Help for soon to be new kitten owner

[Nejma]

This little beauty is joining our family on Friday (long story re a friend who was taking her but now can't so we have stepped in) and as first time domesticated kitten owners we need some help. We have had outdoor semi feral cats abroad but never been owned by a cat here in the UK.

She's 9 weeks old but we don't have any other info about her at the moment.

What do I need to know/do/buy/ask?
(Tomorrow after work it'll be a trolley dash round pets at home)

Oh my goodness she's beautiful. You'll need a litter tray and litter and food - do you know what she eats at the moment? In my experience a bed is a waste of money as a cat will deliberately avoid sleeping on it and prefer a pile of clean clothes. A scratching post or mat is a good idea although mine has always much preferred the sofa!
Congratulations on becoming a cat slave

@Waitingforsummer75 we've been told kitten pouches (no brand specified) and kitten crunchies with sprinkles (not got a clue)

What about vets/injections/flea treatments etc?
We were thinking of kitten ownership in the future but this little girl needs rehomed right now so foolishly or otherwise we stepped in

We have had our two kittens for month.
Scratching posts are a must.
We have a stainless steel water fountain.
We have gone for untamed food
Blanket for sleeping on but not a bed.

Now I just bought a scratching post with a couple of platforms and they absolutely love that.
A few toys...balls and feathers
Litter tray, litter, scoop/poop bags, food bowl.
Insurance

What pp say, also some toys that the kitten can chase (feathers on sticks etc for)
I'm a seasoned cat slave and kittens are wonderful.
Put the litter tray a few feet from their food, they usually dash to it after eating.
Running up curtains will definitely happen as will knocking over glasses of water etc.
Congratulations and you will soon adore this fluffy bundle.
Speak to your local vet for vaccine schedule and microchip (microchipping is now compulsory)

Get flea treatment etc from vet.Don’t get cheap stuff from supermarket ie Bob Martin as it can have dire side effects.

Try to get a little more info on which food and litter she's currently using. Sudden changes in food can cause all types of tummy issues, and a sudden change in litter can discourage them to use the tray as they may not realise that's what it is. Try to find out if she's had any flea/worm treatment to date.

Very high priority is to get her registered and in to see your local vet - if you haven't had pets where you live now, try asking for recommendations on them. Your STB kitten is still a bit young to be going to a new home, so the sooner the better as if she hasn't had flea or worm treatment that would be quite important.

A pp said not to worry about cat beds, and is right when it comes to spending money on them right now. However you need to ensure that the kitten has a warm snug place she can go into like a cardboard box on it's side with blankets or towels in. It's recommended you keep her to one room initially while she settles in and spend a fair bit of time in there just chatting to her & letting her get used to her new home. If she hides don't worry, depending on the cat they can take anything from 1 minute to a couple of weeks to decide to come out!

Kitten proof the house. A kitten can squeeze into a much smaller space than you would think, so try to block little gaps. They can climb up almost anything so windows closed to prevent exploring outside and be careful about ornaments on shelving. If you have a chimney, block that off. Remember kittens have razor sharp little pointy slashing blades on every foot, so try to protect expensive furnishings.

If you get toys, don't worry about catnip ones as most don't "grow into" a liking for it until they are adults or getting close to it.

And finally - gold star for paying your cat tax up front with such a little cutie!

She's adorable. What everyone else has said plus:

• Carpet cleaner for the inevitable accidents in the first few days with a young, stressed out kitten. The Dr Beckmann one with a built-in scrubbing brush is really good.
• Toys. A feather wand, catnip mouse, ping pong balls, rechargeable laser pen, play tunnel.
• A good litter scoop. Don't get the cheapest one that comes in a 2 pack from Pets At Home. It's got bobbles on the back that are impossible to clean. Litter tray liners are also a waste of money as the cat just shreds them when they dig.

Also, it sounds crazy but looks at getting a second kitten. Only kittens without an older cat in the house can develop single kitten syndrome. Rescues will usually only re-home kittens in pairs but often have singletons or odd-numbered litters.

Thank you all.
Have messaged re food /flea treatment etc and will call my local vets too (recommended by a friend)

More kitten questions from me

lovely kitty arrived this morning and after a short spell of hiding has been playful and napping regularly but she hasn't eaten are drank much.

She was fed by previous owner at 6am and since 11am has maybe eaten a tiny bit of dried food and 1/3 of a pouch of wet food. She was very interested in the pouch when I took it out and ate quickly but seemed to get full quickly.

She has peed once in the litter tray but showing little interest.

Should we be worried?
@Allergictoironing @CatHugger @Hungrycaterpillarsmummy @IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken

ah no she still settling in..she young so probably gets full quick and will pick. for mine I tend to leave a bowl of cat nuts out all the time then they can pick at them when they want it's beside the water bowl. then wet food fed in morning and evening time. give it a few days for her ti get used to your house. have a look at cat trees too one of mine loves his and always climbing it. I have a plan with my vets pay a certain amount each month and get free worm and flea treatments also a heavy discount when neutered. that also needs to be done when you can cats can get pregnant very early and quick. congrats in your kitten adorable.

Get a decent tall cat scratcher that will do her when she’s full size, Amazon Basics have a good one. She’ll grow out of a kitten one quickly. Teach her to use it - as in scratch your own nails on it, she will copy you (honestly). You’ll feel like an idiot but it might save your furniture.

It's only her first day so I wouldn't worry too much. She'll be stressed, scared and not feeling like eating. If she doesn't poo or eat tomorrow, and particularly if you don't see any evidence of drinking, then book her into a vet on Monday. They should check that her anus isn't restricted (some cats have a congenial defect) and be able to reassure or advise you as appropriate.

My younger cat didn't eat on her first day with us and I whisked her to the vet. She's been an absolute piglet ever since.

Remember tiny kittens have tiny stomachs to match. 1/3 of a pouch will likely fill her up but offer it as many times a day as she wants, even 5-6 times, that's fine plus of course dry down 24/7.

If she still hasn't had a poo by Monday then vet. But give her a decent chance to settle in. Equally though I think we'd all rather you asked about anything you aren't sure about, however silly it may seem to you, than the opposite!

Just updating to say kitty has settled in well.
Arrived Saturday morning and by dinnertime was nestling in to DC.

Didn't eat well day one but good use of the litter tray. Since then we've had pees and poos and lots of sleepy cuddles followed by zoomies.

However we had first vet visit yesterday and vet thinks she is a he! Vet had a good look and is 90% certain we have a little boy.

And yes I know I have to pay cat tax

He is gorgeous. What a little sweetheart! Ready to find him a playmate?

aww he/She 😂 is so cute. that's quite common to find it's the opposite common to what you thought originally. if it's a male defo get neutered as soon as possible -mainly to stop roaming and uneutered males pee stinks.
congrats to years of cuddles and purrs for the next 15 years

A friend helped care for and eventually trap & neuter a couple of feral cats. The least wary of them was a girl about 4 months old, who ended up being cared for in my friend's garage while they waited to get a vet date etc. She turned out to be a he, but they'd got so used to calling them by the female name that it's stuck. Apparently Nerys doesn't have a complex about it.