I. PREPARATION CHECK LIST

1. A good-sized litter tray.
2. Cat litter - a few cats are sensitive to highly-perfumed litter or to the "feel" on their paw-pads of some litters and are reluctant to use them. Find out what litter the kitten has been used to.
3. Bland food - white meat/fish, whether tinned or fresh (not offal, beef etc). Do not feed commercial brands of dried foods or biscuits at this stage. Scientifically-formulated dried kitten foods such as Hills' Feline Growth or IAMS' Kitten Food is excellent.
4. Shallow water and food bowls.
5. Smallish cardboard box (on side) for bed/retreat (expensive wicker etc beds are often spurned). Line with newspaper and blanket or soft towel.
6. Toys, including table-tennis ball (not sponge), catnip toy (but NO bells, bows or attachments which could be chewed or swallowed and no string attachments which can get wrapped round the kitten's body or legs.
7. Flea comb/brush for weekly grooming (from chemist's/pet shops or vet's).
8. Most important of all: A SAFE CAT-CARRIER, preferably a plastic-coated metal one, which can be supplied by Animal Aid & Advice at cost price.

2. Ensure Beforehand

1. That ANY holes or gaps (however small) that a kitten could get into are firmly blocked up (eg sink units, floorboards, skirting-boards, behind cooker/washing machine etc, chimneys). If there is already a cat-flap installed, block it off securely. Never underestimate what a cat or kitten can get into or out of.
2. That a kitten up to 12 weeks of age can be given four small meals per day. Between 12 and 25 weeks three meals should be sufficient. Thereafter two meals a day should be provided.

1. fully weaned (ask for details of diet, its likes/dislikes and if milk is given) - and has been litter trained. If you feel you need to change the diet, please do not do so immediately, but let the kitten settle in first and make the change gradually.
2. wormed,
3. deflea-ed,
4. had its ears checked (for mites etc).

Should you obtain a kitten from someone who is not an official AA & A fosterer, plaese ask one of the Homing Committee for advice on the above matters.

II. PROCEDURE ON ARRIVAL

1. Check that ALL windows and outside doors are, and stay, completely and firmly closed (windows not even half an inch open at the top).

2. Confine your kitten to a small area, eg bathroom, for a day or two. Introduce to the rest of the home gradually.

3. Have the litter-tray all ready (in the confined area) before the kitten arrives. On arrival paddle the kittens paws in the litter. Reintroduce until the kitten uses the tray. Praise him each time he goes into the tray. Should your kitten have an "accident", never scold him or show him his mistake, simply place him in his tray again and praise him when he gets it right.

4. Keep your kitten company, but do not try to handle too much if he is reluctant. Insist children wait for the kitten to come to them, not vice versa. Hold the kitten close to your body when you pick him up, with one hand underneath supporting his body. Teach children to handle in the same way.

5. Keep fresh water available at ALL times. Milk is not necessary and can cause diarrhoea. Should diarrhoea develop, stop all dairy products. Offer a little of the food the kitten is used to on arrival to make him feel welcome, but do not worry if the kitten does not eat properly for two or three days.

III. SETTLING-IN PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS

It is important to remember that some kittens have not come to you directly from a settled family home but many have been rescued from unsuitable backgrounds and fostered in multiple-cat households. Consequently the kitten may take some time to readjust to a new home. It may even take 2, 3 or 4 weeks before the kitten begins to relate to you personally. We home only kittens that we are convinced from our experience will eventually settle in and become loving domestic pets, but it may take a little time. Do not panic if the kitten does not appear, eat or drink or even use the litter tray for some days. It eventually will. And the more relaxed and positive the new owners are about the situation, the more quickly it will happen. You can always talk things through with a member of the Homing Committee.

To deter a kitten from scratching the furniture, introduce him quickly to a scratch post, either bought or handmade, placed strategically near where he seems to want to claw. It can be sprayed with catnip, which many cats find attractive. To deter a cat generally from doing something it shouldn't clap the hands sharply together with a resolute "No!". Alternatively a plant water spray or stones rattled in a tin-can should be effective, NEVER hit a kitten for misbehaving.

2. Going Out For The First Time

This is normally after a couple of months' confinement for a small kitten and should only be considered once the animal is thoroughly at home and relaxed in its new environment and with its new people and other house-pets. It is even better to keep the kitten indoors until after it has been neutered, if at all possible.

From arrival onwards it is useful to get the new kitten used to a particular sound it will associate with its food (eg a fork on a particular bowl, a bell, a whistle, keys rattling, shake of a box of biscuits). This sound can be used to call back the kitten when it begins to go outside. Also, let the kitten out when it is hungry so that it is motivated to come back fairly quickly - and then reward it with a favourite titbit. In the beginning you can put the litter tray outside when the kitten goes out and also put some soiled litter onto the garden. That way the kitten will have its own smell in the garden and should be able to use it as a "landmark". Allow the kitten very easy access back into the house. Do not expect it to use a cat-flap straight away - if one is installed, peg it open to begin with.

