*Please spend as much time as possible with your kittens these first few weeks of having them. They will love to play and then settle down for a restful nap. They may be a little nervous at first... give it a few days. They will need a little time to transition to their new smells, sounds, surroundings, other animals (if any), and new life. Remember: every single thing has changed for them. They are definite “people kitties”, but may need a few days of letting them lead the interaction and not pushing anything on them. Do not bombard them with other animals right off the bat. Give them an adjustment period.

IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN: Please supervise all kitten interaction especially for those that have never had a cute little kitten before. Children love to control animals and this can be extremely detrimental to a successful transition and positive association with your children and humans alike. Please teach your children to let the kitten lead the interaction and to recognize communication. I.E. Forcing being held, messing with them when sleeping/resting, putting them places they do not belong, etc. Cat’s will communicate and respecting that communication is key. By the time they are hiding, scared, scratching, biting, or showing aggression they are SCREAMING because they cannot talk.

When you bring your kitten home please have a small designated area where the kitten will reside for the first week or two. This is most necessary to instill good potty habits and less stress.

Make sure their food and bed area are at the opposite end of the room/bathroom or wherever you choose. They do not like to potty near where they eat, play, and sleep. Master bedrooms/bathroom tend to work best so the kitten can sleep with you at night.

For long term success, if you can start your kitten where the litter box will remain, that is best. Cats have major association instincts and if the litter box starts in the bathroom they may always go back to that spot if you move it later. So start thinking and planning now where you would like to set them up and what will work best for long term.

Please also have a scratch post or cat tree with scratch post in the room you have them. They love to scratch and climb. Any instinctual cat behavior that can aid in stimulation will provide comfort and calmness. Having something available with height is huge for security and confidence in a new situation. Cats live in a vertical world. They need an available go to at all times. See our kitten supply list for my faves!

A cat attractant spray and a cat deterrent spray are helpful to have on hand. Natural ingredients are best. As your kitten matures these really do help. If you notice scratching on furniture you can spray the deterrent on the furniture (not the cat) and like wise use a voice command (choose a specific sound or a clap that is only used for scratching deterrent) to show unwanted behavior. The more they have to scratch the better. Positive associations are always best versus correcting unwanted behaviors.

Cat nip does not tend to stimulate cats until around 6 months of age but will most definitely attract cats to desired areas at that time. Catnip toys and such are perfectly safe for kittens now.

Cats believe all counters and surfaces are fair game for them to hang out on (they love height). Once again, choose a separate voice command when deterring counter/table perching and lingering. We initially use a spray bottle with water for kitchen counters and a clap for furniture scratching. Keep commands separate, distinct, and consistent. This aids in clarity for the cats. Keep it calm, short, and sweet. They are intelligent and learn very quickly. They do NOT need to be yelled at... you do not want the association to be fear of you. Even when we spray for kitchen counters we try to hide the spray so they don’t know it’s us. LOL. You want to reward right answers and responses immediately as well with “good baby” and a scratch or even a treat. Or be the best cat parent an just allow them to go on the counters ;)!

You will need to trim your cats nails every week or every other week as a kitten. Being an inside cat they cannot file them down enough themselves. Do not wrap them in a towel! Please find a YouTube video to watch or ask me if you need to learn more about that. Definitely start the second week you have them and be consistent. This will produce a super chill cat surrounding grooming etiquette. Sleepy time is best!

Also brushing and touching all cat parts on a regular basis is good training for adulthood. We use clicker training method with treats to promote sound behavior. All our adults cats do well with nail trimming because of starting slow and giving good positive associations. Not wrapping in towels and forcing.

Feel free to dive into learning about clicker training with cats and dogs as it can be used to train ANYTHING... even tricks. We use this training method for our horses as well and it is incredible. This is what Sea World and every other animal behaviorist uses to train every type of mammal. It is a positive reinforcement method that is used to acquire trained responses and associations. Endless success and results. FYI: click with your tongue not a clicker device.

Cats do not tend to like still water and drink best from a cat fountain. Maine Coons have a habit of pawing their water when they drink from a bowl so this will deter a wet floor as well. See my kitten supply list for my favorite one ;)

Please make sure to have plenty of stimulating toys for your babies. They are very playful, active, and need healthy interaction. Please do not use your hand to play or they will always see it as a playing device when you go to pet them. Use a kitty play stick instead.