Ten topics you need to know about before you buy or adopt a kitten

If you’ve decided to get a kitten, you’re probably really keen to pick and bring your new baby cat home as soon as possible, but before you even get as far as looking for your new companion, you need to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Many first-time cat owners greatly underestimate the cost of caring for a kitten and how much time and commitment cats need, wrongly thinking that cats really just need food and are largely self-sufficient.

Doing plenty of research is important to ensure you make an informed choice, both to choose the right kitten for you, and to make sure that cat ownership is a good idea for you in the first place.

However, one problem faced by everyone trying to learn about a new subject for the first time is that you don’t always know what it is you don’t know, as it were, and so, what you need to find out more about; and this is something that we will address within this article.

Read on for an introduction to ten essential articles you need to read first if you want to buy or adopt a kitten.

Lucy’s Law: Buying a kitten from a responsible seller

Buying from a responsible breeder or seller is vitally important when it comes to picking out a new puppy or kitten, and there’s a law in place now that dictates some of the parameters of this, with animal welfare in mind – Lucy’s Law. Find out how to pick a responsible kitten breeder and why Lucy’s Law is important, and how to identify if something is not as it seems when shopping for your new pet.

Picking a kitten that is healthy

Even if the kitten you choose appears to be in rude health now and you do everything right to make an informed choice, this is no guarantee of lifelong health. However, it is a good start, and can help you to avoid issues both in the short term and later on; and this article will tell you all about choosing a healthy kitten when you start looking around.

What to look for in your new kitten’s personality

Health is vitally important when it comes to picking the right kitten, but so is personality; and it can be really hard to tell when faced with a litter of adorable squeaking furballs how these personalities differ, and how they may manifest as your cat gets older.

Read this article for pointers and clues on what a kitten’s personality now can tell you about what they will be like when they grow up!

Making sure your home is safe for your new kitten

They say that cats have nine lives; make sure that yours doesn’t use up all of them before they even reach their first birthday by following the advice in this article about kitten-proofing your home, and keeping your new arrival safe and out of mischief!

An essential checklist of things your new kitten will need

Knowing what you need to buy for your new kitten can be nerve-wracking, and you’ll want to ensure you haven’t forgotten anything essential! Kittens actually need quite a lot of things when you first bring them home and are getting everything from scratch, and this list will help you to ensure that you have all of the essentials you need.

Tips on keeping your kitten happy and healthy

Caring for your new kitten means ensuring that they have a great start to life, and are happy and healthy. However, if you’ve never had a kitten before, knowing what to do and provide to enable this isn’t always intuitive! This article will share tips on keeping kittens happy and in good health.

Kitten myths you need to avoid falling for

Most kitten care mistakes occur due to a lack of knowledge about cats and kittens, and there are a wide range of kitten myths and misconceptions that first-time owners believe, and which can hamper your attempts to provide appropriate care and handling.

Read this list of 10 kitten myths and the truth behind them to ensure you’re not inadvertently making a mistake that could cause problems later on.

How to litter train your kitten

Teaching your kitten where to do their business is something that their breeder might have already taken care of, but this is not always a given; and even if it is, using a new litter or box might confuse your new kitten and mean they aren’t sure where they’re supposed to toilet.

This article on how to litter train your kitten will help to ensure that things go smoothly.

Potential dangers in your home that could harm your kitten

We’ve already looked at kitten-proofing your home, but there are a number of specific dangers that may be present in some homes, and which might not be obvious enough for us to realise unless pointed out! This article will outline some scenarios and items that can be present in homes that can be dangerous for kittens, to help you to avoid them.

Health emergencies in kittens

Finally, appraise yourself of this list of symptoms that constitute a health emergency in kittens, and which require immediate veterinary attention. File it away for later reference; it might just save your kitten’s life.