Leaving my kitten alone

[dome0319]

Hey there:

I'm new to this site so I'm not sure if I am posting in the correct section so I apologize if I'm wrong.....I recently adopted a stray kitten (vet says approximately 6 weeks) on Saturday. I didn't leave him for the first few days but now I am back at work. I have him set up in the bathroom with his litter box, food, bed, toys, etc. My question is, how long should I wait before I let him have run of the house? It's a small two bedroom upper unit and he seems pretty comfortable running around during the day and sleeps in our room at night but with him being so small I'm concerned about him getting himself into trouble without supervision for 8ish hours.

Any advice would be great!!!

Thanks,

Dominique 

 

[LTS3]

I would not let a 6 week old kitten free run of the house while you are not home. There are too many things a curious kitten can get into, break, ingest, etc. Keep the kitten in the bathroom for now and start kitten-proofing your house as much as possible. When to let your kitten have free run really depends on the kitten. Observe the kitten when you are are home. If he seems to leave most stuff alone, then you can leaving the kitten out for one day and see how it goes. Keep the bedroom doors and any other doors closed to minimize the stuff the kitten can get into. If the litter box is in the bathroom, just leave that one door open.

My previous cat was contained in the living room for a week or so when he was about 6 weeks old. Then he had full run of the house, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea because my parents' house is not pet-safe (or kid-safe but we somehow grew up just fine with minimal supervision). Fortunately my cat never got into any sort of mischief or needed a trip to the ER because he ate something he wasn't supposed to.

 

[dome0319]

Thank you, LTS3!! I appreciate the advice. I am working on kitten proofing my home now. He seems to be pretty good about leaving things alone when I'm at home so hopefully he'll be free to roam soon. 

 

[ragsmom]

When you do let him have the run of the house, be sure it is kitten proofed! Pay special attention to the cords that hang from blinds and curtains and electrical cords. Be sure his nails are kept trimmed...they can sometimes get their claws hung up and have trouble getting free.

 

[jade14]

Every cat is different, but I'm sure he is just fine in the bathroom for now as long as he has a few things to keep him entertained.  I kept Sawyer in our bedroom for probably the first month and a half that I had him, we had his food and litter box in the master bathroom too.  I started letting him have run of the house for short periods of time at first, like I would go to the store for half an hour or go pick up my husband from work, then eventually leave him when I would work for a shorter shift, like 5 hours.  Now he has full run of the house and we have had no problems.    Like others said, just watch how he acts when you are around, if he gets into things or chews cords, once you notice he is behaving and not doing anything that could hurt him if you weren't around, then you could start letting him have full run.  

 

[kittensncoffee]

My kitten is an absolute psycho who literally tries to climb curtains and walls, so when I'm at work he stays in his room until I get home. I only work part time so it's not really a big deal, and yeah as crazy as it sounds I basically have a cat room for him. He has his box, his food and water, a chair with blankets, a tonnnn of toys, an armoire that he cuddles in and a window to watch the cars. He's a happy guy. Until my kitten calms down I can't let him out unsupervised, he's so crazy he runs until he falls over and passes out.