It is a good idea to introduce your kitten to your neighbours before he goes out so they know there is a new cat in the neighbourhood. Also, take photographs prior to his going out, and keep them updated as he grows, just in case he goes missing.

3. Cat-Flaps

If you choose to have a cat-flap, get one you have control over, and not one that simply flaps to and fro. A four-way lock or a magnetic-lock model are the best choices. The telephone number of a carpenter in north London who installs cat-flaps at a reasonable price can be supplied. We strongly recommend that cats should be kept indoors at night-time as most road accidents and cat-thefts happens at that time. When teaching a kitten to use a cat-flap, make sure it learns to come back in as well as go out before it is left unsupervised!

4. Vaccinations

All kittens should be vaccinated against feline enteritis and 'flu from 9 weeks onwards. Vaccination against leukaemia is also strongly recommended. Animal Aid & Advice can normally help to get these vaccinations carried out at charity rates. These vaccinations are two-part courses with an intervening gap of three weeks between first and second jabs. Older kittens should not be allowed outside until two weeks after the completion of the course. All cats should have annual booster vaccinations.

5. Neutering

It is a condition that kittens homed by Animal Aid & Advice must be neutered, and the new owners sign a form to that effect. Females can normally be neutered (speyed) at about six months and males (castrated) at seven to eight months. Again, Animal Aid & Advice will telephone you at the appropriate time to enquire if this has been done.

Cats should also have an annual veterinary check-up.

6. Collars

If your kitten is to wear a collar, get him used to it before he learns to go out. Do not use collars as a flea deterrent, but they are useful for identification purposes. Use an engraved identity disc (not a screw-barrel type, which easily becomes undone) always use only a safe elasticated collar.

7. Micro-Chipping

For a much safer and long term way of identification of your kitten, have him identity chipped. This entails a visit to the vet, a quick injection into the back of the scruff, and he will keep this for life. Costs vary between vets but it is an average of £22 to £26. He can then be scanned by a vet or animal welfare group, identified by the chip and returned to you.

IV. GENERAL SAFETY TIPS

2. Be very wary in the kitchen when cooking or using appliances.

3. Keep cupboard doors closed tight at all times - especially in the kitchen. Always keep the washing machine door closed but STILL check before use. Kittens can also climb into refrigerators, freezers and swing-bins and not be able to get out. Make sure the whole household knows to keep the toilet seat down.

4. Keep outer doors closed or exclude the kitten from that area (eg kitchen) if the door must be left open.

5. When you leave the house, make sure the kitten does not escape. Put up notices on exit doors reminding people to watch out for the kitten when they exit and enter.

6. Always check beneath the car - and under wheel arches - before driving away, just in case the kitten is hiding.

7. Move chairs, stools etc to prevent adventuresome kittens climbing up on to mantle shelves, dressers etc.

8. Temporarily remove "awkward" objects - eg tall vases, ornaments, stand-up photographs, mirrors, tall pot plants etc.

9. Remove all "chewable" objects - eg lengths of wool, rubber bands and plastic bags - potential killers all.

10. Beware toxic or unpleasant substances which may adhere to small paws, which will, in turn, be licked - eg soap powder, paraffin, disinfectant, detergent, residue from newly-stained floors or fresh paintwork.

Should your kitten get paint on him, do not use white spirit to remove it. Consult a vet (telephone).

Disinfectants (such as TCP, Jeyes Fluid, Lysol) that are coal-tar, wood-tar or phenol based including pine oils are POISONOUS to cats. They should, therefore, not be used to clean litter trays, bowls etc. Ammonia compounds-based disinfectants (eg Savlon, Tego, Shield, Roccal or bleach) should be used, but always thoroughly rinsed off.

Lock away antifreeze. Slug pellets and garden pesticides are lethal for animals. Try to use animal-friendly products in the garden instead.

11. Remove kittens - and cats - right away from areas which are being decorated or creosoted and keep them away for at least 48 hours. Seek advice about excluding animals from areas to be treated for woodworm or dry rot.

12. Use "blanking" plugs to prevent inquisitive paws investigating wall sockets. In any case, all electrical appliances should be disconnected when cats are left unattended.

13. Do not slam or close doors sharply. A kitten may be following close behind and soft paws are easily damaged.

14. Often going too close for comfort, kittens like warmth, so guard those fires - gas, electric or coal, to prevent burning. As with the adult cat, immediate impact of severe heat is obscured by the cat's fur. Once this has singed or scorched through, delicate skin can be badly burned.

15. Adopt the kitten "shoe shuffle" at all times - you are less likely to injure a small kitten if you do not pick your feet off the ground as you walk. Do not wear high-heeled shoes indoors.

16. Instil into children the need to allow the kitten to be quiet and/or sleep when it wishes to do so. Teasing should always be discouraged. The kitten should not be disturbed when eating, sleeping or using the litter tray as unwelcome behavioural problems might result.

Petal says, "More kittens like me need homes."

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