If you're thinking about adding a little furry face to your family, it's easy to get drawn in by the tiny paws, fluffy tails, and squeaking meows.
Before you let your heart take over, it's important to know and remember what to ask when buying a kitten. There are a few things you need to be querying with your cat breeder, so you know you're taking home a happy, healthy kitty.
Getting a Kitten
When buying a kitten or cat, it's important you know or check a few crucial details about your new addition. Some important questions to ask before buying a kitten include:
- Where have they come from
- What's the home environment like?
- What care needs do they have?
- What kind of personality do they have?
- How to best look after them
What to Ask When Buying a Kitten (or Adopting)
But you want as much information as possible, right? So, here's a list of important questions our experts recommend asking before buying or adopting and caring for a kitten...
1. Can I Hold Them?
Asking to hold the kitten is a great way to tell how they are around people. A well-socialised cat should be friendly rather than scared or anxious. They might be wary of you initially, but should warm up to you if you have time to play with them a little.
Holding them will also give you a good chance to check whether your new kitten looks healthy and review them for any signs of stress.
2. Can I See the Parents?
You should always try to see the kitten with their mother. Seeing how they interact with both parents and the rest of the litter is super important, too. The parents can give you a good indication of the size and temperament of your full-grown cat.
3. Are the Parents in Good Health?
A healthy cat means a healthy kitten, so check that your breeder has complete health records for the parents. A good breeder should ideally also have a history of illnesses in the bloodline, so you know your kitten is at a lower risk of becoming ill.
4. What's the Personality Like?
Even at this early stage, a kitten should be showing its unique personality. Whether they're curious, boisterous or a little bit shy, you need to find a cat with a personality that matches what you want. Your breeder should be able to tell you a little bit more about your favourite.
5. Are they a Socialised Cat?
A cat who has been with other cats, kittens, other animals and even humans is friendly and curious. This is essential if you have pets or small children in your home. Similarly, if you do have kids, it's important to teach children how to look after pets. Especially if this will be their first pet.
6. How Old Are the Parents?
A responsible cat breeder should only be breeding from fully grown, adult cats. For a female, it's between 18-24 months, and for a male, it's around 18 months.
7. What's the Breed Like?
As a breeder, they should know everything about the cat breed, especially if you're looking at pedigree kittens, and be happy to talk you through the temperament, needs and requirements of your feline, both as a kitten and a full-grown cat. Do some research beforehand on your own so you know what to listen for.
8. How Old is the Kitten?
When getting a new feline friend, the best time to take a kitten home is when it's around 12-13 weeks. In the final month with their mother, they learn valuable skills from her, such as eating alone and using the litter tray.
9. What Food Are they Eating?
Before taking your kitten home, find out what food they eat. Providing the same food at home will help them settle in more quickly with minimal disruption. A sudden change in diet could upset their stomachs and make them sick.
10. What Vaccinations Does the Kitten Need?
By this point, a responsible breeder should have given your kitten several vaccinations; however, they may still need boosters to make sure they're fully vaccinated.
Vaccines for rabies, upper respiratory infections, and distemper should be administered within the first 8 weeks after the kittens are born.
They might need other vaccinations, such as flea and worming, depending on how much they've been socialised with other cats and their living situation – so ask a vet before you go.
11. Do You Have Any Advice
A reputable breeder and fellow cat lover will want to share as much knowledge as possible about how to look after their litter. Many provide written information packs or kitten checklists to help you get to grips with what to expect when looking after a kitten.
For more information on matching your feline friend to your lifestyle and finding the healthiest cat in the litter, read our guide on buying a kitten. You can also explore the services offered by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting cat welfare, health, responsible breeding, and cat protection, including kitten care.
When you take your furry friend home, make sure they're protected against any unexpected illnesses or accidents with cat insurance.
Everypaw Kitten Insurance
Everypaw's Kitten Insurance comes with 24/7 unlimited access to vets and vet nurses that can help with your pet's health, care, nutrition and behaviour. So you can rest assured your kitty will be well looked after.
