New kitten! Advice?

MaxAardvarkWisbey

Hi everyone, i'm Max.

So in two weeks i'll be picking up my new kitten, Remus, who is the sweetest little thing you've ever seen.

I have lived with cats since i was 8, and helped look after all three at home.
However, i'm a little nervous of having my first independent pet, and was wondering if anyone had some 'settling in' tips for me to help make Remus as comfy as possible?

Mum and Dad are going to help me set my room up before we pick him up, but i'm getting a little anxious about him being scared and not settling in well.
There will be multiple sleeping/hiding places, i have multiple blanket filled boxes, and i've even made space under my bed in case he'd be more comfortable hiding.

I will be keeping noise to a minimum, and have learnt how to make the trilling sound that mother cats do to help provide some comfort as well.

I think it's mostly just my anxiety talking, but any tips people have would be very welcome.

Thank you!

Albus_Scope

I'm so excited for your new friend arriving soon!

You probably know all of this already as it sounds like you've done your research, but don't crowd them at the start, let them get used to their surroundings (and you) in their own time and try not to pull them out of their hidey holes. Try to keep them to one room for a week or so, so they can get some of their scent flying around.  Each cat is different, some will naturally be nervous and some are bold as brass. 


And whatever you do, do not let it out of the house. 

MaxAardvarkWisbey

@Albus_Scope thank you, i'm very excited too!

yes, that's what i've been planning to do, as that's how all our animals have been handled when coming home (mum and dad have 14 pets lol).
It feels nice to have confirmation that it's the right thing though, so thank you

don't worry, he will be an indoor cat until he's harness trained, but that won't be until he's older.
my first cat has brain damage from a car accident when she was let outside, so i am not repeating that mistake again! (she's fine though, it just means she's permanently a kitten and she dribbles a lot- she also adores my two brothers)

hyancinth

So so happy hes indoor/leash trained. Youve a million extra stars for that. Im an advocate for not endangering the little angels, dont see dogs out wandering do we.
Remember to scour carpets floors for tiny things like hair clip, elastic bands. screws pins. These little detectives can find anything.
Switch off or  pull outplugs.
Dont leave out cat toys when you leave him, even for a minute especially fishing rod types only a soft toy like the cosmic catnip ones.
Watch windows, lock on vent mode for a tiny bit of fresh air.
No tassles or pull strings. 
Try to get him used to teeth brushing. 
Let him sleep in your bed.
Wood pellets are the 2nd best cat litter, the first is called.... worlds best cat litter(it is) its flushable too. Dont use cat loos, they distress cats they smell too much.
You could build a catio one day.
And look up raw food but not bones.
Cuddle him so much he cant stand it and extra cuddles when hes been naughty haha.
Im excited and happy for you.

MaxAardvarkWisbey

@hyancinth
thank you so much for all the tips/suggestions, they're very helpful
the majority of this i've already planned to do/done, as it's how my family cats were looked after
now it's just counting down the days (11 left)!

Jimm_Alumni

I am a cat lover, but I never actually got my own cat till last year. I was also quite nervous as well. She isn't a kitten, she was 2 at the time of adoption, so perhaps fewer concerns but I still worried!

What I can say is I think you're going to be a great pet parent. You've clearly thought about this so much, read up and researched it, used your own previous experience with cats and even come here to see if there's anything you might have forgotten! I have no concerns that your cat will be one of the best looked after cats in the world. 

I hope we get to see pictures of the kitten when it's finally there!! The internet has a concept of cat tax, if you talk about a cat the cat tax must be paid in form of picture

MaxAardvarkWisbey

@Jimm_Scope thank you so much for the kind words, it means a lot
animal care is a big passion of mine, but i get very nervous about big changes and tend to second-guess a lot.
the comments from everyone and the long talks with my mum have helped immensely and i am confident in saying my kitten will have a happy comfy life
and yes, i will probably make a seperate thread or look for a cat thread to post pics

JW77

I'm a big fan of Catmandoo on Youtube, but it sounds like you've got things sussed.

MaxAardvarkWisbey

@JW77 just did a bookmark so i can check the channel out later, thank you!