A few things to remember when you buy a kitten

All kittens are adorable and it's so tempting just to take the whole litter home with us or when we see a kitten walking on the street we automatically want to grab it and take it home. It is normal to think with our heart when we see something cute and fury, but the implications may out weigh our actions and this may lead to a couple of regrets down the line.

When you are on a mission to buy a kitten nothing may seem to stop you, but there are definitely things that should be taken into consideration.

Firstly, once you have decided that this is something you want that you want you will have to realize the kitten will grow up at some point and your cat will become part of the family and hopefully be with you for many years to come. Often people can't resist adopting a kitten and then find out they have allergies or their home is not cat-proof. A kitten is not the best thing for people who work all day. It needs constant attention in the beginning stages.

The next step would be for you to decide what kind of cat you would be interested in getting. Many people love their pedigrees, whilst others will want to adopt a rescue kitten. There are always reasons why someone would choose one method over another.

There are many more resources than they were back in the day, which actually makes it more tricky because you sometimes don't know where to start. If a place has a good reputation then that would be a good bet, but I would avoid a shelter that is new and have not heard much about.

When you buy a kitten online make contact with the owner of the cat and ask specific questions regarding the mother. If they are being advertised for free it could be that the cat was a stray and you would probably want to stay away from that because of viruses that can be spread.

It is very important to know where your kitten comes from. This will especially apply when you want to adopt a rescue kitten. You can ask for a blood test for FeLV and FIV, which are the two most dangerous feline viruses. It doesn't always show up in the kitten stages, but there are other things you can look for when buying a kitten.

• The eyes should be clear
• The ears should be clean
• They should be playful with the other kittens in the litter and happy to see visitors
• There should be no visible diarrhoea
• The coats should be shiny

Kittens are 100% of cuteness. Sometimes when they grow up people tend to lose interest. Buying a kitten is a big decision to make, but one that will give you lots of joy and pleasure.