How can I kitten-proof my house?

I don't know if that is possible entirely, but things to think about would be: is there something that you would not want them to be on or potentially scratch? And if so, put it away. Pick your battles. If there's something that's Mom’s or Grandma's favorite chair that you've inherited, maybe tuck that away for the kitten season. And then also you want to think about safety, so you want to look around at your house for plants. We think about that. Cats are curious, and they investigate. Some of the things that just come to mind would be plants and any candles. You want to be careful not to have candles that are lit. Cats are curious, and kittens are more curious, and so they can get into those things. You want to think about surfaces that they might be able to get up on and climb and then be more apt to be hurt or injured.

When you decorate, think about it like having a baby. I believe until ours were maybe four, we didn’t decorate a lot of things. Or with the Christmas tree, we decorated from here up and not from here down. So, things like that you want to consider. Think about if you were the kitten and how fun those things would look to play with, and they might not be something you would want them to play with.

So if you have some concerns about carpet or things like that, you could always try to keep your kitten off of the carpeted areas if you're worried about them clawing that up. You could buy things like corner wall guards. But more than kitten proofing your home, I think it's more about making your home kitten-friendly. And I think a big part of that is making sure that you have plenty of litter boxes for your cat throughout your entire homeplace, that they have easily accessible clean water, and a comfortable place for them to eat. So whether you have a dog at home, you want to make sure that the dog doesn't hover over the kitten while eating and things like that.

Cats also like sunny spaces and windows and perches. Perhaps you get your kitten a cat tree or set up the space on the back of the couch so that they can get up there to look out the window. And so it's more about making your home kitten and cat friendly than kitten-proofing your home.

To kitten-proof your house, start by providing a small enclosure or carrier for your kitten to stay in. If you have a more mobile kitten, confine them to a specific area of your house. This will help prevent them from getting into trouble and make it easier for them to find their litter box. Be aware that kittens are curious and like to jump on things, so try to limit where they can go initially.

Kitten-proof your house by isolating them to an area of the house or even a room of the house with their food, water, and litter box while they're getting their bearings. For the first weeks, keep them in an area to get them acclimated, especially if you have other pets at home, you might need to do a gradual introduction. Sometimes, kittens will like to claw furniture, curtains, and so on. So you might want to think about those things beforehand when you're considering an environment for your kitten to start off in.