Taking Your Kitten Home

When taking your new kitten home, it is a good idea to keep your kitten confined to 1 or 2 rooms with a litter tray, water bowl and food. A couple of toys to play with. Just until your kitten gets used to the new smells and familiar with their new household.

Your kitten may be a little shy when you get them home as they are used to being surrounded by their mum, siblings and family. Give your kitten lots of cuddles to help welcome them to their new home. But if the kitten hides under anything, DO NOT FORCE IT OUT. Just let your kitten come out on its own.

We always sit on the ground in a quiet closed room when we bring home a new kitten, and block up any hiding spots with towels and pillows, and let the kitten come to us and smell us and we move slowly to stroke them.

Kids and Kittens

We explain to our young son and any visiting children that kittens are babies and they need to be very quiet and gentle with the new babies. They are not cats or toys, but babies.

It is good to teach small children not to put their hands in front of kittens faces for them to grab as kittens have sharp little claws and teeth. It may seem like a game, but when the kitten is older their claws and teeth are much longer, and your cat will learn to scratch.

Never leave a small child alone with a kitten. When young children come over to hold our kittens, we put them on the ground next to us and put a pillow on their lap. We place the kitten on the pillow so the child can stroke the kitten without worrying about sharp claws.

Discipline

If your kitten does anything during play that you do not like, say a sharp NO! and walk away. Only if really necessary a sharp NO! and a little tap on the nose. NEVER hit a kitten. You shouldn't ever need to do this, but kittens do get excited when playing, so treat your kitten gently and lovingly and it will grow into a lovely, sometimes obedient, and loving member of your family.

A Day in the Life of a Kitten

Kittens are usually most active first thing in the morning and after breakfast. At lunch they usually start to settle down for their long snooze around 11am, and wake up around 3.30 to 4pm when the kids get home from school. They have a good play until their tea time (5pm) and will play and keep you company until you go to bed.

Kittens love to be wherever you are.

If you find your kitten going places that they are not supposed to (for example, kitchen bench, birdcage, climbing curtains), a quick squirt of a water bottle and a sharp NO! will help train them to not do it. Also a bottle with a little water in it when shaken and a sharp NO! will sometimes work.

Claws

Kittens claws grow within 2 weeks so indoor kittens will need their claws clipped. To do this with a nail clipper on the curved end of the claw be very careful not to cut the quick. The quick is the pink part that you see in a kittens claw. This is where the blood is - so always avoid the quick.

If you are not confident in doing this, I or your local vet can show you how.

The kittens have many scratching posts around our house. It is a great investment as it will also help to save your carpets and chairs.

Litter Training Continues

We recommend open cat litters, especially with kittens. As the kitten gets older (around 9 months), then if you need to, get a covered cat litter. But remove front flap as kittens have been known to pass out from the unfiltered air when the ammonia from their urine gets into their lungs. DO NOT USE CLUMPING CAT LITTER, as it has caused deaths.

Cat Litters that breeders use include Breeders Choice or good old volcanic rock if you are on a budget.

When you first get your kitten home, around every 2 hours, put them gently into the litter box to show them where it is. Especially after a meal to help them know where the new litter is.

Kitten Comfort

If you decide that you want a cat bed, place it on something like a chair. If you put the cat bed on the floor, the kitten will say "thank you for the nice soft litter tray!". But you will probably find that your kitten will make your bed, their bed.

Never leave kittens in wet areas as the cold wet air effects their lungs and can make them very sick. Kittens have very little body fat so get cold quickly. Always keep your kitten in a nice warm spot. If you live in colder areas, maybe a heated pet mat may be ideal.

Our cats are indoor cats with a large outside run. So the kittens and cats are safe. Siamese are really sought after cats and have been known to be stolen if left outside to roam.

Always have a collar with elastic in it so that if it gets caught on something, it reduces the risk of injury. Kittens are scared of loud noises, so if I am going to vacuum or know if there is going to be a loud noise, I will put them into a quiet room to make them feel safe.

I hope this helps you with your new Targaryen kitten.

All the best for you and the new member of your family.

Jaimie. xoxoxo