How to raise a kitten?

Before taking your kitten home

Raising your kitten starts with a lot of preparation. This includes finding a local veterinarian and buying the right supplies.

Your first visit to the veterinarian will most likely be necessary to official register your cat, and to get vaccinations and a microchip. Most breeders and rescue centres do take care of the initial veterinarian visits, so always ask which treatments your cat has received so far. A veterinarian can inform you about neutering, possible deworming treatments, and even cat insurance policies.

Next on the list are buying kitten food and grooming supplies. In the first week, your kitten will need to eat a diet similar to what it is used to at the breeder or in the rescue centre. After this week, you can gradually switch to your preferred brand. Grooming your kitten is not as extensive as grooming an adult kitten, but it is necessary nonetheless. Invest in some combs, shampoo, and nail clippers, as they will come in handy when your cat is older too.

What supplies does a kitten need?

You do not want your kitten to start scratching or biting your furniture, curtains, or trousers. So, make sure that your kitten has another surface to use instead. A scratching post is the perfect solution! A lot of scratching posts also have a surface to sleep on, making this the perfect outlet for your kitten’s scratching needs and a place to catch up on some z’s. Toys are another great way to distract your cat from demolishing your home. Cats love toys with sounds, special movements, and scents, so invest in toys with catnip, a feather, or a laser lamp.

Apart from toys, your cat will also need a couple of other items to start feeling at home. This starts with a must-have item for every cat owner: a litter box. It is important that you do not put the box too close to a door or a big window that overlooks the garden. Next up is some good food and water bowls. Leave a little room between them so the food and water don’t get mixed up, and never put the bowls next to your cat’s litter box – your cat needs to have multiple, separate areas where it can eat, drink, and defecate.

It may help to support your kitten with products that help lessen anxiety caused by the new surroundings. The products from Feliway and Pet Remedy help calm your kitten and reduce behaviour that’s related to stress and anxiety. The Welcome Home Set from Pet Remedy has everything you need to help your kitten get used to its new home without any stress. This set includes a calming diffuser, a calming spray and calming wipes.

Last up on your shopping list is a travel basket. Maybe you have already bought one to take your kitten home but in case you have not: you are going to need one to make trips with your buddy a lot easier. Once you have a basket, you must give your kitten some time to get used to it. If you place the basket in the living room, your kitten will start to see the basket as a safe haven and trips to the veterinarian will not seem as scary anymore.

How to kitten-proof your home?

Here are some good tips to make your home fully kitten-proof:

• Close off nooks and crannies or possible hideouts to prevent losing your kitten.
• Tilt and turn windows are very dangerous for cats, so secure them with special protective fences.
• A lot of houseplants are poisonous to your cat, so remove plants like aloe vera, lilies and poinsettia from your home and/or garden.
• Put away electricity cables, phone chargers, and so on.
• Cover electrical outlets.
• Secure cords for curtains and blinds.
• Keep human food out of the kitten’s reach.
• Store away cleaning supplies and plastic bags.

How does a kitten learn?

Now that you have all necessary supplies and your home is completely kitten-proof, it is time to start raising your kitten. While your kitten is still with the mother cat and its litter-mates, it will already pick up on a thing or two. Kittens learn to imitate their mum before going out to explore by themselves. It is very important that they learn these basics before finding their forever home – that is why a kitten cannot leave its mum before it is 2 months old. Unfortunately, kittens are frequently taken home too early. A lot of behavioural problems in adult cats can be traced back to this – so remember that kittens need to learn the basics before you take them home!

What do you need to know about training a kitten?

Kittens start learning how to behave by biting and scratching their litter mates. This is also the time where kittens learn that the mother cat is treated differently than their litter mates. Socialisation also plays a big role in kittens’ upbringing. If kittens have pleasant experiences in the early stages of life, they will be less scared to explore later in life and have less difficulty adapting to a new environment.

Are you planning on teaching your kitten a thing or two? Then it is important to start with an overview of the things you want to teach your kitten. A kitten will figure out what is right and wrong by experimenting, so let your cat explore rooms and toys. If you feel like a certain trait is turning into bad behaviour, you can use a spray battle to discourage the behaviour. Reinforce good behaviour by praising your kitten with gentle petting and treats.

How do you litter-train a kitten?

The mother cat usually teaches kittens how to use the litter box. If your kitten is 5 to 6 weeks old, it should know how to use the litter box and to cover its poop and pee. Some kittens do not learn this, however, meaning you will have to litter-train the kitten by yourself. You can start by placing your cat on the litter box after dinner. Use your kitten’s paws to dig a hole and show how to cover poop and pee. It will usually only take a couple of tries before your kitten will grasp the situation. If you are not sure where to start, you can take a look at our blog about “Litter Training for cats”.

Although it might be obvious: a cat is not a dog. This means that there is a world of difference between raising a puppy and kitten. While you have much less control trying to raise a kitten, it is not impossible to teach the basics and to meet your kitten’s needs.

If you have any further questions about raising a kitten, you can contact our customer service or get in touch with our veterinarian.