The Kitten Checklist

Inspired by Kendo - this tiny 8 week old ball of cute and as we are visiting 6 month Jimi all week, we have been thinking about how much fun it is to get your first kitten/cat and all the cute bits you can bring home for them before you actually bring them home!

See our top 10 below and let us know anything you think we may have missed out!

When Love Cats Croydon met Kendo

1) A COMFY BED OR BLANKET

All cats and kittens will want a special place to sleep where they feel safe, warm and cosy so make sure you choose a nice bed/blanket, or at least a little box for them to curl up on when they come home.

2) A FOOD AND A WATER BOWL

Naturally you will need to feed and provide water for your new kitten, so make sure you have bowls to put their food and water in! There are many choices, but we don’t recommend using plastic especially for their water as it does effect the taste, and as with humans re-using plastic bottles, in time toxins can leak out into the drinking water. (1 x wet food, 1 x dry food, 2 x water for 2 diff places would be ideal if you can)

3) FOOD!

If you’ve got the bowls, you do need the food to go in them too! Again, there is a lot of choice when it comes to food and go with whatever is recommended if your kitten has specific dietary requirements, otherwise a good quality kitten food is fine. You can use both wet and dry foods, but please don’t give your kitten/cat milk or dairy products. Water is best for drinking and you can treat them to kitten/cat milks too as these are specially formulated.

LOVE CATS TOP TIP: 8-12 weeks kitten - feed 4 x SMALL meals per day / 3-6 months - feed 3 x per day / 6+ months - feed 2 x per day

4) LITTER TRAY & LITTER

Again, there is soooo much choice. It might be a good idea to try a covered box if the kitten is nervous as this gives them a little ‘privacy’ and for males that tend to spray it keeps everything contained! It’s up to you what litter you use, although it’s usually best to stick with anything they are used to when you pick up your kitten to avoid any confusion for them and therefore make toilet training easier.

LOVE CATS TOP TIP: Remember the litter tray ratio = 1 tray/box per cat, plus 1. (eg 2 cats in a household should have 3 trays)

5) CAT CARRIER

You might pick one of these up from the place you are collecting your kitten, you may need to purchase one before you go collect your kitten - either way, you will need one, as there will be lots of vet trips to start with for vaccinations, neutering etc when you first get your new pet.

6) SCRATCH POST

Take the tip - save your furniture and get a scratch post or scratch mat straight away PLUS encourage your kitten to use it!

LOVE CATS TOP TIP: If you buy a post make sure its tall enough for the kitten to stretch to scratch. They will use the post not only for their claws but to stretch out and help their joints too!

7) GROOMING BRUSH

And while your at it, a brush that removes hair from our clothes and furniture too (especially for long haired and/or light haired kittens) If you have along haired cat, get them used to the brush as soon as possible. Trying to introduce grooming to an older cat is a nightmare - take it from me, those claws and teeth can be very sharp! Grooming your cat can be really enjoyable for them and a bonding experience if you get it right.

8) COLLAR(S)

If you have an outdoor kitten/cat you should try them with a collar. This is an identifier if they get lost of course, but you can get reflective ones so they can be seen and/or flea collars that really do work most of the time and obviously help keep them flea free. Just make sure you get something with a quick release, or elasticated so if the cat gets stuck anywhere, or into a fight etc, they can be free of the collar in an instant so as not to cause any unnecessary injury.

9) MICROCHIP

Even with a collar, we always suggest getting your kitten microchipped as soon as they are starting to go out. If your fur baby gets lost, or injured and loses the collar, they can always be taken to a vet or animal welfare who will scan for a chip and then be able to return them to you or notify you where your kitten is being held.

10) PET INSURANCE

Talking of vets - we recommend getting pet insurance as vets bills are not cheap. Unless you are taking on a rescue whos already had vaccinations and neutering you will need to pay for these first, then there are the regular check-ups and thats before goodness knows what else you might need as the cat gets older, if the cat gets into any scraps or fights, or gets injured around the home or out and about…..

So thats the top 10 - we would like to add the most important thing to get before bringing your kitten home…..

TOYS!

Dont forget kittens love to play and need to be active, so lots of toys you will both enjoy to keep them entertained and to train their instincts. Puzzle feeders, treat balls, fishing rods, balls, etc….

For more info or advice on your first kitten, or bringing home your first cat click here and contact us with your questions - we will answer personally and might pop together a separate Kitten Q & A blog with the most popular queries if that helps?

Do let us know if that would be ineresting for you too?

Thanks and ENJOY your new kitty cat!