Kitten

[SusanStoHelitsPoker]

Talk to me about kittens, hoping to have one very soon, and my old cat who sadly passed last month was with me from the age of 6 to 17 but I never knew him as a kitten! So, what do I need to do / know?? Litter tray, litter, bed, blanket, toys, what else?? Vet registering, flea and worming treatments, when do you castrate them?? Excited but nervous!

It will drive you insane

No no no. You do not need 1 dkitten.
You need 2...
Half the damage to your soft furnishings and your arms.

Haha how, as in energy levels?? My DS is 6 and autistic, lots of energy, so I'm used to that! He was heartbroken when our family cat passed and has been on about a kitten since!

Definitely get 2 .

This was our 2...

I took in a pregnant cat and ended up with 5 kittens which we kept, and the mum.
I didn't find it stressful at all, it was wonderful! We aren't house proud though so that will have helped as they do scratch furniture and get hair everywhere.

We never bought beds, they just sleep where they like.
For one kitten I would suggest 2 litter trays, a none clumping litter while they are young.
Food bowl, not too deep while only a kitten and a water bowl and possibly a scratching post otherwise they will have your furniture.

Make sure to get it microchipped and neutered if not already done.

My kitten has a thing for bread products

Muffins, waffles, pancakes etc

Its not uncommon to find she has stolen a packet and tried to chew through

Litter tray use is instinctive & they will probably do it fine themselves. I like wood pellets I can compost. Remove solids to regular trash, though.

They sleep where they like. But no end of cute cat beds you can buy.

TWO kittens is easier than one, they play with each other.

Toys : go to town. Get lots.

Vets like your business, yes. There is initial vaccine course (2 sets of jabs over about 5 week period) followed by boosters every 12-15 months. £40/year here.

deflea once a month. spot on stuff is good. We use Advocat. deworm at least twice a year for outdoor cats.

Most can be neutered from about 4 months; some vets say 6 months, some say 2 kg.

Warning: kittens have a giant shedding session, adult fur comes in, at about 7-9 months old. I was covered in hair constantly for weeks.

Kittens are very enthusiastic, not at all calm until about two years old. Perhaps try to find a bonded pair that are a bit older.

We're fostering a seven week-old kitten at the moment. We have five other cats aged between 2 and 15 years old. The kitten has two modes- 100% on racing around with every toy for about 90 minutes or panned out fast asleep on the nearest human. The adult cats are tolerant but nonplussed by the whirling dervish kitten.

He has sharp claws and baby teeth, no understanding of the word No! and everything can be patted, chewed or jumped on. He's trying to get the older cats to play but to no avail. Two kittens are usually better than one. You'll have to do a lot of playing and socialising with one.

He is very cute and completely confident in himself.

Well, he's settling in quite nicely! He's getting his confidence already and is incredibly cute in his curiosity, and energetic!!

I agree on getting two if you get kittens. Get litter mates if you can. they entertain each other. If you only want one, get an adult cat. The advantage of that is that you will already know their personality and can get one with a temperament that matches your family circumstances. We have got two kittens plus an older cat. The kittens are bonkers but make us laugh every day. The older cat s the one that likes cuddles and is a lap cat. No sign of that with the kittens yet, they are far too busy!