rawr wrote:
Thanks so much for the replies!
I think I'll let her explore at her own pace, one floor at a time. I'll let her roam the first floor today when I get back and see how it goes! :)
If you have many floors then she could lose herself and get scared, so take your time, you will have years hopefully with her so no need to rush things. She is after all just a baby, she needs reassurance and time to adjust. Even if she looks super confident, she probably isn't. A safe room is a way for you to get to know her and for her to get to know you in a place that she knows is safe, so don't be in too much of a hurry to get her out of it, as initial bonding is important. Chasing a kitten about from room to room or losing her, is not going to foster trust and happiness.
Put plenty of litterboxes out on each floor, because if she gets lost and can't find a litter box when she needs it, she could end up peeing/pooping just anywhere and once started that is difficult to curb.
Disappearing up the stairs to pee under the bed or beside the wardrobe is not something you want, so make sure you know what she is doing and she knows what she is doing, before giving her the full run of the house.
In bigger houses, it can be impossible for a person to monitor and to stop inappropriate littering, so you need to make doubly sure she is well trained in that department, before you let her run free.
Also although cats are pretty good re heights, she is still small and her decision making and co-ordination will not be fully developed, so make sure the stairs are safe for a small kitten. Falling from a height will kill her and so will getting inadvertently stepped on, by yourself or family members on the stairs, so that is something to think about too.
Edit: I just saw her, she is very small, I would be very careful with her on the stairs and around the home.