help! new kitten!

tomorrow we are getting a 3 month old kitten and we are frantically making last minute preps for her.
We live on one floor of a house and we are having her in the middle room which is our bedroom as we dont want her wandering off upstairs in the nights and the kitchen may be abit cold for her.

We have her own little corner ready for her with a bed (cardboard box with towel and blanket in it), her food and drink bowls, but we aren't sure where we should put her litter tray for the first week or two.

any tips on this and anything else in general!??!
we are nervous but sooo excited as she is such a beautiful little baby!

I'd keep it in the room where she stays the most. But don't put it near the food/water. Maybe opposite side of the room.

welcome scarlette&dan we went thru ur 3mth-old-coming-frenzy just a month ago

i understand how much excitement is involved in preparing the house for her on top of getting kimi's furniture (bed, litter box, scratch post, etc), we also confined her activities to just within her room for the first few days, n then progressively introduced her to the rest of the house, under supervision. in tis way, we r fairly successful in managing her behavior- lettg her koe where we approve or do not approve of her access, wat can she not touch, where is she free to scratch when she is outside her room (a designated scratching pad).

then of course, be prepared for things tat just dun turn out the way u had expected it to be. we bought kimi peewee litter tray, which is simply too high (ard 30cm) for her, a 3mth old kitten to even get in in e end, we give her a temporary tray, then train her to jump for a week before she is able to use the peewee litter.

last but not least, kitten love to play. so u may need to add 'toys' n 'your time' to her preparation list

Good luck! I just adopted my first ever 3 month old kitten (never owned a cat at all before, personally) a week and a half ago! She is a delight. I would do what everyone else says and make sure all electrical cords are either out of reach completely or covered up in some way so she can't chew... I got a chewer! She will get into ALL kinds of trouble if you let her, but it's so worth the effort. I bought this stuff at Petco tonight for 10 feet of tubing costing me $15. I'm sure you could get something similar at a hardware store but I was doing a last-minute thing as well.

Have you owned a cat before? Do you have any other animals? If you are new to cats, I would say get a good book or two on it, and/or do as much research as you can online. I am using "Kittens for Dummies," but others may know more about different and/or better literature. You will do fine. I prepared for Toby, my 15 week old kitten, somewhat last-minute as well. She is adjusting quite well, and I have an 8 year old Cocker Spaniel too!

I just got Cleo last month at 4 months.
I kept her by herself at first.
Do you have alot of toys for the new kitten?
Make you have a scratching post.
Do you have any other cats?
She should be fine in one room.

shes finally here and thanks for your help.
we dont have any other cats, only a few fish and two frogs but dw they are kept securely away from her!
we only have a front room, a bedroom (which we are introducing her to first right now), a kitchen and a bathroom which will be completly out of bounds due to it being a 'wet room'.
shes currently wandering around, going underneath cabinets and other low things and meowing loudly. should we be worried at all?
shes going to be a house cat as we dont want to have to worry about anything happening to her and even considering getting another for company.

Originally Posted by scarlett&dan

shes finally here and thanks for your help.
we dont have any other cats, only a few fish and two frogs but dw they are kept securely away from her!
we only have a front room, a bedroom (which we are introducing her to first right now), a kitchen and a bathroom which will be completly out of bounds due to it being a 'wet room'.
shes currently wandering around, going underneath cabinets and other low things and meowing loudly. should we be worried at all?
shes going to be a house cat as we dont want to have to worry about anything happening to her and even considering getting another for company.

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Did she come from a shelter or from a litter of kittens? She may be looking for her littermates and mom. If this is her first time alone, the looking and meowing is normal. She's likely a little scared and confused and will need an adjustment period. Sit on the floor and talk to her and to each other. Let her come to you when she's ready. Go in there and read out loud, work on your laptop, play soft music, etc. Get her adjusted to the new enviro.

ah thanks alot addie.
shes from a littler and she was the only one left but she still roamed the house with her mum around.
shes getting abit more confident with us; if we pick her up and put her on our laps shes purring and butting us with her head which is good and occasionaly jumping onto the bed where i am sat on the laptop.

at the moment shes not seeming interested in her bed, food, water or litter tray.
shes just sat under a folded table in the corner and meowing occasionaly.

i guess its because shes been here all of 3 hours so far!

Oh that is SO exciting! I'm so happy for you! She will be fine, it just takes time to adjust to all the smells, sounds, and sights of a new home. Things we don't think of, like the sound of the heat coming on, can be a bit scary at first. What type of cat is she? Mine is a black and white domestic shorthair, and such a lovebug!

i couldnt tell you exactly what she is but shes a cross and theres some burmese in there i think.

later on ill post a photo if i can find the lead to my camera.


its the most exciting thing as me and my girlfriend are both 19 and just got a house together and are only using the downstairs so a kitten is a perfect addition to the family!

That's so awesome! Congrats on the new addition! I'm 28 and a first time kitten owner... it's hard work at times (since I also have a dog and an aging father) but it's SO rewarding! I also have the kitten in her own room mostly, though I let her out at LEAST a few times a day on supervised excursions.

ah that sounds good!
right now im sat in bed with Nala under the duvet curled up on my lap!
shes so cute!

shes got a tiny bit of a watery eye which i am slightly worried about but it could just be because she went under a dusty old table that hasnt been used in years.
if anyone can clear that up for me and reassure me that would be great!

It could be a lot of things, but kittens, especially those from someplace with a lot of cats, are very prone to what is referred to as a URI, an Upper Respiratory Infection. In humans, we'd call it a cold. Unfortunately, it CAN be serious. While the initial infection is caused by a virus, just like a cold, the secondary infections are often treated with antibiotics.

Keep an eye on it, because kittens can take a sudden turn for the worse with little warning. I know it's after hours there, and the weekend, but if you haven't already, you should get her checked over by a vet.

Did you get her at a shelter, a pet store, a breeder, or what?

Edit: I see I missed the point that you said she was from a shelter. Thank you for adopting a shelter cat! (I volunteer at our local shelter.)

hi mrblanche and thanks for the reply.
we bought her today from a family whos cat had kittens unexpectedly.
also, the household has dogs so i dont know if that would effect it.

id like to take her to a vet personally but will i be charged for a checkup?
i definatly dont want to lose her or have her get any worse but cash is short as weve just payed for her.

Yeah, I would guess the vet would charge. Do you have the equivalent of the SPCA? I guess the RSPCA, right? I wonder if they have a vet on staff.

Cats also very commonly have a feline herpes infection. It's so common that it's a safe bet any cat has it. It can cause their eyes to matter, and it is frequently brought on by stress.

There are other experts here who can make suggestions, and I know we have a number of UK members who may be able to tell you what your options are there.

ah okay thanks alot blanche, ill ask around.
i suppose it could be the herpes thing caused by stress as she has moved in today which could have been pretty stressful for her.
she seems happy enough, lying in bed asleep with me atm, purring when shes stroked, chasing a ball earlier.

ill definatly ring round a few vets tomorrow morning though as i would prefer to feel comfortable and happy in the knowledge she is fine!

I can understand the concern about the cost. As I say, some of the UK members may have a good handle on the subject.

We always take a new cat to the vet before we ever take them home. And our shelter requires you go to the vet with a new adoptee within 3 days of adoption. We have a list of vets who don't charge for the initial visit, unless they have to treat a problem.

Could just be dust....you could just wash it out with a warm wash cloth....and just keep an eye on her...