Kitten's first days in the house

4281Pavel

When a furry friend appears in a house or apartment, it is always a great joy for its owners. A kitten is like a child, only in a different form, so in order not to harm it, it is necessary to responsibly prepare for the moment of its first arrival in a new home. To do this, you need to discuss certain points that can help the future owners of the new family member. In this article we will look at what owners need to consider when the kitten is in the house for the first days.

Some people are very careful when purchasing a new pet. They find the breed they like, the breeders, and get acquainted with the information they need. Despite this, often a little furry comes into the house unexpectedly. For example, it turns out to be taken from the grandmother from the market or thrown by someone under the gate of the house or into the entrance.

In any situation, the animal needs attention and care. What should you do first if you have never had experience caring for cats before?

How should you behave?

If a newly arrived family member was brought to his new home in a portable container, then there is no need to try to get him out of there. The best and correct option would be to leave the container door open and not prevent the pet from getting out on its own. Cats themselves are quite curious creatures, so the baby will leave the carrier anyway, without making the owner wait long, and will slowly begin to master everything that surrounds him.

He may fall asleep in one of the investigated places, which are inaccessible to the owner, so if the kitten disappears on the first day in a new home, do not panic and call him loudly. This can make the furry creature much more frightened and hide even further.

Usually, on the first day the cat eats little or may refuse food altogether. This is explained by the fact that, once in a new home, this situation becomes stressful for him. After a few days everything goes away, so there is no need to attach much importance to this behavior. First, the baby needs to be given the same food that he ate at his previous place of residence, so it will be easier for him to get used to the new home.

It is also a good idea to sit next to his bowl, talk to him gently and pet him . Gradually, you can add other food to the kitten's diet. A great solution would be to create conditions for your pet to have fun and play so that he can overcome his fear in his new home as soon as possible.

What to feed a stray cat from the street

First of all, the new owner, who picked up the kitten on the street, wants to fatten it. Such “nutritional acquaintance” will instill trust in the animal. From the gastronomic abundance you can use:

Any industrial food, depending on the condition of the teeth - dry or wet. If there is no wet one, you can soak the dry one in water.
Meat baby food, baby cottage cheese without salt or fillers.
Chopped meat of chicken, turkey, rabbit, as well as beef, boiled or raw (scalded with boiling water).

In addition, pork contains the enzyme thiaminase, which destroys vitamin B1. It is destroyed by heat treatment, but fried meat is not suitable food for a kitten.

How to make your baby's home safe

During the moments of his games, a small kitten may not deliberately break or throw off some thing, you cannot shout at him or punish him for this. It is necessary to make sure that dangerous things are not accessible to the baby. And if the kitten doesn’t like something on the first day at home, he will let you know about it. First of all, you need to pay attention to :

on pots of flowers that stand on the windows, because a pet can easily throw them off;
for long curtains that need to be raised slightly so that the cat does not get caught on them and tear them;
on unclosed windows, from which the baby may accidentally fall out while playing;
for garbage that has interesting odors for the kitten (fish, meat, sausages);
some plants in the house are dangerous for your pet, for example, violet or cactus;
The wires should be hidden, because kids love to play with them, and if they bite them hard, they can get an electric shock.

Dangers here and there

Kittens are the same children. Their tiny mass is not yet a guarantee that these pranksters will not drop, break or tip anything over themselves. In addition, do not forget: babies have sharp claws that are eager to deal with furniture and curtains. The owner must first take care of the safety of the kitten’s premises by taking a number of important measures:

Remove all flower pots from the windowsill . Even if the baby doesn’t knock them over, he will definitely mess around in the soil or chew up some of the plants, which, by the way, can be poisonous (cactus, violet, geranium flowers).
Raise curtains if they hang too low . Curtains are the favorite “victim” of cats of all ages.
Close the windows. The kitten can end up on the windowsill in no time and jump out the window if it seems more interesting outside.
Remove all trash away from the kitten . Everything that smells delicious of fish and meat should be eaten - this is what all cats think. The baby can be poisoned or choke on any of the waste components. No less dangerous are the eggs of worms, which very often end up in the trash thanks to flies.
The baby's teeth are already strong and sharp enough to bite through the wire . This is fraught with tragedy. All wires must be removed from the cat's eyes.

