Where to put your kitten to sleep through its first night:
- Put your kitten in a warm room.
- Place lots of blankets on its bed.
- Keep its room safe from accidents.
- Don’t scare it with loud noises.
Don’t sleep with your kitten on the bed as it can transmit fleas to you. Feed your kitten, and play with it before bedtime, to encourage it to sleep.
You have just brought your adorable kitten home, and you just can’t keep calm. Although this experience can be exciting for you, it can also be nerve-cracking, both for you and your feline friend.
Your kitten sees new people, smells new scents, and its new home does not look familiar.
All these factors can make your kitten a little nervous, and it might not sleep. That’s not good news, because you will also not sleep if it decides to cry throughout the night.
That is why I will discuss in this article, what you can do to ensure your kitten is comfortable enough to settle in quickly and sleep on its first night.
Keep reading, to know what to do, and things to avoid as you introduce your kitten to your home.
Here are things you can do to make your kitten sleep soundly through its first night:
1. Place it in a Warm and Cozy Room
Your kitten will enjoy a sleeping arrangement that matches its needs. It will sleep in a place that is warm and cozy because it feels safe. Remember it has just left its mother and littermates, and this may be a traumatic transition for it.
The laundry room is ideal, but some cat owners say they prefer putting their little one in a large crate so that they can control its movement at night.
You can keep your kitten’s bed near to you, to make it easier to monitor its sleep during the first few nights. A kitten bed should be a few inches off the floor, and have high sides, as heights make kittens feel safer.
Put lots of blankets on your kitten’s bed to ensure enough warmth and coziness. It’s ok if the bed seems too big for it because it will be just perfect for your kitten when it grows older.
Don’t forget to put your kitten’s litter tray and water bowl near its bed. It might need these during the night.
2. Remove Causes of Accidents and Hazards
Give your kitten time to adjust to its new surroundings. Confine it to a small room where it can stay during its first few weeks in your house. At the same time, you want to ensure your kitty’s new room is in a safe environment.
Here are considerations to keep in mind when selecting a room for your kitten:
- Check to see if the room has houseplants that could be harmful to your kitten, such as lilies and cyclamens. If it consumes these potentially toxic plants it may cause a gastrointestinal upset in your kitten
- Secure all cupboards in the room so that all the contents inside are out of reach of your curious little one.
- Close all windows so your kitten can’t fall off or escape.
- Keep the room free from breakable objects.
- Keep toys in the room to keep your kitten entertained, but ensure they don’t have strings attached. It can easily harm your kitten if it gets tangled up in them.
- Position the litter tray in a discreet corner of the room to avoid stumbling upon it. It is also advisable to keep the water bowl away from the food bowl.
- Hide all electric cables as your kitten may attempt to chew on them.
3. Make Things Recognizable
It might help to get to know your kitten’s likes and dislikes even before you bring it home. Talk to the breeder, or the shelter home, and find out the type of food it eats and litter it prefers.
Here are other ways to make things recognizable for your kitten:
1. Scent reassurance
You can also arrange to bring a blanket that smells of its mom if it is available. It will be reassured as it snuggles up to this blanket.
2. Give it familiar food
Continue to give your kitten the same kind of food it was used to eating at the breeder, or shelter home. By giving it familiar food during its first night at home, your kitten will feel comforted, while it is adjusting to its new surroundings.
A sudden change of food might also cause to have anstomach upset, which might be the reason why your kitten cannot have a peaceful rest at night.
3. Use a kitty tray it recognizes
Find out the type of litter your kitten recognizes and use this. Since its litter tray will now be in a new location, it makes sense if you offer it a toileting material it is familiar with.
4. Pheromone therapy
It is normal for your kitten to meow excessively on its first night at your home. As it is not used to the new surroundings, and feels stressed out. Pheromone therapy in your kitten’s room might be just what you need.
Cat pheromones can help ease the stress associated with your kitten moving into a new home.
Commercial pheromone products mimic your kitten’s natural pheromones and are available in various forms, such as plug-in diffusers, sprays, and collars.
You might want to try Feliway Classic Diffuser, which provides a calm environment for your kitten.
Don’t Sleep with Your Kitten on Your Bed
I understand you might be tempted to put your cute kitten on your bed on its first day at your place. However, this is not advisable for two main reasons.
The first reason is that your kitten might carry some diseases that can be transmitted to you.
There is also the risk of flea transmission, especially if you have adopted your kitten during summer months when ticks and other parasites are more active.
The second main reason is that you might accidentally hurt your kitty, as you turn around in your sleep. To avoid injury, keep your kitten on its bed during bedtime.
As a nocturnal creature, your kitten may decide to wake you up in the wee hours of the night, and thus interrupt your sleep patterns.
We know how playful kittens are, and as you move under the covers, your kitten might scratch or even bite your feet.
Make Life Less Scary
Meeting your kitten’s needs should be your priority on its first night. No matter how excited you are to have an extra family member, this is not the time to call in the neighbors to see your cute friend. You might scare your little one even more.
If you have children, let them come into your kitten’s room one at a time, and avoid making too much noise. They can just sit quietly and watch it.
Your kitten may hide, but don’t be worried; that is simply a coping mechanism. It will come out once it feels confident enough. Staring at your cat is an aggressive body language in the feline world, so please don’t do it.
If your kitten is reluctant to come to you, throw some treats around you, and sit down on the floor. Your kitten will come closer and investigate its surroundings.
Speak to your kitten in a soft voice but don’t force friendship. You can sit there and wait for it to come to you. This way it will feel in control.
A new kitten in the house is like a new baby. You have to be patient, even though you might not get much sleep during the first few nights.
How to Train Your Kitten to Sleep at Night
Your kitten’s instinct is to be active at night and sleep during the day. So what can you do when your kitty thinks it’s playtime when all you want to do is sleep?
Here is how to train your kitten to be calm and sleep at night.
1. Keep your kitten occupied
Give your kitten enough interactive toys to play with during the day so that it can use up all its energy and tire itself out.
Puzzle games where your little one has to open a box to find a treat, are a good idea to keep your kitten busy.
You can also attach a toy mouse to the end of a string and let your kitten chase after it. Kitties like to explore, so take advantage of its curious nature.
2. Stick to a routine
Feed your kitten at the same time each day, and schedule playtime at about the same time before bedtime. If you include your kitten in your routine, it will help it adapt to your schedule and know what to expect.
3. Feed it before bedtime
Perhaps one of the most effective ways to ensure your kitten sleeps is to feed it well just before bedtime.
Your kitten will naturally doze off after eating, especially if you feed it a high-protein meal.
To Wrap Up
Your kitten will grow up in no time. These early days will help the two of you form a bond that will last for a long time.
Make your kitten comfortable during its first night at your place, as you enjoy every moment. There is no such good feeling as hearing the gentle purrs of your happy sleeping kitten.
Sources
https://www.purina.co.uk/cats/key-life-stages/kitten/kitten-first-night
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants
https://icatcare.org/advice/helping-your-new-cat-or-kitten-settle-in/
