by P Vandegrift

Created on: February 01, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Preparing your home for the new kitten can be as exciting as preparing it for a new baby. For there are many that choose not to have children and instead lavish their furry loved ones with everything from a kitty obstacle-course condo to kitty's very own bedroom. Bringing home kitten, with its tiny little ears, pink nose, inch long tail, and miniature paws fills the animal lover's heart with complete joy, and anxiety.

What if kitty doesn't like it? Do I have enough toys to keep it occupied? Where should I put the litter box? What if it gets lost or crawls into some hole in the wall we forgot to seal up? The anxiety is real. And the last minute panic buying does not do wonders for the bank account either. Cats, despite what non-animal lovers think, have individual personalities which can be developed further by the environment they arrive into. Cats are their own best friend, we humans are their second best.

Check the insides of floor level cupboards for those holes that never got repaired. Kittens can paw open slightly open doors and, because they are instinctive explorers, they will find that little hole just wide enough for themselves to fit through. You also will need to spend a few days at home with kitten, so perhaps arrange it so that you can bring it home for the weekend. This will give you ample time to commit to helping kitten bond with you, and the house.

Find an unobtrusive place for the litter box. And this 'first kitten' litter-box should be half the height of a big kitty box. Even an old baking tray can be used for the first month or so to get kitten used to using one. And do try to keep it in the same place. Kitties have visual and emotional memory, if you keep switching their litter box around, they will get very annoyed and pee in the bathtub, or the sink, or on your slippers and on the floor. That is how they show their frustration. (And sometimes this is how they show you that they are not feeling well.) Please also be aware that for the first week or so you will need to help kitten to the litter box! Do not expect it to arrive already knowing how to use one. To train mine I first started out by putting it in the tray, and gently taking its paw I would scratch in the litter. Do not be swayed by the sweet confused look on its face! Then I would watch kitten carefully out on the floor, sniffing low to the ground in various places. As soon as it started to squat, I would scoop fur-ball up and place it in the tray. Again, be patient as kitten still

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