A new pet kitten! How exciting. Bringing home a new pet kitten can be a very joyous time. Make sure that you have everything ready for you new pet before you bring her home so that her adjustment will be safe and happy.
Adopting a Kitten
There are many ways that you can adopt a kitten at low or now cost. Adopting a kitten from a local shelter or ASPCA is a great idea. This way you can give a good, safe home to a kitten who may never have or, or worse, yet, may otherwise have to be euthanized.
You can check the website for the ASPCA at www.aspca.com. There is an abundance of information regarding adopting a kitten or other pet. You will also find a wealth of information regarding care and feeding or your new pet kitten.
If you want to rescue or adopt a new pet kitten, you may also want to check the site www.adopt-a-cat.1-800-save-a-pet.com. You can enter your location or zip code and get information regarding pets which are available for adoption.
Getting Ready for Your New Pet Kitten
Before you bring home your new kitten, make sure that you are ready for her. She may be scared and this may be the first time away from her mother, so you will want to help make the transition easy for your new kitten.
Here are some things that you should have on hand before your new kitten comes home:
- Litter box. You don’t need a full size one yet. If your kitten is small, even a shoe box with a plastic liner will be big enough. Check with your Vet for litter choices for young kittens. Chances are that your kitten will just know to eliminate in the litter box and training may not be necessary. If you find your kitten needs a little guidance, try putting her into the litter box after a meal and make a scratching motion with her paw. She should get the idea.
- Bedding. You don’t have to purchase anything fancy, but a fluffy towel or pillow might be nice for you new pet kitten. However, don’t forget that you kitten might take one sniff and bed down elsewhere.
- Kitten Food. You should check with your Vet for a great brand of kitten food. Also, be sure to ask about the advantages of hard food versus wet food.
- Food and water dishes. Make sure to have some sturdy food and water dishes ready for your new pet kitten. She will soon be hungry and will need dishes that she won’t easily knock over or spill.
Consult Your Veterinarian
When bringing home a new pet kitten, you will want to follow your Vet’s advice. If you have other cats or pets at home, it is imperative that you bring her in for her shots and for a check up before bringing her home. It could be tragic if your new pet kitten infected a beloved pet with something.
Your Vet will probably take some blood to make certain that your new pet kitten does not have any fatal or contagious diseases like Feline Leukemia. It may take a day or two to get the results back, so you should be prepared to keep your new pet kitten in one room until the results come back.
Please Spay or Neuter
As soon as your new pet kitten is old enough, please spay or neuter him or her. There are so many cats who are needlessly euthanized because of overpopulation.
To Declaw or Not to Declaw?
This is a subject which has had much debate. When you declaw your cat, the tips of her toes will actually be amputated. This is what prevents the nails from growing back.
There are many people who view this as disfigurement and believe it is cruel. They believe that your cat may be permanently harmed by this and that it should never be done. If you cat will ever go outside, you must leave her nails intact. Do not declaw her.
However, if your new pet kitten is to be an indoor cat, you may consider declawing her at the same time she is spayed. This way, she will only have to go through one surgery and one recovery.
Consider that although she will have to go through the recovery process, she is getting a wonderful home and will be happy for many years. Also consider that you will never have to argue with her about scratching the furniture.
Kitten’s First Few Days
When you first bring your new pet kitten home, she may be very scared. Understand that this is normal. She may also be over whelmed with the new home she is seeing.
You will probably want to keep her confined to one room for a few days and gradually get her used to the rest of the house as she gets more relaxed. If you have other pets in your house, be sure to keep them separate until you are certain that your new kitten has a clean bill of health.
Make sure that she has a litter box available at all times, as well as food and water. You may want to keep her in your bedroom, so that she will not have to be alone all night. Visit her frequently to get her used to you and to keep her company. Walk and speak softly so that she is not frightened. Remember, you are a giant in her eyes and she will have to get used to you.
If you have children, of course they will be extremely excited. Let your kitten get used to them gradually as well. Your kitten may not be used to the noise and abrupt motions of children. You don’t want her to get scared and scratch anyone. Once they are used to each other, they will likely be inseparable.
Have fun with your new kitten
Enjoy and love your new kitten. Animal lovers know what a wonderful and faithful companion a pet can be. A kitten is a wonderful pet for a child to grow up with as well. Keep your eyes opened for any unusual behavior, as this may be a sign of health problems. Give her the best food that you can afford and give her good Veterinary care. You will have a devoted pet for many years to come.
