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Original poster

Kitten arriving on Sunday...settling tips

16 replies

HunieBuniesBack · 05/04/2007 23:56

I know many MNers may not be around this weekend, but would appreciate any tips, on what I might do to help my kitten settle into the HunieBunie household.

(Have bought all the stuff kitten food litter tray etc)

Am off to bed now tho' will check thread in morning, been a long long day.

TIA, HunieBuniesBack x

OP posts:
fruittea · 06/04/2007 16:47

Trying to cast my mind back a year, when we got our two. We kept them in one room for quite a while, so they could get used to where their litter trays were. They were very unsettled, sicky and pooey for a month, so keeping them in the one area was very important from that point of view too! (Vet was convinced that it was stress related, after long drive from shelter and jabs etc - hope it doesn't happen to you!)

Keep to the same food that they've been used to at first, so that they don't have a change of diet to get used to too.

I didn't allow the children to be at all rough with them - you know how people encourage kittens to cling on when they tickle their bellies, that sort of thing? Well, that wasn't allowed, and I'm so glad, as the cats don't bite or claw at us at all, never have, in fact they love to have their tummies gently stroked, and are completely trusting of it, and I'm sure that a gentle upbringing has helped to establish that.

Unfortunately they're not been quite as gentle with the sofa...you can get some spray to squirt on any areas that they tend to scratch, to discourage this.

Will try to think of more. Ours had a difficult start, so they're maybe not representative.

Dottydot · 06/04/2007 16:56

I think leaving them alone as much as possible for the first day or two - our 2 kittens dashed straight behind the oven when we first got them and wouldn't be persuaded to come out, so eventually we left them - water and food and litter tray in the kitchen and after a day or two they started coming out - they'd been eating and using the litter tray when we weren't around! After a couple of days we left the kitchen door open and they ventured into the next room and after a short while were ruling the house!

pointydog · 06/04/2007 17:09

Show it where its basket is - put it in it. Our kitten wanted to get away from the kids after ab hour or so and the only place it found was its litter tray to hide in! Put its basket in hard-to-get-to spot.

Ours was pitiful at night, meowing outside the door. Be firm. It will get used to where it is supposed to be at night.

Little water scoosher (small plant thing) to spray it when it is climbing your walls/curtains/sofas.

Lots of newspaper. Our kitten loved it when we lay sheets of newspaper everywhere, checked ping pong balls underneath and it went diving about trying to find it.

Ping pong balls are good for many games.

pointydog · 06/04/2007 17:10

chucked ping pong balls

gingernutlover · 06/04/2007 20:13

i still remeber when oscar came home wqith us ..........

he was full of fleas and laid on my lap while bathed/combed them all out, played madly with a fish on elastic, used his litter tray straight away first time and ate big bowl of food before falling asleep on me for the whole evening.

THEN he cried the whole first night cos he was lonely but dh wouldnt let him in bedroom with us, in the morning, got up and opened the door and her came tearing in and spent the rest of the sunday morning asleep on our bed between us, his head on the pillow awwwww

He is still totally spoilt now. But others are right when they say, establish boundaries early on and be firm about them, we didnt and now have a cat who is very very naughty

gingernutlover · 06/04/2007 20:14

needless to say he was my baby before dd came along, he used to ride in my dressing gown pocket and was still suckling my jumpers (only when I wore them) when he was a year old

tinkerbellhadpiles · 06/04/2007 20:16

A box with a hole in it provides a safe haven that kittens retreat to when unsure of themselves.

My kittens were both barking mad when they arrived and it took us a while to find them once they had scampered off.

My only other tip - sniff your shoes before inserting a foot, when mine were kittens they liked nothing more than creeping into boots and crapping in the toes.

pointydog · 06/04/2007 20:36

"needless to say he was my baby before dd came along, he used to ride in my dressing gown pocket and was still suckling my jumpers"

phew, thank heaven you said 'jumpers', ginger. I was about to be horrified.

QueenEagle · 06/04/2007 20:49

Our new kitten came to us 2 weeks ago.

I left a small blanket with her litter for a few days before she came then when we picked her up she had some familiar smell around. I put her basket in a quiet corner and left her alone for the first few days to find her way around be herself. In the evenings, I sat her on my knee which she really loved. I kept her bed, food and litter tray in the same area so she had a little haven where she knew she belonged.

Two weeks later and she has explored the whole house from top to bottom. She is having her first smell outside the back door for a few minutes each day under very close supervision.

Good luck with your new baby!

fortyplus · 06/04/2007 20:51

Awww... best thing is to let it sleep in the cat basket it arrived in and keep it confined to one room for a few days.

Don't let the children play with it - just gentle strokes & cuddles till it settles down.

PeachyChocolateEClair · 06/04/2007 20:57

Take the jimjams you ahve been weariing for the past day (or so) and place them where the kitten will spend its first few ays- that helps them adjust to your smell, i aslo put a small ytoy with them that I had kept in my bra for a day or two.... however my kit was particularly nervous and post-op.

Don't worry if they seem unsettled- they are. But tehy DO adapt. When we got kit, he was minus a leg and tail, suffering fromo an undiagnosed broken jaw, terrified of people 9well it was peolpe did it to him)- we really thought at one point he would need putting down (and I've worked with a LOT of rescued cats) but he's great now- so loving to us!

They love soft old jumpers etc- if you would like yours to survive, buy a few old ones at a charity shop and leave them around.

if there are areas they can crawl where they shouldn't (behind heates, fridges, etc) put something in the way- they love small spaces! Ditto cables- they will chew anything.

fruittea · 06/04/2007 21:37

LoL Peachy - you've reminded me - ours used to sneak in under the boiler, through the tiniest of holes. One got quite singed once (he's fine now!)

Spent ages taping up all the gaps - boiler, sides of fridge etc. With the fridge, I made a sort of "gusset" with bin bags and duct tape, so that I could open it, but the kittens couldn;t get down the side!

Original poster
HunieBuniesBack · 06/04/2007 22:38

Thanks one and all

Will take note of tips/advice tho' imagine little HunieBunies will find leaving new family member alone for two days rather difficult, but we will endeavour...

Thanks again ladies,

HunieBuniesBack x

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Original poster
HunieBuniesBack · 07/04/2007 22:54

Picking up furry friend tomorrow. Very excited! Planning to work out how to fill the gap between washing machine and the kitchen cupboard.

OP posts:
fruittea · 08/04/2007 09:35

Well, you could try my bin bag and duct tape gusset tip!!!

Good luck - tell us how you get on.

Original poster
HunieBuniesBack · 09/04/2007 12:10

He's lovely, knows where his litter tray is and isn't shy very calm and purrs when I stroke him (He knows his new Mama!)

Slept through the night without crying in his cat bed.

I think we are going to get on very well.

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