Some very silly questions.

[Millys Mum]

Before buying food and litter find out what they currently use, you dont want a kitty with an upset tummy not using the tray cos its got strange litter in it 

When you decide to change to a better quality food mix the new food in gradually over the course of 7-10 days depending how keen they are (some like to eat junk).

Ping pong balls are a must and a bent coathanger for retrieving them out from under furniture 
A multi tier cat tree is great

Leaving for an afternoon is fine just make sure you leave plenty of toys for amusement, also if you leave them all home alone would be best to seperate dogs form cats until they are bigger and all settled.

[Ann Clarke (Tabby cat)]

Ikea do a really nice cat tunnel which is a reaonable length and has a hole in the middle for them to pop their head through. It's good quality and wasn't expensive. Can't remember how much but will try and find link later.

Agree with the other things people have mentioned. I also work full time so Hobbes was left alone for a few hours when he was little and before I'd introduced him to Dylan and he was fine. Once he had Dylan for company he was very happy and never even missed me 

[maccat]

We got the following for Frankie (had him since he was 3 weeks)...

* 2 small bowls - one of milk then once weaned then used for water and the other for food when he was 5 weeks and we started to wean him.
* Litter Tray, Scoop (to remove the poop) & Litter (we used gravel type as he was feral and took to this).
* Scratching Post a must - We started Frankie early on and he has not yet attempted to scratch furniture but does use the post all the time.  Originally we bought the Cat Tree Oasis from zooplus but have since upgraded to the Banana Leaf IV Cat Tree as he is getting bigger and wants to climb ( he will be an indoor cat untill 7 months so needed a good sturdy unit to entertain him)!
* Toys we bought: Big Cheese Cat Toy Box, Cat Toy Fur Mice, and Cat Softballs (all from zooplus just search for these words and you will find them)

If I had to buy something else I would buy one of those play tunnels...  Frankie loves our M&S bag for life canvas shopping bag and goes in and out.

We bought everything from Zooplus... remember to buy through the link on purrs as they get commission on your sale

Just ordering my dabird from purrrs as he now loves to chase things like this.

[Dawn F]

I've got a tent coming free with a zooplus order of hills light is that the same one??

[Mark]

Zooplus also sell a nylon tent similar to the Ikea one and it's only about £3 

[SuzeB]

If you can afford it, a cat tree is a great thing to get for them.  They'll ping up and down it like nobody's business.

My vet also says to feed a mixture of wet and dry, I give mine a mix of hills, felix, natures menu and fresh meat/fish.

Sounds like you've got it pretty much covered though - I'd love to see a pic of your little one!

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

You simply have to get da bird    And da mouse.... (both available from the Purrs shop)

Ikea cat tents go down very well and are a compulsory toy for all purrs puds 

It depends on the kitten as to how long you can leave them for.  They will soon adapt to your schedule and sleep when you're out.  When I got Jaffa and his brother as kittens, I was out at work full time from the start (after being off for a week to settle them in).  They were fine.  But a kitten left alone for very long can easily become destructive or get into trouble.

Orijen is a good dry food.  Other reasonable dry foods include James Wellbeloved, Hi Life, Royal Canin and PAH own brand (premium).  Don't know whether you're planning on feeding wet food (I would recommend at least some wet food for the water content) but natures menu and hi life both do kitten varieties and contain a high percentage of meat.

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Your completely right Christine .... and I also wouldn't leave a kitten along with a shoelace.  However shoeslaces do make excellent toys to play WITH your kitten.

Thanks for pointing out the mistake 

[Christine (Blip)]

I would only disagree with Sams excellent advice in one respect: I wouldnt leave a young kitten alone with a shoelace 

[maryas]

Not silly questions Beth.  Wait until you've been on here for a while and then you'll know how silly we can get!!!

All cats are different, so what one cat likes another one might ate.  I agree with Sam about the scratching post though, start them young

Good luck.


Mary

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

Sounds like you've got most things covered. 

I would suggest litter (Tigerino Nuggies is excellent and great for little delicate paws). ... available from Zooplus.

A litter scoop for removing lumps (you can get these from most supermarkets or places like Wilkinsons).

A scratch mat or scratch post is also good (start them young). .. again available from Zooplus.

Personally I'd do a search on Zooplus for "kitten" see what's available

I wouldn't  worry too much about a cat bed (most cats never use the beds you buy for them) mine all love a cardborad box with a towel in (all cats love towels for some reason).

BTW .. did you know that if you use the link at the bottom of the page to shop at Zooplus then purrs will get commission which is used to help UK rescues. 

With regards to leaving them alone ... mine were all left alone from 8:30 to 5:30  straight away and they are fine ... they will sleep.    You can leave a radio on quietly for them if you to give them a bit of company.

I would get a few toys to start with ... maybe some furry mice, a ping pong ball and a shoe lace (all excellent kitten toys).  When they are babies everything is a toy and they are very good at playing with anything for the first few months.

I would also recommend registering for your free Felix Kitten care pack:  http://www.catslikefelix.co.uk/default.aspx  and a free Whiskas Kitten pack http://registration.mars.com/oods/WhiskasCarePack.aspx

Also have a look at this thread as Rhiannon is in the same situation so has asked similar questions:  http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,16163.0.html

[Beth]

What do i need to buy for my kitten? Obviously litter tray, food/water bowls, and some toys, but what would people recommend? Anything you've bought which was a waste of money?

I feed my dogs a holistic, additive free diet, so it makes sense to do the same for my kitten, i know i can buy orijen (which is probably the best i'll find) on zooplus, but is there any other brands which are specifically for cats which are completely natural and contain a very high meat content?

I know kittens are a bit lower maintenance than a puppy, but how long is it okay to leave a kitten for? I don't tend to go out for long because of the dogs, but occasionally i'll take them out with me to a friends house for an afternoon, will that be okay?

Any other helpful tips and advice will be very much appreciated.