Tips for Bringing Home a New kitten (Ultimate Beginner Guide) | The Cat Butler, by The Cat Butler on YouTube. 15 min 24 s.
- Video length
- 15 min 24 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Set up a quiet safe room before the kitten arrives. Add a litter box, food and water bowls, a bed, a scratch post and a few toys. Block gaps behind furniture and tidy loose cables.
Put the carrier on the floor and open the door. Let the kitten walk out on its own. Do not pull it out or pass it around, and sit quietly nearby while it explores.
Show the kitten the litter box first. Place it in a corner away from the food, fill it with 5 to 8 cm of litter, and set the kitten inside gently after meals.
Keep the first day calm. Limit visitors and noise, and feed the same food the breeder or shelter used. If you switch brands, mix the new food in slowly over 7 to 10 days.
Feed small meals three or four times a day for young kittens. Leave fresh water out all day and wash the bowls daily.
Book a vet check within the first few days. Ask about worming, flea treatment, vaccinations and microchipping, and bring any paperwork from the breeder or shelter.
If you have a resident cat, keep the two apart at first. Swap their bedding so they learn each other's scent, then feed them on opposite sides of a closed door.
Try short supervised meetings after a few days. Start with a screen or baby gate, then let them share the room. Separate them again if either one hisses or hides.
Play with a wand toy for 10 to 15 minutes before meals. End the game with food so the kitten settles, and keep feeding, play and sleep at the same times each day.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the kitten indoors and check window screens and balcony doors, since small kittens squeeze through tiny gaps.
Never give cow's milk or human foods like onion, chocolate or grapes, and keep lilies and other toxic plants out of reach.
Skip clumping litter for very young kittens that might eat it, and use pea-based or paper litter instead.
Expect hiding on the first day or two. That is normal, so do not drag the kitten out of its spot.
Questions
How long should a new kitten stay in one room?
Keep it there for at least a few days, until it eats, drinks, uses the litter box and seems relaxed. Then open up one more room at a time.
How do I stop my resident cat from hissing at the kitten?
Hissing is normal at first. Go slowly with scent swaps and feeding on opposite sides of a door, and never force them face to face.
What should I feed a new kitten?
Feed the same food it was eating before, in small meals through the day. Change brands gradually over a week or so.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
