Hey everyone, quick question here:

Im getting Miko, my bengal kitten 12 weeks old, on Monday (in two days!). Heres a picture my breeder sent me today!

I have planned on taking most of next week off work so that I could spend more time bonding with the lil guy. Is this a good idea?



Moreover:

I am now wondering if I should take the week off or not, because after this week, I might be back to work, and that means I won't be around anymore during the day. I am planning on putting him in his own room with toys, water, food and litter box for the first few days, and then once I feel he is comfortable, I am going to let him explore the house.

I have a pretty weird work schedule. I am a hardwood floor installer and we only work whenever we have jobs. Some months we work 20+ days, and some months (Winter), we get only a few days of work. I know bengals and cats in general like to stick to a certain routine, as I have read that changes will mess with them. Kind of worried about this. The only silver lining is that my mom works 8-4 on weekdays so she will be home at the same time every day, which will give Miko a bit of consistency.

I will be setting a hard and fast schedule for when I feed Miko everyday (dry food auto refill at 7 AM and 1 PM, wet food/cooked unseasoned chicken at 7AM, 7 PM and 12 AM). Hopefully this feeding schedule will help Miko find his rhythm.

Im sorry I have so many questions! I always feel like I am not prepared enough. And so many people keep posting about their bengals having peeing problems around the house- I just want to make sure I do everything right so both my cat and my mom can stay happy LOL Thank you all!

BTW: Thanks for everyones help so far! Dont know what I would do without you guys.

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Matt

If you can be there in the first week, do so. Miko might well be kept to a single room whilst he gets used to his new home and all the sounds and smells that come with it, but spending time with him will help with the bond between you.

Moving away from his litter will be hard for him, but you can help by being a source of play and affection and treats if he is up to that. If he is scared and hides under the bed you can be near him, but not trying to engage him - showing him that you are not a threat - I generally suggest going into the same room, reading a paper/book and completely ignoring him till he feels comfortable being around you.

If you can take a week off to help him acclimate to your environment, that would be great! Kittens are pretty resilient. Yes, they like routine, but many are not bother by any change. Make sure you keep him on the food an schedule the breeder had him on. Kittens have small tummies and need frequent meals, so at least 4 to 5 feedings a day will be good. You can taper off as he gets older and bigger. Many of us keep dry food down for the cat and just feed wet food at regular meals. Most kitties stop eating when they are full -- AND you may have a grazer that wants/needs to eat many times throughout the day. Mine is one of those. His head is always in the food bowl, but he eats very little at a time.

What a gorgeous little baby! I know you are super excited, however -- you are worrying a LOT! Kitties are pretty self-sufficient. Yours may settle in right away (as long as you don't have other pets).

Here's one trap that many new owners fall into (me included)...

You plan and plan, you mark off the days for your kitten to come home, you set your expectations sky high, you arrange to take some time off so that you can spend it with your kitten those first couple of days, it's going to be such a wonderful day! Then your kitten comes home and... you realize that it's actually the worst day of his life. No more mom, no more siblings, no more human parents and home that he has known. You are a horrible and heartless monster to him that made this catastrophe happen, and all he wants to do is hide and cry and call to his lost mom and lost siblings. And you cannot help him during this time. Doing so only make it worse, so all you can do is sit back, watch it happen, and wait for it to get better.

Now your mileage may vary. Some kittens come right out and want to explore and get on with their new digs. But it's common. If days off are a precious commodity then you should factor that into the plans. The first 24-48 hours the kitten often wants nothing at all to do with you!

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The little monsters 3

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Matt

I was so worried too, when I brought my Little Star home a week ago! I already had Diablo, my 4 year old Bengal, and was concerned about how he would feel with a new 5 month old sister. So, I played all these terrible scenarios in my head, expecting the worst.

As soon as I opened the cat carrier, Star pranced out like nobody's business, and went right over to her brother! It was as if she had always been here! Diablo hissed a couple of times at her, but she was not afraid, and they still played and followed each other around. Today, they are always together, and I call them the "two accomplices"!

I have been following your building project posts, and it is admirable and very touching to see what a kind and caring Papa you are. Miko will love you, and I hope the transition goes smoothly.

Before you know it, he will be home with you! Can't wait to hear how it goes!

My kittens hid in the safe room for the first 3 days. I think they needed that time alone in a quiet house to adjust and relax. They were so frightened! Taking time off would have been a waste for me that first week. Once they adjusted and came out of their room they ruled the house and started greeting me at the door in no time.

Are we there yet ?

Any pics of the new arrival ?

I believe today is the big day for Matt and he has a 2-1/2 hour trip to and a 2-1/2 hour trip from the breeder. And I'm sure he will be so "over the moon" that posting pictures will be the last thing on his mind today!

So Miko is finally home with me!

Like Sherry said, it was a 2.5 hour drive there to the breeders. Spent two hours there talking to them and they showed me all 12 or 13 of the bengals they currently had in their house. What a clean environment and such great people to talk to.

Anyways, luckily for me (not lol), there was a huge accident on the highway on the way back and me and Miko were stuck in the car for close to 4.5 hours! The highway is normally two lanes and both of them ended up being closed. Lucky for me, right?

He only cried for about 20 minutes in total for the entire car ride back, and slept for the rest. I was pretty impressed.

So I took Miko into the safe room in his carrier, and I simply opened it up and he has been a little nervous so far. At first, he was hiding in the carrier from me, but I went to get my laptop and started reading things aloud and he has since come out to say hi :) He has even brushed up against me a few times and he is simply exploring the room.

So far, he is meowing a lot (probably misses his brother and sisters, poor thing) but I have offered him water, dry food and wet food and his litter box so I'm just going to let him explore and find everything on his own :) The breeder gave me a bit of litter from his litter box at home (with some urine on it) and they told me to bury it in my litter box to help get Miko settled.

I will try and get some pictures later on! He is so precious. And him and his siblings were terrific when I went to see them- they were so outgoing it was unbelievable.

I am hesitant to touch him at all until he's totally comfortable. But he almost climbed into my lap as I was typing this !!0weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee3rrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Lol he just jumped on the keyboard

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Matt

Congrats! You're doing everything right, and it sounds like he is going to make a pretty nice transition. Just remember... a way to a bengal's heart is always play

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The little monsters 3

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Matt

He looks gorgeous and it is great to hear that the transition is going well.

And it seems that we have another IT literate kitty on the forum:



I work from home part time, one time I was looking in my calendar and found an appointment called something like äsfsddddddddddddddddddd" :-)

Congratulations, Miko is adorable! I can't wait to see pictures of him using those fantastic cat trees you've built for him! I think you may have found a new career!

Looking forward to loads of pics as you start your Bengal adventure!

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Oh Matt. Miko is so handsome! And how he is acting is very typical and normal! You are doing ALL the right things ... letting him get used to things at his own pace. And letting him approach you. Give him a few days and he will not leave your side!!! I am so sorry about the accident -- you'd asked about food and water for the trip back ... I'm sure Miko was hungry. But just know that this transition is stressful for him so the appetite and litter box usage may not be normal for a few days. But ... hang in there. You will have so many years with him that giving up a few days to a week will be nothing. He will be all over you and your cat trees in no time. Congratulations!!!

Now, are you going to register him with a pedigreed name?