kitten checklist and advice!

Kt8

Hi all

Have been searching on this forum for kitten info for a few weeks now as we are due to get a kitten this week, we have picked her...are due home visit and hoping to collect this coming weekend.

I have had a cat before however it was not a kitten and i am nervous incase i am missing anything out! she is a 9 week long hair.. I have never had a long hair cat either, her mum wasnt overly long haired however is it best to start grooming them soonish to get them used to it?

Apart from the essentials does anyone recommend any other items/food/toys for kittens? We are getting her a snuggly covered bed and covered litter tray.

I am also petrified of one day letting her out as my old cat was ran over and passed away. I know this wont be til months and months yet but what is the earliest you've let your cat out? I was thinking around 8months to 1 year? even later?

any info or tips would be great...im so excited!!

mummyroysof3

we have a kitten he is 5 months now but was 11 weeks when we got him. We already had 2 cats but they are older and out most of the time so its totally stange having a kitten again lol. we intend to start maybe letting him out in september but havent decided yet.

my main concern really was litter tray as we only had one at night before, i have a covered one and use oko cat litter from zoo plus which is great...costs alot but as it lasts much longer than cheap stuff and doesnt stink the house out its worth it to me. good luck with your new kitten x

Mrs_Z

My only advice for you would be to get 2 kittens, not one! Two is not any more bother to look after and twice the fun. They can then play together and get used to each other's company.

Our mistake was the get just 1 kitten and then, about a year later, when we decided to get her a companion, they never got on.

Solstice_Twilight

We have a single five month old kitten. She's a happy housecat (I've lost too many cats in the past to roads) and although little kittens need a lot of attention for the first few months, she's reaching the age where she's settling down and actually sleeping well at night now (rather than waking up at 2am and meowing in my ear until she gets a cuddle!).

Really, all you need are the basics:
Water dish (personally, I like the fountains that are about £8 and refill the dish)
Food dish (something easy to wash)
At least one litter tray (ideally covered - we got ours from Argos for £12). It's usually recommended to have a tray per level of your house, but we have one on the landing, one in the living room and an extra one in the upstairs office as that's where she spends a lot of time with us.
Scratching post/cat tree (I got my little post from Wilkinsons for £6, and we've got a floor to ceiling cat tree which was a freebie when my parents replaced theirs, but you could easily build one with some wood covered in fake fur, cardboard posts like those they wrap carpet around and some rope to wrap them and a hiding box)
Small selection of toys (again, ours came from Wilkinsons).
We bought her a soft bed, but she doesn't sleep in it - she sleeps with us!
A cat carrier for collecting your kitten and trips to the vets (picked up a lovely wicker one for £15 BNWT on eBay).
You'll also need a sack of cat litter (again, I recommend Wilkinsons! We use their antibacterial one, which lasts us weeks between three boxes and doesn't smell at all between cleanings out), a suitable brush if it's long-hair, and to decide what to feed. Our last cat would only eat Felix wet food, but our current one prefers dry food, so she's much cheaper to keep!).

Then you need to budget for microchipping and first check up/vaccinations, which will depend on your vet. Many vets also do a "new kitten" pack, which includes a free sack of food, a toy and information booklets. Ideally, you need to start getting your kitten used to being brushed fairly early on - my last longhaired cat really struggled to clean himself as he got older, especially around his bum, and because we'd never really got him used to brushing when he was tiny, he was quite intolerant about the whole business. So if I ever had another, it would be something we'd do every couple of days, just for a few minutes.
Don't bother spending a fortune on soft bedding. Cats really will sleep everywhere (ours was flat out on top of the printer last night, which can't have been comfortable!), and unless you really don't want your kitten to sleep on your bed, that's probably where it will end up. Downstairs, ours tends to sleep on an old towel in the cat carrier, which we leave open for her.

Griizelda

I agree with another poster that two kittens are much better than one. Whenever I've had a kitten they don't get anymore than a cardboard box (with blanket) to sleep in, as pretty much they choose where they want to sleep, not you!

Check to see what food your kitten is currently eating and get that to start with, then if you want to change it, it can be introduced gradually once the kitten is settled. A few minutes spent grooming everyday is better than once a week and the sooner you start the better!

I've got a wicker cat carrier, but if I needed one now, it would be the plastice type (easier to clean in case of accidents). Whatever carrier you choose, line it with newspaper and then a little blanket.

