So many people on social media suggested that if we were to get a kitten a cat rescue charity would be a great way of doing it.
We have recently adopted a kitten and she has been a lovely addition for our family. I never expected that we would be "cat people" because my husband always expressed an interest in having a dog eventually. We are now fully fledged members of the cat club and I am delighted that we adopted her.
Everyone will have a personal reason for deciding to introduce a kitten or cat to their family. In our case it started with.... mice. There is no way of sugar-coating it because it really is the truth. We had moved in to our new house and a couple of months later it became obvious that we were not living their alone. I shudder as I write this but mice are a huge problem for a lot of people. It is not a sign that your home is dirty or that you have done something wrong. It just happens.
We hired a pest control company to help us decipher where the mice were coming from so that we could then block their exits. In the midst of all of this so many people on social media (and the pest control company) recommended that we get a cat. People shared their experience of having problems with mice and a cat being the perfect way to keep them away. My husband was a firm no in the cat department but thankfully he is a total softy and eventually decided that it might be a good idea.
A lot of people suggested that if we were to get a kitten a cat rescue charity would be a great way of doing it. We looked up local rescue centres and found one close to our house, sent them a message and they came back to us really quickly with tonnes of helpful information to get the ball rolling.
The DSPCA is another great option if you want to adopt a kitten. According to their website
"Our rescue and rehoming centre cats will reward your love and kindness with a lifetime of unconditional devotion…you can’t rival that!"
Rescuing a cat or kitten has so many benefits. You are essentially saving the life of an animal that needs their forever home. Two cats can lead to 54 kittens in just one year so it is no great surprise that there are so many kittens requiring homes.
When you adopt or rescue a kitten you will have great support from the rescue centre. They are experts in how best to care for your animal and will make sure that you feel ready for when the time comes to welcome a kitten in to your home. We paid a €50 adoption fee via pay pal and that secured our kitten.
In some cases the rescue centre may send a representative to your home to ensure that your home is suitable for a kitten or cat. This is also a good opportunity for you to ask questions.
In addition to advice about feeding and caring for your animal, the rescue centre will be able to advise you about how best to care for your cat's health. In some cases you may have to sign a contract that states that you are required to have your cat neutered when they are old enough. They will also provide information about vaccinations which every kitten owner should also do. In our case the rescue centre had a deal with a nearby vet offering discounted rates.
Kittens are very low maintenance. In our case we couldn't take the kitten home until she was eight weeks old and we simply needed to provide a bed, litter tray, a couple of toys and food/water. As you can imagine she was quite scared initially as our home was completely unfamiliar to her. Within a day or two she was settling in and curling up beside us on the sofa. Cats are unbelievably self sufficient and seeing her use her litter tray and clean herself has been amazing.
There are so many benefits to giving your children the gift of a pet. It teaches them so much about responsibility, compassion and care. Watching that friendship unfold is really special. I am delighted that we decided to adopt a kitten.