Adopting a rescue kitten in need can be of the most rewarding experiences of your life. If you are getting ready to adopt a rescue kitten or you’re a rescue with a lot of kitten adopters, we’ve got you covered with this guide to adopting a kitten!
Download the full guide to adoption a kitten e-book below!
>>>>>DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK HERE<<<<<
Before Coming Home…
Let’s get your adoption started off on the right PAW! Be sure you have the majority of the supplies needed prior to bringing home your kitty. Just think how HAPPY your new kitten will be, coming into their new home with toys, treats, a bed, and more waiting just for THEM! It’s going to be just like CHRISTMAS (for you too)!!
Supply List
- Shallow dishes for food and fresh water
- Two or more litter boxes with low sides
- Litter scoop
- Kitten toys
- A scratching post or box
- Kitten-specific dry and wet food
- A soft area to sleep, old blankets or towels are perfect
- A heating pad to be kept on low and covered with towels or blankets
- A small enclosed area for sleep, like a cat carrier, box
Finding a Veterinarian
Before your new kitten comes home, it’s a good idea to get in touch with the veterinarian you plan to use.
Creating a relationship with your vet is great to start before your new kitten comes home. You will feel confident knowing you have them as a resource to help you keep your kitty cat happy and healthy. You can also get your first check-up scheduled for your new rescue kitten.
The rescue or shelter you are adopting your kitten from may have a recommendation for one if you need help finding a vet in your area.
Preparing Your Home
Before you bring home your new adorable ball-of-fluff, make sure your home is ready for them. This will make the transition from their foster home or the shelter much easier for the both of you.
For the first couple of days home, consider keeping the kitten in a smaller space to help ease the stress of moving into a new home. A bathroom or a bedroom with a door you can keep closed is perfect. This will ensure they are kept safe and are able to adjust to their new surroundings. Doing this will also give other pets you may have time to get used to the new kitten smell that has entered their home.
Kittens love to climb, jump, and explore, so you may also want to “kitten-proof” this space and other areas in your home they could find themselves. You may want to remove curtains and take breakable items off of shelves. Close off spaces they could hide in. Put up cords they might chew on.
Prepare a space to place their litter box and food. Kittens can be a bit messy, so an area that can be easily cleaned is a good place for it.
Meeting the Family
Bringing your kitten home to meet their new family will be a very special moment in your home. Everything will be new if your kitten and family, so you will want to introduce them gradually. This will make a successful transition for your kitten into their new home.
Using the Litter Box
When you adopt your kitten, they should be accustomed to using the litter box. Using the litter box actually comes very naturally to kittens. However, coming into a new environment may mean that they need some help remembering how to use it.
To help set your new kitten up for success, you will want to have one to two litter boxes in every room the kitten is in. You can use Tupperware with low sides, disposable boxes, or even styrofoam trays. Encourage your kitten to use their litter box by placing them in the box every 20 or so minutes during playtime and after mealtime.
Playtime
Kittens can sleep around 20 hours a day! That’s a lot of snoozing! When they aren’t sleeping the day away, they will probably be full steam ahead and play mode.
Kitten playtime is a very important part of your kitten’s development. You will want to provide toys for your kittens. Toys they can be left alone with are toys they can not ingest, get caught in, or in any way harm themselves. For example, cardboard boxes, large balls, or toilet paper rolls. When you are home to supervise and play with your kitten, playing with feathers on a string or toy mice is PURRfect!
You will want to be careful not to teach your new kitten bad habits, like biting hands or feet. Kittens are natural born hunters, so biting and clawing comes naturally. Encourage them to bite, chase, and claw their toys, NOT you. 😉
We’ve got even more tips and tricks in the e-book! Download the full guide here!