Recommendation - The GCCF strongly recommends no kitten should be permitted to go to a new home before 13 weeks of age. At least seven days prior to this the kitten should have completed a full course of vaccinations, including a health check, given by a Veterinary Surgeon or by a listed Veterinary Nurse under the direction of a Veterinary Surgeon. The breeder should ensure that kittens are house-trained, inoculated and in good general health.
Settling In
Ask for detailed instructions on the kitten's daily routine - its feeding, grooming, toileting and playing habits. Make sure you have some of your kitten's favourite foods ready, and introduce any dietary changes gradually. Taken away from her mother and brothers and sisters, your kitten will feel very lonely when she arrives in your home.
To make the transition to her new home easier for her to deal with, it is essential you are well prepared and ready to welcome her to her new family. You will need the following equipment as a minimum:
Basket: with comfortable bedding where the kitten will feel safe (but she will choose her own place to sleep).
Litter tray: a container that is deep enough and with a scoop to remove droppings - ideally a covered crate to avoid accidental spills and limit smells.
Two dishes: a small one for dry cat food (an adult cat only eats 60 to 70 gm a day) and a bigger one for fresh water which must always be left available.
Scratching post: a must unless you prefer shredded furniture. Show your kitten how to use this to avoid damage inside your home.
Toys: whether bought from the pet shop or home-made.
Transport Make it a weekend. Choose a quiet weekend when the family are around to give your new kitten plenty of love and attention so that she realises this is her new home.
Take a carrying box with you. No matter how quiet the kitten may seem in its home surroundings the sound of a car and unfamiliar people may frighten it. It is against the law to carry an unrestrained animal when travelling and a kitten loose in a car is a hazard to itself, the car driver, and other traffic on the road. What would you do if the car broke down or if you were involved in an accident and the kitten escaped?
Put a blanket in the box for comfort, and remember that the stress of travelling can lead to “accidents”, so take a roll of absorbent paper and more bedding. Choose a cat box that is large enough, as it will still be needed when your kitten is an adult. One which is fairly dark inside is reassuring.
Coming Home
Exploring a new environment, and meeting a new family (people and perhaps other pets) is a very important stage in successfully integrating your kitten into the new home. This should be a gradual, gentle process. Get habits and arrangements right from the start to help protect your new kitten from “accidents waiting to happen” inside your home.
When you get home let your kitten find its own way out of the basket/box and allow it to explore one room at a time. Show your new kitten where things are kept, starting with the litter tray so she can attend to her needs right away, then her food and water, next the basket that will become a place of refuge for peace and safety, and finally her toys and accessories.
The toilet and feeding areas should not be too close together.
Curb your enthusiasm, move gently and without shouting, and avoid passing the kitten around for everyone to cuddle. If the atmosphere is very noisy or disturbed in the early days, your kitten may grow into a nervous and fearful adult. Do not overwhelm your kitten with too much attention, let it come to you naturally, remember you are a stranger to it. Talk to it and encourage it to play with a toy (cotton reels and ping pong balls are favourites). Do not restrain your kitten and force it to sit on your knee. Your lap should be a haven to it, not a prison. Patience with your kitten in the first few hours will be well rewarded.
Safety and hazards
Keep your kitten safe. Your kitten will rely on you for protection and to help build up confidence - their growing up is in your hands. Make sure rooms are escape proof - chimneys blocked, doors and windows shut. It can escape and disappear through the smallest crack and may get shut in a drawer or cupboard. The airing cupboard is a favourite hiding place and the results can be disastrous after a few hours with no litter tray.
Hide electric wires. Block electricity sockets. Put all pesticides, weed killers and other poisons out of reach. Don’t leave plastic bags or things made out of foam lying around. Close the dustbin lid and the lavatory seat cover (you don't want to fish your kitten out from the U-bend). Be careful with bin liner ties which all cats love to swallow.
Look for your new companion's possible hidey holes to help you minimise the risks of accidents. Also learn to look where you are putting your feet and only shut doors if a certain pretty little bundle of fluff is not in the doorway.
All of the following have been the cause of death and serious injury to kittens and young cats:
front and top loading washing machines,
tumble driers,
electric flexes that can be chewed,
hot stoves,
water tanks,
garden pools,
toilets with open lids,
hot baths,
irons
tops of storage heaters.
Use disinfectants that do not contain Phenol or Cresol. These are poisonous to cats. Most brands of household disinfectants contain them. (A quick test is to see if it goes white when added to water). Parvocide, GPC-8, Virkon, Peratol and Trigene are safe in correct dilution. Always dilute a cleansing agent according to the instructions and make sure disinfected items are rinsed and aired afterwards. To cleanse a soiled area use a biological washing powder and then rub with surgical spirit as this prevents the cat being attracted back to the same spot.
Cats and kittens can poison themselves by washing their feet or coats after walking through a poisonous substance. Insecticides, weed killers, slug pellets, timber preservatives, woodworm treatments, petrol and anti-freeze are all harmful to cats - often with fatal consequences. Never give a cat any drugs that have not been prescribed for it; many human drugs are poisonous to cats. Seek veterinary advice immediately if you suspect any form of poisoning.
