In just a few days, your kitten will finally be sharing your home. To make this transition as smooth as possible for them, it’s best to prepare everything ahead of the big day. That’s why we’ve put together a checklist of essentials, along with some tips that will most likely come in very handy!
Prepare everything they’ll need before they arrive home, including their food
To avoid any stress—especially the back-and-forth car rides—once you have your kitten, it’s wise to prepare everything you’ll need before picking them up from their former home. Ideally, you should get:
- A cushion and hot water bottles (to keep it warm during the first nights)
- A carrier bag or box
- A bowl for food and a second one for water
- A bag of the kibble it usually eats
- Litter and a tray, ideally without a lid
- Pet-specific toys
- Scratching posts (vertical or horizontal) to maintain its claws
- Grooming products and a brush, both suited to its skin and coat type
Find out in advance about their eating habits. What do they eat and in what quantities? It’s best for their digestive system to maintain their usual diet during the first few days—or even the first few weeks—after their arrival.
Create different spaces for them in your home
It’s important to adapt the environment to your kitten’s needs, and this is especially true if you live in an apartment and/or they don’t have outdoor access.
Make sure to offer them several sleeping spots—some elevated, some tucked away in a closet, and others by a window. Your kitten should be able to watch outside from at least one of these spots. You can also choose a cat tree placed by a window.
Cats eat between 12 and 14 small meals a day, so their food must always be available—even at night. The ideal solution is a puzzle feeder bowl, which requires them to work for their food. There’s also the "pipolino," which they must roll to release kibble through holes of varying sizes.
Make sure to offer a variety of toys and rotate them regularly so they don’t get bored. These can be as simple as paper shopping bags, toilet paper rolls, or even cardboard boxes. For kittens, play is one of the ways they develop their hunting skills—a natural behavior that shouldn’t be discouraged. Instead, satisfy this need through play. Cats are solitary animals, so your kitten doesn’t need to socialize with other cats.
