Your first night with new kitten. Can you remember? Any tips ?

[sparkysparkysparky]

We will be getting a new kitten in late summer (hols first then keeping an eye on local rescue centres). The last of my two old beauties died in March and it is so long since they were kittens, I can barely remember how it went. They predated dh and dd by several years. My childhood cat lived to a ripe old age too.
DD (8) only has experience of the last of our old ladies and no kitten experience at all. She wants NewKitten's first den to be set up in her room (litter tray, hidey bed, water, food, toys etc) in a puppy training cage .
I'm not objecting although I assume much of the doing will fall to me - I'll bear that as best I can .
Do you remember your first night with your new kitty? All stories welcome (I love this topic - hero cats; prodigal cats!) but any practical tips particularly welcome.

Me also. (Well, a gentle poke if they're down the bed aways.)

You know that thing 'It's too quiet ! What are they up to?' Applies to toddlers and young children both.

*kittens and young children both.

Gawd.

*kittens and young children both.

Gawd.

My first double post. A 'moment triste'.

Oh, just remembered Sparky, I spent hours gazing at him. Feeling amazed that this beautiful little creature was now living with me. (I'd been waiting for 12 weeks, having fallen in love with him when he was a week old.) So set some time aside for adoration. I was also terrified something might happen to him. He looked so scrawny. And bald. His curly hair's grown in beautifully now.

And I produced the Flying Frenzy for him once he'd investigated his feeding station and litter tray. He was purring like mad, and demanded I flick it about for a couple of hours. He didn't once cry, or look sad for not being with his mum and siblings. Either he was being very brave, or, my theory, he was ecstatic to be the centre of attention.

Knowing him as you do now, that latter is most probably correct.

After all, he's half Siamese and you know what they're like as kittens. 'New worlds and new people to conquer: shake your head and put that best paw forward!'

The burmese stayed in the box room next to our bedroom the first few nights so I could hear them. Not a peep out of them so moved them down to the dining room which contains their tree and beds and other paraphernalia. They go there when we go to bed and I let them out at 6 (although the last week they have started the dawn chorus of yelling and banging at the door at 4.30). They have each other to snuggle up to and there is nothing to ruin in there. I'm a terrible sleeper and couldn't go back to sleep with them getting up and down from the bed at night.

He was in the spare room with his litter tray food water and a blanket. He spent the day in there when I was at work so he got used to it. He was always out and about when I was in or when I went out for shorter periods but as he was a scratcher for a while I didn't want to come home to a trashed sofa in a rented house!

He slept in my bed after a week lol

I work nights and all my cats sleep with me in the day as well, even if they've slept at night too, the lazy buggers!!!

My Siamese boy has slept in my arms at night in bed from day one. He is obsessed with me and me with him ! Maybe it's a Siamese thing :)

Yes for the first week she slept on my chest was wonderful. She is 10 months now and won't come near me unless its to bite me

Queen furi, my late lamented old girl slept on my chest for her last few weeks. I think it's a comfort thing. [something in my eye now].

I put my kitten in the spare room with food, water, toys, litter, a nice blanket-bed... and then felt bad and flopped out the fold-up chair bed and slept in there with her. for a week

I think you could be right there Cozie.

Thing is, he looked so small and defenceless. Totally at odds with his actual personality.

He still has the same scrawny and bald chicken neck.

we only got our new kitten two weeks ago. it was planned that she would spend her first night in the front room where i had put her litter tray, food, bed etc. instead, she ended up in bed with me sleeping across my neck

Thanks, jeans. I strongly suspect this is how it will go!

I say don't use a puppy cage. We tried it with our kitten. We got her at ten weeks - she kept escaping by forcing herself through tiny gaps at the bottom of the cage. I had to quit the idea after a couple of days because I was scared she'd get stuck.

We just let her sleep in with us on a night. You obv have to be hyper aware so you don't squash them. Probably not the best idea actually.

We were planning to use a puppy cage but more as the boundaries for NewKitten's area to help her feel safe. Not sure we'd lock her in at night unless she seemed Ok with it for the reasons you said.

I've slept with kittens since I was a kid, patience, and never had so much as a near accident yet. I suspect there's some unconscious awareness of 'something in the bed with you' so that you avoid squashing them. (Besides which, kittens may look small but they're generally little squirmers who are used to the cut and thrust of a litter all lying on top of each other so can make shift for themselves if needs be.) As long as you don't go to sleep pie-eyed in a mentally 'heavy' condition, I think everything would be fine.

Little Monsieur's slept between me and DH since he was tiny, at 13 weeks and he's managed not to get squashed. Even though both him and DH are heavy sleepers.