Where Should Kitty Sleep

Where Should Kitty Sleep?

Finding somewhere for your new kitten to sleep is a basic requirement when you first bring kitty home. It also needs to be something you give a lot of thought to before you go to pick the kitten up!

Many people have very strong ideas about this. They don't want the kitten to sleep anywhere but in its own bed – perhaps a basket that's been bought especially for it. They certainly don't want kitty finding its way into bedrooms or sleeping on sofas/armchairs. Then there are other cat owners who have no intention of segregating their kitty from its human family and allow it to choose where it wants to sleep. There is no right or wrong decision on this, the only right decision is what's right for your family. What you do need to do however is make the decision, and the preparations prior to introducing your kitty to its new environment.

If you decide that you want the kitten to sleep in its own bed – either in your bedroom, or in the kitchen or other part of the house – then you need to ensure you give adequate thought to this. You are bringing into your home a baby cat, a kitty who has just that day been taken from its mother. It may well be happy to play and be fussed over when people are around, but once everyone goes to bed, kitty's going to feel very much alone and scared. If you have a blanket that his mother had been sleeping on and still has her scent, place this in his sleeping basket and it will give him a little security.

Unless you want to give the kitten the idea that it's ok for it to sleep on your bed, you shouldn't bring it to bed even on the first few nights when it's mewing for its momma. That would be setting a precedent that you will find hard to break once he gets into a habit of sleeping beside you. Instead you need to think about camping out on the floor next to his bed for a few nights until he gets used to his new surroundings.

Should you decide instead that kitty is welcome to sleep in whichever bed he prefers, then you need to take a few safety precautions to ensure that he isn't suffocated or squished during the night. Arrange pillows or rolled towels around him to act as a buffer between and him – or if he has a small basket, see if there's a place this can sit on the bed without being in danger of being kicked off!

Wherever you think the kitty is going to sleep, be prepared to get up and find him somewhere else! Cats in general have a tendency to be opinionated and do their own thing regardless of how it fits into your plans, so accept this from the get-go, and then if you try to get kitty excited about where you want him to sleep and fail, find a compromise that you can both be happy about!