Tell me about the first week or two!

[goldpendant]

We are collecting our first kitten in a week. I'll have three clear days with him before I have to go back to work, after which point my dad is going to be at our house to keep the kitten company and fed etc.

I'd be very grateful for advice on how to phase things in the first few weeks and what to expect.

My plan is;

Collect on Saturday morning, bring home by car in cat carrier. Newspaper and blankets inside. Do I need some treats or cat nip? Journey will be about an hour.

Confine him to the kitchen for the first few days, litter tray, food and water, and somewhere to sleep. Lots of toys etc. He's progressing to whiskas dry kitten food so I've stocked up on that.

After a few days he will get access to the basement room (connected to the kitchen), where there's a sofa and a rug and the kids toys, mostly hard floors though.

How long will it be before he can access the whole house?

I've been advised to take him to the vet after the first week, once he's settled, but I guess I'm concerned about fleas etc before then? He's not been outside yet but there are their cats in the current house that do. Do I need him checked over sooner? He will be about 10 weeks old.

He'll then be neutered at 21 weeks and allowed outside slowly.... we want him to toilet outside, can anyone explain this transition? Any tips?

Thanks very much in advance!

[SalamanderOnHoliday]

He will let you know when he’s ready to access the whole house....ours were strutting about like they owned it within a day. Somewhere safe away from everyone they can feel secure is good.

No to catnip, not all cats react well to it. So leave tha5 till he’s h9me.

I’d als9 say 2 kittens are easier than 1!

[goldpendant]

Really?? Why are two easier? Two is a possibility......

[8stoneloser]

2 will be easier because they have each other to play with at 3am. otherwise that job falls to you.

Please don't feed your cat Whiskas dried. It's full of grains, cereals and starches. It's cheap nasty crap that causes a host of heath problems for cats.

Look for a grain free high %meat food. We use Orijen for ours.

[goldpendant]

Thanks I was going to ask about food. I can't really stipulate what he has now with his owners, but I'll transition him once he's with us. Presume we transition by slowly adding new to old?

[TenThousandSpoons]

Definitely get 2 if that’s a possibility. They will play together lots (hilarious to watch their interactions) and snuggle up together to sleep. They won’t be so lonely when you’re at work.
When they first go outside I’d make sure there’s a patch of soil that’s freshly dug over so it’s essy for them to toilet there.
Agree Whiskas is not known as a great food.

[Dawninglory]

We've had our first kitten 1 week now! She is settling in well, her main base is the dinning room but explores the house while we're around. Sleeps up to 16hrs a day, like having a toddler again, sleeps, eats, plays on repeat!
Keep litter tray away from the feeding area as they don't like them next to each other.
My kitten is on a mixed diet of wet and dry at the moment, but high quality grain free, not supermarket stuff. Pets corner or pets at home sell better food. She also loves her cat tree and pop up tunnel, but her favourite thing is a piece of string!

[Fucksandflowers]

Whiskas isn't terribly good quality, id try and get a better quality food.

I let my kitten have full reign of the house from day one, I wouldn't bother keeping to just one room.

[goldpendant]

Ok loving this advice.... I can defe get two but will it really be easier? Not more mess/smells etc?

[goldpendant]

And at what point to do the vet visit?

[TroysMammy]

I wouldn't say get two. Get one if you wish.

I once had two brothers and they wanted to have different territories. Unfortunately Barnaby decided his was going to be near a road which was a bit busier than ours.

Also Barnaby had struvite crystals and had to be on special food. It was a nightmare trying to stop them eating the other's food.

[viccat]

Where are you getting him from if he's not been flea treated or seen a vet? I'm guessing a private seller rather than a reputable breeder or a rescue...

It doesn't matter hugely when you do the vet visit, earlier is better in some ways if he's never seen a vet before.

Make sure the kitchen is completely cat proofed i.e. block any small gaps under/next to cupboards and appliances, don't leave any food out, make absolutely sure windows are kept closed or only open up to 2 inches in a locked position. Also check any house plants you have to ensure they are cat safe, block open fire places etc., lots of advice online if you read up on kitten proofing.

I also think two kittens is always better than one, especially if you are out of the home for a long time every day. As others have said, kittens and young cats are very active and having another kitten to play with really helps avoid any other problem behaviours.

And litter trays - you should always have a litter tray available for your cat even if they have outdoor access. Some cats choose to toilet outdoors, others don't. In any case there will be times when they prefer to have an indoor tray to use, such as bad weather, other cats around the garden, neighbours having noisy building work/parties etc. Anyway your neighbours will thank you if your cat is not using their garden as a toilet and has a litter tray.

[SalamanderOnHoliday]

Two cats isn’t much more work than one, twice th3 amount of litter tray at first though.

But they really do keep each other occupied.

[Thehouseintheforest]

Definitely TWo !! We are five years in with two. Previously had one. (18 years .. 18 years worrying about her needing company and just thinking about her on her own if we ever went away.. with two, whole different t blall game. Play together , wash each other? Keep each other company. Bliss ' and best of all no extra work

[goldpendant]

Ok so two is tempting, there's a couple of sisters left in the litter!

One q outstanding...

Vet- when to take him? Immediately or after a week or so?

[IndigoBlue]

We just got 2, have had them two weeks now, they are definitely happy as a pair it's not likely I could spend as much time playing and wear them out like they do from playing together and if I have go out I'm not worried about them being lonely as they will cuddle up and sleep together.

[Shmithecat2]

Get two. I've got 5 currently and I can honestly say they're no more bother than one. Obviously, you need to budget for extra like insurance, kitten packs etc but as long as you're able to do that, there's no reason not to!

[Fluffycloudland77]

You can register with a vet as soon as you like really.

Remember the more pandering you do now, the more they expect it later on, and they all have pretty high expectations anyway.

[goldpendant]

I think I'm going to get two.... I'm out of the house a lot with my new job! Two boys?

Apart from an additional litter tray (really??) do I need separate food bowls for each? Two scratching posts etc??

[frostedviolets]

I think separate bowls for sure.
Who wants to share their dinner with their sibling?!
That's just asking for greedy, bullying behaviour around food I think

[InOtterNews]

I've got 2 who are brothers (well actually 3 cats in total, but no 3 is a whole other story). They're nearly 12 years old and still sleep together. Occasionally play together. Two cats are no more hard work than one.

Yes to separate food bowls - mine have own bowl for wet food and one shared bowl for dry.

Start with 2 small scratching posts - you may find only one uses them (one of mine prefers the furniture instead!).

We got ours at 10 weeks and took to vet straight away for a check-up (they came from a PDSA foster home)

[bellinisurge]

Whiskers made our overlord fart spectacularly in her first couple of days - she wanted to explore quite quickly. We set up an open old dog crate in my DD's room as her base camp. Kitten sized litter tray, food, water, hidey places, toys, comfy spots. She moved to Applaws (no grain) and it stopped the farts.
Google Jackson Galaxy.
And obviously post pictures.