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Settling your kitten into its new home When you first get your kitten to its new home it is best to do so with NO CHILDREN around.  Kittens need time to explore the new smells of its surroundings and children can frighten them easily (when kittens are frightened they quite often mess where you don't want them to).  Once the kitten has had a few hours to settle in start introducing them to children and other pets. It is advisable to keep the litter tray close to hand for a few days while the kitten is settling down.  After this slowly move it to the area you want it to be, this way they will always be able to find it. Feeding Up to 3 months          Kittens like babies have very small stomachs and require                                     feeding little and often.  4/5 times a day is recommended. 3 - 6  months              Kittens are teething (as a result you may notice your kitten going off                                     biscuits as this may be uncomfortable for them, they may also have                                     an upset stomach - not  dissimilar to babies).  Their meals now need                                     to be slightly bigger and less often.  3/4 times a day is                                     recommended. 6 - 10 months             Although your kitten may look fully-grown, they are still growing                                           inside and must remain on kitten food.  Meals should now be given                                       2/3 times a day. 11 months +               You can now introduce cat food into their diet.  This is best done                                           slowly as if it is done too quickly can upset their stomachs.  Add a                                         little cat food to their kitten food each time you feed them and so                                           long as they are okay increase this until they are completely on cat                                       food.  If their stomach becomes upset go back to the kitten food                                     and repeat the process after a few days. When your kitten reaches 11 months + there are some very good supplements you can give them.  Kitamins (Whiskers) are a vitamin supplement, which helps to keep your cat healthy (it contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, D3 and E).  Dentabits (Whiskers) are a chewy treat which helps to keep their teeth and gums healthy (bad teeth can be a problem with some cats).  With both of these treats it is advisable to have plenty of fresh water on hand as they can make the cat very thirsty. Vaccinations There are many vaccinations you can have given to your kitten, the main ones your vet will offer are Feline Viral Respiratory Disease (cat flu), Feline Viral Rhinotrachetis and Feline Calicivirus.  These three come in one simple injection. There is an additional one you can request and I would highly recommend this.  Feline Leukaemia, this is the most life-threatening.  It is an infectious disease so can be caught from other cats and can damage the immune system or cause tumours in cats.  This injection does cost more but personally I would feel terrible if one of my cats died from something I could have protected them against.  This is why mine have had all the vaccinations. Vaccinations of your kitten start with injections at 12 weeks, they have to have a second dose of injections 3 weeks later and the shortly after this they are allowed to go outside. After this your kitten will require booster injections each year to continue the protection. Worming Cats, especially kittens, require worming on a regular basis to ensure they remain healthy.  Worms are not only very unpleasant but can cause serious problems in untreated cats. Johnson's Easy Kitten Worm Syrup is excellent for the worming of kittens, it can also be used on adult cats but if you would prefer you can obtain a tablet form from your vet. Kittens should be wormed every 2 weeks until they reach 12 weeks old and then routinely every 3 months thereafter. Fleas Unfortunately these are a problem with all animals and cats are no different.  Frontline is a flea spray you can obtain from your vet, which is excellent at killing fleas.  Once sprayed your cat will be protected for 2 months but will then require spraying again (especially in the summer months when there are more fleas about).  Frontline comes in spray form only which causes a few problems, most cats hate being flea sprayed and are scared by the spray gun itself.  One way of overcoming this fear and making the experience better for both owner and cat is to buy some surgical gloves, spray the solution into your hands and then rub your cat all over. It is also important to flea spray carpets etc and Staykill Household Flea Spray is a product you can obtain from your vet.  It prevents flea eggs and larvae from developing into fleas and will give your home 6 months protection. Sterilizing your cat You can have your kitten sterilized from 6 months old, this will require a day stay at the vets.  Cost of this differs from vet to vet. In male cats, once they are neutered you will find they will become less aggressive and get into fewer fights. Illness Cats are as likely to catch illness as us humans, and sickness or diarrhoea in cats under 1 year should be taken to the vets as soon as possible.  Due to their young age they can become very ill very quickly. The normal diet for cats when they have been ill is freshly cooked chicken or coley (white non-oily fish) and plenty of fresh water.  This should be given to them for 2/3 days.  After this time you can gradually introduce their normal food by adding small amounts to the chicken or fish.  So long as their stomachs are okay you should increase this amount each time you feed them until you have them back on their normal food.  Should your cat become ill again return to the chicken or fish wait a few days and then restart the process. GOLDEN RULES Never feed your cat human food as this can very easily upset their stomachs and can land you with large vets bills.  Their digestive systems are just not built to deal with our food.  The same is true of milk....DO NOT give your kitten/cat cows milk it is extremely bad for them.  There are some excellent alternatives specially made for cats which are made by Whiskers and other large cat food companies.