Where Should My Kitten Sleep On The First Night [+ Advice For An Experienced Cat Owner]

This is probably one of the first questions that come to mind when a kitten arrives at our homes, in my case, the answer is automatic: in my bed, with me!

But, this is not a golden rule, in this article, we are going to explore different types of options for different needs.

Key Takeaways:

On the first night, your kitten should sleep with you ( in your room or bed is ok)
However, if you have a newborn kitten or a very small kitten is best to not sleep with them as you could squish them.
Before bedtime, play with your new kitten! This is crucial to tire out a kitten and increase the likelihood of getting him to sleep.

You can let your kitten sleep in a crate near your bed or in another room as long as the crate has everything you need for your kitten.
You can let your kitten roam the house while you sleep however, kitten-proof your home in order to guarantee the safety of your kitten.

Disclaimers

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Where Should My Kitten Sleep At Night?

Your kitten should sleep near you on the first night. This is because your home is a new strange place far from her mom and their siblings, so it makes sense to let your kitten sleep in your bed, room, or close to you.

Where Do Cats Like To Sleep?

Give them freedom to choose where they want to sleep, and after you see their choice, try to make that space a warm and comfortable place for the pussycat.

You can also facilitate their search by placing a box for them, cats LOVE BOXES, so you know, find a new place for those shoes and give that square made of cardboard to your cat, it will be his favorite place, since he will not only use it for sleep, but also to sharpen their claws.

where should kitten sleept at first night

Where to make this space to sleep? In my case, I would do it in my room, (as you can imagine), however, it is important to remember that cats are nocturnal animals, this means that while we are sleeping they explore the house, they also eat, drink water and go to their bathroom (their sandbox), these last three are usually noisy, and if you are a light sleeper you are likely to wake up.

Should My Kitten Sleep In My Room?

Sharing your room with a kitten can be an enjoyable experience if you do it within limits. I recommend that you leave his litter box outside your room so that your kitten does not perfume the place with his creations, so yes, it is better that you sleep with the door slightly open.

You can leave his food and water inside the room, however, if your kitten makes a lot of noise when eating his food, you can also choose to leave his food outside your room, and don’t worry, your kitten won’t mind having to leave your room at midnight.

My cat, Mia, used to sleep all night with me until one day I left my bedroom door open and she came out and walked around the house while I slept. Since that time, she wanted to leave the room every morning, and she always woke me up when she tried to open the door with her nails, and if she didn’t wake me up this way, she knocked over the food pot or something that was in my room.

This became so frequent that now I sleep with the door open to let her come and go as many times as she wants, and this not only made me sleep better, but also allowed her to do something different at night besides sleeping. The place they inhabit during the day becomes more interesting to explore at night, since there is no noise or people walking.

Should My Kitten Sleep In My Bed?

Why not? The kitten can sleep in our bed, however, sometimes it can be a bit risky because of how small they are. It is for this reason that when I sleep with a kitten I put a bell on it so that it can easily hear where it is in the bed. In the same way, for greater security, we can wait for our kitten to grow more and thus sleep more peacefully in its company.

I once had a kitten so small (Agatha, I found her on the street) that I lost sight of her very quickly, and honestly, I felt a little scared when it was time to sleep. She was very small and didn’t have much hair, which made Agatha very cold.

Besides, she didn’t like being alone, so I decided that she would sleep in my bed, but first, I looked for a bell that I could easily hear. Indeed, when I turned around at dawn, with the sound of the bell I could tell where my kitten was, and that made the experience much easier.

Sleeping together became a habit, it was something that we both enjoyed. She because she felt loved and I because I loved listening to her purr, I really believe that the bonds between people and animals exist, and Agatha and I had cultivated a pretty nice bond.

An important recommendation: Before jumping into your bed, check if your kitten is tucked under the covers, it is normal that in the afternoons they decide to take a nap and choose to go to your bed.

Can I Leave My Kitten Alone While I Sleep?

should i let my kitten sleep with me (2)

Cats also like to play, so it is very likely that they will climb on your bed and wait for you to make a movement with your feet so they can attack that enemy under the covers. Remember that kittens are curious and the smaller they are, the more they like to play.

