When you are going about your daily life, the last thing you might expect to find is a kitten stranded somewhere in your path. However, if you are an animal lover, this may be the way that you end up rescuing a kitten and bringing it into your life. Once you have determined that the kitten you rescued is going to be a part of your family, there will be several steps that you should take to care for your new family member and help them adjust to their new life. Get to know some of these steps so you can be sure you are handling the transition as well as possible. 

Designate a Single Room as Your Kitten's Area

Because your new kitten has been out on their own for a while, they are not likely used to the indoor cat lifestyle. Opening up your entire house to them can be overwhelming and can result in problems in the early stages of their transition into your home. 

As such, you will want to delegate them to a single room in your home for the first several days or even weeks that they are in your home. This room should have a litter box as well as food and water dishes. Of course, there should also be a soft, comfortable place for them to curl up and sleep. 

Having a single room will give your cat an area of your home where they feel safe and secure. It will also help to litter box train them as they will not have an entire house to wander and use as a restroom (as they were previously feral and would have acted similarly). And if you have any other pets, separating them and slowly introducing them will make the integration process easier. 

Take Them to the Vet for a Checkup and Rabies Licensing

Your new kitten has likely never received veterinary care because of the state in which you found it. This means that one of your first priorities should be to take your new furry friend to the vet. The veterinarian will do an initial exam with your kitten which can help to determine whether they have fleas or other parasites from being out on their own in the wild as well as let you know if they have any other health issues that require treatment. 

Your veterinarian will also be able to tell you approximately how old your kitten is and whether they can have regular kitten food or if they need to be bottle fed (if they less than four weeks old). And, of course, getting them vaccinated will also be a priority if they are old enough. If they are over 12 weeks old, your kitten will need to be vaccinated against rabies and receive their rabies licensing, for example. Other vaccinations given to young kittens include feline distemper and feline leukemia. 

With these steps in mind, you can be sure that you are taking the best possible care of the abandoned kitten that you recently rescued.