Thread: Preparing for Kitten

I don't see what more you can do short of having a cage of sorts in your bedroom with litter tray and water for use at night-time until you are satisfied that (s)he can navigate the different levels in your living space. You might want to put some mesh of some description at the windows too if you still want to be able to open them.

My biggest tip would be to make sure anything fragile is well out of reach of tails and curious paws! Caternity Leave made a good suggestion about mesh, we put mesh around the Juliet balcony of one of our 1st floor French windows and it's great being able to have it open in summer. Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine as it sounds like you've put LOADS of thought into it and (speaking on behalf of us all) we can't wait to see photos!

PS they like to chew cables, I found coating them in cat repellent every couple of days put our demon off...

Yes, we're going to be very careful with the cables and wires. Do you have a preferred cat repellent to suggest?

The "adventure playground" is the part I'm worried about! But yes, we'll be looking at the more dangerous areas and adjusting things accordingly.

I think the one rascal will be quite enough for us right now... I can't imagine chasing after two of them up there!

Originally Posted by SoxCat

The "adventure playground" is the part I'm worried about!

We were worried about the same thing too when we got our first kitten, Tatja. Our house is built around a small “atrium” – a void which goes all the way to the roof, and there are some places where she could fall off from some height.

For instance, there’s a 2 m drop from the kitchen into the living room.



To prevent them from teetering precariously on the cast iron fence, we put up a shelf. The top is covered with rough carpeting (actually a doormat).



Right underneath the shelf is a large beanbag (Fatboy) which is a good thing, because El Monto once fell of the shelf when he rolled over in his sleep. He landed unhurt, albeit a bit confused, on the beanbag.

Also, if you have an open staircase it’s safest to cover it in carpeting instead of something smooth like lino or laminate… the carpeting will prevent them from slipping and losing their grip.

Furthermore, check the house for hidey holes where they can get stuck and cover them up. We made a little door underneath the kitchen sink to prevent them from getting behind the cupboards that are below the counter.

Plants and flowers are another thing to consider. Ours love to chew and demolish them, so we only have plants that are not poisonous or irritating to cats – mainly Arecas in the home and bamboo and lavender in the garden. (The only exception being the ivy that is impossible to weed out, but fortunately the Coonies leave it alone.) You can do a google search for plants that are safe for cats.

Finally, try not to worry overmuch… kitties are very agile and have a superb sense of balance (most of the time). Just keep in mind they will always try to check out places where they're not supposed to be.

Originally Posted by SoxCat

Yes, we're going to be very careful with the cables and wires. Do you have a preferred cat repellent to suggest?

We just went to Pets at Home and grabbed one they sold, it smells like bitter lemons and Rasputin makes a hilarious crumpled face when he smells it. They tend not to like strong citrus scents.

I don't think we could've coped with 2 babies! We're hopefully getting our second in August...

Nothing to put to the danger list but just like to add that although I have had most of my babes as "ones" having a pair was great fun they amused themselves so much more & provided us with double entertainment but on the whole didn't get into any more trouble than one but when they had an "off" day it was a nightmare even eyes in the rear end were of no help & what one didn't think of the other one did but I am just so pleased that for once only I had a "pair"......

Originally Posted by jckkerrison

Nothing to put to the danger list but just like to add that although I have had most of my babes as "ones" having a pair was great fun they amused themselves so much more & provided us with double entertainment but on the whole didn't get into any more trouble than one but when they had an "off" day it was a nightmare even eyes in the rear end were of no help & what one didn't think of the other one did but I am just so pleased that for once only I had a "pair"......

Oh go on! You know you want to. Triplets are so much fun!