Kitten To Cat

Advice On Raising A Kitten

Where to find a kitten in London

There are thousands of abandoned cats and kittens in need of a home at any time. Kitten to Cat supports various charities and can advise where to look. Cats for re-homing can come from unwanted litters, strays, cats left at vets because the owners couldn’t afford treatment. Sometimes charities advertise for cats with specific needs such as behavioural problems that require special treatment but with a bit of love and attention most make perfect pets.

Many charities arrange for kittens to be neutered and vaccinated and some will even want to interview to ensure you are a suitable owner.

Here are some of the re-homing charities local to Kitten to Cat:

• Hounslow Animal Welfare Society
• Cats Protection League
• For more on cat re-homing and charities see CatChat

If you want a specific breed of cat here are some resources that might help you find a breeder in your area:

• Breeder List UK
• UK Pets directory

What you need for a kitten

• Litter and litter trays – at least 1 per cat for multi-cat households
• Carry case or cage
• Brushes, combs and nail clippers for grooming
• A selection of toys
• Scratching posts – important to emulate natural behaviour
• Drinking fountains – good for stimulating cats to drink, reducing urinary problems
• Food and drink bowls

Indoors or Outdoors?

Cats can live perfectly healthy happy lives indoors if they are used to it from a young age. However it is vital that you

• clean the litter tray every day and every time you see it dirty
• provide a range of toys and scratching post to simulate natural behaviour

If a cat is used to going outside it can be stressful to move him/her indoors and this may lead to behavioural problems. If you are moving house and have no choice seek veterinary advice.

Handling your kitten

It is important to start regular grooming as early as possible, particularly with long haired cats. If you start handling your kitten now, e.g. opening the mouth and touching feet she/he will regard this as routine, making your life a lot easier and safer!

Litter training

Cats are generally very clean animals and they will usually have already been litter trained. All you need to do is ensure that the tray is kept clean and is in a quiet area in the house. Cats do not want their toilet to be next to a busy walkway in the house or near their food. In multiple cat households the number of litter trays should be one more than the number of cats; ie if you have two cats you should have three litter trays.

Where Kitten to Cat can help?

• Free advice on settling in a new kitten
• Provide references for known re-homing charities and breeders
• A trip to the vet early in life is good socialization!!
• Advice on neutering, vaccination, flea and worm treatments and micro-chipping, most of which is included in the Kitten to Cat Health Club.

Here are some other online resources you might find useful

• http://www.fabcats.org/  
• http://www.moggies.co.uk/