It’s easy to forget what living with a kitten is like after living with an adult, and then senior cat for many years. But it certainly all comes rushing back at 4 a.m. when they are barreling up and down the hall “like a herd of elephants,” knocking a cherished heirloom off a shelf … or climbing the Christmas tree!
About 8 weeks ago, we adopted a bonded pair of cats (no, we didn’t rescue them, we adopted them but that’s another soapbox for another day). The alliteration from the mouth of my 2-year-old when speaking their names (which came with them, and we decided not to change: Gem and George) might be the cutest thing there ever was.
What I have discovered in the recent months — other than that I miss sleeping through the night — is the incredible array of products available for cats nowadays. Things have certainly changed since I last shopped for them!
This is the time of year (and, well, COVID frankly has meant this is a full-time, all-year-round, overwhelming phenomenon) when families have new additions. Maybe we have Lady and the Tramp to blame, and there are a whole host of reasons why pets aren’t good Christmas gifts, but I won’t go there right now.
Back to the definitely planned/definitely not Christmas gift New Addition … whether that be during the holidays, or any other time of the year.
When preparing for a kitten’s arrival it is easy to get overwhelmed. It is easy to have fun shopping. It is easy to overspend! So, I thought I’d give a rundown of my thought process, and a few of the items we added to our household in preparation.
First off: tell your vet! Giving your preferred pet health care team a heads-up is the best thing you can do. They can make sure you have all the information you need, help you schedule upcoming appointments to make sure you don’t get behind on any boosters or deworming needed, AND they get to share in the delight of welcoming the new one into the household.
They will likely have some suggestions to help with integration as well: with other pets, children and the new space. They may think of questions you did not — such as “Is the kitten microchipped?” or “Has he or she been FIV/FELV tested?” — for instance.
Next, prepare your children and set boundaries: The cats need plenty of opportunity to escape — to escape the noise, the children who want to love them SOOO much, and to escape any other pets in the household as well.
Baby gates and cat shelves are really nice options for this. You can gate off private areas like the litter box and food bowls, and high places like cat shelves can provide quick escape should they get too much love. A big reason why we chose to adopt young adults vs. tiny kittens is that we have two children under the age of 5.
Remember that you can’t force a cat to do anything … at all … ever. So, don’t try. Give them lots of time, and lots of space to settle in and get used to their surroundings … before they can claim it as their kingdom, and you in turn, as their servants! What is the saying? Dogs have owners, cats have staff?
Anyhow, back to the set-up, here’s my list:
1) The basics: food, water, litter, carrier
a) Ask your vet for a nutritional recommendation: different cats have different nutritional requirements, as do different life stages
b) Water: simple, fresh at all times
c) Carriers: there are so many (at so many different price points!) Essentially it needs to keep your cat safe for travel. If the top comes off easily, even better! Also, keep the carrier out in the open in an area when your kitten can explore it and get used to it.
2) The extras: environmental enrichment such as toys, water fountains and appropriate scratching posts (the taller, the better).
3) The extra extras: automatic feeders, hunting toys, puzzle toys, apps and interactive toys. The automatic feeder was a definite must-have in my household.
There is a debate about how often cats should be fed, so maybe this recommendation may change (remember to always keep adapting to the new research). But I have traditionally found that the best way to distract an overweight patient from its prescribed diet is to feed it small amounts frequently.
Pets seem to notice less if they are getting less calories overall if they are being fed a few more meals. Auto feeders are a very simple way to accomplish this, with most of them being able to spit out small portions at least 6 times over 24 hours.
Since I last shopped for auto-feeders, there have been many technologic advances. There are some that will speak to your smart phone now, and others that are activated by your pet’s microchip (useful in a multi-cat household).
Speaking of smart phones — your litter box can also talk to it. Incredible.
Tracking litter box usage is very important, probably one of the most important things you can do as a cat owner (or caretaker, as they see it). Frequency and volume of urination, as well as stool frequency and consistency are some of the best ways to be aware of your cats overall health. Now there’s an app for that!
There are many (very!) expensive automatic litter pans out there. However, I do recommend extreme caution. It is important that your cat not fear the litter box.
If there is any element — sound/automation/etc. — that can act as a deterrent, best to steer clear. Large litter boxes, and ONE MORE than the number of cats in the household, as well as a soft litter substrate, are my best recommendations.
Toys … so many to choose from. While cats are less likely than dogs to ingest non-food items, this can still happen. Steer clear of any toys that can break apart, have small pieces, or most importantly have any string or ribbon that could be ingested. An interesting find was a line of toys aimed at your cat’s hunting drive.
So far, my new additions have blended seamlessly with the household routine. They are incredibly tolerant of both toddlers, that want to love them TOO much, and my husband has found the lap cat he always wanted in George.
The question still to be answered … can my cats and the Christmas tree co-exist? We’ll see.
Resources:
5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Give a Pet as a Gift
Cats & Kids
What kind of scratching post do cats prefer?
The Best Automatic Cat Litter Box (But We Don’t Recommend It)
Doc & Phoebe