Preparing Your Home for Kittens

A few days before your kitten arrives, you will need to look at your home, room by room, and try to create a kitten-proof environment. This is also a great opportunity to ask everyone else in the family to tidy up and de-clutter! As you kitten grows in size and confidence he will live to explore your home so pack away any particularly valuable or fragile ornaments that he might accidentally knock over.

Have a look around each room and see if there are any areas that are small enough for a curious, squirmy kitten to squeeze underneath but have trouble getting back out from. Try to block these areas with furniture or pieces of wood until he gets bigger.

1.The kitchen or laundry room is full of potentially dangerous appliances for your kitten so stick labels on the doors of washing machines, tumber driers, dishwashers and ovens, urging everyone in the house to check inside before they close the doors or turn things on. These dark, warm places can look very inviting to a tired kitten who is seeking somewhere to have a snooze!

2. Put locks on cupboards and store away household chemicals and medicines.

3. Relocate rubbish bins outside in the garage or invest in a tall bin with a fixed lid rather than a swing lid that is a kitten can grab on to a fall inside.

4.Tidy away anything that contains small, potentially dangerous items such as sewing box with pins and needles.

5. Put a fireguard against open fireplaces to stop your kitten going up the chimney.

6. Place indoor plants and vases of flowers safely out of your kitten’s reach.

7.This is a great opportunity to educate everyone to become disciplined about putting the toilet seat down! Put notices up in this regard if necessary.

8. Invest in cable tidier or tape up any loose, trailing wires that are behind the television or stereo unit.

9. Store away plastic bags, as kittens love to play inside them but can easily suffocate.

When your kitten first arrives home, it may be best to limit his access to one room until he settles down, particularly if you have other pets. This will allow you to supervise the kitten and allow him to confidently explore in a safe environment without becoming overwhelmed by too many new sights and smells. The kitchen is probably not the ideal place to choose as there is always a lot going on and there are too many places he can crawl under and get stuck.