Bringing Your Kitten Home
Preparation of your home for
your new Siberian baby
Introducing a Kitten into a
Multicat/Multipet household
Your kitten has just arrived to a strange new
place, with new faces, new smells, and new
environment. They are no longer with their
litter mates, or their mother, or the other cats
they may have socialized with.
want to figure out how things work, what each
sound means, and to feel safe - to have some
sort of safety blanket,  Your kitten may
choose the person who interacts with him the
most as their        slow, but progressive
introduction process, with lots of verbal
reassurances, and rewards - verbal, treats, or
playing with a toy. Given time and interaction
with each person in your household, your kitten
will eventually form their own connection to
each one.
The litter box is one of the first places to show your new kitten. Actually put them in it for
a moment. They are likely to immediately jump out of it, but they now know where the
potty is located.  It is not unusual for the kitten to not use the litter box for several hours
after coming home. Don't be concerned - just monitor the situation. They may end up using
it in the dead of night when everyone is asleep, and they feel they have some private time
to explore and use it.

Now sometimes kittens haven’t quite mastered the ability to clean their ‘bloomers’ very
well after a stool (especially if it is loose - refer to the nutrition page on transitioning diet.
Abrupt diet change is the number one culprit of onset of loose stools). If that is the case
I can almost guarantee you that the kitten will immediately seek you out - their mommy or
daddy - when they are done in the litter box to ‘help’ them clean up (thank you very much!)  
It is good to have some bath wipes on hand to do this, or sometimes it is necessary to give
a ‘butt bath’ – just washing the hind end in the bathtub or sink. Refer to the grooming page
on the finer points of giving a 'butt bath'.

Especially if you have a large house, you will want to do a temporary setup in a small
room, like your bedroom, to let them get used to the house sounds. But soon they are
pawing under the door, and want to explore the world at that point, so you can let
them.  This is also a great way to introduce your new kitten to other household pets.
They can smell each other under the door, and maybe play ‘catch the other pet’s paw,
or nose’ when it comes peeking underneath.  Another way to do introductions is to leave
your baby in it’s carrier and place it in an area that you are in a lot – family room, living
room, etc. And let your pets smell the carrier and see the kitten. Putting a towel over
the front will provide some ‘protection’ from all the household creatures coming to
stare, but leave the holes/openings on the side available for peeking into and out of.  
Calmly reassure your current pets that they are good when they are showing nice
behavior towards the kitten. Reinforce this with praise and treats (for example, if they
touch noses and don’t hiss).  Then you can let the kitten roam in their ‘private’ room until
you feel that they are getting along fairly well. Be aware – cats will hiss, spit, growl,
slap at the kitten potentially. This is NORMAL. Your cats are establishing who is ‘boss’
in the household, and teaching the kitten the rules by which they must live by. So, this is
communication. Don’t yell or punish your cat – they will just start linking that as a
negative with the kitten. Give reassurance and praise. You will KNOW if your cats are
going to get into a serious ‘brawl’ because the hisses and spits are louder, and there
will be screaming. If that happens, DO NOT PICK UP one of the cats!!! They make
strike out at you in fear. Split the two up with a wet washrag or towel to get them into
‘separate corners’, and then remove one to a different room for a cooling off time.
Start a different introduction strategy the following day. In my experience, some
people have told me it took one day to one week for a kitten to be integrated into the
household. However, this can sometimes take longer. Don’t get discouraged. Your
patience WILL pay off in the end. If it is a dog-cat introduction – have the dog on leash
if they are difficult to control (get excited to see a new playmate and want to
overwhelm them). Hold the kitten securely, and comfort it. Let the two smell. Then let
the kitten just get used to the house with the dog in it. They can climb the cat tree or
furniture to get away at first. They will observe EVERY move the dog makes for
several days, until they get used to how the dog reacts to different things – i.e. the
doorbell, the car coming into the driveway, the can opener for dinner, etc. Pretty soon
your kitten will find the dog as the new ‘prey’ in the household to practice stalking and
jumping at to play with. And then you will find the two sleeping together when you least
expect it.
Kittens need about 12 weeks time to get ‘ready’ to go out into the world on their own. By
this time they are weaned from nursing their mother, have learned how to ‘fight’ with
their siblings without hurting them (bite suppression), they have learned all of their
‘hunting’ skills from their mother (play skills), so all of their instinctive traits are
‘imprinted’ in them from their mother. The other things their mom needs to teach them is
to how to interact with the human beings in the household, and all the different sounds
and ‘wonders’ of their new universe so they will not be scared, skittish, or shy.  Week 3
through week 9 have been shown in research to be the most critical time period for your
kittens and puppies in growing up to be “good” social animals – with each other, and with
humans. Any reputable breeder will not send kittens home with you, except in some
special circumstances, before they are between 10 - 12 weeks old. The standard is 12
weeks.
Kitten's ride home
First Introduction to the House
and Human Family
Thinking Outside The [Litter] Box
It is important to plan for your kitten's arrival home weeks before they are
ready to arrive. Proper preparation can make the transition particularly easy
and pleasant both for you and your new baby.
Do your main purchases - food, litter, bowls, waterer, cat tree,
toys, etc. as you think about what you will need for your kitten.
Take a look thru all the Kitten Care categories to see what you
will need, and to get some ideas.
Your kitten will already be litter box trained when you bring them home from us. Their
feline momma along with our help, instruct the youngsters on how to use this correctly.
This begins at about 3.5-5 weeks of age.
So many different cat litters to choose from!! Where to start!?! Litter can be made of
many different materials - clay, pine, corn, etc. There is litter that clumps and litter
that you can flush down the toilet (make sure you know which one you have!). When we
train our kittens, we use World's Best cat litter - it is corn based, and since kittens
want to taste test EVERYTHING as they learn and explore, it is safe for them. We
then transition over to the one we use with our adults, Scoop Away! with crystals,
which is a clumping litter. [transitioning is just using one litter, then when you clean the
waste out and add new litter - literally add the NEW litter in small amounts. Keep
doing this until the majority of your litter is the new one. The reason this is necessary
is because sometimes kitties do not recognize the new material as their place to leave
their waste and will start going to the bathroom outside the litterbox, in sort of a
'protest'. This can be because they don't like the smell or the texture. Sometimes it
may be because they don't like the TYPE of litter box you are using! Transitioning in
litter decreases the possibility of 'mistakes' outside the litter box
There are many styles of litter pans to choose from out there -
expensive & fancy; mechanical and nifty; or plain and simple. We
recommend the plain and simple - and cheap. We do not buy conventional
'litter pans'. We purchase (in bulk) large storage bins with high sides
from a K-Mart, Walmart, or Target. We cut a large entrance hole in the
lid (about 1/2 the size of the lid - your Siberian kitten will start growing
fast and BIG very early on). Remember, Siberians LOVE to climb, so a
large, deep litter box is just what the doctor ordered!!

