The Essential Guide to Quarantine Your New Kitten for a Stress-Free Transition

If you understand that you are bringing home a fragile and young tiny being that has never seen this “big ‘ole world” before—and consider the amount of stress you are putting them through in a very short period of time—you will agree that quarantining your new baby is of vital importance for them and your other pets.

A cozy quarantine space for a new kitten to adjust safely

They will be going through some very big changes. First, they are being taken away from the only home they have ever known, leaving behind their siblings and mother. Next, they have to travel (most times a long distance) in a big scary car or airplane… with complete strangers! If you have a home with kids and/or other pets, that is extra scary and a lot more stressful!

Stress = Compromised Immune System.

This means that the tiny little ones can come down with an upper respiratory infection or a GI upset causing diarrhea, vomiting, and/or lack of appetite (sometimes all three). This is all due to the unavoidable stressors of being rehomed. There are new sights, sounds, and smells to figure out, and asking them to just join in and be "ok" with everything all at once is too much.

Remember, your baby has only been with its mother and siblings in a small nursing area for the first 6–8 weeks of life. Additionally, we are litter box training the kittens, and if placed in too large of a space, they will not be able to find their litter box. All of these things equal the most stressful event a kitten will ever have to do in their life.

How to Quarantine

So we know why to Quarantine, now how should you do it?

First off, let’s be emotionally strong and mentally prepared so that we may protect and care for our new baby properly. Do not let emotions factor into your decision-making, and do not make the mistake of thinking that we are just being overprotective. We have been taking care of animals since the late 1990s and have been breeding and raising cats since 2019.

Some people have just “forgotten” about quarantining or say they do not have the space. Others mention the kitten was crying and/or they felt bad for the kitten after a couple of days and let it out because it “looked” healthy.

It can take 3–4 days for something that is brewing to show up in symptoms that you can recognize.

If you bring home a kitten, and then after a few days think "well, it seems fine" and let it out of Quarantine early, you could also be exposing your other pets to potential illness. Remember, the idea behind Quarantining is to reduce the stress the kitten is exposed to, and therefore try to prevent an illness from popping up. About 25–30% of our kittens could potentially show signs of illness after going through this huge change.

The Setup

One Room of your house needs to be dedicated to Quarantining your new baby. This room should contain:

• A bed with a heating pad on top, and a thin blanket on top of the heating pad.

• A litter box.

• Food and water.

• Toys.

  
  

Do not allow your other pets or children to enter this room freely. Kids can come visit the new kitten for about 5 minutes or until you notice the kitten getting too nervous.

The Introduction Process

1. Scent Swapping: After a few days, you can feed your new kitten next to the door inside the room, and your other cat(s) on the other side of the door. This allows them to hear and smell each other while associating it with something good (eating).

2. Interactive Play: You can start your kitten and cats playing with each other under the door with a string toy. This will help your adult cats get used to the idea that another little being is in the home with them, and the playing will associate good vibes with your new kitten.

3. Visual Introduction: Once quarantine is over and your healthy kitten is ready to begin acclimating into the household, put them in a crate or kennel and bring in your other pets so introductions can be made safely through the barrier of the kennel door.

   • A few growls or hisses from your other pet are okay.

   • If they continue for more than a few minutes or begin to try and fight your new kitten, remove your pets from the room and try again in a couple of hours.

   • Repeat this process until everyone’s behavior is positive.

4. Release: Once behavior is positive, let the kitten out of the crate in the room. Do this in the quarantine room so that your kitty is not also having to figure out your huge castle of a home at the same time.
   

Free Roam & Final Safety

Once all pets are copasetic, allow the kitten to have free roam of the home. Keep in mind that the kitten will likely forget how to get back to their room with the heat source and litter box. Therefore, placing multiple litter boxes in the home as well as a couple of places for the kitten to have a heat source is very important.

Important Reminders:

• Illnesses have a latent period while infection is building in the body. This can last for several days while your kitten shows no outward symptoms.

• Following proper quarantine guidelines will help your kitten recover quicker and prevent your other pets from potentially contracting an illness.

• This write-up is for informational purposes only. If your pet is showing symptoms of illness, please take them to your veterinarian immediately.
  

We are always here for you!! Any questions or problems, please let us know right away so we can get it taken care of and help you feel confident about taking care of your new baby.