Going to be adopting a kitten from the shelter tomorrow

Hello, I hope this is the right forum section for this.  My sister and I decided that it is now time for us to have a balance in our home again. We are going to the shelter to adoption two kittens. I am hoping some of you could give some tips on getting them used to the new environment. Is is still true that you should mostly keep the cat in a confined space with the litter box, food etc for a few days then gradually  let them see other parts of the house?  (Of course, this doesn't count play time with the kittens)  and when I say a confined space, I am talking about a bathroom

Is it only until they learn where the litter box will be? and how long should this process go on before we just let them sort of explore the home?

First, congratulations on the impending adoptions!

I would keep the kittens confined for at least the first 24 hrs. This will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with them and their personalities. It also gives them a bit of time to decompress and start getting the scents of their new environment.

As for how long they should stay there depends on a few things:
- Their age(s)
- Whether they truly are litter box trained or not
- Personality (shy/timid kitties need more time to adjust)
- If you have any other pets in the house (doesn't sound like you do.)
- Health reasons

Thank you for replying. Sadly the shelter couldn't really give us accurate or precise information. They said they seem to be around 7 weeks old.  They are a boy and a girl. My sister and I  named them Mai and Kai.  The shelter gave us a 25 dollar voucher for a spay/neuter. I found that a little strange that it wasn't included in the price, but I guess since they are so small that  it would be until they got older.

We definitely plan on getting them fixed ASAP.  The shelter said they go by lbs now instead of age. so the kittens have to weigh 2 pounds before they can get fixed. how true is that? I do have an indoor Japanese Chin dog,  I have had him every since he was about 8 weeks old.  He grew up with two indoor cats so when I bought the kittens home he immediately try to lick them of course. Here is a picture of them: The black and white one is Kai and the other one is Mai. She is giving me the death stare cause they just got a little bath. Hard to believe they came from the same litter lol

What a pair of cuties! Yes, i am hearing more vets who want them to be 2 pounds before neutering.

Welcome home Mai and Kai!

I would certainly keep these two confined for a while simply because they are so little. I also suggest getting them collars with bells on them so that you can keep track of them once they are allowed free roam.

Make sure to kitten proof the house before letting them out. Cover any open areas that they can squeeze into and get stuck or where you can not reach them...under and behind furniture (couches, beds, dressers, refrigerator, chairs)...and don't forget about cabinets. Kittens can squeeze into spaces smaller than we often realize.

Yes 2 lbs AND 2 months is the bare minimum they should be before surgery. Talk with your vet and see what their recommendation is. Our rescue prefers to wait until the cats are around 5 lbs. We just do not feel safe putting them under anesthesia until they are around this size. (We are able to wait because *we* schedule and pay for spay/neuters.)

CatPack said:

Make sure to kitten proof the house before letting them out. Cover any open areas that they can squeeze into and get stuck or where you can not reach them...under and behind furniture (couches, beds, dressers, refrigerator, chairs)...and don't forget about cabinets. Kittens can squeeze into spaces smaller than we often realize.

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Yes!  The first night M&N were home we put them in the spare bathroom.  They squeezed out UNDER the door and we found them watching the fish tank the next morning. They were about 11 weeks old.  Not long after that we invested in the wire dog crate.  It helped train them that the night time was for sleeping too.  In the mornings while we got ready for work the girls had free run in a back hallway I gated off with 2 gates stack up (with the top one angled into the hallway because they would climb them!).  I don't really remember how big they were when we let them have free reign all the time.  7 weeks is young; so think of them like young toddlers; they might have potty accidents and things.

They are super adorable!  I hope you have many many happy years together! 

I got my street cat blighty last year age 7-8 weeks. She spent her first few days in my bedroom. After not eating or drinking for the first day she ate drank and used her litter box without bring taught. Surely they used them where they were adopted from. He was also very very fussy about where in his box he went. It was hysterical to watch him make a hole sit and get up and move to another place dig hid hole sit and get up. It could take up to five goes before he was happy and covering? Fastidious. Even after a year here he dtill tried to cover his food and water. Little lovely.



Your kittens are beautiful. Moggies always are.