Getting our first kittens, advice please!

[Iheartmyheart]

We are adopting a brother/sister pair of kittens in about 6 weeks time. We’ve never had cats before so I’d love some input on what to buy!
I’d rather buy something more expensive that works great first time around than trial and error too much.
We live off shore and our local selection of things can be limited, so things I can buy on amazon would probably be easiest.

The kitten will come to us having been fed royal Canin mother and baby. What should I buy when they outgrow it?

Cat litter- I’ve been looking at “worlds best cat litter” as it’s got very good reviews?

Litter box?

Cat bed?

Scratching post?

Easy to clean food dishes?

Are the electric water bowls worth it?

Is there a collapsible cat carrier I could buy (trying to save space as it won’t be used much)

Some sort of spray that neutralises little accident smells?

Good collars?

Thank you so much in advance!

Scratching post. Just bowls for food and wAter. Ours never used the cat bed. Just slept on the sofa, bed, stairs....

Some balls to plaY with But ours loved cardboard boxes and scrunched up paper and milk bottle carton tops.

Scratching post for sure. I have found that getting the most expensive fancy litter tray you can afford is a worthwhile investment - we have one of those automatic scooping ones and it has made my life SO much easier. I couldn't go back to shovelling shit three times a day. Obviously, your mileage may vary.

Water fountain I don't use, but I've got friend who swear by them. It depends on your cat. I do change the water in their bowls morning and night so it's always fresh.

Mine scorn cat toys absolutely and prefer bits of paper or people's hair, or dangling dressing gown cords. They have never used a cat bed and sleep on the sofa, or our bed. I have found a bit of lemon juice works with accidents, but there shouldn't be too many of those if you have a decent clean litter tray - my experience is that cats aren't like dogs - they are easy to litter train, and will mostly only pee outside if there is something wrong with the tray or if they are upset/stressed/unwell.

Do they come neutered?.

pretty much what pp said

I did find bicarb helped with kitty accidents sprinkle a small amount and leave for a while then hoover should neutralize any odour and is harmless but there are other things on the market like sprays, powders etc

if your cats will be going outdoors I do recommend a good collar, with a quick release mechanism but as for brand it's a personal preference
im not sure a collar would be worth it if they will be indoor cats

Cat beds are hit and miss some will use them others won't so I can't advise I'm afraid, mine just slept on the sofa or in a comfy corner

Also kittiens will chase anything little that moves, my cat loved shoe laces or dangly fingers over the arm of a chair

I've recently switched to the Cats Best litter. My cat had to go away for an operation and he came back with a bag of it. Previously I would have said litter was litter and it didn't make any difference but actually I think it is better than the wood pellets we were using before. It certainly lasts longer and it's easy to scoop out everything without contaminating the rest of the tray.

My cat has a fountain and does use it. My only tip here would be to ensure that you get one that makes the water accessible even when it's switched off. Some of them don't and I don't always notice if ours has gone off - it would be awful if that meant your cat didn't have any water.

Decent cat litter, cat tree, fluffy igloo style bed with a Teddy in it, little soft, fluffy balls that they can carry around with them. My kitten is 9 weeks old and loves all these. Her igloo is on the end of my bed and that's where she sleeps overnight to keep her and my big cat separate. Oh, and cardboard boxes!

Leroy recommends a cardboard box. He reckons there's nothing better in life than a new cardboard box.

Depending on where off shore you are, Zooplus can offer great deals on food, litter, accessories like trees & scratchers etc. They seem to cover most of Europe, and in the UK I've always had good service from them.

I wouldn't bother with an electric water thing. Unnecessary waste of electricity.
One of my cats sleeps in a cardboard box, ignores all offered cat beds. My others like my bed, but also like the ones that hook on radiators (when heating is on). I also have a barrel which is a scratcher, bed and play space. That I would recommend.
A variety of toys. Boxes, tubes, rustling stuff. Change it around often as kittens soon lose interest.

Zooplus is very good value for cat trees and scratchers, etc. Much cheaper than pets at home.

I’d rather buy something more expensive that works great first time around than trial and error too much.

Sorry. But I had to laugh at this. They are cats!

Enzyme spray for accidents
No collar but get them microchipped
Need neutering early if male/female pair - 4 months recommended
Scratching post and cat tree
Large litter tray or 2
Mine also like cardboard boxes but also like couches, beds, baskets of clean washing

Also recommend zooplus

Thank you very much for all your kind replies! We are getting very excited for our furry friends!

They will only be 8 weeks old so not neutered yet although I do plan on doing that as well as micro chipping them... they will be indoor/outdoor cats when big enough (although I’m not sure when that will be?).

One more question- cat milk? I was thinking of giving them some at first as they’ll be quite little?

Snorg Recommends a Teepee.

They don't need cat milk. It's a marketing gimmick.

No need for cat milk really. I've never given it and we got ours at 8 weeks old

Get a couple of Feliway plug in and stick them around the house a few days before they come. They really help them feel calm.

No need for cat milk, total gimmick. Cats also don’t sleep in cat beds, I’m amazed they even still sell them. They like enclosed spaces like boxes with towels in though. They’ll likely hide behind the sofa for a few days if they’re anything like mine.

Food wise, I alternated wet food (Thrive complete) and Hills oral care for a few years, but they’ve decided they don’t like wet food now so just have the Hills. Steer clear of crap like Wiskas.

Corrugated cardboard scratchers go down well in this house. So do toys with feathers

Mine have also only had maybe 3 toilet accidents between the 2 of them in 6 years, and they were a stress related (house moves) the Feliway will help. They do throw up a fair amount though, but it’s not too offensive

If they are outdoor I really recommend that you are very careful about what collars you get, get the easiest release ones you can, which they will then flick off as soon as they can.

Anything else can cause serious injuries. I had a cat lose a leg after getting trapped by their 'easy release' collars. Never used a collar since. he was a very happy 3 leg cat for years - but I'm sure he'd rather have had 4.

Really don't spend too much! Except on insurance.

Oh yes, we don’t have collars at all. Not safe.

Meant to say, little collars with bells as it means you can hear where the little buggers are!

Yes to cat tree, ours were zooming up our cat tree within 10 mins of first being allowed to roam the house

Cat wand toy
Laser light toy
Fluffy blanket or sheepskin (ours vastly prefer this to a cat bed, it helps if it's fluffy as they knead it to self soothe)

Cat tree
No collar - definitely microchipped
Litter tray, we have a 3 layer one with a sieve type thing in the middle to get any chunks out.
Never bothered with beds, ours sleep wherever they fall.
Neuter asap! Talk to your vet, the 16 week old thing is a myth. We had ours at 10 weeks from the RSPCA and they were already done.

Stick to the same food at the start, you can gradually change it later if you like.

Arrgh! I had paragraphs on everything, bloody app!