There is no denying that kittens are adorable. They're also furry little bundles of energy who can drive you to distraction if you let them. If you're new to kittens, you may be surprised at just how agile, energetic, and destructive they can be—even if you've previously child-proofed or puppy-proofed your home, a kitten will still find their way into trouble.
As veterinarians, we've helped a lot of new owners keep their sanity through kittenhood, and we've seen what happens when the right precautions aren't taken. Here are some tips for staying sane while caring for even the craziest kitten.
Understand Their Exercise Needs
Exercise matters for kittens as much as it does for older cats, and for different reasons—it burns off energy that would otherwise go into your curtains, and it's how kittens learn about the world and about what's acceptable.
Where an adult cat might manage on about 30 minutes of activity a day, kittens generally want considerably more. The trick is little and often: several short sessions through the day suit a kitten far better than one long one, since they play in bursts and then sleep hard. Alongside toys they can use on their own, do set aside time for interactive play, which builds your bond and gives you the chance to teach some important lessons—starting with not biting hands.
About Biting and Pouncing
Almost every kitten owner runs into this, so it's worth addressing directly. Kittens bite and pounce because that's how they play, and if the target is a hand or an ankle, the habit sticks—an adult cat who learned that hands are toys is a genuine problem.
The fix is simple in principle and requires consistency in practice: never let hands or feet be the toy. Always play with a wand toy, a ball, or something else with distance between your fingers and their teeth. When your kitten does grab you, don't pull away sharply, which mimics fleeing prey and makes it more exciting. Go still and boring instead, and the moment they let go, redirect them onto an appropriate toy.
If your kitten is ambushing your ankles as you walk past, that's usually a sign they need more outlet for hunting behavior rather than less. More play, not less, is the answer—along with keeping a toy in your pocket to redirect them.
Provide Plenty of Toys
Giving a new kitten plenty of toys isn't spoiling them—it's meeting their needs and giving them a healthy outlet when you can't play. Scratchers are essential for cats of every age, and it's worth having more than one type. At minimum, a vertical scratching post tall enough for your kitten to stretch out fully against, and a flat scratcher for the floor. Different cats prefer different textures, so sisal, cardboard, and carpet are all worth trying.
Other toys that are great for kittens include:
- Catnip mice—though bear in mind many kittens don't respond to catnip until several months old
- Collapsible tunnels
- Cat trees and perches
- Wand and feather teaser toys
- Treat-dispensing toys and food puzzles
- Ping pong balls and paper bags, which cost nothing and are often the favorite
Build up a decent collection and rotate them, which keeps things interesting and prevents boredom.
A few safety notes. Put wand toys away after play, since the string is a serious hazard if swallowed—linear foreign bodies are one of the more common emergency surgeries we perform on cats. The same goes for hair ties, rubber bands, tinsel, and ribbon, which kittens find irresistible and which can cause a life-threatening obstruction. Check toys for small parts and bells that could come off, and skip anything with a piece your kitten could swallow.
Be Prepared for Teething
Teething is uncomfortable for kittens and trying for their owners. Kittens start losing their baby teeth from around 3 to 4 months, with the adult teeth generally all through by about 6 or 7 months. During this period they'll chew more than usual, and you may find tiny teeth around the house—or not, since most get swallowed harmlessly.
Provide safe things to chew and redirect them onto those. It's also a good time to start getting your kitten used to having their mouth handled: lifting their lip, touching their teeth, eventually a finger brush. A cat who accepts this as a kitten is a cat whose teeth you can look after for life, and it makes our examinations far easier too.
Do let us know if you see a baby tooth that hasn't come out alongside the adult tooth beneath it, or if your kitten's bite looks misaligned—both are worth checking while they're still growing.
Feed Them a Healthy Diet from Day One
Feeding good food won't make your kitten calmer, but it will help avoid the vomiting and diarrhea that certainly would drive you mad. Growing kittens need considerably more energy per pound than adult cats, along with more protein, so use a food specifically formulated for kittens and look for a statement on the label confirming it's complete and balanced for growth.
Stay on kitten food until your cat is about a year old. They'll stop looking like a kitten well before that, but they're still growing, and the higher calorie and protein content is doing real work.
Treats are fine in moderation—no more than about 5 to 10% of daily intake—but skip the table scraps and human food. Cats are obligate carnivores and have little use for most of what we eat, and some of it is toxic to them. And a word on milk: despite the picture-book image, most cats lose the ability to digest lactose as they grow up, and cow's milk causes diarrhea. Water is what they need.
If you'd like help choosing a food, do ask—it's one of the most common questions we get, and we're happy to go through it.
Setting Boundaries
Kittens aren't born knowing how to live in a human house, so some of it has to be taught. The good news is that they learn quickly. The important thing to understand, though, is that cats don't respond to punishment the way people expect. Scolding, shouting, spraying with water, or scruffing doesn't teach a cat that a behavior is unacceptable—it teaches them that you are unpredictable, and it damages the trust you're trying to build. A frightened cat also tends to become a more difficult cat.
What works instead is prevention and redirection. If your kitten climbs the curtains, give them something better to climb—a tall cat tree beside the window is more appealing than the drapes, and it addresses the reason they were climbing. If they're on the counter, make the counter dull and the alternative interesting, rather than confronting them there. If they attack your toes under the blanket, redirect them onto a toy.
You can interrupt a behavior in progress without punishing it—a clap or a "no" that gets their attention is fine, as long as it's followed immediately by showing them what to do instead. It's the redirection that does the teaching, not the interruption. And do be consistent: if the counter is off limits, it needs to be off limits every day and for everyone in the household, because a rule that applies half the time teaches nothing.
Kitten Proof Your Home
A curious kitten will get into almost anything, and a bit of preparation saves a great deal of worry. Get electrical cords and phone chargers out of reach or into cord protectors, and cover unused outlets. Put child locks on cabinets containing cleaning supplies and medications, and switch to trash cans with lids.
Some kitten-specific hazards worth knowing about:
- Lilies. True lilies are extremely toxic to cats and cause kidney failure—even the pollen. Keep them out of the house entirely.
- String-like objects. Hair ties, rubber bands, dental floss, ribbon, and tinsel all cause obstructions.
- Recliners, sofa beds, and washing machines. Kittens climb inside things. Check before you close or operate anything, every time.
- Windows and balconies. Screens need to be secure. Cats fall from heights more often than people realize.
- Dryers, dishwashers, and the oven. Keep them closed, and check inside before switching them on.
- Doorways. Kittens are small, fast, and hard to see underfoot. It's worth developing the habit of checking where they are before you open the front door.
Setting up a safe room is a good idea, particularly for the first few days—a spare bathroom or bedroom with their litter box, food, water, bed, and toys, free of hazards. It gives a new kitten somewhere manageable to settle and somewhere you can leave them safely when you can't supervise. Don't confine them there too long, though. Kittens need company and exposure to normal household life, and the first few months are when that matters most.
Closing Thoughts
Raising a kitten is great fun and genuinely rewarding, and it isn't without its challenges. They're small chaotic creatures with a talent for driving their owners mad, but with the tips above you can get through it with your sanity and your curtains largely intact.
Remember that kittens need veterinary care in their first months—a vaccination series, parasite treatment, and a conversation about spaying or neutering. It's also worth knowing that behaviors which look like mischief occasionally have a medical cause, so do mention anything that seems off. Booking a wellness check shortly after bringing your kitten home is the best way to start them off on the right paw. Call now to schedule your new friend's appointment.