Adpoting kitten in 2 weeks

Hi everyone,

I will be adopting a 14 week female Maine Coon kitten mid November. I grew up with a cat and look forward to having another furry companion. Here are some questions I would love help with:

1. I plan on introducing the kitten to my house slowly. Would like to use a small room off my kitchen or a spare bathroom connected to a bedroom. Even if the kitten becomes comfortable with its new surroundings I'm concerned that letting it have free roam of the house right away may lead to scratching or marking problems. Any thoughts on when it's okay to let a cat have free roam of the house?

2. Is it okay to keep a kitten in a separate room when you sleep or leave the house (I work from home so the cat would be with me all day)? Any way to teach the cat not to scratch at the door if it wants out (as opposed to just general scratching for exercising which I know you should train them to use a scratching post for)?

3. I have no other pets and live in a large house. How many litter boxes do you recommend? In a large house can you get by with just one litter box?

Thank you!!!

"1. I plan on introducing the kitten to my house slowly. Would like to use a small room off my kitchen or a spare bathroom connected to a bedroom. Even if the kitten becomes comfortable with its new surroundings I'm concerned that letting it have free roam of the house right away may lead to scratching or marking problems. Any thoughts on when it's okay to let a cat have free roam of the house?"

I think its great you plan on ding a slow introduction. A 14 week old is still a baby and free range of the house may lead to accidents. Also, with such a small kitten its nice to know where they are at all times. Will the kitten be coming home altered? I'd recommend speutering asap so the kitten doesnt have a chance to develop any marking problems. As for scratching, you can order online nail caps, which are a big help!

"2. Is it okay to keep a kitten in a separate room when you sleep or leave the house (I work from home so the cat would be with me all day)? Any way to teach the cat not to scratch at the door if it wants out (as opposed to just general scratching for exercising which I know you should train them to use a scratching post for)?"

I think thats a matter of personal choice. Ceci was in the bathroom the first two days she came home, but after the second night she started making noise and I just let her out. If you are leaving the house *I* would recommend putting him/her in the room where the box is, just in case the door gets left open, he/she wont dart out. Sorry I cant help with the scratching, its not a problem with Ceci.

"3. I have no other pets and live in a large house. How many litter boxes do you recommend? In a large house can you get by with just one litter box?"

If the house is large I would recommend putting out 2(or more if you wish) boxes. At 14 weeks he/she may not be able to hold it very long and while the kitten dashes from one end of the house to the other he/she may have an accident.

Thanks for your advice!

She will not be altered when I get her, and I think my vet recommended spaying at 4 months, so soon after she arrives I will get that taken care of as soon as possible. How is the recovery process after they get altered?

Welcome K Kat and soon-to-be-new Kitten!

Hope you enjoy it here at TheCatSite as much as we do! You're sure to find answers to all of your kitten queries on the forums here...

Having lived with, loved, rescued, and advoCATed for cats all my life, I can offer this:

With no other cats, one litter box is all you need. Just make sure you keep it clean, scoop several times daily, and make sure she always has access to it! It's best to keep it in a quiet, low-traffic area like a bathroom, service area, or laundry room. I put heavy plastic under mine, and on top of that a "paw cleaning mat" (rubber textured mat available at Petco, PetsMart, etc.) or a soft rug which can be washed. This helps absorb litter tracking, and can be shaken, cleaned, or washed when necessary.

It's always best to keep cats indoors-only. It's safer, eliminates the possibility of fleas, keeps them cleaner, and generally increases their longevity. If she never goes out, she will not need to scratch at doors. Provide her some cat furniture, scratching posts/pads, and safe, well-made toys; give her plenty of love and attention, and it's always a nice idea to adopt more than one cat. That way, they provide companionship for one another, curl up together, and are twice the love, beauty, and fun! Currently, there are 9 in our household. You should see the "catpiles" on beds and cat furniture!

Female cats, especially spayed females which hopefully your little girl will be asap, generally do not mark territory. As for one room vs. free roaming, if you have no other companion animals, free roaming is fine. One room is, too - it's your choice, as long as you make sure she has stimuli and necessities in her living space.

Best of luck and sure can't wait to see pictures!

Congrats on the new maine coon. I'd love to get one of these gentle giants. I love them ,but, very few breeders over here and they are very expensive. i have wanted one for years.
Welcome to you and your lil' one.

I appreciate all the great feedback!

I will keep you posted and I'm sure I will have soooo many more questions.

Hi and welcome to TCS!... ...

See you on the forums!

Hello and welcome to TCS hope you have lots of fun here

Hi and a warm welcome from Spain.
Oh..... how exciting to be getting a new kitty

Looks like you´ve got lots of great advice, so I´ll wish you Good Luck for your new addition !

Once you get settled, maybe you could post some photos We just love photos here

Enjoy the forums !!

Hi & welcome to TCS Congratulations on your new little ones!

If you need any help finding your way around the site, please feel free to click on my username and send me a private message. I'll do what I can to help