I love kittens. But I know they get into everything.

We do ourselves a favor by making our home, at least temporarily, into an area that lowers the chances of a crash-boom-anguish event.

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The number of variables in this situation are considerable, and will have an impact on our preparations.

The kind of kitten. We can have a quiet little Gamma or a whirling dervish of an Alpha. Some kittens calm down quickly, and some never do.

Some kittens amuse themselves; whether we like it or not. Other kittens demand attention and particular kinds of play; they don’t know how to stop asking for what they need.

Choosing a kitten carefully will help us get the level of independence/interaction we both want.

The number of playmates. We can have older cats or sedate dogs who don’t want to play with the kitten, or a combination of cats, dogs, and children who urge them to max it out. While kittens don’t need much encouragement to race around, willing victims who chase and are chased will create more chances for them.

But this also wears out the kitten for us.

Our preferred decorating. I had an advantage going in. I like knickknacks put away for easy dusting, prefer heavy pieces of furniture which don’t tip over easily, and value easy over fussy.

We can have delicate items and elaborate displays in our house. But we shouldn’t expect to combine them with a couple of delightful, and rowdy, Alpha kittens. We can have a room where the cats are not allowed, or we can choose more mellow, easily amused, types of cats.

Our expectations of training. Of course we can train our kittens; this is what raising them is all about. But while we may think they grow up all too soon; it’s not soon enough if we are not relaxed about the process.

They can learn things very quickly, but forget it in the heat of the moment. They can be kittens for up to three years, and have kitten “bursts” for years after that. They can be 90% there, but continue to be stubborn about something which exasperates us.

We didn’t get to give up the super-cheap shower curtains, mended with tape, until RJ was over two years old. He was sweet and cooperative and learned to please us rather quickly, but he had a vendetta against shower curtains.

This is how kitten proofing works. It’s individual, of varying lengths, and has widely divergent targets. That’s because it mostly depends on the kitten, and how they interact in our home. Each home has its own individual character.

So I can say, “Fasten down electrical cords so they don’t get tangled, loop venetian blind cords over a topmost slat so they aren’t tempting, and put away the tippy things,” and this will certainly cover these usual suspects.

But some kittens will be like Tarzan and some kittens will be like Pooh Bear, and some kittens will be like Buddha.

And each one is different.

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