As a new pet parent, you want your kitten to adapt to the environment of your home as quickly as possible. However, there is no magic to making this happen. That is why you should consider the following tips:
1. Make Your Home Kitten Friendly
To achieve this, look for potential hazards throughout your home. The bathroom is one of the most dangerous places for new kittens. Go there and lock up all the cleaning supplies. Also, make sure all the toilet lids stay down, plus stash away rubber bands, hair ties, dental floss, and any string material. That is because a curious kitten can ingest these items, which, in return, can lead to life-threatening intestinal complications. Other ways to make your home kitten-friendly include:
- Locking away sewing supplies
- Making sure kids’ toys are out of reach for new kittens
- Keeping away toxic items such as rat & mouse baits, bleach, and lye, among others
2. Introduce Familiar Smells into Your Home
You can make this happen by talking to the previous owner or pet store representative. Ask them for a stuffed toy or blanket that your kitty used before you adopted it. Your kitten will feel very much at home by cuddling in or with something having their mother’s scent. If you are unable to get these items, consider a product with pheromones. Pheromones are products that cats produce to calm and communicate with other cats. These are sold in many different forms such as diffusers, wipes, sprays, and even collars.
3. Get a Kitten Bed and Put it in a Quiet Place
If you are a DIY fanatic, you can consider making a kitten bed on your own. It is fairly easy since all you need is a small cardboard box. Once you have it, cut off the top part before sticking a blanket in there. For maximum comfort, consider using a warm and cozy blanket. Alternatively, you can buy a small cat basket, especially if you do not have the time or are simply not into DIY. Make sure the blanket has a nice cozy pad. Ideally, be keen to keep your kitten bed in a fairly quiet place with little to no household traffic. Kittens deem quiet places safe and will retreat there every time they get overwhelmed.
4. Get the Right Litter Box
The right cat litter box for kittens normally has short sides that are approximately two inches to three inches. Kittens find such litter boxes easy to get into and out of. They use them until the age of 3 – 4 months old when they are tall and strong enough to use full-sized litter boxes. Once you have got your kitty a litter box, ensure you place your new feline friend in there every two hours until it uses it. Furthermore, make sure you place the litter box in a quiet place and clean it daily. This will make your kitten feel more comfortable using it.
5. Give the Kitty Enough Time to Adjust to its New Environment
Whenever a kitten is placed in a new place, it sniffs around to try to familiarize itself with everything. Well, this is not the time to start controlling it. Instead, let it explore things and get used to your home as soon as possible. Ideally, do not force your kitty to do things it does not want to, plus keep it away from other pets for at least a week. Another thing to do is to make sure your new kitten stays in one room unless you have the time to monitor its movement carefully. If you do all these, your kitten should settle in quickly.
6. Let the Kitten Exit the Carrier at its Own Pace
Do not pull your new kitten out of the carrier right away. Instead, give it time to come out at its own pace. You can motivate it to do this by placing food and water bowl where it can see them. Once out, gently pick up the kitten and place it in its litter box. This allows him or her to immediately get familiar with where it will go to the bathroom. Do not panic if the kitty won’t use the litter box right away. The important thing is that it’s learning what the litter box is and is more likely to use it next time.
Conclusion
Any time you bring a new pet into your home, you want to think of its overall happiness and health. Well, the best way to achieve this with a new kitten is to provide a fitting environment that your kitty will settle in quickly. The above tips will help you do just that.
