Things All First-Time Kitten Owners Need

Me and Luke have always known we wanted to get kittens and it’s something we’ve spoken about for years. After moving into our home last year and sorting out the inside we knew the time had come. Luke has been around cats a lot at home, but I’m a first-time kitten owner so everything was new to me. We found our beautiful little boys when they were just a week old and went to visit them a few times before picking them up when they hit eight weeks old.

As a first-time kitten owner, I had absolutely no idea what we needed to buy for them. We’ve only had the kittens for just over four weeks so I can’t claim to be any form of expert but here are some of the things all first-time kitten owners need.

First-time kitten owners need to get a litter tray per kitten

Cats need somewhere to go to the toilet and if you’re getting a pair of kittens like we did get a litter tray per kitten. Chances are there will be times where the kittens will need to go to the toilet at the same time and you don’t want them to have to wait for each other. Although if your kittens are anything like ours they’ll happily go in the same tray at the same time. We opted for a lidded tray to give them some privacy but kept the flaps open so they wouldn’t struggle to get in and out.

I’ve been very lucky as a first-time kitten owner that they have been very good with using their trays. We got a special mat to put underneath to protect the carpet which is very useful. Other things you’ll need will include litter tray liners, the litter itself, a scoop for the poop, and bags to put the waste into.

Beds and soft places to sleep

Now the first thing to bear in mind is that kittens probably won’t use their beds straight away. It took our little ones four weeks to start using one of the beds we bought. Mikki Pet has just launched a new bed which we have and while we haven’t seen the kittens sleep in it yet, it’s nice for them to have choices. The kittens will quickly work out the places they love to sleep in and where they feel comfortable and because they sleep for a lot of the time it’s nice to give them plenty of comfy spots.

First-time kitten owners need safe cleaning products

Having kittens will mean that you need to clean more often to stop them from eating dust and things that they shouldn’t eat. Make sure whatever cleaning products you have are safe for animals such as those from Ecozone. Did you know that cats often bring up dust bunnies so some people end up thinking that they’re allergic to cats, when in fact they’re allergic to dust. So we’ve been using dust mite spray to help with this as it provides enough protection for up to six months. And it breaks down and eliminates the vital food source of dust mites to keep them away. Ecozone also does carpet shampoo which is very useful as even the best-trained kitten will end up having some accidents.

Food bowls and free-flowing water

All animals need to be fed and water, just like us, so having a food bowl each is important. As first-time kitten owners, we opted for two double bowls. To begin with, we gave them each dry food as that’s what they had been used to. And then some wet food to make the transition. Now we only put out one bowl each but it’s good to have extra bowls and an additional stand.

We also bought a free-flowing water fountain so the water didn’t sit there static. Now they’re on wet food they don’t need to drink as much but it’s nice to have. We picked up this Petlibro fountain which we leave on all the time. But it’s so quiet you hardly notice it. All you have to do is change the filters every other week and then we refresh the water every so often.

First-time kitten owners need to get toys

You don’t need to spend loads of money on toys, but it is nice to have some to start off with to help you bond with the kittens. We picked up this set from Amazon which has a tunnel that they love and loads of toys we throw around for them. There are little balls and mice that rattle that they love, and they’ll chase it around for hours. Of course, a laser pointer is very fun to have with cats. I don’t know what it is about them but it drives them crazy.

Scratching post

One of the final essentials is a scratching post and somewhere to climb. Your kittens are going to climb up your furniture and jump around but to stop them scratching it you need a proper scratching post. The post needs to be tall enough that they can stretch out completely and this should keep their claws manageable so they won’t need cutting. We started off with this short post, but we’ve already bought them a much larger tree that they love.

Other things you may want to get:

• Grooming items to keep their coat soft. The brushes will also be enjoyably for the kittens and it gives you time to bond.
• Silicone food mat to put underneath their bowls. Cats will make a bit of a mess so these mats will catch any food and make it easier to clean.
• Pet carriers to take them home in and get them to vet appointments. Having two kittens we have two bags as it makes taking them to the vets for checkups easier. This way one won’t run off when we try to get the other one out.

Have you ever been a first-time kitten owner?

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