Preparing for a Kitten

You’ll need this from day one! A cat carrier to transport your kitten home, which will also provide useful for trips in the future, such as back and forth from the vets. It’s important to get your kitten used to their carrier, to create a relaxing and calm experience for future trips. 

Positive reinforcement can help here, do your best to make the cat carrier seem like a fun place – treats, toys and a comfortable blanket.

Shop around and ask the breeder or rescue what’s best or what they currently use. It’s a great starting point to make sure you have the right size and something your kitten might already be familiar using. If you have more than one kitten be aware they will need separate litter trays as they get older.

Top tip: Place newspaper or large paper underneath the cat litter for easy removal, and to catch loose litter granules.

Cats have a natural urge to scratch, it’s totally normal. Spare your furniture the abuse by buying a large and playful scratching post. 

Cats actually use scratching as a form of exercise and to mark their territory. 

Ensure that your scratching post is larger than the length of your cat at full stretch, as cats will stretch themselves out when they scratch. Placing your scratching post near your kitten's bed will help reinforce the scratching behaviour, as cats often like to scratch and stretch as soon as they wake up!

Cats are very inquisitive and electrical wires and outlets can often look delicious and interesting to them! But of course, please make sure anything that is dangerous is kept out of reach to begin with.

 It’s a good idea to consider taping wires down and put excess wires in boxes. 

Delicate ornaments and furniture should be protected and stored away safely from an excitable, jumping kitten. Kittens love to squeeze into small tight spaces, so please try and minimise the number of obstacles and places that could potentially trap them.

A range of toys can help keep your kitten stimulated and burn off excess energy as they grow up. 

Cat toys don’t always need to be store-bought; however, it’s important to know what common household items could be hazardous to your kitty. 

Things like table tennis balls, cardboard toilet paper tubes or empty shoe boxes are great as toys for cats. Things like balls of string, rubber bands or corks can be toxic to your cat, so make sure they don’t get hold of anything small enough to swallow, or objects made of soft rubber, wool or sponge.

Pet insurance is and can be your safety blanket. Life is unpredictable, and we know how traumatic it is when something unexpected happens to our beloved furbabies. 

That’s why at Waggel we’re here to protect you from life’s unfortunate surprises. Although many people know that pet insurance is a necessity, others still are sceptical about whether it’s an additional expense.

Vet bills can be unexpected, expensive and feel like they come at the worst time, and we’re here to cover you and take the strain off your shoulders at a difficult time. 

We also offer discounts on premium-branded food, toys, and accessories to enhance your journey into pet ownership. You can receive expert advice for you and your pet from trained nutritionists and vets to ensure your questions are answered (no matter how silly!)

Get your quote today to see our all-inclusive, no-strings-attached policy.