Bringing your kitten home is new and exciting, but what exactly do you do with them once you’ve got them home, settled and it’s now bedtime? You may be wondering where is best for them to sleep and if it’s OK to leave them alone at night. It’s clear the best place for your kitten to sleep is somewhere warm, secure and sheltered, but where in the house is best? And when do you start a routine?
In this article we discuss the best place for your new kitten to sleep, what to do with them once you’ve got them home and what actually to do with your new kitten!
What To Do On The First Night With A New Kitten
It’s good to remember your new kitten will be tired, scared and missing mum and any siblings they’ve just left - it’s likely their first night will be one of the biggest challenges they have ever faced. Kitten’s don’t always sleep through the night (although they’ll sleep often and can sleep unto 18-20 hours a day) and are most active at dawn and dusk - so your first couple of nights may be full of adjustments as your new kitten settles in.
An exhausted kitten is more likely to sleep throughout the night and settle quickly into their bed. Providing lots of playtime and exercise before bedtime is a great way to exhaust all of their energy before getting into bed. Here at Lords and Labradors we provide lots of interactive toys and scratch posts for your new kitten, so they can play with you and also explore through playing alone. It’s a good idea to get a mixture of toys for them to choose from - a scratch post will be a firm favourite for your new kitten and a mixture of soft and noisy toys will help their development, ultimately tiring them out!
Note it may be helpful to change mealtimes for your kitten - sometimes feeding them later or changing how much you feed them in the evening will help your kitten to sleep as they often sleep whilst their food digests.
Having something familiar to the kitten can be a big help to getting them settled and will ultimately help them sleep at night. Our Cat and Kitten blankets are great to give to your kitten before they leave their first home with mum/or the shelter. The scent on the blanket brings familiarity to your kitten and will help the transition into their new home.
You don’t necessarily need to leave any lights on as kittens can see in a very low light, so they’ll be able to move around with little effort; but remember they’re new to their surroundings so it may take some time for them to get accustomed to their new environment!
Where To Put A New Kitten At Night
A huge part in getting your kitten to sleep is their sleeping arrangements - over everything, kittens look for warmth and cosiness when they want to sleep. It’s a good idea for the first few nights the kitten sleeps near to you where they’re free from draughts, they’re sheltered and warm. Kittens love sleeping at height as this makes them feel safer, so putting their bed on a stable surface will help to settle them and make them feel more secure whilst in bed.
You may find having a cave or hooded bed will help your kitten settle and keep warm and cosy throughout the night. Alternatively our Lords and Labradors Snuggle Cat Cushions are great for your kitten to snuggle inside and keep warm throughout the night. The more comfortable your cats bed is, the more likely they are to sleep through the night. Adding blankets and cushions will help stimulate the warm environment of ‘mum’ for your kitten.
Don’t forget to provide toys close to them, this way if they do wake up throughout the night, they’ll be less likely to wake you up. And keep their water, food and litter tray not too far from their bed so it’s easier for them to use in the night.
But most of all, enjoy your new kitten! It’s an exciting and overwhelming time for both yourself and your new kitten, so take it easy and enjoy settling into a new routine!
