posted by admin on Sep 16
So, you have all the essentials worked out for your new little kittens - but there are still several things that are virtually essential although they don’t contribute to just keeping your kitten healthy - they keep them happy and safe.
Toys - Yes, you can drag old shoelaces along the floor, or you can roll a screwed up piece of paper across the floor - but nothing beats a few specially designed kitten toys to entertain your ball of fluff.
Catnip filled toys are almost an easy answer - as the kitten will just play by itself for hours with these, same goes for a ping pong ball that bounces of everything and gets moved by the wind or passing feet!
Gloves with toys dangling on the fingers makes for a toy to use while you are watching TV and a fishing-rod type toy is perfect for those folks who want to play but can’t bend all the way to the floor!
Scratching Post - Not everyone thinks that these are worth getting - but I always say that a kitten needs to grab with it’s claws and if you don’t supply it with something to use - then it will find something else: your couch, table leg, bed post, staircase, etc - they will use them all.
You don’t need to get a 4 storey one with a bed and rope ladder, but at least get a simple post of around .5 of a meter so that they can stretch right up. And it’s tall enough to wedge infront of whatever it is that they were scratching instead as a diversion!
Collar & Tag - Some people don’t want their kitten (or cat) to wear a collar everyday.
There are stories of them getting snagged or caught (which they do) and there are pussy cats that shed their collars almost every week (which there are), and you can identify your kittens with micro-chips anyway (which you can) - so why make your kitten wear one?
There are so many cats in built up areas these days that it is almost certain that you will come home one day to find someone else cat in your house eating your food of spraying up your counters! And the only way to stop this is to either close all your doors and windows and board-up the cat flap - or get a magnetic cat flap.
Which means your cat needs to wear a collar to put the magnet on.
Therefore, if you have got your kitten used to wearing a collar when it is younger, it won’t mind wearing one when it is older - saving you the effort of training your grumpy older cat to stop pulling his off with the expensive magnet on it!!!
Some people also like their cat to wear a bell on it’s collar to prevent them catching birds and bringing frogs home (which they will)! You’ll find them in your house!
Cat Carrier - You can make do with a large cardboard box when you first collect your kittens, but it is in no way suitable for continued use. For a start you can’t wash it!
Ideally, once you have found your kittens for sale and have agreed a collection date, you should head out to a pet store and buy a plastic cat carrier.
Ideally avoid the wire-cage style as if can be very worrying for your kitten to be so exposed - particularly at the vets where they are on the floor surrounded by legs, people, telephones and (worst of all) loads of dogs!
The more suitable plastic ones have closed in but vented sides and just the one open end for entry. The whole top unclips so they are ideal for storage as well, and with the door detached, they can be used for a cosy kitten bed allowing your felines to get used to using it rather than having an almighty struggle when you need to go to the vets!
Kitten Food - Although this is essential for your kitten - and it will be discussed in detail in a later article - you should really continue to feed you lovely kittens on the food that they are already eating. For at least 4-6 weeks really.
That way they won’t get an upset tummy when they move to your house. They will already be a bit nervous of leaving their mom and starting out in a new home - so the last thing they need is to be fed a totally different food as well.
You should decide what premium kitten food you want to move your kittens over to and have that already in stock after collecting your kittens. Make sure that you have read up all about weaning them over onto it so it all goes smoothly.