Dp and I are going to see some cats on Sunday. They are 5 month old Russian Blues who are still with their breeder.
DP had a cat years ago but has mainly had dogs as pets. I had a dog as a child but never had a cat.
What do we need to ask/find out/think about that we might not have considered? We are hoping to buy two brothers.
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The litter tray
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16 replies
Ikeameatballs · 16/08/2019 17:50
OP posts:
Allergictoironing ·
17/08/2019 08:44
You will need at least 2 litter trays for 2 cats, and find out what litter the breeder uses and use that at first.
Beds are a waste of money, they will decide where they want to sleep. I bought a really nice bed for mine, over 3 years down the line they still refuse to go near it! An igloo or 2 however, may go down well as they like to hide in there.
Scratching post is absolutely critical, and combining that with a large cat tree (if you have space) can be good.
Food - again find out what the breeder is currently feeding them & start with that. If you want to change it, do it slowly over time or the consequences could be very messy! Make sure you get ceramic or metal bowls for food & water, as plastic seems to taint the taste of the contents.
Don't even think about using disposable cardboard carriers, the last thing you need is a pair of scared kittens running about loose in the car! You can buy one adult sized carrier for now and put both in that until they outgrow it. I would suggest one with a top opening as well as a front opening, and ideally one where you can remove the entire top half if you want.
Start out with them confined to one room, and give them time to come out & come to you - be warned, this can take a few days with some cats, though minutes only with others. Spend time with them talking quietly, and again let them come to you.
Don't forget insurance! You really need Lifetime insurance in case they develop an ongoing illness, and think long & hard about the max limit per year as operations at vets can be VERY expensive!
Finally, remember the Litter tray rules - kitten pics are mandatory 
IKVH ·
17/08/2019 11:26
Kittens really shouldn't leave their mother until at least 8 weeks old as they are still dependant on their mothers milk until then.
They are also likely to develop more clawing traits if leaving early, as it's what they do when suckling.
I'd be wary if any breeder who says it's ok to take them before 8 weeks.
For once you have your lovely cats, also get a Feliway plugin as it calms the cats from being unsettled.
Good luck! 
Allergictoironing ·
17/08/2019 11:27
I'm with your DP on that one , seeing as they are blue kitties.
You may find that you don't get much choice which kittens you get, even if there are options. There's a good chance that you will be chosen by them, just go with the flow if that happens. I went with some ideas of what I wanted when I went to the rescue for mine, and there were a few who could have fit the bill, but I was Chosen by a pair who only fulfilled about half of my list (wanted older, they were only 2, wanted lap cats, these were VERY shy & didn't Do Touching). over 3 years down the line and no regrets at all.
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