My boyfriend and I will be picking up the new addition to our family, a 13-wk-old Siberian kitten, in about a week. I'm so excited!!! We're currently busy getting everything ready for her arrival, but there's one thing that we still haven't managed to work out yet: where's she going to sleep?
My boyfriend is unfortunately allergic to cats, so the doctor suggested that we make our bedroom a "cat-free zone", with the idea being that if he can get 8 hours of sound, allergen-free sleep, that his body can better fight off the cat allergens during the day. The bedroom being off-limits, this leaves only the bathroom and the living room/dining room/kitchen downstairs (being a typical Dutch row-house, this is just one combined space). We really don't want to leave kitty free to roam around the downstairs area at night (at least not at first) because it is big, overwhelming, and full of things for a mischievous kitten to get into (kitchen equipment, fishtank, wires coming out of the back of the TV, etc.). So really the most practical option is the bathroom, which is a good size and nearby our bedroom so I can keep an eye on her if need be.
However, the bathroom is COLD at night! The rest of the house too, really, but the tiled surfaces in the bathroom make it even worse I think. I personally would not want to sleep on the floor in there, cushioned bed or not, so I imagine the kitten would not be comfortable either. I was thinking of using a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, but would that stay warm all night? What about purchasing a heating pad-- are they safe, or should I worry about overheating/burning the kitten's sensitive skin?
My boyfriend is unfortunately allergic to cats, so the doctor suggested that we make our bedroom a "cat-free zone", with the idea being that if he can get 8 hours of sound, allergen-free sleep, that his body can better fight off the cat allergens during the day. The bedroom being off-limits, this leaves only the bathroom and the living room/dining room/kitchen downstairs (being a typical Dutch row-house, this is just one combined space). We really don't want to leave kitty free to roam around the downstairs area at night (at least not at first) because it is big, overwhelming, and full of things for a mischievous kitten to get into (kitchen equipment, fishtank, wires coming out of the back of the TV, etc.). So really the most practical option is the bathroom, which is a good size and nearby our bedroom so I can keep an eye on her if need be.
However, the bathroom is COLD at night! The rest of the house too, really, but the tiled surfaces in the bathroom make it even worse I think. I personally would not want to sleep on the floor in there, cushioned bed or not, so I imagine the kitten would not be comfortable either. I was thinking of using a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel, but would that stay warm all night? What about purchasing a heating pad-- are they safe, or should I worry about overheating/burning the kitten's sensitive skin?
