Adding A Kitten To Your Family

Hello! As you all know by now, I'm a big cat lover. I have two babies British Shorthairs who have been with us since they were kittens. I know that many of you love seeing pictures of them and I'm always being asked questions so I thought it'd be nice to give those who are considering adding a kitten to their family some advice based on the things that I have learnt along the way. I'm no expert! But hopefully this will be helpful to some.

Circumstances
First of all, if you are renting. Check with your landlord if it is acceptable to bring a pet into your home! Most are very lenient but there are some who absolutely do not want an animal in their property because of potential damage. My advice would be to negotiate a small addition to your bond to cover any expenses. If it is a no, take it at face value. Landlords can take action should you go against a contractual agreement without permission, it isn't worth losing your home or having to rehome your pet. You've got the go ahead? Great, we're ready to start looking into kittens!

Where From?
The first thing you want to consider is where you want to get your new fur baby from. Almost every town has a rescue center so it is worth having a Google for one in your area if you want to go down that route. If you're wanting to purchase, have a look on sites such as / check out breed clubs. Give the breeder a call, look into their practices (Google for reviews!) and ask them lots of questions about how they conduct their breeding program, the health of the parents, certificates, vet checks, reasons for selling, etc. It's incredibly important to make sure your seller is reliable and ethical. Visit the litter and parent's first, you don't have to buy/adopt there and then. Jack and I visited Niamh and put a deposit down on her weeks before fetching her home. George was an older kitten when we bought him so we didn't need to wait, we were able to bring him home the same night (by then, we already knew the breeder as Niamh came from the same place. She's a cat lady herself and she was very transparent with her practices).

Buy a Starter Pack
Before we collected Niamh we made sure that we had everything she would need ready for her. This included buying kitten food, two bowls, mats, a litter tray, woodchip litter, many toys, blankets, a scratching post and a carrier. The most important (and possibly expensive) purchase we made was the pet carrier. Keep in mind that kittens don't stay kittens forever and will grow, a medium sized pet carrier will probably do fine and last you years. Ours has access from the top and sides which makes it much easier to get the cats in and out. Not only will you need this when going to collect your kitten, it comes in handy for vet visits. Our seller also provided us with a blanket that smelt of her mother and a few toys that we put into her bed to make her feel more at home.

A Comfortable Introduction
You've now chosen your kitten, bought all the necessities and have collected her. How do you safely introduce her into your home? My top tip is to introduce the cat to your home in a quiet, warm room. I put the carrier into a corner of the dining room, opened up the front and let Niamh come out in her own time. We put a bowl of food down for her (the greedy guts went straight to that!), made sure her litter tray was ready, made her aware of where it was and then let her explore the rest of her new home at her own free will. My instinct was to pick her up and snuggle her all night but I felt that it was more important to let her get used to her new surroundings first. Once she had been with us for a few hours and looked more settled we started socialising with her, eventually she fell asleep on Jack's lap. At bedtime we put Niamh's bed into our bedroom, put her bowls and tray on the landing and put a guard at the top of the stairs so she didn't fall down them in the night (she was teeny tiny and couldn't climb them).

What to Feed Your Kitten
Before I delve into this section I'd like to take another moment to reiterate that I am not an expert and I always recommend talking to your vet about the dietary needs of your pet. Our vet warned us against feeding Niamh (and George) raw meat due to the possibility of parasites and recommended that canned tuna was only given as a rare treat due to lack of sufficient nutrients. We started Niamh off on age appropriate wet-food (meat in jelly and gravy, etc), gradually increasing her portion sizes as she grew and eventually moving onto adult wet-food. Alongside the food, my cats always have a bowl of fresh water available, although George likes to drink his straight from the tap... My vet recommended against a solely dry food diet based on poor water and nutrient content although my cats are partial to a handful of Dreamies now and again! I have also avoided feeding my cats dairy. As a kitten, Niamh was never a fussy eater but as she's grown more savvy she sometimes turns her nose up at the food I've given her, instead of changing brands of food I've mixed up her meal times, portion sizes and frequency of her meals which seems to have done the trick! If you're in doubt, a quick visit to your vet is advised!

Discipline?
I feel as though this subject is slightly controversial among cat owners, some will recommend a garden spray bottle filled with water to deter cats from bad behaviour. I feel as though expressing that sort of behaviour towards your cat is only going to cause stress and exacerbate the problem. Reinforce good behaviour with lots of love and treats, provide a calm home and don't give your cat any reason to feel stressed. You can avoid your furniture and curtains becoming a playground for your kitten if you provide toys, scratch posts or cat gyms. You can purchase plug in pheromone diffusers to help make your kitten feel more secure and safe in the home. You can provide more than one, clean litter tray around the house to avoid your cat thinking your bed is his own, giant litter tray (it happens, oh boy have we learnt from past mistakes!). Also, consider neutering. You should take your kitten for vaccinations and a general health check (if they haven't already had them before coming to you) so that would be a great time to consult with your vet over neutering options.

Expenses - A Reality Check
Now for the reality check! Cats are cute, fun and lovable but all pets are an expense and those expenses can build up quickly. Not only do they need food, fresh litter, toys and treats (this all adds up! On average we spend around £20 a week just on necessities) you have to take into consideration pet insurance and vet bills. When Niamh first came to us, she was struck down with cold and was seriously poorly. The vet warned us about the possibility of death and we ended up paying a lot in excess before our insurance kicked in on the medication she needed to make her more comfortable. We also had to buy a heater to keep close by to her bed. This was all within the first week of bringing her home, it was incredibly emotional and tiring as she needed around the clock care. We were also warned of the possibility of Niamh having issues with her lungs and breathing in the future due to the ferocity of her illness, which is something we will always have to be financially prepared to deal with should she ever fall ill again. As for George, he has had a few behavioural issues that I wanted to have checked out recently and we had to pay for that, too (he's fine, I'm a worrier!). You have to be prepared to shell out, after all they can't make their own money for medical care. It is a big and sometimes quite costly responsibility. I always recommend insuring your pet and don't take chances when it comes to their health.

Letting Your Cat Outside
As for letting your cat outside for the first time. My cats are indoor cats, so I don't feel qualified to give you tips on when is best or how to go about it. Perhaps someone reading this has some advice to share with us?

I know many people prefer to adopt and rescue kittens instead of purchasing which is wonderful. Although I don't feel as though I should defend my decision to buy Niamh and George, I would like to add that my first kitten (Baby) was a rescue and we were looking at rescuing two adult moggies when Baby passed but it fell through due to the original owner's circumstances changing.

Cat's are great companions and they each have their own personality. With hard work, commitment to the long-term and lashings of love, you will have a friend for years to come.

I hope this was handy!

*This post has been amended. Please have a read of the comments for further information. I'd like to take this opportunity to reiterate (again) that it is not my intention to provide you with information that you should take as gospel, and further research / advice from a range of sources should be sought if there is anything that you find questionable. I am not an expert and do not claim to be an expert. I have written this post as this has been highly requested since I started blogging about Niamh/George, and based it upon my own experiences and the professional advice that I have received as my time as an owner. My cats are healthy, cared for and loved deeply. Thanks for reading!