How to make the adaptation period easier for a kitten?

At first, the baby will meow a lot, missing his family, and therefore it is necessary to make the kitten’s first days in the new home as comfortable as possible for adaptation. You need to give him a place to get used to, a separate room is good for this, and leave him alone, giving him the opportunity to get used to new smells and things. You don’t need to pick him up all the time; it’s better to show him a place for the toilet, a bowl of food, and immediately call the kitten by name. Cats are smart creatures. The baby will almost immediately understand that they are addressing him.

Kittens that are 2 months old or younger should not be brought home. They are still fed by their mother, it will be difficult for them, they will experience separation from her for a long time.

To make it easier for your baby to get used to his bed, on the day of moving in, you can bring a piece of cloth with the animal from your previous home and put it in the place prepared for the kitten. And a heating pad wrapped in fur on the first day of his stay can serve as a substitute for his mother.

To prevent your pet from playing around, you need to play with it often. Thanks to this, in addition to energy consumption, he will learn the basics of hunting. When a kitten plays, it goes through a period of socialization and adaptation, during which it gets used to its new home.

It is not recommended to give food to your baby from the table, because in this case he will become a “beggar”. You need to pour filler into his tray, like the previous owners had. So that the kitten understands exactly where to go to the toilet, you can take a little bit of used litter from its previous home. You can’t scold a new family member if he doesn’t go to the litter box. You need to wash the area with vinegar to eliminate the smell.

Your pet should be immediately accustomed to sharpening its claws so that it does not use upholstered furniture or carpet for these tasks. Before the kitten arrives in the house, all these accessories must be purchased.

A kitten, finding itself in an unfamiliar house, feels scared and stressed, but this is absolutely normal. After a while, he will get used to his new home and begin to give his owners a good mood.

What you need to buy before bringing a kitten into your home

If a new kitten is about to move into your home, then, due to the experience gained, you are unlikely to have any problems. If raising a small pet is new to you, then be sure to read the theoretical part and start with the simplest thing - buying essentials for your new pet.

Bed or house

If possible, take both. The lounger provides a comfortable view, and the hut provides a secure place for privacy. Place these items in a quiet area next to a wall or in the corner of a busy room.

ADVICE!

Do not place the lounger next to heating appliances or an open window, and also try to avoid close proximity to noisy household appliances and a TV.

Toys

Toys help maintain activity and also relieve stress by providing pleasant emotions while playing. Choose them based on safety. Avoid small parts that your baby could accidentally swallow and toxic materials.

Bowls

You will only need 2 bowls: for food and water. As with toys, the material is important here too. Cheap plastic absorbs odors and quickly accumulates bacteria, changing the taste of its contents.

Metal has only one problem - good reflectivity. The glare from the bowl can scare the mustache, so the best choice is ceramics or glass.

Scratching post or play complex

The gaming complex is a very useful thing, but you can buy it a little later. At first, the new family member will be content with lower surfaces, so there is no urgent need for this item.

A scratching post is of great value, since a cat must be taught to sharpen its claws in a certain place from the first days of its appearance. It comes in the form of a column and horizontal. The latter option can be placed on the floor or attached to the wall.

Here the situation is the same as with a sleeping place. It's very difficult to predict preferences, so take both options if possible.

Tray and filler

When choosing a tray, consider the size and height. Don't be intimidated by overly large structures. They can be taken for growth. The only thing you should avoid is high sides. They perfectly minimize the affected area when burying, but are not suitable for kittens due to the difficulty of getting inside. For this purpose, a special toilet house is more suitable.

It is better to take 2 trays at once, since many mustachioed pets flatly refuse to relieve themselves where feces are already lying.

