Prepping For New Kitten Adoption!

[thatfilmgirl]

So I've recently moved in to my new home and once everything is cleaned up and settled, I was going to be adopting a pair of kittens. I have two older boys who will be staying with my family since that's their home, they're comfortable there, etc. I wanted to adopt kittens so I could get them started early on being handled, nail trimming, trained properly, etc. Well, the last time I had kittens, I was 11 and that was a whole different experience and I just haven't found helpful advice for the questions I have.

1. My home is an open floor on the first floor, and the second floor has a bedroom and the spare room. Normally I'd set the spare room up as the cat room for this, but the spare room is going to have my computer set up in there as I'm using it as an office. Would it be better to get the kittens set up in a special area in the downstairs living room instead?
2. Off this first question, how could I set up a good kitten playground that I can confine them in while I'm at work during the day to minimize their getting into cords and whatnot? Playpens seem to be frowned upon but I want to keep them safe when no one is home during these first few months until their bigger.
   
3. The steps going upstairs are open with no risers. Now, I know my cats love to sleep and play on the steps and I very easily see a pair of rambunctious kittens rolling down and then rolling through that open space and getting seriously hurt or worse. So should I keep them confined to their designated area until they're older before letting them at the stairs?
4. Feeding schedule! Would love to get them on a feeding schedule. We always free fed our cats, but in the past few years, we have a timed feeding schedule of wet food (once in the morning and once in the evening). I haven't been able to find something on how to do with that kittens.

I'm grateful for any other advice you can offer for getting the babies all settled and taken care of.

 

[catsknowme]

Kittens! How exciting! I haven't realized that covered playpens were not desirable. Many kitten rescuers that I know use them, especially when taming ferals. the stairs might be a concern unless you can put down some sort of cushioning on the floor below - maybe cardboard pieces topped with quilts or area rugs when the kittens are out for freeplay. I am a big fan of free feeding kitten kibble with wet kitten food offered three times daily. I also like to keep them on a napping schedule but your kittens are probably on a pretty basic schedule already. I crate my bottle babies at 8-9 pm at night in a covered carrier - when they get older, I give them a small litter box behind their sleeping box and attach small dishes with water & food to the door so that they get used to sleeping through the night without the midnight crazies when they are older (that also requires lots of play in the evening hours, to use up all the stored energy).

 

[thatfilmgirl]

Kittens! How exciting! I haven't realized that covered playpens were not desirable. Many kitten rescuers that I know use them, especially when taming ferals. the stairs might be a concern unless you can put down some sort of cushioning on the floor below - maybe cardboard pieces topped with quilts or area rugs when the kittens are out for freeplay. I am a big fan of free feeding kitten kibble with wet kitten food offered three times daily. I also like to keep them on a napping schedule but your kittens are probably on a pretty basic schedule already. I crate my bottle babies at 8-9 pm at night in a covered carrier - when they get older, I give them a small litter box behind their sleeping box and attach small dishes with water & food to the door so that they get used to sleeping through the night without the midnight crazies when they are older (that also requires lots of play in the evening hours, to use up all the stored energy).

See I was surprised by the pen too, but I thought that would be excellent while they're still small. I will probably move forward with that while I'm at work during the day (and I only live twenty minutes away, so they'd be kenneled from 6:30am to 4:30 pm. If I absolutely needed to, I suppose I could go home on lunch during these early months).

As for the stairs, right below them are the basement stairs. If they fall through there, they're crashing straight into the basement. It's one of those 1980s era built condos. Not much I can really do.

So adopting kittens, they'd be what? 8 weeks old at the earliest? So they'd be on a schedule from I guess the shelter (although I had been casually looking at breeders because kitty health issues, you know?) So when you mean free feeding, you're providing the food and don't take it away three times a day?

 

[neko2019]

Do you know how old will the kittens be when you take them home? I took Neko home when he was 12 weeks old, and set him up in a room on the first floor, and left the door of that room open. After a couple of days, he came out of the room on his own and roamed the house with no problems. He was living in the breeder's house before, so he already knew how to get up and down the stairs. We are at work 7AM-5PM, and he is on his own during this time. We keep the upstair bedroom doors closed, so there really isn't anything interesting to him up there, so he just stays on the main floor most of the time.

I'm also struggling with feedings schedule. Right now I'm feeding him dry food during the day (essentially free feed with a measured amount of food), one meal of wet food when we get home, then another meal around 9PM.

 

[thatfilmgirl]

Do you know how old will the kittens be when you take them home? I took Neko home when he was 12 weeks old, and set him up in a room on the first floor, and left the door of that room open. After a couple of days, he came out of the room on his own and roamed the house with no problems. He was living in the breeder's house before, so he already knew how to get up and down the stairs. We are at work 7AM-5PM, and he is on his own during this time. We keep the upstair bedroom doors closed, so there really isn't anything interesting to him up there, so he just stays on the main floor most of the time.

I'm also struggling with feedings schedule. Right now I'm feeding him dry food during the day (essentially free feed with a measured amount of food), one meal of wet food when we get home, then another meal around 9PM.

No, I don't know how old they'd be, but I'd be looking around 8-12 weeks old I suppose. I don't have a room on the first floor, but like I said, I'd be really concerned about the open stairs and them accidentally falling through.

 

[catsknowme]

The open staircase sounds worrisome especially as how rough kittens can scamper up & down on staircases.

 

[neely]

Thank you for adopting two kittens! Here is a helpful Article about kitten proofing your home: Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips

We look forward to seeing pics once they come home.

 

[thatfilmgirl]

Thank you for adopting two kittens! Here is a helpful Article about kitten proofing your home: Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips

We look forward to seeing pics once they come home.

Thanks so much! I had read this already, hence the specific questions and advice I was seeking to take some actionable steps.

 

[thatfilmgirl]

The open staircase sounds worrisome especially as how rough kittens can scamper up & down on staircases.

Yes, this is why I was posting about it. Do you have any suggestions? Should they be strictly downstairs cats until they're a year old?

 

[catsknowme]

You vet probably has some suggestions but I would keep them off the stairs until they are sturdy - probably at least 5 or 6 months. Keeping them off will be a challenge - I guess some sort of "cat fence" design on the front and sides of the staircase. Do you have any inventive friends who can help? If it wasn't for the stairway to the basement, it wouldn't be such a concern - not much difference from feral kittens playing in trees.

 

[thatfilmgirl]

You vet probably has some suggestions but I would keep them off the stairs until they are sturdy - probably at least 5 or 6 months. Keeping them off will be a challenge - I guess some sort of "cat fence" design on the front and sides of the staircase. Do you have any inventive friends who can help? If it wasn't for the stairway to the basement, it wouldn't be such a concern - not much difference from feral kittens playing in trees.

I'm leaning towards setting up something in my office upstairs. I can block off the computer area/cover the cables for them and I'll spent more time in there when I get home than if I had them downstairs. But yeah, the stairs are right above the basement stairs. Lot more confident when they're bigger. Thank you