Instructions for adapting a kitten to a new home.
Congratulations on acquiring a new friend from our cattery!
1. The on way home
“Carrying” –
A small kitten needs a safe space on the road. The carrier will also be needed for preventative trips to the veterinarian. In my experience, the most reliable and convenient way to do it is a plastic carrier with a metal door.

“Water and bedding”-
Usually cats do not eat or drink on the road, but it is advisable to have water and replacement bedding for them. The kitten may vomit or defecate from stress. All of our new owners are proud to report that the kittens handle the road well.
2. Safe and Stress-Free Kitten Transport Options
“Transporting your new kitten requires careful consideration” –
You have several options: picking up the kitten yourself from the breeder and driving it home, having a pet nanny deliver it to the nearest airport for you to collect and drive home, or receiving it as cargo at the airport and then transporting it home by car. Regardless of the method, remember that the kitten is unfamiliar with you. It hasn’t encountered your scent or heard your voice before. It’s wise to refrain from quickly removing the kitten from its carrier upon arrival. The transition can be stressful for the kitten, who doesn’t know what to expect from a stranger. Despite speaking softly and handling the kitten gently, it may still experience stress from the unfamiliar situation.
Allow the kitten some time to acclimate before attempting to interact with it outside of its carrier. Keep in mind that after the journey, the kitten may experience motion sickness. One of the signs that the kitten is feeling nauseous is excessive drooling.
“Creating a Safe Haven for Your New Kitten” –
It’s important to limit your kitten’s movements to one room initially. This will help it not to get lost in the new space, and you won’t have to retrieve it from under the fridge or in the closet. Choose a small, quiet, non-passageway room and set up a litter box, toys, food and water, and a scratching post for the kitten. Leave the carrier in which the kitten arrived open in the room.
The kitten will likely hide there during the first few days. During this time, it’s better to let the kitten understand that it can trust you and that you won’t forcibly handle it. This is particularly important for families with children. I know that parents often allow children to play with the kittens from the first hours and then turn to the breeder the same evening because the kitten shows signs of stress such as hiding under furniture, hissing, showing aggression, drooling, trembling with fear, refusing to eat, and not using the litter box. To avoid all these stress-related symptoms, please allow the kitten to acclimate to the new home at its own pace. It’s important not to chase or force interaction with the kitten. Allow the kitten to retreat to its safe space at its first inclination. If you show that you can be trusted, the kitten will soon seek out contact with you on its own. Don’t rush things. Your patience and calmness are key to building a strong relationship with your kitten. Try to avoid noise from electrical appliances such as vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and others. Ensure that there are no easily breakable items in the room (photo frames, vases, figurines), no plants that the kitten could chew on and induce vomiting. Also, check the list of toxic plants in your home to ensure there are no potentially hazardous ones for cats. Remove all small items such as beads, small pieces of building sets, mosaics, and tiny toys that the kitten could swallow. Refrain from using air fresheners (candles, wax melts, sprays, etc.). Avoid rubbing cat belongings in strongly scented detergent and refrain from using aroma boosters. Pay attention to what you use to clean the floors. All cleaning agents leave behind a thin film as they dry. Keep in mind that cats walk on the floor and then lick their paw pads. Remove all cords that the kitten could chew on and risk getting electrocuted. Pretend that you are child-proofing the place for a 2-year-old!
3. Arrival home
“Toilet” –
Show the kitten their litter box. Choose a large tray with high sides or a house tray. Maine Coons are big cats and long tail, which need to be comfortably placed in the tray. For small kittens I use natural compressed paper litter; later I suggest switching to another, easy-to-use and economical litter.
To avoid unpleasant situations, use the same litter that the kitten used at the breeder.
Cats are primarily oriented by smell, so when a kitten comes to your home and finds a newly purchased litter box with different litter, it is very difficult for the kitten to understand where the correct place for the toilet is. And if you use a different litter, the kitten may get confused.
In our cattery, we use wooden pellets for adult cats and paper pellets for kittens. I consider this filler the safest for cats. Kittens run and play a lot, often jumping into the trays with a running start, and paper pellets help prevent litter from being thrown around the tray. When you personally pick up a kitten from our home, I always give you some used litter in a bag so that you can add it to the tray, which will help the kitten orientate itself in a new place. Unfortunately, such scented bags are not allowed when traveling by air. After a couple of months, once the kitten has become completely comfortable in your home, you can use any filler that suits your lifestyle.
4. Bowls for water and food
“Material” –
It is better to choose bowls made of ceramic, glass or stainless steel. Plastic scratches quickly, and bacteria multiply in scratches.
“Accommodation” –
It is better to keep bowls for water and food separately, as Maine Coons love to play with water, and dry food should not get wet.
“Natural food” –
A separate bowl is needed for the natural food that the kitten will eat in the morning. After eating, the bowl must be thoroughly washed and put away.
5. Food
“Ration” –
All our kittens eat natural mixes in the morning, and throughout the day they have free access to dry food. If you want to change food, be sure (!!!) to do it gradually so as not to burden the kitten’s digestive system. Over a period of 10 days, gradually introduce the new food alongside the familiar one, increasing the proportion of the new food gradually.
For the kitten’s well-being, it is important to continue feeding it its usual food and not making any changes to its diet. Human food should not be given. If you pick up a kitten directly from the breeder’s home, you will usually be provided with a small amount of the kitten’s usual food.
Avoid overfeeding your kitten. Overfeeding is a common cause of digestive problems. Follow the breeder’s recommendations and use common sense.
I only give my adult cats and kittens filtered or bottled water. I never use tap water.
The water bowl should be large and deep. The food plate should also be large enough to fit the “whisker span” – this is important for the psychological comfort of the cat. One of our cats has a water bowl in one of the bathrooms and he really likes it, we want to show you this in the video below
6. Grooming
“Comb” –
To maintain a beautiful and well-groomed appearance of the cat, I recommend combing it with a special comb, as in the photo and a regular human brush for tangled hair. Maine Coons really like the combing procedure. Cats clean their fur themselves, so there is no need to bathe them often, it is enough to simply comb the undercoat once every few weeks. Choose high-quality metal combs with rare and frequent teeth.



