The first week with a kitten

A new kitten needs a small, quiet space, familiar food, a litter box it can find and a vet visit within the first few days. Everything else can wait. Most kittens settle in a few days if you keep the first week calm and predictable.

Most kittens go home between eight and twelve weeks of age. At that age a kitten is curious, tires quickly and cannot manage a whole house. Plan the first week around those facts.

Before the kitten arrives

Choose one room as the base. A spare bedroom or a bathroom with a door that closes works well. Put these in it:

• A litter box with low sides, placed away from the food and water.
• A shallow food dish and a separate water bowl.
• A bed or a cardboard box with a soft blanket.
• A hiding place, such as a box on its side or a covered cat bed.
• A few safe toys and a scratching surface.

Check the room for hazards at kitten height. Cables, curtain cords, hair ties, string, sewing thread and small objects all attract kittens, and swallowed string can cause a serious blockage. cat-proofing the base room before you collect the kitten, and widen the check to the rest of the home later.

Ask the shelter or breeder what the kitten has been eating and which litter it uses. Buy the same ones. Changing food, litter and home on the same day is a lot for a small animal.

Day 1: arrival

Bring the kitten home in a secure carrier. Open the carrier in the base room, sit on the floor and let the kitten come out in its own time. Do not pull it out. Some kittens explore at once. Others hide behind the box for hours, and that is normal.

Show the kitten the litter box by placing it there once, gently, then leave it alone. Offer a little food and fresh water. Keep visitors, children and other pets out of the room for the first day.

Do not let the kitten roam the house yet. A kitten that loses its way in a big space can become frightened or get stuck somewhere unsafe.

Days 2 to 3: routine and the first vet visit

Set a pattern. Feed at the same times each day, play for a few minutes after meals and keep the lights and noise level steady. Kittens sleep for a large part of the day, often much more than people expect, and short bursts of fast play follow naturally. Let the kitten sleep without waking it.

Book the first vet visit for the first few days, even if the kitten has had a check already. The vet can weigh it, examine eyes, ears, teeth and skin, look for fleas and ear mites and plan vaccinations, parasite control and the timing of neutering or spaying. Ask what the vet advises for protection against infection before vaccines are complete. Keep a new kitten apart from resident cats until the vet has seen it. Many kitten illnesses spread easily between cats.

Bring any paperwork from the shelter or breeder, and a fresh stool sample if the vet asks for one.

Days 3 to 5: widen the world

When the kitten eats well, uses the litter box and walks around the base room with its tail up, open the door and let it explore one more room at a time. Stay with it. Leave the base room door open so it can retreat.

This is also the time to start gentle handling. The socialisation period closes early in a kitten's life, so short, pleasant experiences now matter. Touch the paws, ears and mouth briefly, offer a treat and stop before the kitten tires. Let new people meet the kitten one at a time, sitting down and letting the kitten come to them.

Introduce other pets slowly and not before the vet visit. Use scent swaps and a closed door first. Two of the guides on this site cover meeting a resident cat and meeting a dog.

Days 5 to 7: settle the routine

By the end of the week the kitten should know where its food, bed and litter box are. Check the following:

• It eats at each meal and drinks.
• It passes urine and firm stool every day.
• It plays, grooms and sleeps without long periods of hiding.
• Its weight is going up, if you have a scale. Weekly weighing with a kitchen scale gives a useful trend.

The kitten schedule tool lays out vaccines, deworming visits and other milestones by age, so you can plan the next few months. The litter boxes and new-cat checklist tool helps you count boxes and place them as the kitten gains access to more rooms.

Introduce the kitten's regular kitten food on the schedule the label or your vet gives. If you must change the food, mix the new food with the old over several days.

Common mistakes

• Giving too much space too soon. A whole house is overwhelming. Open it room by room.
• Waking a sleeping kitten to play. Kittens need the sleep.
• Playing with bare hands. The kitten learns that hands are prey. Use a wand toy or a soft toy instead.
• Punishing accidents. Shouting teaches the kitten to hide, not to use the box. Clean the spot well and show the box again.
• Leaving the kitten alone for long stretches in the first days. A kitten needs company, feeding at intervals and someone to notice a problem.
• Ignoring small changes. A kitten that was playful yesterday and dull today needs watching closely.
• Offering cow's milk. Many cats cannot digest it well. Fresh water is the right drink.

When to call a vet

Call your vet the same day, or go to an emergency clinic, if you see any of these:

• The kitten is cold, limp or very hard to wake.
• It breathes with its mouth open, or with effort.
• It will not eat, even for part of a day. Kittens have small reserves and go downhill fast.
• It vomits more than once, or has diarrhoea that lasts or contains blood. Signs of dehydration include dry gums and skin that stays tented when lifted; call before these appear.
• It strains in the litter box, cries when passing urine, or passes no urine.
• It has swollen, sticky or closed eyes, constant sneezing or a thick nasal discharge.
• It falls, is stepped on or swallows something it should not.
• It has pale gums or is very flea-ridden.

A kitten that has not used the litter box for a day, or that seems to be in pain when touched, also needs a vet. Do not give any human medicine or flea product made for dogs or adult cats. Ask your vet.

Summary

• Start in one quiet room and widen the space slowly.
• Keep the same food and litter at first.
• Visit the vet in the first few days and keep the kitten away from resident cats until then.
• Handle the kitten gently and often, in short sessions.
• Learn the signs of a sick kitten and act early.