Raising and caring for kittens: 16 smart tips

Do you have or are you getting a kitten? Raising and caring for a kitten is important to let it grow out to a social and healthy cat. Take advantage of the tips and facts that we have collected for your little four-legged friend's life!

If you are bringing home a kitten soon, it’s important to be prepared! Take a look at our checklist with all the things you need to give your kitten the best possible start in life. When your new roommate finally arrives, you can start educating your kitten, taking care of him and making him feel at home.

Kitten at home

1. Make your house kitten-proof

A kitten needs to be able to express its natural behaviour and a well decorated cat house can prevent many (behavioural) problems. Does your kitten scratch the sofa for example? Maybe there’s not enough scratching material available, or it’s in the wrong spot in the house. It’s important to design your house in a cat-friendly way before the arrival of the kitten.

A kitten is curious by nature, just like a child. It will touch and chew on anything. Kittens love to explore your home. Take a good look around all the nooks and crannies of your home and make sure it’s safe:

• Get loose cords out of the way.
• Make sure all toxic products are unreachable. Think about medicines, plants, pesticides, cleaning products or foods that are toxic to animals, such as chocolate.
• Place protective covers on sharp edges.
• Watch for easily swallowed items that are often left lying around the house, such as coins or socks.
• Don't leave windows open.
• Do you have open stairs in your home? If so, don't let them walk on them until they are a little older.
• Keep the door of the washing machine and dryer closed and always check that your kitten hasn’t climbed into the machine before you turn it on!
• Don't put down loose garbage bags with garbage. The smell can make your kitten break the bag or crawl into it, with all the (suffocating) consequences.
• Close the railing of your balcony, check your garden for poisonous plants and cover the pond.

2. A pleasant living environment

Let your kitten discover its new environment at its own pace and show it the way to its sleeping place, food, drinks and the litter box. Give your kitten its own place in the house where it is quiet, but where it doesn’t feel hidden.

Provide different hiding places. A kitten that has the opportunity to hide will blossom into a social cat. Teach children that if the cat is in its own place, they are not allowed to reach it. Playing together is fine of course, but educating your kitten will not be easier if he gets too little rest. This can make a cat very annoying. Cats like to climb and clamber around, so you will make them happy with steps and shelves!

3. Let your kitten go outside

Will your kitten be going outside soon? It’s advisable to do this after having been neutered and chipped. Not all cats like to go outside. By placing a cat flap or mesh around the balcony your kitten can still go outside and get all the necessary stimuli without really going out into the world. It’s best to let your kitten go outside when it’s at least six months old. You can slowly get him or her used to outdoor life. Is your kitten young when it goes outside? It could catch diseases or lose its way. Will your kitten eventually go outside? A cat flap will come in handy.

Kittenfact!
Cats (almost) always land on their feet. This is because they have a reflex whereby they can turn their body in such a way that their paws almost touch the ground first. Did you know that between three and four weeks kittens already have this so-called 'air righting reflex'? But it's not until six to seven weeks of age that this skill is perfected.

Caring for a kitten

4. The right food

There are different kinds of cat foods. In any case, make sure that the food is specially designed for kittens. It contains all the important nutrients your kitten needs to grow. The breeder or the shelter will probably give you some food, so your kitten doesn't have to change to something new right away.

Switching food - especially for kittens - should be done carefully and gradually. Did you know that cats in nature eat about thirteen small meals a day? So give your kitten a small amount of kitten food several times a day. Cats can't digest large amounts of food at once. Never let your kitten fast! Fasting causes a fatty liver, a condition that’s difficult to cure.

Get 10 tips on how to feed your kitten.

5. Preventing a worm infection

A kitten can suffer from a worm infection. Kittens can already be infected with worms in the womb or through their mother's milk. Some worms can be transferred to humans. With these precautions, you can reduce the chance of a worm infection:

1. Scoop out the litter box twice a day.
2. Make sure you have a good coat care, this reduces the risk of worm eggs sticking to hair.
3. Deworm your kitten according to the vet's advice and have stool tests done.

6. Prevent ear mite

Kittens suffer from ear mites regularly. If your kitten scratches its ears a lot and has black earwax, there’s a good chance your animal is suffering from ear mite. This can be fought with a pipette. Note: ear mite is very contagious! Do you have other animals in the house? They should also be treated. Is it uncertain whether your kitten is suffering from ear mite? Contact your vet for advice!

7. Let your kitten get used to the litter box

From the age of three weeks, a kitten will instinctively dig and defecate on soft surfaces. This is how he gradually learns to use the litter box. In a new environment he always has to learn where the litter box is. As for litter, it’s best to avoid non-lumpy grit, because kittens can play with the lumps or even eat them. In the beginning, use the same grit as the one where your kitten was born.

Read more tips on potty training your kitten.

8. Coat care

It's a good idea to get a soft brush for your kitten's coat. Cats are generally very good with grooming themselves, but especially long-haired cats can still use some help. Many kittens are not bothered by brushing, but see it more as a game. This way you can remove loose hairs and flakes, stimulate the blood circulation and possible wounds, parasites and other abnormalities are revealed more quickly. Grooming your kitten's fur is also good for the bond between you two!

