Kittens may stress with the change of location, diet, etc. This could consist of sneezing, runny eyes/nose or possible diarrhea. This is not serious and should go away in a few days on its own. During the initial adjustment period kittens do best when confined to a quiet room with carrier, food/ water, & litter box easily accessible.

When you bring home your new kitten it is not advisable to allow them to interact with other animals immediately. They should be quarantined for a about 2 weeks to 30 days until they are used to your home and a slow introduction is always recommended. Animals stress when going to their new home. It is a period of huge change for them.

I hope you can understand what a massive upheaval it is in the kitten’s life to be moving to a new home. This is a period where any kitten is going to be experiencing a huge amount of stress as they adjust to their new normal. They are going to still be the loving, affectionate kitten you are hoping for, but they are going to need some help to minimize the stress. Managing their stress is important because of the impact it has on the immune system. Stress will have an impact on any living creature, and this includes your kitten. For this reason, among others, you will want to minimize your kitten’s stress.

By quarantine, I mean they should be kept in a single room and apart from other animals. This can be done by keeping them in something like a bedroom. It can be yours, or a family member for example. Obviously, there will need to be food, water, and a litter box in this room. Your kitten should have a lot of contact with people during this period. A smaller room (as compared to the entire house) will allow the kitten to adjust to its new surroundings more easily and will also help to minimize the amount of stress on its immune system. A stressed animal is more likely to become sick, so keeping your kitten away from other animals during this time is very important. I understand the desire to want to involve the kitten in your regular daily life as soon as possible. I get it, I really do. Try to focus on the bigger picture though. We all want your kitten to have many long, healthy years with your family. This short period of adjustment will help your kitten achieve that. Another benefit of having the kitten quarantine with you in your bedroom is that it will help the kitten to bond with you.

There is tons of information on the web, just Search for “New Kitten Checklist”.

Here are a couple articles that are useful to help you along.