Things to think about before getting a kitten

Kittens are playful and entertaining - not to mention adorable! We all know why they make great pets, but getting a kitten is a big responsibility.

There are some important things to consider before you bring your new furry friend home, from choosing the best kitten for you to making sure you’re kitten ready.

What to think about before choosing to get a cat

Kittens are active, inquisitive pets and need a lot of care, attention and commitment from their owners. There are some key things to consider before deciding to get a kitten:

• Are they the right pet for me? As adorable as they are, kittens aren’t for everyone. You’ll need to consider whether your home and lifestyle is the right environment for a cat, which you can check with our quiz on choosing a pet.
• Can I provide everything they need? All pets have 5 Welfare Needs that it’s essential to meet – health, behaviour, companionship, diet and environment. You can find out more about how to provide everything needed in these areas for your cat.
• Would an adult cat be better? Kittens are very time consuming, and while it’s rewarding to watch them grow and develop it also takes a lot of hard work. Sometimes, you might find that adopting a more mature, independent adult cat actually suits you better.

Before getting your kitten, we'd advise downloading our kitten checklist which has lots of information you'll need when getting your new furry friend.

How to pick your new kitten

It can be tempting to go online and pick a kitten, but there are lots of things to think about when you’re choosing to ensure their health and wellbeing in the future.

Before choosing and visiting your potential new addition, here’s what to look out for:

• Age. Check the kitten’s date of birth. Kittens shouldn’t be rehomed until they’re at least 8 weeks old. Pedigree kittens are usually rehomed over 12-13 weeks old since reputable breeders want to have completed the kittens’ first vaccination course before they go to their new homes.
• Mother. Any kitten under 8 weeks old should still be with their mum, so you can see mum and kittens together before making any decisions. If you’re rehoming from a charity, this isn’t always possible so ask the staff about the kitten’s particular circumstances. Sometimes kittens might be hand-raised or bottle-fed if their mum wasn’t able to look after them for whatever reason. Do your research before you rehome a hand-reared kitten. They can be very boisterous toward people and prone to behavioural issues due to lacking a confident mum teaching them how to “cat”.
• Environment. Ideally, your kitten will have been born and raised in a typical home environment during their first few weeks, rather than a barn, outdoor pen or indoor cattery. This means it will already be used to living in a family home and will be familiar with everyday sights, smells and sounds they will come into contact with in your home.
• Socialisation. Usually, kittens will have a few littermates to play and interact with in their first few weeks, but the breeder should make sure they also have come into contact with a variety of people (men, women and children of different ages) and common household situations to help make them confident pets.
• Health. Your chosen kitten, and the kitten’s mum, should both be in good health. An unhealthy mum may pass on diseases or health problems. Ask whether the mum has been vaccinated/wormed/treated for fleas. The breeder should be able to provide this paperwork from their vets.

Before choosing a pedigree kitten

There are a few additional things to look out for if you’re planning on getting a pedigree kitten. You can find out more about different breeds of cats and their individual needs on our breed pages.

• Official bodies. Pedigree cats should be registered with either GCCF, Felis Britannica or TICA. These bodies have rules about ethical breeding and restrictions for breeders to make sure mum and kittens are happy and healthy. The kitten should come with specific paperwork, including a unique registration number, and be fully vaccinated.
• Inherited problems. Like pedigree dogs, some cat breeds are known for having particular genetic problems, or issues due to the way they are bred to look. Make sure you research the breed you’re looking at thoroughly first and check out both parents of the kitten to see if they’ve had any problems your kitten could inherit.
• Read the small print. Some breeders put limitations on what you can do with your kitten, for example they prevent you from breeding from it. This isn’t a problem for most people who are looking for a pet. If you are looking to breed from your kitten in the future, check the limitations first and make sure you are ready to commit to keeping an unneutered cat. This could mean keeping them indoors so they don’t produce unwanted litters in the neighbourhood. All kittens will need to be raised and found loving homes.

Visiting your kitten

When you’ve found a suitable kitten candidate, the next step is visiting your potential pet.

There are a few key things to look out for when you go and see a kitten for the first time:

• Is mum healthy? A healthy mum can produce healthy kittens. It also indicates that she’s being well looked after by her owners. She should interact positively with both you and her kittens. If you’re adopting from a shelter, mum might not be with her kittens so ask the staff for information on your kitten’s history.
• Are they well looked after? Your kitten’s environment should be clean, and they should have access to water, kitten food, a litter tray and plenty of toys to play with.
• Is the kitten happy to interact with you? As long as you are gentle and quiet, kittens should have no problem interacting with you when you visit. They may be nervous at first but they should seem relaxed and comfortable by the end of your visit.
• Does your kitten look healthy? Your kitten should be a good weight and similar size to its littermates, free of fleas and other nasties, clean, and lively. Any problems, like small size, weepy eyes, or problems with movement should prompt you to ask for a vet check before taking on the kitten.

Some things we recommend you ask the breeder or shelter while you are visiting are:

• Has your kitten been treated for fleas and worms ?
• Will your kitten be vaccinated when you take it home
• Will your kitten be neutered when you take it home
• Will your kitten be microchipped when you take it home?

It’s not essential that your kitten has these treatments before you bring them home but it’s important you know what treatments they have or haven’t had so you can arrange these with your vet.

Remember from April 2020, third-party sales of kittens six months or younger will be illegal. This means that if you are buying a kitten, it will need to be directly from the breeder (or adopted directly from the rehoming shelter). Your kitten should be sold from the place they were born and be happy and healthy with their mum present.

The most important thing to consider when you’re getting any new pet is whether you are happy that you can provide everything they will need. If something doesn’t feel right about the situation, then it isn’t right for you and you can walk away. This can be difficult if you’ve just met a lovely kitten but it’s important that they will be happy and healthy for the lifetime you spend together and you are not encouraging irresponsible breeders to continue their practices. You should never feel pressured into adopting or buying a certain pet and the owners, breeders or animal shelter staff should be happy to answer any questions you have.