Take care that toys, or parts of them, cannot be swallowed. Plastic bags and rubber bands such as the elastic that goes around joints of meat are a hazard. Plastic does not show up on an X-ray and can be very dangerous if swallowed. Do not allow a kitten to play unsupervised with wool, string or thread, and beware of sewing needles and pins - kittens have been known to swallow thread with these still attached.
Many house plants are poisonous. Do not leave them where they can be chewed - just in case. The following is a list of common harmful plants:
Cyclamen
Holly
Mistletoe
Wisteria
Philodendron
Azalea
Rhododendron
Jerusalem cherry tree
Oleander
Poinsettia
Ivy
Aucuba
Sweet pea
Ficus
Children
Children are often very excited about a new arrival in the house, and may want to pay her lots of attention, hold her and sometimes tease her. An adult cat is perfectly capable of avoiding children when she doesn't want to be bothered, but a kitten is not. Children should understand they must keep very still and quiet (very small children should not be introduced until the kitten has had a chance to settle).Explain that the kitten is not a toy, but that just like a baby she needs lots of sleep and it is absolutely forbidden for them to wake her up just for a cuddle. In the early days, don't let young children play with the cat unless an adult is there, which will hopefully avoid them getting scratched.
Other pets
Other pets should be introduced gradually and one at a time. Cohabitation with pet rodents or birds is very difficult, but may happen in exceptional circumstances. With all other pets, introductions must be made under supervision and over a gradual period. Mishandled introductions can produce feelings of frustration and/or jealousy which can cause your existing pet to leave home temporarily.
Dogs - a well socialised dog will often easily accept a young kitten. Older dogs may be less tolerant, but a small scratch from your kitten will soon make them less aggressive and integration will generally take place quickly and without major problems.
Another cat – here the process can be far more difficult. An adult cat does not really appreciate the arrival of a kitten in her territory, and she will show her displeasure in the form of threatening behaviour. Total acceptance may take several months.
During the introduction process, do not allow any aggression. Do it on neutral territory during play or meal times. Repeat the operation until both cats no longer mind the other's presence and begin to share. A hierarchical relationship will then be established between the two cats - a relationship that you must respect.
Maintain your old pet’s (dog or cat) privileges for the first few days. Give them plenty of reassurance on their own personal territory. Keep the kitten in a small area to start with, so that she gradually learns her way around and doesn’t hide under furniture. Use a cloth to pick up the kitten’s facial secretions and wipe it low down on walls in the other rooms so that the older pet gets used to the kitten’s smell.
Handling your kitten
Remember to handle your kitten gently. Rough or sudden movements can be very scary. If you want to carry her, the best way is to slide an open hand under her stomach, with the other hand under her rear-end. If you need to show your authority, you won't do any harm if you take the kitten by the scruff of her neck, in the same way a mother cat would carry her kitten.
Don't pull her tail.
Don't hold her by the head.
Don't slide both hands under her front paws
Warmth & Hygiene
Your kitten needs warmth at first - it will miss its mother and litter mates. Even when adult, a short haired cat should never be left alone in an unheated room at night or in cold weather without some basket or bed with warm bedding in it.
No cat should ever be put out at night to fend for itself
A sanitary tray - litter tray or washing up bowl - must be available at all times and kept in the same place. Solid matter and wet lumps should be removed from the tray frequently and the litter renewed when necessary. The tray should be washed and disinfected frequently. Rinse thoroughly after disinfecting and allow to dry before use. Cats are very fussy and will not use a dirty tray (neither will your visitors appreciate it!). You can buy covered litter trays which provide privacy for your cat and hide the litter from your visitors.
First meals
Don't make any sudden changes to your kitten's food, to avoid the risk of provoking digestive problems. For at least the first few days, keep your new kitten on the food she has been eating to date. Ask the breeder about your kitten’s feeding habits - number of meals a day, whether given in rations or left out freely and the type of food.
If you decide to change the food, make a gradual transition from the old food to the new over the period of a week. This will help minimise the risks of soft stools or diarrhoea that can be very harmful to the kitten's proper development.
Food transition:
§1st and 2nd days: 75 % old food and 25 % new
§3rd and 4th days: 50 % old and 50 % new
§5th and 6th days: 25 % old and 75 % new
§Final day: 100 % new
Never give the kitten scraps during your meals, as she will learn to beg for food and steal from the table. An unbalanced diet can also lead to obesity.
Always make sure your kitten always has fresh water available, and above all leave her to eat in peace.
First night
The first night alone away from their mother can be very disturbing for your kitten. Your bed is not the proper place for your kitten, although of course they will never refuse to sleep with you! Just remember if you let your kitten into your bed now, they will carry on doing the same as an adult. As they grow up they may come into contact with fleas and other parasites, making it not very hygienic. Your kitten's proper place is in her basket. Above all, do not give in to temptation and respond to mews on the kitten's first night - stay calm, and they will settle after 3 or 4 days.
Final note
Your breeder has reared the kitten with care up to the age of three months and he/she would appreciate a word on its progress - especially a spare photograph. They might not have time to write back, but would be very grateful.