“ Read more about how to choose a litter box for a kitten

Among the fillers, avoid those that are clumping, too dusty and scented. The first are fraught with constipation after ingestion, the second - with the development of an allergic reaction, and the third - with a dulling of the sense of smell and the erasing of cat marks, which are important for litter box training.

“ More about tray fillers

Carrying

It will be needed for transportation from the breeder and for subsequent visits to the veterinary clinic. If you do not plan to travel with your pet in the future, then a fabric bag or plastic box is suitable for the situations listed above. The first carrier is good from the point of view of price, light weight and compactness, and the second from the point of view of long service life, comfortable seating of the animal, good ventilation and a hard bottom with walls that increase the feeling of safety while moving.

“ Read more about how to choose a cat carrier

Products and tools for care and hygiene

Representatives of short-haired breeds will need a comb with fine or medium teeth or a comb-mitten, and representatives of long-haired breeds will need a comb with long, widely spaced teeth and a massage brush with bristles. During the molting period, it is recommended to comb both of them with a slicker brush and a furminator.

If desired, you can purchase special eye and ear cleaning products. But in general, they can be easily replaced with a more budget-friendly analogue - cotton swabs soaked in warm and clean water.

To trim claws, a nail clipper, grinder, or regular nail clippers are suitable. Scissors are not suitable for this procedure. They are difficult to work with, so if you have no experience, you risk injuring your cat's claws.

First aid kit

This item is important not only for people, but also for their pets. In your first aid kit you should put:

dressing materials (gauze, bandage, cotton wool, cotton swabs, adhesive plaster, tourniquet);
antiseptics and rehydration agents (replenishing fluid deficiency);
antiparasitic agents;
drug "Artificial tear";
lotions with chamomile and calendula;
medical instruments (tweezers, thermometer, disposable gloves, vertically curved scissors with blunt tips, pipettes, 2 rubber bulbs);
injection equipment (disposable syringes of 2, 5 and 20 ml, you can also put insulin syringes for intramuscular injections and butterfly needles for hypodermic injections).

Remember that most medications in the human medicine cabinet are toxic to cats. They can only be given as prescribed by a veterinarian. Some seemingly harmless pills can kill your pet in a matter of minutes.

How to start communicating with your baby?

As soon as a kitten appears in the house, we must not forget that he is scared. Just yesterday he was taken from his cat family. For the baby, the environment to which he is already accustomed has changed, so he will hide and cry.

This condition of the kitten usually lasts a couple of days. In order for a kitten to have a successful first day in a new home, you need to prepare accordingly. You cannot speak to him in a raised tone. Little by little you need to get used to holding hands, stroking them after the baby has eaten, then he is relaxed and in the mood for contact. If you pick up a fluffy in your arms against his will, he may become even more afraid. We need to wait, and soon he himself will decide to climb onto his owner’s lap.

It is ideal to start interacting with your kitten long before it arrives at its new home. In this way, you can determine the most nimble and open cat from the litter. First of all, you need to pay attention to the largest kittens, those who get to the mother's nipples faster than others. Such simple moments mean that agile babies get much more of the cat's milk, from which we can conclude that such kittens will be more resilient and stronger than their other brothers and sisters.

If you visit the nursery in advance, you can, if possible, communicate with the parents of the future pet and see what it will be like when it becomes an adult. And their owner will clarify the features and nuances of the breed.

During the adaptation period, a kitten can easily become frightened by loud noises; all people living in the house, in particular children, should be warned about this. The main rule looks like this: the conversation with the baby should be calm and quiet, and touching him should be gentle and leisurely. The owner's hands must be a source of peace and fun for the furry friend, in which case the kitten will get used to it much faster and begin to respond in return. As you can see, in order for a kitten to successfully adapt on the first day, he needs help.

Some tips on how to accustom an adult cat to a new home

Owners love their pets, but they make many mistakes when they want to accustom their cat to a new apartment. The fault is not selfishness, but a banal misunderstanding of the nature of cats. They live in a world of smells and sounds, and a change of scenery means a lot.