9. Prevent hairballs

At around five months, your kitten will start shedding its kitten coat and move on to an adult coat. You can help him through the shedding and remove loose hair by making your hand slightly moist and stroking it in the direction of the hair. By combing regularly, you can prevent your kitten from ingesting large amounts of loose hair during his washings. This way you reduce the chance of developing hairballs.

10. Take your kitten to the vet

Make an appointment with your kitten at the vet who can advise you about worming, de-fleaing and vaccinating your kitten. Teach your kitten in advance how nice the carrier is: use it as a standard in the living room, possibly with something tasty in it. This will make going to the vet a real treat!

It’s a good idea to take your kitten to the vet regularly, even if you are only going a few steps outside the door. The first few minutes he or she will start meowing, but eventually the little one will get used to the situation and your kitten will become calmer. This adjustment process can prevent a lot of stress later on when you have to go to the vet.

How to transport a kitten safely?

Kittens are very small and you may want to keep them as close to you as possible, but it’s wise to just transport a kitten in a carrier. This is safer for the both of you. Your kitten will feel protected in an enclosed basket and you will not have the distraction of a kitten running loose in your car. A carrier can be secured in the car with a seatbelt. Or you can put it on the floor behind the driver's seat.

Raising a kitten

11. Learn at a young age

You will have to teach your kitten all sorts of things to ensure optimal care. Clipping nails, opening the mouth for a check-up or giving medicine, transporting the kitten in a carrier, brushing it, these are all skills that will come in handy in a cat's life. Start early to make it easier later on.

Cat puberty

Cats generally enter puberty around the age of 5-9 months. Male and female cats grow sexually mature, which may cause behavioural changes. Females get in heat and males may start spraying urine around, which can be quite a hassle. This behaviour is often the reason why cat owners choose to spay or neuter their cat. Discuss this option with your vet.

12. Keeping your kitten occupied

Cats' natural behaviors include depositing scent and keeping their nails in shape. That means: scratching! It’s not pleasant when this happens to your beautiful sofa or curtains. Don't get angry, but make sure your kitten has plenty of alternatives to occupy himself.

The right scratching pole...

• ...is strong and stands firmly.

• ...is high enough so that the cat can sharpen its nails with a stretched body.

• ...Is in the right place, preferably near the sleeping area and not in a corner.

In the unlikely event that your kitten starts scratching your sofa or furniture aluminum foil can be a solution. Cover the furniture with a piece of aluminum foil, chances are this will scare off your pet. Cats hate the sound the foil makes when they touch it.

13. Playing with your kitten

Playing with your kitten stimulates its natural hunting behaviour, provides exercise and keeps it alert and limber. Always move the toys away from your kitten, because a prey doesn't run to a cat, and complete the hunting chain: make sure your kitten can actually catch something at the end of the game (preferably not with laser lights).

Play with care

Kittens love (hunting) games. Don't let them play with your hands or feet though! This can cause them, when they get to an age where playing becomes serious, to bite your fingers or toes very hard. A fishing rod with a nice toy attached to it is an ideal cat toy. This keeps your kitten moving!

14. Reward rather than punish

Cats are smart and you can teach them a lot. Not to jump on the table, not to eat plants and not to climb in the curtains or scratch the sofa, for example. But how do you do that? You can educate a kitten by making it clear what you want him to do and rewarding him for doing so!

Punishing a cat with a plant sprayer

The following applies to all cats: behavior that rewards them, will be repeated. Be aware that punishment by using a plant sprayer is not useful. Often cats do not understand what they are being punished for, because the behavior they show is very natural to them.

In addition, punishment can cause the cat to become more anxious and even avoid you. In addition, there are cats that not only become anxious, but also aggressive. An alternative is to distract your cat.

House rules

Determine what a cat can and cannot do in your home and make a number of rules based on this. It’s important that everyone in the family obeys these rules. This way there is no confusion for the cat about what is allowed or not.

Reward the kitten by giving him a treat or a stroke. Make sure your kitten experiences everything he has to learn as useful or fun. Games, food and extra attention therefore play an important role in raising your kitten.

15. Communicate

Did you know that you can communicate with your kitten from a distance? Blink your eyes and turn your head away. This tells your kitten that you don't mean any harm. Your kitten will then blink his eyes, too, if all goes well! Also learn to recognise your kitten's body language. This will help you to determine his or her mood: learn to understand your cat.

16. Petting a kitten

Step-by-step plan for petting your kitten:

1. Always let your kitten come to you by himself.
2. Let your kitten smell your hand.
3. Gently stroke your kitten's chin, this is one of many cats' favorite petting spots.
4. Is this going well? You can start stroking other spots as well.
5. Always stroke with the direction of the hair, from head to tail.

Need advice for your kitten?

Do you have questions about raising and caring for your kitten? Contact our Prins CareTeam!