Setting up for a new kitten: Where to place essentials & ease her in?

It's great that you want to be prepared for your new kitten! Aside from the obvious things for the kitten like food and water bowls, I'd recommend a tall scratching post and perch. Two litter boxes in different areas of the house are recommended. Canned kitten food (and canned adult cat food as Myla gets older) is preferred over dry food. This article may also be very helpful to you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/new-kitten-101/ Thanks for using PetCoach! Good luck with your new kitten!

I would have at least 1 water bowl on each level of the house. Its very important for cats to have access to water as they can be a little on the dehydrated side even when they are not sick. Put the bowls in quiet, out of the way locations.

Congratulations on your new addition! In general, I prefer feeding cats separately for their entire lives so that you can be sure that every cat is eating an appropriate amount and type of food. I find that the best way to feed all animals (both cats and dogs) separately is to feed them in different rooms with a door as a barrier between them. Simply close them in their feeding area for 10 minutes twice a day, then pick up all of the bowls when they are let out. When every pet is fed in a separate area, there is no need to elevate the cats' bowls to keep the dogs out. Your new kitten should be fed more frequently than your adult cat. I typically feed kittens 4 times per day until they are 4 months old, then 3 times per day from 4-8 months, then twice a day. There's definitely a bit of training involved to get all pets accustomed to their new routine, so it might take a few days to get all pets adjusted to their new normal. Good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Skye. You can start by adding a second food and water bowl in the kitchen. Leave the bowls in both rooms for about a week to allow her to learn the new location. Then you can remove the bowls from the laundry room if you wish. This should ease the transition for her. I hope this information helps!

It may be something frightened him in the new location and he is looking for a safer option. I recommend having a second litter tray in the room he prefers as a back up. Trays should be in a quiet, undisturbed location, not near noisy or unpredictable things such as washing machines. A calming supplement can help also and it is important to encourage frequent, stress free urination by facilitating his preferred options to reduce the risk of urinary tract inflammation and irritation

It may take your new kitten time to get used to her new surroundings. Try keeping her in a smaller area, like a bathroom, with her littler box and food/water. Being in closer proximity to them may encourage her to eat and use the box. You may also want to try offering her canned kitten food, as opposed to kibble. This may encourage her to eat more. When she does eventually defecate, if it is outside of the box, place the stool inside the box to help her learn where to go. If these tips are not working and your kitten is still refusing to eat or drink, you may want to consider taking her in to the vet to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Yes, I would keep both cats completely separated (separate litter, bowls...etc) until you have your new kitty checked out and treated for parasites as well as tested for Felv/FIV. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.