Pet Mat Splitter Effective Open Knot and Undercoat Comb Hair Clippers for Pet Hair Removal Dematting Long-Haired Breed.

Here I have collected for you all the most necessary accessories for grooming your Maine Coon’s fur.
“Checking the comb” –
Before buying, run the comb along the inside of your wrist; if you get scratched, you should not buy such a comb.
“Trim claws” –
We also trim our cats’ claws about once every two weeks, it is not difficult to do it yourself. Domestic cats cannot effectively sharpen their claws on floor surfaces in the house. Long claws interfere with the animal’s walking, can cling to clothes and carpets, delaminate, and in advanced cases – dig into the pads of the paws. There is also a risk for the owner to be accidentally scratched. Cutting the claws of cats prevents these problems. But you need to act very carefully so as not to damage the pulp (The inner part of the claw is called the pulp. It consists of blood vessels and nerve endings and occupies about 2/3 of the claw plate. When cutting claws, you need to pay special attention not to damage it).


7. Personal space
“House” –
The kitten loves to have his own personal space to relax. Ideally, a large, stable house with lots of shelves and high posts. This is especially important for Maine Coons, who like to lie on high places, so cat trees with houses are especially popular with them.
“Scratching post” –
The kitten should have a scratching post to avoid damaging the furniture. Cats love to sharpen their claws, and a properly selected scratching post will protect the furniture from damage.
The most successful scratching post for Maine Coons. Both adult cats and children love this shape of the post. Maine Coons enjoy playing and sharpening their claws on this scratching post.
Or you can buy a scratching post of this type, some Maine Coons prefer to sharpen their claws here.
“Toys” –
Maine Coon kittens love to play. A couple of mice, balls, and feather teasers are great choices. As the kitten grows, it is better to choose larger toys so that they cannot be swallowed. I also put a few of the kitten’s favorite toys in his nursery box.
8. Adaptation period
“Time and patience” –
The adaptation period can last several days. The kitten needs to get used to the new environment, smells and sounds. It may not immediately tune in to games and caresses, it needs time.
“Experience and socialization” –
In my experience and the experience of new owners, one day is enough for kittens from our cattery. I spend a lot of time socializing kittens, accustoming them to various sounds and touches. Kittens are raised in a family with my children and they love spending time with people, being in their arms, love attention and playing.

ATTENTION: Remember that the kitten should always have access to water and toilet. If the house has several floors, then the tray should be on every floor. This need is associated with the kitten’s still unformed bladder. He cannot wait and needs to be given a litter box within easy reach. Our kittens stay at home absolutely calmly, they usually sleep. To make you less anxious, you can purchase a video surveillance camera.