I would love some tips on my new kitten

[Tashanasha]

Some of you may already know that I'm bringing a new kitten home. She's a beautiful Siamese kitten and will be 12 weeks old the day she comes to us.

The lady we're getting her from told us that she's already used to both wet and dry cat food as well as to using the litter box, so that is great.

We also have a resident cat - Marx, my 2.5 yo BSH. He is neutered, laid back and a very sweet boy, so I'm quite positive that he will not get super aggressive towards her, but of course I've read everything I could on how to introduce two cats step by step so that's what we will be doing.

However, I was wondering what the best room would be to turn into her sanctuary? I've read that a lot of people use the bathroom for that, we would also have a small guest room that could be used but I'm a bit nervous about leaving her alone for the whole night, especially since both rooms are quite small. Should I rather put her in our bedroom with us? Marx does not sleep with us, but I'm still not sure that he'll be fine with her being in there with us.

Also, what kind of brush should I get for a siamese kitten? For Marx I use a grooming glove and it works quite well, but they do have a very different kind of fur so should I get a different one for her?

And for how long should I keep her on the food that she is used to? The breeder fed her Royal Canin. I'm honestly not a huge fan of that brand and would like to switch her to something a bit better, but I guess it's better for her to have the food she's used to at least until she adjusts to the new environment?

Any additional tips will be welcome It's been a while since we had a kitten around so I'm a bit nervous. You are also very welcome to share your experiences with befriending a kitten and an adult cat - how did it go, how long did it take, what to avoid, how to know when they are ready?

Sorry about the long post, but I'm just so exited about the new baby and want to make sure that I do everything right.

 

[BellaGooch]

Congratulations on your new kitten!!!
Generally, the younger the cat the easier transition into a new environment it will be. Below I have linked some great articles about transitioning her into her new home/ bonding her with Marx.
If you want to use the bathroom, make sure not to use your only/main bathroom, because it can get tricky if you want to shower, etc.
A bristle brush would probably work for a Siamese. She won't require a whole bunch of brushing, as she shouldn't shed too much.
As far as her food goes, I would probably say after about 4-8 days (or maybe when she is comfortable with her new environment), mix in a small amount of your desired brand with her current brand, and slowly include more of the "new" brand and less of the "old" until she is fully transitioned.
I would personally not recommend having her sleep in your room, just because she might want some time alone to get used to her environment by herself.
Congrats again on your new addition, and I how you have tons of fun with her. Please keep us updated! I'd love to see pictures!
How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home
Bringing Home A New Cat – The Complete Guide

 

[Tashanasha]

Thank you for your tips and the articles! I guess we'll use the guest room for her then. And the trick with the blanket (from one of the articles) seems like a great idea too!

I just hope she settles in soon. I'll post a lit of pictures as soon as she does!

 

[jeannem]

Great article on bringing kitty home.
j

 

[bella.cat]

Hi.
Congrats on the kitten!
I agree with the above.
The small guest room will be a good idea.

Why don't you like Royal Canin? It's definitely not a bad brand, its quite pricey also.
What food are you planning on feeding her?
Make sure to switch the food over gradually. Even if the food is the same brand but different flavour/model then I would still be gradual, especially with kittens. For her dry food, gradually begin to mix it in, every day increasing the ratio of your new food to old food. For the wet food, I would say it doesn't matter as much as they should be having a variety of wet foods anyway. Eg, various brands, various texture, flavours (chicken in gravy, tuna soup, turkey jelly flakes, poultry pate).

 

[Tashanasha]

Hi.
Congrats on the kitten!
I agree with the above.
The small guest room will be a good idea.

Why don't you like Royal Canin? It's definitely not a bad brand, its quite pricey also.
What food are you planning on feeding her?
Make sure to switch the food over gradually. Even if the food is the same brand but different flavour/model then I would still be gradual, especially with kittens. For her dry food, gradually begin to mix it in, every day increasing the ratio of your new food to old food. For the wet food, I would say it doesn't matter as much as they should be having a variety of wet foods anyway. Eg, various brands, various texture, flavours (chicken in gravy, tuna soup, turkey jelly flakes, poultry pate).

Royal Canin is basically overpriced Whiskas. Too much grains, to little protein. There's really nothing special about the brand except for it's marketing department.

I feed Marx Husse dry food (wich is grain free and high in animal protein) and would like to switch the new kitten to that food too. Ideally she will be eating wet only, but I already tried that with Marx and failed - that boy loves his carbs (now he gets two wet meals and one dry), so I'm prepared to compromise on the wet food, but want them at least on a good kibble.

 

[bella.cat]

Royal Canin is basically overpriced Whiskas. Too much grains, to little protein. There's really nothing special about the brand except for it's marketing department.

I feed Marx Husse dry food (wich is grain free and high in animal protein) and would like to switch the new kitten to that food too. Ideally she will be eating wet only, but I already tried that with Marx and failed - that boy loves his carbs (now he gets two wet meals and one dry), so I'm prepared to compromise on the wet food, but want them at least on a good kibble.

Hi.
I've never heard of Husse but if you have good experience and see good nutritional values and ingredients then it should be fine.
Royal Canin is (in my opinion) definitely better than whiskas.
I like Royal Canin because it has some very breed specific foods and a large choice of various diets that can suit most cats.
However, if you aren't really looking for anything specific then I guess there's not much point in buying it.
Kittens should be getting 30-50% of the energy from proteins so I would see why you would want a high protein diet.

What wet food are you thinking? Also Husse?

 

[Tashanasha]

I like Royal Canin because it has some very breed specific foods and a large choice of various diets that can suit most cats.
However, if you aren't really looking for anything specific then I guess there's not much point in buying it.

What wet food are you thinking? Also Husse?

Well, Royal actually doesn't have that much variety: if you check the ingredients on those different foods, they are all the same (and pretty much the same as in Whiskas), they just market them for different breeds and needs but don't really deliver anything for the price you pay. On top of that they pay vets to promote their food whenever they can, which I also don't like.

For wet I'm honestly not sure. Unfortunately, there aren't that many good brands available in my country. Husse has some wet food, but not a big variety so she might get bored of it quickly. Marx didn't like it at all (but he is very picky with his wet, he now only eats Felix in jelly, which ingredient vise isn't great, but not terrible either). There are also some local producers who make grain free cans for pets. They are a bit pricey, but quite good. In the end it really depends on what she likes.

 

[bella.cat]

For wet I'm honestly not sure. Unfortunately, there aren't that many good brands available in my country. Husse has some wet food, but not a big variety so she might get bored of it quickly. Marx didn't like it at all (but he is very picky with his wet, he now only eats Felix in jelly, which ingredient vise isn't great, but not terrible either). There are also some local producers who make grain free cans for pets. They are a bit pricey, but quite good. In the end it really depends on what she likes.

Yep, I agree. IAMS isn't the best brand but my cats and kittens love it, its quite high in protein and some wet food have the meat (eg chicken) as their first/main ingredient so that's quite good. Maybe they have it where you are?