Top Tips for the First 30 Days with Your New Kitten

Last Updated on July 30, 2021 by Holly Anne Dustin

Remember, no matter how excited you are, and how well prepared you are, this will be an anxious time for your kitten. The first 30 days with your new kitten are a month of change as you adjust to each other. Here are some things that you can do to make it go smoothly. You will soon have a happy and confident little companion.

Prepare for Your New Kitten’s First 30 Days at Home

Set Up her Space Before You Bring Her Home

Now that you’ve chosen the perfect kitten for your family, prepare for her arrival. Set up a safe room, or “base camp”, for your new kitten. A small bedroom or bathroom will work. Any small room where Kitty can stay but not be overwhelmed or frightened.

Fill your kitten’s sanctuary room with all the new kitten must haves like a litter box, scratching posts, places to get up high and to hide away, toys for solo play. Put out food and water where he can see it, away from the litter box.

Bring a blanket he slept with at his original home with him if you can. The familiar scent will soothe him. If you have other pets put a blanket or towel that they have slept on in the room. Kitty will get used to their scent before they meet.

Leave his carrier in his base camp so he can snuggle up in it if he feels safe there. Take the door off and set the carrier so he can see the door from it.

The general recommendation is to keep your new baby separated from other pets for 2 weeks to make sure the new kitten doesn’t have any infectious diseases or parasites. After the 2-week period, it will be up to your new kitty to set the pace for acclimating to their new home. There’s no magical number of days it will take your cat to settle in.

Kittenproof Your House

Kittens can get into a lot more trouble than you can imagine. Kittenproof your home, starting with her base camp. Put away rubber bands, hair elastics, jewelry, string, balloons and other small objects your baby could swallow. Wrap up electrical wires, phone cords, and curtain pulls in cord managers and secure out of kitty’s reach.

Assume that Kitty will climb anything remotely climbable. Review the ASPCA’s poison control list and remove any poisonous plants from your home.  Keep the toilet lid, washer, and dryer, and cabinets closed. Make sure he can’t get into any ductwork or pipes.

One of my kittens pulled the vent off a heating duct and go inside. Thankfully, he also got himself back out. But I had an anxious hour. And all the vent covers got replaced with a version we could screw down.

Provide Enrichment for Kitty

Give your new kitten a variety of toys for both solo and interactive play. Play videos and music. Put out mirror tiles, lots of textures, sights and sounds.

Encouraging play by sitting with your new cat and playing with the toys yourself will be helpful. Use toys to engage her but don’t overwhelm her.

Training can be fun. Teaching him to do tricks can be fun for both of you. Make it a game for him, a low stress event.

Establish Your Bond in the First 30 Days With Your New Kitten.

Young kittens are in their primary social period when they are under 12-16 weeks old. So your first 30 days together will be the easiest period to socialize your new kitten and establish your bond.

Socialize with Kitty

Help your new cat get to know you. Place a t-shirt or a piece of your clothing that contains your scent in his safe room.

Spend time with your new cat. In the beginning, visit frequently for brief periods of time. Visiting can mean interacting directly with the new cat in the form of play or petting, or quietly reading a book or chatting on the telephone in the same space as your new companion.

Sit on the floor during the cat introduction. You’ll seem less threatening to your new baby if you make yourself smaller.  Reach your hand toward your cat and allow him or her to come to you. They will probably sniff you and check you out. If Kitty rubs his face on you, that’s a positive sign. Love him and talk to him, so he gets to know the sound of your voice and feel of your hands.

Give Him Time to Adjust

Don’t force Kitty to interact more than he wants during the first few days with you, but definitely make friends with him. Engage him with toys and lure him to you if he doesn’t want to come sit with you.

Take things at Kitty’s pace. No matter how much you and your kids want to scoop him up and play with him, let him decide when he’s ready for that. You don’t want to overwhelm him. Let Kitty explore his unfamiliar territory.  Make sure he is eating, drinking, and using his litter box appropriately.

Establish the Structure and Routine You Want for Your New Kitten

It is best to continue to use whatever food and litter your baby was using at his original home for the first 2-3 weeks after you bring home your new kitten. After that, you can transition to whatever brand of high-quality kitten food you plan to use.

Establish your daily routine. Feed your kitten at the same time each day. She should be able to expect predictable times for play, for grooming, and for sleeping.

The first 30 days with your new kitten are prime training time. Kitty should learn to play nice. We’re not other kittens and don’t appreciate the rough play natural to young cats. He needs to learn not to bite or scratch, to use his litter box and scratching posts, that being handled by humans is nice, and that his carrier is a good safe place to be.

Get her used to having her nails trimmed from a young age. All the steps in the grooming process will be easier if you start her getting used to it young. Same with harness training if you plan to take Kitty out on adventures.

See the Veterinarian

You must make sure you take her to the vet within her first 30 days at home to make sure she is healthy, clear from parasites, and gets her kitten vaccines. Kitty might be ready to be spayed or neutered, depending on the age and size of the kitten.

Manage Introductions Carefully in the First 30 Days with Your New Kitten

Slowly Introduce Him to Your Other Pets.

The keyword here is patience! Depending on the animals in question, it can take weeks or even months. Mismanaging the introductions between your new furbaby and her new siblings can set up a hostile environment that can be very hard to cure. Better to go slowly.

Let them sniff around the door. They will know the new kitten is there, but let them get used to the scent first before introducing them to the new kitten.  If you have a blanket that has the kitten’s scent on it, leave it where the resident cats hang out. For the first few days, just try to keep everything simple.

The combining of the scents of all the cats will create the unique group scent that belongs to your cat family. After creating a group scent, start introducing the new kitten to the other cat’s space and allow the resident cat to explore the kitten’s safe zone.  If you have a large house I suggest limiting the kitten to a few rooms at a time, gradually expanding his territory.

Gradually start feeding the cats on opposite sides of the door and move the bowls closer and closer until they are side by side with the closed door in between.  Then try it with a baby gate or cardboard panel raised slightly off the floor. Back them up if there is any hissing or growling. Try this when they are most hungry and with their favorite foods.

Supervised Visitation

Put the kitten in his carrier or a pet playpen in the resident cat’s space. Let the cat explore the carrier. Don’t let the kitten out if there is any hissing or growling by the big cat. Then try a face to face visit. Keep this up until they are fine in each other’s presence. They don’t need to be friends; they need to ignore each other.

Freedom

Once they’ve reached that level of tolerance it should be pretty safe to let the new furbaby have the run of the house. Expand her territory slowly though, so she doesn’t get overwhelmed.  Put out extra litter boxes If you have a big house, little babies of any species can have accidents if they can’t find the potty when they need it right now!

The first 30 days with your new kitten are an exciting time for everyone. With a little preparation and a lot of patience, you will have a great life with your new furry family member.