So if you prefer to have a quieter night, you can leave your kitten outside the room but with the door open so as not to completely disconnect from him, this way, if he starts to cry, it will be easier for you to hear him and you can take care of it, in fact, it is likely that it will happen on the first night that it arrives at your house.

Should I Ignore My Kitten Crying At Night?

Don’t ignore if the kitten is crying! If you do, he’ll cry more. Don’t panic, just come closer and give him some attention, affection is a very important factor.

How To Make A Kitten Sleep Instantly?

One of the things you could do to get kitty to sleep through the night is to play with him a lot during the waking hours before both of you (you and him) go to sleep, so he’ll be tired enough not to will wake up during the night.

That is what I also do when I see that my cat Angel is very restless, she is a little over a year old but she is very active, she is always jumping everywhere, and one of the ways to make her sleep is by playing with her.

Should I Let My Kitten Bite Me?

An important fact: DO NOT PLAY WITH YOUR OWN HANDS, use a rope, a tape or better, a laser to play with your kitten. Do not normalize the fact that he scratches or bites you, and this is VERY important. We cannot let our pets attack us, on the contrary, we must teach them to protect their masters, just as we protect them.

If instead of making drama, you hear that your kitten is restless throughout the house, in the same way you have to stop to scold him. Cats are certainly independent but we must teach them the rules of the house, we must not let their precious eyes manipulate us, if they do something bad at night, it is better to scold them at once than to wait for the next day.

Is It Ok To Leave A Kitten Alone At Night?

Make sure you leave him food, water and of course, his sandbox, you don’t want to get up and find little surprises everywhere. Teaching cats to go to the bathroom is quite simple, you just have to put litter in a box, and then have the cat smell, see the box and voila!

The kitten will already know what to do there, it is part of his instinct, and it is very important that you keep his sandbox clean, because cats are very neat and do not like to use the box when it is dirty, and if they find the sandbox dirty, they will look for another place to do their poops, and this ist what we don’t want.

What To Do When Cats Poop Outside Litter Box?

If the kitten poops outside its sandbox, don’t hit it at first! Make him understand what he has to do in his box.

Years ago I had a cat (Kevin) that when he was given to me, he did not know how to go to the bathroom, and his first poop was on a carpet, however, instead of hitting him, I preferred to grab the carpet and make the poop fall in the sandbox, at that time I looked for Kevin, and I had him go into the box and see what I had done; that was the first and last time little Kevin pooped out of his sandbox.

Cats, in addition to being beautiful, are intelligent and will understand quickly. Give him his space the first few days because he doesn’t know anything about the place he’s coming to, and by “give him his space” I mean that if he wants to be in a corner and not leave there, let him. The kitten will explore little by little, in its own time, be patient, and allow it to get to know it in its own way while you fall in love with it.

Should My Kitten Sleep In A Crate?

A crate is a place that your kitten may initially refuse to use, but once he realizes that it is a space that only he can be in, he will take it as a safe place and also, when you want to take him to the vet, the crate will be the best transport option for your kitty. You will find various sizes, you can have two crate options, a small one that you would use to transport the kitten and a larger one to let it sleep there.

I always took my cats to the vet in a backpack, until one day someone gave me a crate; automatically become a necessary purchase. I remember that once I was with Mia at the vet, and since she was frightened by the injection, she went into the crate alone, because she saw it as a safe place, despite the fact that at first, it was a bit difficult to get her to enter. The crates are super comfortable.

Where Should My Kitten Sleep On The First Night FAQ’s

At what age can my kitten sleep with me?

At around 8-12 weeks or 2-3 months old you could sleep with your kitten. You should avoid sleeping with kittens that are 6 weeks old or less as these are too small and if you are a heavy sleeper you could unintentionally harm your kitten.

Can you squish a kitten in your sleep?

You could squish a kitten in your sleep IF your kitten is very small (like a newborn kitten) and you are a heavy sleeper. However, squishing a kitten is not a frequent accident among cat owners, it is safe to sleep with your kitten as long as they are big enough.

Freelance Writer’s Bio

My name is Virginia and I am a lover of animals, nature, reading and photography. I am a stray animal rescuer, and currently have 5 cats, 4 of which were strays. I am a very proud pet lover.

Where Should My Kitten Sleep On The First Night [+ Advice For An Experienced Cat Owner]