Best bed for new kittens

[linspins]

Hi all, we are getting two new kittens on Monday, having never had pets as a family ( although I had a grown cat as a child).
I'm reading through loads of threads to find out what we need and what it will be like! I'm wondering if you could give me advice over the best bed to buy them....can/will they share a bed, do I need a covered one like a box or an open topped basket? Is it best to get washable....do I need to line it with a blanket? ( they will be coming with something that smells like their old home).
Any advice for a new kitten owner most gratefully received!

Just get a large box and some old blankets, maybe an old pillow because as they get older cats never use the expensive bed you lovingly bought them and sleep on the bed, in the airing cupboard, on clean, ironed laundry, on the floor above a hot water pipe, on the windowsill, if fact anywhere they fancy.

I agree, nice expensive beds are a waste of money IMO

So a couple of cheap blankets to be folded/draped wherever suits the kits is easily the best & cheapest option

I have a cat tree with a top shelf & middle snug, both of which do get used intermittently

Also a couple of these from zooplus which are used occasionally

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_beds_baskets/cat_dens/cat_dens/589078

But my 3 cats sleep wherever they fancy

Cheers everyone!
Cuddly blankets in a box then.
Just freaking out a bit reading all about fleas, ringworm, Harvey's mites, tapeworm etc....yikes! Our kittens will eventually be outdoor cats mostly and it seems there is so much a cat can catch. 😲😲

I bought a nice bed for our kittens. Thankfully they have slept in it so not a total waste of money.

But they also sleep on washing drying on the airer, on DH's jumpers, in cardboard boxes, in the paper bag my prescriptions came in, in our wardrobe and overnight between me and DH on our bed.

Also wishing we hadn't spent much on toys as currently most popular toys are the paper bag, flies, any cardboard box, our socks, their tails and each other.

I'm inwardly laughing at you pre-empting what kind of bed they'd like to sleep in!

Cats 1) almost never sleep in the bed provided for them and 2) are the rulers of the world and will sleep anywhere they like no matter how barmy.

However, I recommend providing them something covered for security for them. I saw a hack for a covered cat bed the other day... I'll go and look for it...

I bought a bed that didn't get used. They love shoe boxes though and the top of the cat tree. They also sleep on the couch, our beds, computer chair, dining room chairs, the floor, etc

Turn box on its side.
Put tshirt over it with neck hole positioned as in photo.
Tie at the back.
Add a blanket.

Watch kittens ignore it and sleep in your shoe...

Depending on age they will probably get liquid wormer to start with. I had to give it every 2 weeks before moving to worming tablets. I didn't give flea treatments until they started going outside. Flea treatment (advocate) is given monthly and the wormer (milbemax) is every 3 months. I get them from the vet.

Our kittens wer 4 months old when we adopted them and are now 14 months.

To start with the preferred a box with a blanket under a sheet so they could hide. They then progressed to a proper basket where they slept together. When they outgrew this we got. 2 small dog beds and there is one upstairs and 1 downstairs. Cat 1 who is like the other cats I have owned sleeps in one of these or on the bean bag in the lounge most of the time. Cat 2 who is odd either sleeps on the deck outside or on the window sill.
If I leave my bedroom door open then they both sleep on my bed.
This is during the day, at night they bothe go out at dusk and come in at midnight when the street lights go out, they find a human bed and curl up for the night.

Thanks for advice about beds and worming/fleas. I feel quite overwhelmed at how much I don't know! I do hope they both settle well, my children are so excited ( but have been told that the kittens will need space and quiet to settle in).

Good idea about box and t shirt

Cats in boxes!

Good luck! It gets easier very quickly, we got our first 2 years ago. They never slept on the beds we got them, have barely played with the cat tree thing, hate the self warming mats I got and occasionally deign to kip in the old Amazon boxes with blankets in.

That said they've decided they're sleeping on DD's bed tonight (she's overjoyed as we've never let them before).

A scratching post/ cat tree is a good investment too

We are on monthly wormer (tablets) until 6 months and can't remember how often flea treatment is - although just gave it today. Get from the vet, not petshop/supermarket.

Having had the misery of getting kittens that came with fleas before am pretty obsessed with this, even though current kittens have no trace.

Otherwise you just get their jabs done, keep them inside and take them to be neutered when your vet is happy to do it - it varies. Feed them kitten food.

And teach them the rules eg no chewing computer cables, no scratching sofas from day 1, they learn v fast.

Mine were neutered and chipped at just over 4 months and that is considered the best age to do it. Mine are 9 months old now

When I was a child, the mother and son cats we owned fought over which of them got to sleep on the first floor landing.

It was an awkward spot at the top of the stairs and so nothing could be put there in case someone tripped.

The pipes from the boiler were at the hottest as they ran under the floor and even if the heating wasn't switch on, they would warm up when the boiler would be turned on for hot water.

Add the landing radiator in winter and the lucky winner of the fight would doze for hours surrounded by heat.

Utterly ignored any blanket or basket offered anywhere else.

These were mine not long after we got them. We got them at 8 weeks old

My cat has this www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=9653&pf_id=62388&ptm_source=google&ptm_medium=shopping&ptm_campaign=under10_62388&campaign=324014531&adgroup=24641945531&content=214012163233&keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzdiU_Jrl1QIVFhbTCh1pjgRbEAQYBCABEgK8u_D_BwE

The roof comes off & its machine washable. He loves it.

Cat beds are quite small & don't have enough padding in them to be comfy.

In winter I put a hot water bottle under the pad & throw a fleece over the entrance for extra cosiness as we don't leave the heating on overnight.

Mine sleeping

more

you probably get the idea - please not the radiator bed she has rejected in favour of the actual radiator

I bought mine a very posh bed, technically a small dog bed but a decent size and nice and soft, and an igloo. After about 6 months they decided that the igloo was OK, and would actually fight over who got it - if Boycat got there first Girlcat would climb over it until it collapsed on him and he'd have to get out, then she being smaller could fit in.

After 15 months they still do anything at all possible to avoid even touching the bed.

Mine sleep in various places - windowsills, boxes, on top of the fridge, under the duvet, on the armchair or in the clean washing basket!

Occasionally they sleep on their scratching post but I've never known them to sleep on or in a cat bad!

I got my cat @6 months bought a cat bed and she loves it sleeps it in during the day and even at night if she's upstairs on a bed she wants to go to the kitchen to it we have it up high in the kitchen/living room so she can watch everything .she has a cat tree as well and sleeps on that a lot, we have a kitten 3 months he sleeps in a small basket that u get a dove hamper at Christmas with fleecy blanket in it as he's tiny he sleeps on middle shelf of cat tree the female is the boss sleeps at top the box and t shirt is brilliant idea I might try that