Kitten Training

Kittens are difficult to train but you can establish a routine and discourage anti-social behaviour. You should get them used to being handled by running your hands all over them, looking in their ears and mouth and combing or brushing their coat.

Although cats can live happily indoors, you will probably want to let them in and out of your house of flat and this is where a cat flap comes in handy. You should be able to train your kitten to use this from about 4 months of age. A Perspex flap is best as it allows them to see where they are trying to go. Training should ideally involve two people they know at either side of the cat flap, passing the kitten through several times until they learn to go through on their own. If there are other cats in the vicinity, you may wish to fit a cat flap with an electric lock. The flap will be automatically opened by a corresponding electric tab, which can be fitted to your kitten’s collar, but will not open for other cats.

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If your kitten develops anti-social behaviour such as climbing curtains or using plant pots as a toilet, you may find a water spray effective. Cats hate sprays and if you catch them misbehaving a spray can be very effective.

House Training

Kittens are very clean animals and usually learn how to use a litter tray quickly. To avoid accidents in the house, you should start getting your kitten used to the litter tray as early as possible. Purchase a bag of cat litter and use a quantity of it to cover the bottom of the litter tray. Because cat litter is absorbent, it is much more hygienic and helps reduce smells. Place the litter tray in a private but accessible place.

If your kitten seems reluctant to use the tray, it may be because it is too close to their food or because it is not cleaned out regularly.

Make sure you praise your kitten when they do use the tray, by giving extra attention and small treats.

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Play time

Kittens like to play with toys such as balls, wands and toy mice. They also love to scratch. But scratching is not just a pastime or a game, it is actually a natural method to help condition their claws by removing the old layers of the nails. Scratching and climbing are highly enjoyable feline activities and are part of the essence of being a cat. Since kittens will want and need to scratch, provide them with a variety of scratching posts and teach them to use them. Catnip is an easy way of attracting them to new toys and can be bought in the format of an aerosol spray, raw catnip or even blowing bubbles! Until they can be trusted not to scratch and claw your furniture, they should not be allowed a free run of your house when you are not there to supervise them.

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Safety

Your new kitten will tend to get underfoot and extra care should be taken. Be particularly careful when closing doors as tails, legs and even heads can get in the way. Also watch out for them climbing into ovens, cupboards, drawers, fridges or washing machines. Cars are also attractive because of the warmth from the engine so check underneath before driving off.

Introduce new kittens gradually to the outdoors and always bring them in at night, at least for the first few months. After that, if they are likely to be out after dark, fit them with a reflective collar that also holds a bell to warn off any birds they might pounce upon. When transporting your kitten, always use a secure cat box or carrier. Link to carriers

If you are spraying insecticide in your garden, keep your kitten in for the rest of the day. Never spray fly spray or other pesticides indoors when your kitten is in the room.

Everything you need for a growing kitten

At Pets at Home we have everything you need to get your kitten off to a great start in life. Your new kitten will become part of your family much more smoothly, happily and comfortably if you are well prepared. So to help you along, why not use this check-list to make sure you’ve got everything you need?