Kittens
The First Week With a New Kitten: Everything I Did Wrong
I collected Mango at eight weeks old from a foster home.
He fit in the palm of my hand and spent the entire car journey crying. I spent the entire car journey telling him it was going to be fine, which it eventually was, but it was not fine immediately.
I had done research beforehand. I had read things. None of it fully prepared me for the reality of a small determined creature who needed things from me at a pace I was not ready for.
Mistake one: I had the wrong food
I bought adult cat food. It seemed reasonable. He was going to be a cat.
Kitten food is formulated very differently from adult food — higher protein, higher fat, more calories per gram, different nutrient ratios to support growth. A kitten eating adult food is not getting what they need at the most critical developmental period of their life.
The first thing I did after the vet appointment in week two was replace everything in the cupboard.
Mistake two: I did not kitten-proof anything
See: the cat-proofing article. But specifically for kittens — they are smaller, more determined, and capable of getting into spaces you genuinely would not think a creature that size could access.
Mango got into the back of the washing machine on day three. I found him by following the sound.
Mistake three: I let him roam the whole flat immediately
A new kitten in a large space is a stressed kitten. They need to build confidence from one small safe area before they are ready for the rest of the home.
I should have kept Mango in one room for the first few days, let him get comfortable, and then gradually expanded his world. Instead I let him into everything on day one and then wondered why he was hiding behind the sofa.
Mistake four: I did not track his growth
Kittens grow at a pace that genuinely surprises you if you are not watching for it. The equipment, food portions, and even the carrier size that makes sense at eight weeks is completely different from what you need at six months.
I bought things for a small cat and then had to replace them constantly. If I had had a rough projection of adult size, I could have made smarter decisions from the start.
The cat growth calculator uses your kitten's current age and weight to estimate adult size — genuinely useful for planning ahead rather than reacting to every growth stage with new purchases.
What I got right, in the interest of balance
The vet appointment in the first week was the right call. Getting him checked, vaccinations started, wormed — all of it set us up correctly from the beginning.
I also held him frequently, handled his paws and ears from early on, and made vet visits into non-traumatic experiences from the start. That has made everything from nail trims to health checks easier ever since.
Kittens are overwhelming at the start. Then they become the most interesting thing in your home. It passes through chaos and arrives somewhere much better.