Since we have so many cats and kittens, we don't use the lids at all, so
that can also be an option. Just make certain the container is one of the
larger ones (the cat needs to be able to go in and turn around without
problems when they reach adulthood). If you have multiple cats, they
say to have one litter box per cat - we have about one large bin for
every 1.5 cats), and just scoop it out 1 - 2 times/day, or as needed.
To prepare the bin for use, there are sprays that can be purchased that
sort of give a 'teflon-type' coating to the inside of the bin [SmartScoop
No-Stick Litter Box Spray]. This only needs to be done initially, or after a
total emptying and cleaning of the bin. This spray also prevents absorption
of urine and fecal matter or odors by the plastic. Fill the pan with closer
to 2 - 2 1/2 inches of litter. Siberians love to journey to the center of the
earth when using litter, and will usually dig DEEP to deposit their goods.*
* some kittens are better than others at making the deposit and covering it
correctly - don't laugh too loud when they try to cover up the smell by continuing to
scratch the sides of the bin. They are not only trying to cover the mess up, but the
odor as well. Refer to the GROOMING section on care of 'bloomers' and 'butt-baths'.
March 8, 2012
About a week before you bring your kitten home, send the breeder a special
baby blanket or regular throw [kittens love the real SOFT materials] -  Make
sure you put each of your family member’s smell onto it, including any pets. In
this way, the kitten can be given a ‘gift’ and introduced to their new home, and
can get used to the smells. The transition to your home will seem much easier
on the baby when he/she is already familiar with all your smells. The baby
blanket then also has the opportunity to be lounged and played on by momma
& siblings so there are smells to bring with them to their new home.
Do I need to buy a cat
bed for my new
baby???
Do not waste your money on a
bed, at least initially - if you
want to spoil your baby later on,
I will list the types of 'beds'
that kitties like.

The most important purchase you
will make, tho, is a Cat Tree -
invest your money into one of the
TALLEST ones you can fit in your
place (some get up to 8 feet!!!);
make sure they have sisal
scratching posts on this, and they
will LOVE to sleep in the little
houses/niches & platforms on
the tree. Also make sure the
tree is constructed in a balanced
fashion - remember your 'kitten'
will grow to possibly a 15 - 20 lb
cat if they are an adult male!

