When you first bring kitty home, there will need to be a transition period for both the kitten and the members of your household.  A kitten is tiny, and it’s curious about everything and so no matter where you are, at any time the kitten could be right behind you, in front of you, or trying to climb up your leg!  In order to get through the transition period without becoming a bundle of nerves, the best thing you can do for the kitten and yourself is to create a safe zone.  This is a place where you can put kitty so you know he’s safe and not going to get trod on, and where kitty also knows he’ll be safe from getting stood on!

Find a large cardboard box, approximately 3 feet square, plus at least 3 feet high.  Organize the inside of the box so that there are specific areas for specific things, such as a sleeping corner, some paper to go potty on (if there’s room for a temporary litter tray in there all the better!), and a supply of fresh water that’s not easily knocked over.  Also give the kitten a couple of small toys to play with so he doesn’t get bored.  This becomes like a toddlers playpen.  It’s somewhere you know he’s safe.

As with a toddler however, he’s going to try and get out once the novelty of the box is gone and it’s been completely explored.  He’ll take a jump for the top of the box, so make sure that you use a box that’s quite heavy and won’t fall over if he manages to hang over the top of it – you also don’t want to make it so high that if he does manage to get to the top, and fall out, he’s not going to hurt himself – you could place a cushion at the base of the side most likely to be the “escape route” just in case.  You also should place the box in a shady area, away from sunlight, and out of the way of drapes because if he can, he’ll make a jump for the drapes and escape that way!

Despite the escape possibility, the safe zone will give you peace of mind, especially in the early days when you’re still adjusting to having him around, and it will give him somewhere of his own to retreat to when he’s had enough of the “big” world inside your home.  Although he may want to escape the box, there’ll be other times when it all gets a bit much and he actual sits beside his safe zone – or attempts to jump in!

Related posts:

1. Does My Kitty Need an ID Tag?

Well the first question really is, where are you going to put it?  If you’re talking about kitty as an 8 week old furry babe who’s just arrived in your home, then probably you don’t need one yet.  The purpose of an ID tag is to help to identify your cat should it go missing, and as your new kitty shouldn’t be going outside just yet, then it doesn’t really need an ID tag – plus you’re also going to have to find somewhere to put it because 8 week old kittens are a little bit small to wear a collar!

Once your kitty is a little bigger and demanding to explore the world outside your home, then it’s time to consider an ID tag.  There are many different types you can buy to attach to the kitten’s collar.  These range from classy to fun, and from self-wrote information to engraved.  Classy or fun is an open choice, but there are a few things you need to think about with the information – if the tag is engraved, then the information is there permanently (well until you change it for another one, if you move for instance), but an ID tag where you write the information needs three things – firstly a permanent ink pen so that the information doesn’t wear off or fade, the information must be clear so that anyone reading it can understand the address or telephone number, and it must have some form of waterproof covering so that snow, rain and puddle damage can’t erode the information.

Another thing you could consider is having your vet implant an ID chip into your kitty.  He could do this when undertaking a routine examination or perhaps taking out stitches after your kitten has been neutered.  ID chipping means that there’s no possibility of your cat losing its collar and becoming ID-less, all anyone needs to do is take the kitty to the nearest authorities and they’ll be able to scan him and have you traced in the least possible time.

There are those who love the ID chip implant idea, and those who hate it, and there’s no right and wrong decision, it’s very much up to you.  The only thing to remember is that cats, especially kittens, sometimes need a little help getting back home, and so once your kitty is mobile enough to be outdoors, he really should have an ID tag that speaks for him.

Related posts:

1. Create a Safe Zone for your New Kitty