Preparing for Leo's arrival - Tips i might find useful

JMA · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:17 am **Posts:** 20

Good morning,

Basically at the beginning of next November we will get our kitty.

Most probably my partner will take some time off when he arrives.

Since we will be both off to work, i read it will be a good idea to keep kitty in a safe area and not having access to all of the house especially cause of the staircases.

We have 2 rooms at the top which i think will be ideal for him, with a big glass door overlooking the roof. Maybe i can set up his litter in one corner and his food/water at the other side of the area. I thought it would be a good idea to have a cat tree setup near the glass door so that he can stay looking outside whilst on top of it if he does use it. He will have a sofa, and maybe i'll get him a cuddly bed too and lots of toys. I might also get a camera to see what he's up too.

Once we arrive back home i will let him come downstairs at the kitchen/living surely as we will be there. Also during the night i would love to keep him in our bedroom close to us.

Would it possible to move his litter according to were he is ? Or will it be better to have more than 1 litter trays say on each floor ?

What are your thoughts please? Maybe something I missed ?

Many thanks,

James from sunny Malta :)

Inkyfingers · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:37 pm **Posts:** 203

Hi! Aw, am so jealous, love Malta! In any case, i think you have most of the stuff you need. do get two litter boxes - one for upstairs and one for downstairs.
We covered every hole in the house with cardboard and still they found weird and wonderful places to hide.
We got an extra large scratching "column" which they loved and a Kickaroo to "hug and kill".
Our breeder gave us a checklist so the house was well kitted before arrival. She gave us a couple of blankets that smelled of their mum, we placed these on their beds.

Inkyfingers · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2016 4:37 pm **Posts:** 203

Oh, and we used a Feliway plug thing for them to not be too anxious, above all if we left or when they cried at night on the first nights - well, they miaowed, maybe they were having a kitty party!
We would also spend most of the day in their room so that they'd get used to us.
Hope that helps, will love to see photos when kitty is home!
Iria

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Since you have multi-levels, you will need at least one litter box on each level. Do not hesitate to add another one or two if you need to. Makes it convenient for the little one who has to walk a lot of steps to use the bathroom and it can prevent accidents from happening.

The safe room is basically to acclimate the cat in a smaller setting. Allowing the kitty to roam an entire house can be overwhelming and they can get lost -- seriously! The same room gets them used to the smells, people, and allows them to become more confident and less stressed out. It will be very normal for yours to hide under something to feel safer. Of course you can bring the kitty out of the safe room and if the kitty wants to sleep with you --great.

Know that some cats acclimate immediately -- others take much more time. Depends on the cat, so have patience and don't expect too much too soon. Do not over handle the kitty. Most bengals do not like to be picked up and held. You want to gain their trust and bond first of all.

You will indeed need to get on your hands and knees and inspect every corner of your home. Make sure there are not wires around or anything you kitty can get into. They see things from a very different angle than we do.

Know that bengals generally want to be in the same room you are in. They are very social creatures and not solitary like so many other breeds. A lot you will simply have to play by ear and see how the situation plays out. In the end, your kitty will be happy and you will have many years of great adventures.

brianj12 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:21 pm

Seraph · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:24 pm **Posts:** 308

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Great list, Sarah! I don't even have half of those things for my bengal! LOL

Seraph · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:24 pm **Posts:** 308

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Well, I DO have a cat wheel for Raiden and he uses it almost daily (actually daily, except he's been under the weather now for several days but getting back to normal as he sat on it yesterday). I treat Raiden as if he were my son as well. He is way too spoiled!!!

JMA · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:17 am **Posts:** 20

I would want to close off a 2 meter wide area of the stairway so like that the kitten will not be able to go downstairs and hurt himself god forbidden.

What can i use to succeed at this ? This will only be used temporarily for the first week or so until we keep him in his safe zone as discussed earlier.

Thanks :)

James

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

How expensive are baby gates? Just know that kitties can probably climb up unless it's solid. And won't take long for your kitty to be able to jump over any barrier. Unless your downstairs is unfinished, I wouldn't worry too much. There are cute videos of very young kittens attempting to go up and down the stairs. Just know that if you are downstairs and your kitty is upstairs, it's a problem. Bengals want to be in the same room you are. You don't want to leave him alone as he will get bored and find trouble. If he has a safe room, there should be a door that you can close. I don't know that a safe room is necessary for more than a week. Once he gets confidence and comfortable and wants to roam around, you may want to let him -- and CARRY him up and down the stairs if you're overly concerned. Your baby will grow FAST!!!! And will soon be able to navigate the stairs in a single bound. :biggrin:

Kyenta1 · **Posted:** Sat Sep 24, 2016 1:57 pm

We had a baby gate across the bathroom door where we wanted to keep Quasar in a safe room when we brought him home. The room was tiny and we wanted him to be able to see outside of it.

Quasar was a tiny kitten, less than 2 lbs, but he cleared that gate within 20 minutes of being put in the room. The only way we could keep him inside was to actually close the door.

I wouldn't recommend a baby gate to contain even the tiniest Bengal kitten but I'm afraid I'm not much help at any suggestions to block a 2 m wide stairwell opening. Sorry.

Good luck!

Seraph · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:24 pm **Posts:** 308

I wouldn't recommend any type of open gapped stairgate the ones with bars with a small kitten. A friend of mines sister got a DSH kitten and had a toddler at the time so stairgates up not sure how but the kitten manged to get stuck in the stairgate and due to his struggling and it being at the top of the stairs it fell forward snapping his neck in the process. If you want to get a stairgate with a kitten only get a solid one and tbh they aren't much use a Bengal can clear one easily if they want to. You are better off closing doors and keeping them enclosed that way.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Oh, Sarah, that is so sad about that kitty getting caught in a gate like that.

Preparing for Leo's arrival - Tips i might find useful

Who is online