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Set a regular time and place for feeding your kitten.
Cat Carrier
Bring your new kitten home in a cat carrier to familiarize your kitten
with this useful invention early on. Cat carriers become a safe and
familiar place for your kitten when you visit the vet or travel, and can
keep your curious kitten out of trouble when need be.
Litter Box
Most kittens will understand how to use the litter box if they spent the
first few weeks of their life with their mother and litter mates. You
can help your kitten to understand what is expected by placing it in the
litter box after feeding. Kittens do not need a full-size litter box and
might do better in a box with lower sides (about 1 inch).
Litter Box Training
Watch your kitten closely. When it begins nosing in corners or
squatting, place it in the litter box. Gently scratch the kitten's front
paws in the filler, so it begins to learn that this is the place to
deposit and bury waste.
If your kitten has an accident, wipe it up with a paper towel and place
the paper towel in the litter box. Then place the kitten in the litter
box and repeat the process of scratching with its front paws.
Kitten-proof Your Home
Like a child, your kitten can get into a great deal of trouble in the
blink of an eye. Here are some tips for kitten-proofing your home.
Keep small items such as tinsel, rubber bands, buttons and beads out of
reach � your kitten could choke on them.
Understand those household products (including plants) that may be
deadly to your new kitten.
Keep electric cords out of reach or wrapped in heavy tape.
Grooming Your New Kitten
It is important to make your kitten feel comfortable about grooming from
an early age. Look into its ears, eyes, nose and mouth regularly. Look
at its paws to prepare it for claw trimming when it needs it. Brush or
comb your kitten regularly.
Diet/Nutrition
Kittens need a different kind of diet than adult cats, as their stomachs
are smaller and their nutritional needs somewhat different. Your kitten
will need to be fed several times a day � it has a big appetite! Feed
your kitten a kitten food, in small amounts, that is specially designed
to meet its nutritional requirements.
Socialization
The experiences of kittens during their first few months of life are
critical in helping to shape their temperaments and personalities as
adults. These experiences begin very early as kittens interact with
their mother, litter mates and humans. Socialization can be further
enhanced by frequent petting and handling, as studies show that petting
a young kitten can make it more responsive as an adult cat.
Exposing kittens to as many people as possible is important in helping
to lessen their fear of strangers as adult cats. Studies show that a
litter of kittens born in a location inaccessible to humans will, as
young as two to three weeks of age, hiss at humans. A litter of kittens
from the same mother, if handled daily, will not react fearfully. Some
research suggests that handling kittens each day during the first month
of their lives may improve their learning abilities. Studies also
suggest that kittens react more readily to humans when the mother cat is
present. The belief is that she sends no alarming signals to the kittens
and that her presence reassures them.
Introducing Your New Kitten to Other Pets
In most cases, you should keep your kitten confined to one room of the
house for the first few days, giving your other pet(s) a chance to grow
accustomed to its smell. Make the first introduction short and sweet,
removing the kitten after a few minutes. Most pets will work things out
in their own way, which may take about a week. If your pets are having
more difficulty adjusting, supervise their time together and be patient.
Offer both pets a place to go when they want to be alone.
Introducing a new kitten to an older animal can be very stressful on the
older animal. Lavish most of your attention on the older animal, not the
kitten, making sure that the old-timer doesn't feel threatened by the
newcomer.
Holding and Carrying
Place one hand under its chest and use your other hand to support the
rear. Gently lift the kitten into the crook of your arm.
Sleeping
Your new kitten will sleep up to 16 hours a day. Establish a sleeping
place for it right away, but beware! Think twice before you make that
spot your bed, as once established, your kitten may sleep there for the
rest of its life.
Playing
Your kitten will want to play and play and play! Play behaviour begins
when kittens paw and bite their litter mates. This is often followed by
chasing, stalking and wrestling. Your kitten may pounce and stalk
unsuspecting toys or pieces of paper. Don't worry. It's just exercising
its natural predatory instincts in a harmless � and often amusing �
manner. Providing appropriate toys for these activities, such as wads of
paper, ping-pong balls and kitten fishing toys, enhances the kitten's
play. Toys that are too heavy for the kitten to move or that are small
enough to be swallowed should be avoided.
It's not a good idea to use hands, fingers, feet or clothing when
playing with a kitten, as your cute little kitten will eventually grow
into a healthy-sized cat and you do not want to encourage aggressive
behaviour.
Scratching Post
A scratching post is an excellent investment for your new kitten. It
will allow your kitten to scratch, stretch and exercise all at once.
Information and graphics courtesy of "The Cat Furniture Depot"
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