endless delight, as you observe your kitten's playful antics, and watch as she runs after her toy mouse or plays with your feet. However, once the novelty of owning a new kitten starts to wear off many pet owners do not spend as much time with their kittens, but will leave them to their own devices. It is important to avoid this all too common tendency, and to continue to spend time getting to know your kitten.

The early months of life are crucial to a kitten's development. Cats that have been largely ignored as kittens will experience stunted emotional growth and may shrink away from human company and run and hide from you as you approach, something you would not want to happen to your new kitten.

Helping the Kitten Settle in More Quickly

Pet owners who are diligent in spending time with their new kitten will soon see rapid results, as their new kitten settles in to her new surroundings more quickly. Remember that your new kitten has undergone some dramatic changes in her short life. She has been weaned, separated from her mother and siblings and now she is faced with the prospect of moving into a new home, complete with new smells, sights and sounds.

Understandably, this is a huge transition for kittens to have to make so early on in their lives. But by spending plenty of time with your new kitten, you will help her settle in more quickly.

It is important to spend plenty of time with your new kitten from the moment she moves in. Doing so will meet her emotional needs, help you get to know her better and allow the kitten to settle in more effectively.