I have adopted a kitten… The arrival

The first thing we should start to understand about an adoption, is that this beautiful little animal needs tender loving and care. For the kitten the first emotions that experiences in its new surroundings are:

• Stress
• Uncertainty
• Distrust
• Loneliness (especially if its an individual adoption from a litter)
• Dislocation

These emotions are evident in the kitten from the moment of moving to a new home, so you must do what you can to make this transition as easy as possible.

HOW DO I DO IT?

Welcome home! Prepare a place in the house to receive it. It can be in a separate room or any space that is suitable for a small scared kitten. The place you choose needs to be quiet and peaceful. Prepare a bed that can also be the transporter that you brought it, place a soft blanket where it will feel comfortable and safe, while it assimilates its new environment. If your kitten is restless and crying at night, place a small ticking clock under its blanket. This will simulate its mothers heartbeat and offer it comfort. In the room that the kitten is placed, also put the food and water bowls and the litter box. The litter box should be in a different location to its food and water otherwise it will not eat or drink, if it is next to its food. We don’t eat in the bathroom and neither do cats! Also leave suitable kitten toys like little furry balls or plastic mice. Check on it every few hours to see how it reacts, if it is in the same place, if it sleeps, if it eats, if it has visited the litter box. Stroke it and speak softly to it so it begins to connect with you. These are things that you need to pay special attention to, in order to know if its adapting well to its new home. You have to give it the necessary time to gain trust and confidence and when its ready it will want to leave the room and start investigating the rest of the house, this will indicate that its ready to start interacting with the the other members of the family. There are no set time periods, since each kitten is different according to its character and its history. Successful integration is achieved with care, love and patience.