How to Choose the Right Kitten
Every potential pet owner wants to ensure that their new kitten is healthy and happy and choosing the right place to get them from is the first step towards finding a healthy kitten.
If you are looking to adopt a kitten from a rescue centre, take a close look at the condition of the premises, the health of the kittens and the reputation of the facility. The RSPCA www.rspca.org.uk have 56 animal rescue centres throughout the UK. The Cats Protection League also run adoption centres around the country and have 250 branches nationwide www.cats.org.uk.
Look for other smaller, local charities and rescue centres online or in the yellow pages.
If you are buying your kitten from a pet shop, breeder or private owner there are also similar things you should look out for.
Take a general look at the environment that the kitten has been living in and the staff looking after them and ask yourself the following questions:
• Is the facility clean?
• Is the kittens' housing overcrowded and unkempt?
• Is there fresh water in the housing and are the litter trays clean?
• Are the staff friendly and approachable?
• Do the staff offer information about how to care for your kitten? And what types of vaccination and parasite control have the kittens had or need?
• Are you able to see the mother of the kittens and is she in good condition and well cared for?
A reputable rescue centre, pet shop and breeder will always allow potential pet owners to look through their facility and be open to answering questions. If you find a place that does not allow tours, or where the staff are not willing to answer questions, go somewhere else.
The health of the kittens should also alert you to any potential problems. Look closely for any signs of respiratory illnesses which include: discharge around the nose or eyes, coughing, sneezing, lethargy and depression. The kittens should all be active and curious and they should have a healthy body condition. Kittens that are underweight can indicate parasite infection or additional health problems. Ask the facility or breeder if they have tested their kittens for feline leukaemia or feline immunodeficiency virus as well.
Before you commit to adopting or buying a kitten from a rescue centre, pet shop or breeder try to check their reputation. You could talk to the vet they use or your own vet about their reputation.
If you happen to find somewhere that houses kittens in overcrowded and unhealthy conditions, report them to your local authority or the RSPCA. While it is tempting to adopt kittens from these environments in order to save them, in the end you will only be providing additional financial resources for the survival of the facility or breeder.
Kittens in these facilities may already have health conditions which are fatal or which require high veterinary costs to treat and permanent damage to the kitten's health may already have occurred. The kittens may also be infected with an illness, such as feline leukaemia which could pose a threat to other cats in your household.
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