Kitten Home Alone?

Hi all,

I'm not new to cats, but I've never had a kitten. I am planning on getting one soon...I know cats are independent, but does this apply to kittens as well? If we got a kitten, would it be alright to stay home by itself from 7am to 4:30pm? I would place the kitten in a room, rather than let it roam the house. And be sure the room was "Kitten proof". I guess what I'm concerned with is the poor thing getting lonely? Especially since it probably would have been taken away from it's mother and siblings so recently?

Would it be better to get our adult cat first and get a kitten at a later time?

Thanks!

Thanks for thinking and researching ahead of time! You may be better off getting an adult cat at this point, who would be more likely to be fine with being alone all day and loved when you get home, and there are so many adult kitties in rescue needing homes that get passed over in favor of adorable kittens that may demand playtime at 2 a.m. ...

I agree with what Karen said. You should look for an adult kitty who would feel more relaxed being home alone - two of them who are already bonded, would be perfect. :) There are lots of choices in shelters. Take a look and you will surely fall in love with some of them.

Rule of thumb is when you adopt a kitten, adopt TWO!!!! They'll keep each other company. If you can't adopt two, then use LOTS of toys, a safe window to birdy watch and a radio going. Kittens sleep 18 hours a day so chances are he/she will sleep most of the time you're away.

The only thing better than one kitten is two! I would get two kittens as well.

Even though many people think that cats are very independent, they do get lonely or even bored while you're away from home. I think that if you can adopting either 2 adult cats or 2 kittens together would be the best solution. Many rescue groups won't even consider adopting out a kitten by itself unless you already have another cat at home. I just adopted 3 kittens a little over 3 weeks ago and even though some of my other cats play with them they also still have each other to play with and hang out with. It works out for the better all the way around. Good luck.:)

Thanks everyone for the advice. We will probably start out with an adult cat as planned and bring the addition of the kitten at a later time.