New Kitty Question...small apartment!?

Question

My finace and I just found out that our landlord will allow us to have a kitten! I am super excited because I have had cats growing up and miss my cat. I am concerned about the size of our apartment. It is really small and I am worried about living a kitten at home while we work. I will get the litter box and all the other goodies that go along with a new kitten, but what about putting the kitten in a carrier during the day while I am at work? I would put a litter pan and food inside so the poor thing doesn't starve or explode from having to go to the bathroom. I just want to make sure it's safe until it gets use to the lay of the land.

Answer 1

i was just in the same position!! what i did was put the kitty in the bathroom to watch him for a week or so..just to see how he was reacting to us . The litter box and everything was in there too..make sure that when you get home..let him explore the house (under your supervision*) so you can get an idea..of how it goes.. my kitten adapted great in ajust a few days..Just make sure the toilet is closed and no chemicals are within reach...also make sure there is plenty of toys and food....

-syl

Answer 2

No. You can kitty proof a room like the bathroom that is a good safe room for a week or so for the kitten to feel safe and not so overwhelmed.

To add space to your apartment, try adding a kitty jungle gym ($10-$20) and/or a cat tree. Window perches are also nice if you have higher up windows that the cat wouldn't be able to easily see out of.

Your kitten would be really scared in a carrier. A small room/bathroom would be fine. That is what i did for both my cats, even the adult one i adopted. A safe room is always a good idea for the first few days for any age, and longer for small kittens. The first couple days you should not bother the kitten except to clean and feed, but after you can try to visit calmly.

For the kitten, we put him in the bathroom/safe room whenever we were gone and at night for the first couple of weeks because he was a little guy and could easily get hurt. Kittens are very delicate, but they don't seem to realize that and get into all kinds of trouble. Also, they tend to not be able to hold their bladder for as long, and if left in a new place, they may not be able to find/make it to their box. Until kitty is doing well on exploring with your suprvision you should be the kitten in the safe room while you are gone. For 1 cat, you should have 2 boxes, and place them apart from each other. What is small for you, is huge for a kitten.

Add a variety of scratchers to your apartment too to prevent your furniture or carpet being used. My cats prefer the cardboard scratchers, which is nice because they are very cheap and last a long time since you can turn over the cardboard pad and replacements are cheap to fill the holder. I have 2 vertical ones on a couple doors in different sides of the apartment, 1 slanted scratcher, and 3 horizontal ones spread throughout the apartment. My male prefers vertical most of the time, but also likes a horizontal nearby, and my female likes the horizontal and slanted scratcher, but will use the vertical on occasion. I really don't like carpet scratchers because i feel like it confuses the cats on why they can scratch that but i get mad if they scratch a chair. Since doing strictly cardboard, i havn't had any furniture problems.

Answer 3

I don't think you should have to put the kitten into a carrier. The kitten will be able to explore its new territory (get the lay of the land) while you are away at work. When I first got my cat, I lived in a very small apartment as well. There was no problem with letting her roam around the house. That is just my opinion!

Answer 4

Absolutely its safe. But a kitten will get the lay of the land even quicker and better if you just give her a tour of the apartment and show her where the litter box and the food and water bowls are and just let her have the run of the whole apartment. She will dearly love the ability to roam around and to find where the sun light is warmest and allow her to bask in the light and the warmth. She will find favorite places to hide, and the softest places to sit. She will be able to find which windows show the largest amount of outdoor wildlife. Cats, though they tend to sleep 14-16 hours a day they love the space to lie around in, and the ability to roam is also one of their favorite pastimes. Would you like to be cooped up in a cage or kennel all day? When we lock up humans in a cage or a kennel we call it prison, so we need not to treat the kittens and cats like criminals and lock them away. I know others will say that this is exactly what they would do with their kittens, but think of it from the kittens point of view, what have they done to be put in prison. Good luck with your kitten and thanks to your landlord for letting you get a kitten. Keep us posted on how this is going for you. God Bless all Animal Lovers.

Answer 5

Maybe you should adopt an older cat that is already litter boxed trained. I know they are not as cute as a kitten but kittens need lots of work and attention like any baby. You should NOT get a cat and lock it up all day while your at work. It's unfair to the cat. I work and have cats but I got my cats at the pound and I took cats that were a little older about 1-2 years old so they were safe home alone.
Would you like to be locked in a box for 8-9 hours a day??

Answer 6

Why keep the cat caged up all day? When I got mine (granted, she was an adult cat, from a rescue agency) I lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment and given my hours between work, school and the gym, there's no way I would have kept her caged all day. I made sure she had fresh food and water every morning as well as a clean litter box and plenty of toys...never once did she have an 'accident'.

Also, I should note that when I got her, I learned that before she was 'rescued' she practically lived in a carrier.

Answer 7

Confining the kitten to the bathroom with the litterbox, food and water dishes, and lots of toys is your best bet for during the times when you can't be around or awake to watch it. I especially recommended confining the kitten while you're sleeping, or else be prepared for a wake up pounce at 3 or 4 in the morning.

Confining the kitten to a carrier wouldn't be a good idea simply because you want the kitten to know where it's litter box will always be.

Answer 8

It is wrong to put it in a carrier while you are away. Cats panic like this, they feel trapped, and there is really no reason for it. You could keep it closed in the bathroom for the first 1-2 days (with ethe toilet lid closed, so that he doesn't fall in!). After that, once he has explored the house while you are there, there is no problem. Teach him not to ruin stuff, by grabbing him from the neck softly, saying NO, whenever he does something naughty, and showing him where it is Ok to play (scratching post, etc.).

Answer 9

I got a kitten from a shelter a few yrs. ago
( she was about a yr. old) we just took her home
after her vet visit & she was fine. I showed her where her litter box is & she used it ever since.
She even went to sleep w/ us on our bed that night. SOME cats can be scared, but it's best to
let them roam & get a feel of the place, if they want to hide let them, they will come out when ready ( sometimes takes a week) just leave the
food out so they can get it when they want

Answer 10

I got my cat very young (6 weeks old) he was fine. He has lots of toys, scratch post, and always uses the litter. I couldn't find him a few times as they will hide under couches etc but kittens should have the roam of the house.