Bringing Home a Himalayan Kitten: First Week Checklist
A supplies list, a plan for the first night, and how to introduce your new kitten to children and other pets.
By Sean Donovan, Himalayan and Persian breeder in Waterford, VA since 1995
- Set up one quiet room before your kitten arrives.
- Keep the same food they ate at the breeder at first.
- Book your own vet for boosters and the rabies shot.
- Introduce other pets slowly, with short supervised meetings.
Go-home day is exciting for everyone. A little preparation makes the first week calm for your kitten and easy for you.
Supplies checklist
- Litter box and litter
- Food and water bowls
- The same food they have been eating (we will tell you exactly what)
- A soft bed
- A scratching post
- A few toys
- A wide-tooth comb and a soft brush
- A sturdy, secure carrier with a soft towel inside
Before your kitten arrives
Choose one quiet room — a spare bedroom or office works well — and set up the litter box, food, water and bed there. Kitten-proof it: tuck away cords, close gaps behind furniture and put breakables out of reach.
The ride home
Bring the carrier with a soft towel, keep the car calm and quiet, and go straight to the room you have set up.
The first night
Let your kitten explore at its own pace. Sit on the floor and let it come to you. Keep visitors to a minimum for the first day or two. Our kittens are raised underfoot with a busy family, so most are curious and confident from the start.
Feeding
Keep to the food they have been eating here for the first while, then change gradually if you want to. A sudden change of home and food can upset a kitten’s stomach. If diarrhea lasts more than a day, call your vet.
Children
Show children how to sit and let the kitten come to them, and how to pick it up with a hand under the chest and back legs. Himalayans and Persians are gentle and do very well with small children.
Other pets
Start the kitten in its own room for a few days and let the pets smell each other under the door. Then allow short, supervised meetings and build up gradually. Our kittens are raised around other cats and animals, which helps.
The vet
Book a visit with your own vet in the first week or two. Your kitten will need its remaining booster shots and, under Virginia law, a rabies shot. Friendly Kittens families can get the first rabies shot and spay or neuter at discounted rates through our vet.
Grooming from day one
Keep up the short daily brushing routine your kitten already knows. See our grooming guide. And call us any time — we stay a phone call away for the life of your cat.