New kitten coming! Help!

[ReplacementPlasticUterus]

I'm picking up a new kitten next week, she'll be 9 weeks old and I just need some recommendations for cat litter and food.

Currently she's on Tesco kitten biscuits (?) and using Catsan litter in a hooded litter box, so I will use both when she first comes home.

I've become very confused about the food in particular - our last cat would only eat Felix pouches (bleurgh), but I'd rather use a complete dry food, if only to reduce the litter smells in a small house until she can go out.

I will get a hooded litter box as that is what she is used to, but I have no plans to make her an indoor cat, so hope this phase will only last until she has had all of her jabs and has been spayed. Then she can use the catflap.

TLDR: Should I change the litter to something better, albeit gradually. And is there a better complete dry food that I can introduce?

I naively assumed cats was cats, so it was a bit of a shock after 17 years with one (who was PTS in March) to get 2 entirely different personalities in May.
My old lady liked Catsan, these 2 like wooden pellets. She liked an open tray, they like hood with flap. She ate posh stuff, these will only eat Whiskas, wet - only chicken in gravy, and the dry - biscuits with something in the middle. I got a box of Iams the other day as none of their usual in the shop and they will not so much as lick it.
Apologies for the essay, but just see how it goes! Do a slow transition if you change food or especially litter, so new kitten doesn't start doing dirty protests.

Keep the food till they’ve settled & use a kitten safe non clumping litter in case they eat it.

There are definitely much better brands of dry cat food out there, have a look at what's on offer from places like Pets at Home or Zooplus. All more expensive of course, but you're paying for quality food. Like with everything, introduce very slowly to prevent tummy upsets!

I wouldn't try to completely eliminate having a litter tray in the house once they go out. You never know whether they may need to be kept in for a few days for some reason, if the weather is bad (unless YOU would like to have to toilet in a force 9 gale & snow!), or for some reason they just prefer it.

And remember the toll for posting here - we need pics once she's safely home

I wouldn't try to completely eliminate having a litter tray in the house once they go out. You never know whether they may need to be kept in for a few days for some reason, if the weather is bad (unless YOU would like to have to toilet in a force 9 gale & snow!), or for some reason they just prefer it.

Good point! I'm just going on my previous experience, but as Crylittlesister says, they all have different personalities.

And I shall of course return with a photo, mainly because I'll probably be asking for name suggestions

All cats should have at least one litter tray in the house too, as someone says above there are lots of reasons why they may feel uncomfortable going out. It is also far safer to keep a cat in from dusk til dawn as most RTAs happen during the hours of darkness.

It also hasn't been my experience at all that dry food = less litter box smells. It will entirely depend on that particular cat's digestive system tbh. The best "output" my cats have is on very high quality grain free wet food that is basically just meat and no by-products. Cheap dry foods don't agree with them at all. If you want dry food, then the Sanabelle kitten dry from ZooPlus is great value and pretty good quality too.

Not about food, but keep your upstairs windows shut and plug up any 'escape hatches'/ dangerous nooks (like the fireplace/shevling units/heavy sofas you can't lift in case kitten gets stuck) with books.
Check inside your washing machine/dryer before pressing start (in case someone leaves the door open after emptying it and kitty gets in (your dishwasher too). Make sure to close doors, drawers and cabinet doors carefully in case kitty has snuck inside and gotten behind and open drawer. They're so fast and they can be inside a door frame just as you're closing the door. Just be aware, not anxious. They are curious, but it doesn't have to get the better of them.
By 12 weeks, you won't have to be as vigilant.