Bringing a kitten home and their first week with you
What you’ll need to know to care for your kitten
There’s a lot to consider when it comes to welcoming a new kitten. You’ll need to be fully prepared before collecting them and know how to approach their first day and night with you, including what to feed them.
During the first week, it’s best to begin establishing routines as well as taking them to the vet and beginning to socialise them. And it’s important to know how to introduce your kitten to friends, family, children and other pets. As well as how to handle their first adventures outdoors once they’re vaccinated.
Are you ready to collect your kitten?
It’s important to be fully prepared before collecting your kitten. Make sure you’ve kitten-proofed your home and set up a room with everything they'll need, including a bed, food and water bowls, a litter tray and toys.
You’ll need a cat box to carry your kitten in too, and some of the food their previous owner’s been feeding them. It’s also a good idea to find a vet you trust and make an appointment for a check-up a few days after collecting them.
Make sure you’ve kitten-proofed your home and set up the room your kitten will be living in. You’ll also need a cat box for the journey. And it’s best to find a vet in advance so you can book a check-up for your kitten a few days after they come home with you.
You should never adopt a kitten before it is eight weeks old, and some breeders may keep them with their mother and littermates until they are 12 weeks old. By that stage they should be weaned and have learned the basic social skills they need to interact with other cats. Between eight and 16 weeks old is also when they begin to understand their position in the household, so it’s a good time to resettle them with you.
It’s ideal to collect your kitten when you have a couple of quiet days to spend at home with them and no visitors scheduled. Aim to collect them in the morning so they have time to get used to your home before night time.
Ask what your kitten’s been eating and find out about their feeding routine and litter tray arrangements. Check if they’ve seen a vet and had any vaccinations or worming treatments, and whether or not they have an ID chip. Also ask about their favourite toys.
If possible, leave some toys and a blanket with your kitten for a few days before collecting them so the familiar smell is comforting for them on the journey and when you get home.
However you’re travelling, it’s essential to take a cat box as it’s dangerous to carry a kitten loose in a car and they may escape if you’re walking or on public transport.
Choose one that will accommodate your kitten when they’re fully grown and add a blanket for comfort. A darkened carrier will help your kitten feel protected. And remember to take some paper towels and a replacement blanket in case of accidents during the journey. Keep the carry case close during these journeys to comfort your kitten.
If you’re in a car, keep things calm and drive slowly to prevent startling your kitten. Either fasten the cat box in with a seat belt so it doesn’t slide around or have another passenger hold it steady.
To help your kitten feel secure, drape a light blanket over the cat box and put any toys or blankets that smell familiar in the box. It’s safest to leave them in the box during the journey, but you can help them stay calm by speaking soothingly.
Your kitten’s first day with you
Your kitten’s first night with you
Provide a safe place to sleep
For their health and wellbeing, kittens need lots of sleep in a quiet place where they can relax and feel secure. Your kitten may sleep for around 20 hours out of 24 and may still need as much as 18 hours’ sleep as an adult cat.
The best kitten food and feeding habits
Stick to the same diet at first
Any sudden changes in your kitten’s diet can cause digestive upsets and stress. So, for the first week, give your kitten the same food and feeding routine as their previous owner. Then you can slowly switch to a different routine, if you choose, and kitten food suitable for their age.
Provide somewhere quiet to eat
This should be somewhere your kitten feels secure, away from where you and any other pets eat. Cats don’t like to eat too near their litter tray and should always have fresh water available. It's important to keep water bowls away from their food to avoid contamination.
Don’t give your kitten milk or table scraps
After weaning, kitten's lose the ability to digest the sugar in milk and cow's milk can give them diarrhoea. If you feed them scraps from your meals they may begin begging or become ill or overweight from eating too much of the wrong foods.
Be patient with your kitten's reduced appetite
The stress of moving to a new home may mean your kitten doesn’t eat very much at first, but their appetite should return once they’ve settled. Also, remember that cats don't naturally eat large meals – they eat several small meals a day. If you are ever concerned about your kitten's eating habits, consult your vet.
Learn about kitten nutrition and feeding
How to change your kitten’s diet safely
Kitten socialisation
Your kitten’s first visit to the vet
It’s really important to take your kitten to the vet for a check-up once they’ve spent a few days settling with you. By being well prepared, you can make sure it’s a positive event for your kitten. And you can take the opportunity to learn more about caring for them.
First vet visitYour kitten may feel unsettled by their move to a new home, but you can help them to stay calm. Always move slowly and gently and handle them very carefully. Use a soft voice and give plenty of reassurance as you gradually introduce new sights, sounds and smells. And make sure you keep the number of visitors to a minimum initially.
How to introduce your kitten to children, pets and other adults
Kittens can easily be overwhelmed or even terrified by encounters with other animals and people, so it’s vital you make introductions in the right way.
Your kitten’s daytime routine
Kittens can go outside with your supervision when they’ve had their booster vaccinations at around four months old. But they’re not ready to go outside unsupervised until they’re around six months old.
As well as your kitten being fully vaccinated, you should also make sure:
They’re identifiable via a microchip or a well-fitting collar and identification tag.
Your garden is kitten-proofed.
You know their favourite things so you can use them to encourage your kitten back inside.
Before your kitten goes outside unsupervised, they also need to be neutered or spayed to prevent unwanted litters.
Your kitten’s first trip outdoors can feel daunting, but here are some ways to help ensure it’s a positive experience:
Choose a quiet time and keep children and other pets away.
Go out before dinnertime so you can use your kitten’s food to attract them inside again.
Walk with your kitten as they explore so they don’t get lost.
Leave the door open so they can see how to get back inside.