Cat trees are important for
providing high places for your cat
to hang out, since they will seek
these out regardless, which
means they may be spending
their lounging hours on top of
bookcases, cupboards,
grandfather clocks, etc.!!  
Why does my kitten have
to wait until he/she is 12
weeks old before they
can come home with me???
Introductions to your
Human Children
At Keitta Siberians, our household,
and thus, cattery, is a fairly quiet
environment. Most of our visitors
are adults, and our 'children' socializers are now
well into their teens. So if you have young children,
your kitten may be a bit overwhelmed at first and
scared by the high energy levels, high pitch, excited
and sometime loud voices, and spontaneous giggles
and laughter. Don't worry, soon enough your kitten
will realize your human children are really kindred
spirits and have much more time and energy to play
with them for longer periods of time than their
human 'mommies & daddies' do.
Introductions
1.  Have your children sit on the floor in one place
2. Tell them not to chase or pursue the kitten or try to pick them up yet - there will  
be plenty of time to do this once the kitten settles into the household. Let the   
adult pick up the kitten and hold them for the child to pet.
3. Tell them to keep their voices down if they get too loud or excited - this will
happen naturally anyway, and so the kitten does need to hear the different levels,
but try to initially keep them in check
4. Tell them not to make any abrupt or sudden movements. The kitten needs to get
used to their 'normal' patterns of behavior first, rather than play behavior.
5. Give your child a feather wand toy to engage the kitten in interactive play with
them. The kitten will be more focused on the play and will start to naturally get
used to the extra noise, laughter, and giggles that will occur. You child may be able
to coax the kitten to come closer so they can start to try to reach and pet them.
Hammocks - kitties love these - just remember
your Siberian males may reach up to 15 - 20 lbs
- many cat constructed furniture is for an
'average' size cat - NOT a Siberian.
Fleece Throws/beds - fleece is soft and holds a
cat's body heat - cats like to snuggle in warm,
soft, fuzzy items - (like your clean laundry)!!!!
These throws can be useful to protect your
furniture from cat hair as well
Cozy Cushion - thermal reflective core with
fuzzy fleece surface
Fleece Slumber Balls - sort of like a fuzzy bean
bag chair for kitties

The above items can be viewed on the following
website - one of many we shop on (click on their
logo to go to the website):
Keitta Customers are saying:
"We love how Vanna completes our family.  She keeps us
laughing and brings us all such joy!"
Keitta Customers are saying:
Eitsy-Bitsy is very cuddly and
sucks on my fingers. She's
the best kitty ever.
Keitta Customers are saying:
"[Our Siberians] have both brought a lot of
joy to our home and we are very grateful to
have them as a part of our family."
Carrier's for
Transporting
Small carrier for a kitten - but anticipate you will need a medium size one for
when they are adults. If you do not want to have to purchase one in the future,
just get the medium sized carrier now.

Hard sided or soft sided???
Your choice - soft sided ones are great if you travel alot and plan to bring your
baby on car trips and holidays. Make sure they have zippers and not snaps -
your kitty will use his/her head to pop open a snap or velcro very easily.
Naughty Kitty! - will my kitten
pee outside the litterbox????
In a nutshell - no, they will not pee outside the litterbox - Keitta kittens are
well-behaved when it comes to litterbox training. This is one reason good/ethical
breeders keep their kittens until they are 11 - 12 weeks old is to make sure they learn
this important skill. Our kittens typically are mistake-free by 6 weeks old - 7 weeks
at the latest. However, even the best-behaved kitten or cat may pee outside a litter
box at some point in their life, so it is good to know WHY they may start to do this, and
how to remedy this.

1. Health problems - main causes of a new lapse in not using the litter box - UTI -
Urinary Tract Infection. Males can get this easier than females - they also can get
crystals in their urine and end up with sometimes life-threatening blockages. This is
why we stress keeping plenty of water available for drinking near their dry food bowl.
The high quality dry foods have high protein content, which can lead to development of
crystals if they become dehydrated. There also may be another underlying health
problem leading to the UTI, so your veterinarian should be consulted to rule out this
cause of litter box failure first.

2. Moving litter boxes around abruptly

3. Changing the type of litter you use suddenly and without transitioning

4. Too many cats, not enough litter boxes - rule of thumb is 1 litter box per cat (even
tho' they will share their boxes, at least there is plenty of space and room for them to
do so)

5. Too small of a litter box - this is why we recommend using a large storage bin as a
litter box, because your Siberian will eventually grow to 12 - 15 plus pounds,
depending if a male or female. They need space to turn around, and enough litter on
the bottom to 'dig to China' if they want to. Your kitten will actually LOVE the large
litter box. They feel they are ADULTS by the time they come home with you (think
about your human kids as toddlers during potty training - don't THEY want to be all
grown up too and use the adult potty and not the 'baby' potty chair any longer?????)

6. Stress - see the remedies for this under the stress page - all sorts of things can
lead to this - variation in their daily schedules; construction in or out of the house with
lots of noise; you being away a lot, or for a vacation time (this is sort of a 'protest pee'
situation); integrating new pets into THEIR household; or even a new human into the
household without including them in the 'decision' - i.e. - new baby, new
boyfriend/girlfriend, gramma or grandpa move into the house with you, etc.
How to introduce the human infant to the
kitty - and other pregnant human concerns
Click HERE to find the info on babies
and kittens...
Here are a few websites to look at various cat
trees. We often get them from eBay - you can bid
low and pay the shipping price which is actually
cheaper than buying directly from a vender's site
(unless you can get a free shipping deal!!)
Your Siberian will want to be on high places - tops
of cupboards, grandfather clocks, fireplace
mantles, bookcases, curios, ceiling beams, etc.
Having cat trees provides a place a cat can call
their own, and they may be LESS likely to visit
these other places.