Safe zones and brave hearts: Sargent Bentley’s first days at home
Sargent Bentley’s threshold moment — the instant when his need for safety met with his natural curiosity – unfolded faster than we expected when his little life began in his new home. Convention recommends that kittens begin in a closed room to adjust gradually. So Sargent Bentley’s room was in my “studio” — where the other pets and I gather to enjoy the view through the big sliding glass doors, the sunlight streaming in, and it doesn’t feel so “office-y” to work. Then within that room, since everyone else is coming and going, he needed a haven: a smaller circle of safety from which he could watch, sniff, and begin to integrate into the family. Enter the puppo pup tent.
Puppo pup tent turned kitten safe space
We sanitized a kitten playpen enclosure — once used for my son’s Pomsky pups — and gave it a new life. Soft-sided, roomy, and easy to pop up, it became Sargent Bentley’s first kitten-safe zone. He could see us, watch the other pets, and still retreat into his little haven when it all felt too big.
Sleepypod safety
Inside the playpen went the Sleepypod pet carrier. He’d already gotten to know it before coming home, so it felt safe to him intuitively, in addition to it being literally a safe pet bed. The Sleepypod isn’t just a cozy nest; it’s also a piece of gear designed for safe travel for cats — crash-tested, pet- and owner-tested, and practical in a whole range of ways. If you’re looking for a real-world Sleepypod pet bed review, Sargent Bentley’s ease of settling in says a lot.
Essential house kit for the kit
No safe space is complete without the basics. A small litter bin also went into the playpen — the kind that most people in the industry prefer as the best litter box for kittens (or, really, any cat IMHO), which is the kind that passes through liquids and retains the solids to easily scoop out without tracking crystals, sand, sawdust or just plain nasty dust (those tiny little precious nostrils and lungs! Dust and grit: Hard No). We use Tidy Cats Breeze. Water in a stainless steel dish that he’s gonna, y’know, play in and around (and how), and some dry chow for free-choice dining. Everything he needed to help him feel at home faster.
Curiosity in action
So as I went back about my business, expecting little Sargent Bentley to settle in for some downtime after all the excitement, instead he hopped inside, checked things out, then asked to come right back out again. Hugs (bonus). More hugs (I’m in). But there’s so much to see, hear, and sniff, and, ‘Wait a second, that one there is BIG,’ so…in fairly short order I decided to roll up one of the doors so he could choose when he’d like to be inside and when he’d like to be out.
By day 2 or 3 he’d scrambled not just out of the playpen, but up on top of it. Bonus feature: it holds a kitten playing with a ball – and the ball. Nice.
Sargent Bentley’s playpen proved to be more of a launch pad than a safety zone in fairly short order. In less than a week he was not only on top – but not really inside – and using the Big Kitty Litter bin and water bowls. I’m going to take the puppo pup tent with me to Acadia when we transition up there to live and work in a couple of weeks, so he can repeat his success in his second home.
It’s been about 15 years since I’ve introduced a kitten to the family. I’m happy to see him integrate so well. Next up: facing those big doggo jaws: the Pomskies don’t live with us, but a couple of medium-sized rescue dogs do! “BIG.” And also, “CANINE.”
How about your cat? Did curiosity kick in instantly, or did it take a few days of cautious steps? How did you set them up for success? I’d love to hear your story @sargentbentleycat.
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Sleepypod. “Mobile Pet Beds and Crash-Tested Carriers.” Sleepypod.com
Humane Society. “Bringing a New Cat Home: Creating Safe Spaces.” humanesociety.org
International Cat Association (TICA). “Siberian Breed Overview.” tica.org