Everyone has noticed that a furry companion prefers a common place of stay with the owner (a room or a sofa).

You should not throw away old bowls - an adult cat will feel calmer in a new place. The same applies to their usual “houses” made of plywood, ladders and “claw posts” (matting).

Imagining themselves on a hunt, cats often “hang out”, looking out the window, and do not respond to the call for dinner. When changing their old place of residence to a new one, they often refuse to eat, are not interested in anything, sit for hours, looking down at an empty corner, and behave completely atypically. When a cat moves in tandem with its owner, everything is simpler.

An old cat gets used to unusual smells slowly. If a new apartment or private house is smoky and has an atypical aroma, the cat will take longer to adapt. It is necessary to create appropriate conditions, reducing stress factors to a minimum.

It is much more difficult when transferring an adult cat to another family, where the environment, lifestyle and attitude towards animals are different. Changes in behavioral reactions and atypical habits are a normal reaction to stress. They cannot be punished for damaged things and aggressive behavior in their new home.

All animals are different, regardless of breed, color or gender. Instead of mutual hostility, offer the animal loyalty and goodwill

There is no need for excessive attention during this period; you should not ignore the cat’s claims either. They unconditionally perceive their place of residence as their own territory, so they can show waywardness

How to help with adaptation when changing place of residence

There are many recommendations on forums and social network groups on how to accustom a kitten to a new place of residence. However, not all advice is useful; some can harm the psyche of an animal that is under stress without “helpers.”

For example, due to difficult adaptation to a new apartment, their fur may fall out in clumps. Bald areas are suggested to be treated with caustic ointments “for lichen” or to carry out anti-allergenic therapy by replacing food. This only makes cats feel more stressed.

In a new home, experts recommend doing the following tricks to help your cat adapt:

put a tray from the previous place of residence, where the pet liked to sit in the past;
if the cat is hiding, lay there an old woolen sweater with the smell of the previous home (without washing) to create the illusion of being in a familiar place;
do not leave the animal alone for a long time, the appearance of an “abandoned” complex may occur, resulting in damage to property;
close balconies, windows and doors - the pet will make attempts to return home;
Place an old tray, bowl, and toys in your favorite places.

Cats, by nature, are territorial animals - they should have their own den (box, house, niche) with a familiar smell. They mark their area and guard it jealously.

Any adaptation and change of environment is unpleasant, even if the pets behave relatively “normally”. Females are more flexible in this regard than males; kittens are just developing their awareness of the need for their own den.

How to improve relationships if the cat has a new owner

All representatives of the cat family are quite independent. They are capable of extraordinary love and affection for their owners, especially if they themselves have chosen or wandered into a new home. They say this is for happiness and increased prosperity; they cannot be kicked out - they will “take away” their wealth with them.

But what to do if the previous owners are forced to give up keeping their pets, trying to place them in good hands? It turns out that it is not so easy to adapt a cat to a new home with a change of owner.

To adapt your pet to its new owners, it is important to:

let them get used to the idea that this is a new home and owners, without imposing unnecessary manifestations of love and care, especially if the cat hisses and does not allow itself to be stroked;
try not to aggravate stress with loud sounds, strong smells, flashes of light and cameras;
the freedoms of the animal cannot be limited by any requirements or punishments;
You can’t “pit” new cats against existing ones - they must become friends themselves.

Find out from the breeder

What do you need to know if you decide to get a kitten? There are several important questions to ask the breeder or owner of the mother cat.

Was chipping carried out - electronic branding? Does the kitten have a veterinary passport?
Has the baby been examined by a doctor, because there are diseases that only a specialist can recognize.
Was treatment for worms (deworming) carried out, with what drug and how many times (this depends on the drug used and the age of the kitten)?
Have you received preventive vaccinations? Find out the exact dates and names of the vaccine, as well as the diseases it protects against.
What litter box and what kind of litter is the kitten accustomed to?
Ask how the kitten ate and how its diet was structured. Was he fed natural food, canned food or dry food, which one?