A new puppy or kitten at home: what matters in the first week

When a young animal arrives, everyone is excited — except the animal. For it, everything familiar has just vanished: its mother, its siblings, the smells. The job of the first week is to soften that transition.

Do not change the food straight away

This is the most common mistake. For at least a few days the animal should eat exactly what it was eating before. If you do need to change, mix the new food into the old in small proportions over several days. A sudden change causes diarrhoea, and in a small animal diarrhoea turns into dehydration quickly.

Do not give cow's milk to a kitten. They cannot digest it; it causes diarrhoea and weakens an already fragile animal.

Do not put off the first check-up

Even if the animal looks healthy, a check-up in the first days is the right move. That appointment covers internal and external parasites, how the vaccination schedule will be built, weight and development, and any congenital problem. The vet can also estimate the real age better — with animals taken from the street, the age you were told often does not hold.

Since the vaccination schedule is set at this appointment, bring any record of vaccinations already given.

Preparing the home

• Start with a small area. Releasing an animal into the whole house at once is overwhelming; one room, then gradual expansion, is easier.
• Tidy the cables. A teething animal chews everything, and electrical cable is the most dangerous of them.
• Balconies and windows. High-rise living is common in Alanya; for cats an insect screen is not enough, you need safety netting. Falls rise noticeably in summer.
• Put away cleaning products and medicines. Low cupboards are accessible territory.
• For cats, the litter tray goes away from the food bowl; cats dislike having the two side by side.

Keep the first days calm

Inviting everyone who wants to meet the new arrival in the same week is common but hard on the animal. Young animals need a lot of sleep; being passed from lap to lap creates stress, and stress lowers immunity. Spread visitors over a few weeks.

For the same reason, talk to your vet before letting the animal have heavy contact with the outdoors while the vaccination series is unfinished. The density of street animals in Alanya is high, which raises the chance of contact.

House training and biting

Cats usually find the litter tray by themselves; with dogs it is a longer job that needs routine. Punishment does not work — the animal associates it with you, not with the event. Rewarding the right behaviour produces results far faster.

Biting in play is normal at this age, but it becomes a habit if allowed. Stopping the game when it bites and redirecting to a chewable toy works.

Neutering and microchipping

The timing of both can be discussed at that first visit. If there is any chance you will travel abroad, say so at the start: the microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination, and getting the order wrong can add months.

This page is general information. Decisions about food, vaccination and parasite products belong solely to the vet who sees the animal.