I agree with getting a covered litter tray, but only have one, but doesn't cause any problems (and two of my three cats will use it, although one of them is when she just can't be bothered to go outside, so not all the time).

Cat toys are good - a ping pong ball will keep them amused for ages. I bought a Kong toy for my (then) kitten, but it is one of my older cats who beats the c*** out of it!! Da Bird also gets highly recommended and one of these days I'll get round to buying it!
(Link here for this) http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/shop/

My cats all drink water from the dogs bowl (or the kitchen tap!), so I have no worries there. In any case, they get fed a mix of wet and dry, (about 70/30), so I don't have to worry that they're not getting enough moisture in their diet.

If you have a Morrison's close by, they sell little stainless steel cats bowls for under £1.00 (or they were when I last bought them), which are ideal.

Hope this helps and enjoy your new addition!

TomHood

Mrs_Z wrote: »

My only advice for you would be to get 2 kittens, not one! Two is not any more bother to look after and twice the fun. They can then play together and get used to each other's company.

Our mistake was the get just 1 kitten and then, about a year later, when we decided to get her a companion, they never got on.

I agree with getting two kittens - we got two brothers recently and they keep each other company especially if we go out.

rising_from_the_ashes

Congratulations on your impending arrival!:D

I would agree that 1 litter tray is sufficient for 1 cat. As for litter, get what he's been used to and if you want to swap, do this gradually. Cats get very used to "what's underfoot" and sudden changes can result in them not using the tray.:eek:

Plastic carriers are much easier to clean (I'd love a wicker one but my wee girl doesn't travel well - understatement! - so very thankful that mine is plastic!)

Some cats don't like their food / water too close together so space them out a wee bit.

Grooming straight away is a must for a long haired - they get matted so easily and will need a daily quick brush to keep on top of it.

A cardboard box with a fleecy blanket in is fine for a bed or an old pillow with a fleecy blanket over it - some like beds, some sleep anywhere. Once you know if yours is a "proper" bed cat, you can buy a nice one then, if needed.

Lots of toys, the Purrs website is fantastic for them (and helps cat charities).

As many scratching posts as you can fit in! (I have 2 downstairs and 2 upstairs - all used by both cats and I have no scratched furniture;)).

Food, again, get whatever he's eating now to avoid tummy upsets and then you can change if you want to (again, make any changes gradually).

Re going out, mine are never let out until their chipped and neutered so (depending on the time of year when they're "done") between 6 - 9 months.


Above all ..... lots of cuddles, play and enjoy!:D

Kt8

thank you
we have the home check this week...just want to have her home!

dizziblonde

Litter tray - I'd suggest a covered one with the tray inside it, or a tray inside a tray at least because if you get one that wants to dig their poo a one way ticket to Australia - the stuff goes EVERYWHERE otherwise.
Cat tree/scratching post - suggest the rope covered ones not carpet covered - carpet one lasted an hour with my three legged cat. Will need replacing eventually when the rope starts to shed away.
Food - whatever you've decided on for that.
Water bowl/fountain/gravity feed fountain - again pick what takes yer fancy.
Carrier to transport.

Wouldn't recommend bothering with nice beds - as the poem goes - cats sleep anywhere...

Think Asda have a pet event on ATM (don't quote me on that though - could be my mind making things up)!

spike7451

dizziblonde wrote: »

Litter tray - I'd suggest a covered one with the tray inside it, or a tray inside a tray at least because if you get one that wants to dig their poo a one way ticket to Australia - the stuff goes EVERYWHERE otherwise.
Cat tree/scratching post - suggest the rope covered ones not carpet covered - carpet one lasted an hour with my three legged cat. Will need replacing eventually when the rope starts to shed away.
Food - whatever you've decided on for that.
Water bowl/fountain/gravity feed fountain - again pick what takes yer fancy.
Carrier to transport.

Wouldn't recommend bothering with nice beds - as the poem goes - cats sleep anywhere...

Think Asda have a pet event on ATM (don't quote me on that though - could be my mind making things up)!

Lidl's are having one.

Congrats on the new additions to your family.I have Daisy's litter box in one of those stout cardboard boxes that cabbages come in.It allows Daisy to clean her claws on the sides of the box & also keeps the litter in...I also have the windows cat proofed by a simple use of some chain from the hardware store..

Kt8

we are going to go for coverered tray...thank you so much for the pic there that is really helpfull as I was worrying about windows xx