We are getting kittens!

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

I always feel nervous getting a pet and I haven't had one in over 6 years.
We have two children ages 3 and 6 and they are keen for cats. So I have been monitoring the local Cats protection page and went up there just for a look. There just happened to be some kittens still available and we just decided on the spot we'd take 2!

But yeh..I'm excited and nervous! We won't get them for another two weeks. I am worried because my wider family aren't a fan of cats really and I know I'll hear "I'm not looking after them if you go away" type comments. We wouldn't expect anyone too, we would ask a neighbour or go to a cattery.

Do we HAVE to have a scratching post/tower thingy? I feel they look a bit much in rooms but I'd rather than than destroy our furniture.

How lovely for you to be having 2 little bundles of fluff to love. Kittens do like the height of the towers and if they want to escape your DC for a bit they can climb up out of their way, especially from the 3 year old.

Do we HAVE to have a scratching post/tower thingy? I feel they look a bit much in rooms but I'd rather than than destroy our furniture.

That's it in a nutshell - cats scratch, and without a scratching post or board they WILL scratch your furniture. Or in my case, even with plenty of provided scratching furniture one still prefers the wallpaper!.

They will want a tree or similar in the house anyway, as nearly all cats like to climb up high & survey their empire, and most of those have scratching posts as part of their structure. Depending on finances, you can get some very stylish ones these days.

Remember - YOU don't own these kittens, they have graciously decided that you are adequate as THEIR slaves; THEY own the house, contents and all the people in it, and this is the reason why you were put on this earth! 😁

Oh how lovely! I hope you’ll all be very happy.

As you’ve had a break between pets you might not have seen that IKEA recently launched a range of pet products. It includes this scratching mat which seems like it could be a good compromise to having dedicated scratching posts. But not used it myself

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/utsadd-scratching-mat-natural-50595946/

Aww congratulations!! Kittens are so gorgeous - and often a bit of the scratchy side 😊 We have a cat and a kitten and they both love scratching posts. We have 4 dotted around the house and 2 cat trees with hammocks and beds in them where they love perching and sleeping. Even with all this, the kitten still climbs curtains and scratches doorways and our bed frame. He also scratches furniture jumping on and off. We found giving them lots to play with and attention minimises the destruction 😊

We found Debenhams (of all places) brilliant for cat trees and cat furniture. Huge selection often on some kind of sale and definitely cheaper than Pets at Home. Enjoy your new furry overlords xx

Try Zooplus for a fab range of scratching posts & trees 😀

Prepare for things being destroyed! Our kittens shredded two sets of curtains and scratched and injured us regularly, including once giving me a black eye (don't ask). One is a particularly crazy tortie but I think two together is more destructive as they much play together.

They definitely need a cat tower to play on, hide in and scratch, as well as separate scratching posts and toys etc (not anything fancy, rolled up foil is always a favourite). They won't need them forever, once they start going out they will get bored of them but they need things to learn cat skills like scratching and jumping. We just got a little one from Lidl, it does the trick. Agree with shopping around, some are ridiculously expensive.

They are an absolute joy but kittens are little hooligans, it can be quite the journey!

I'm excited for you and for the photos. My two cats are outdoor cats but my furniture is still wrecked. I'd rather have cats than nice furniture.

I'd get them used to having their claws clipped from a young age.

Yes, is the short answer.

I use large wall mounted scratch posts that allow them to stretch and scratch to full height, they can climb them and they also take up much less space and are much sturdier than actual floor based posts. I have 4 cats and 3 of these posts and they last years. I would say a cat tower is also a must, cats and especially kittens like height.

pic added but under review!

Large Wall Mounted Scratch Post

Ok thanks all, I hear you loud and clear - I need scratch posts!

I do like the look of the full length wall mounted ones. I take the point about climbing up high and escaping the little ones. I am a bit worried about them scratching the boys but I guess they will learn fast 🤣

Will deffo upload pics once we get them. I did try to say which ones I wanted but cats protection were like "meh, it'll be two of this bunch" sort of thing. I'm hoping to get there soon after they call so I get first pick :D

To be fair, kittens are kittens and all just as adorable as each other. And although they are still pretty young and won't have their personalities fixed yet, as you have small children they will probably look at matching you with the more robust kittens.

I presume you were referring to the boys when you said they will learn? 😈You just need to keep an eye on them early on, as kittens can be rather delicate and younger kids don't always realise if they are being a bit rough.

I agree. Especially 3 year olds.

Yes do make sure that the children don't overdo it with the kittens and supervise them when they play - they don't realise how strong they are and how delicate little kittens are, and they will be very excited.

The kittens will teach each other not to be too rough in their play - that is a big advantage of getting 2. I have two cat sisters, and they tumble around together all the time and are very good at warning each other with a yelp if one of them was being too rough. They are now a year old and amazingly gentle cats - they have never given any of us a scratch or bitten, even in play. But it's really important that you teach your children not to encourage the kittens to play games where they use their hands as toys or the kittens will learn that hands are for playfighting with, which is cute when they are little but not so nice when you have an adult cat you've trained to bite and scratch you! Get them a couple of feather wands or dangler toys and tell them always to use those in chase games. If the kittens try to bite their hands, tell them to give a little squeak and remove their hands then substitute a toy. Even when being stroked, kittens can get overstimulated and if they get a bit bitey they probably need a break from being stroked.

Some cats like vertical scratchers and some prefer horizontal mats so it's worth getting one of each. You can get very cheap cardboard scratch mats (like a few pounds)

I dithered about getting a cat tree but our cats love it - both for scratching and for sitting on. It’s not something you need at the start, but it does give them a high point and some safe places.