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Below are some of our recommendations for what to feed and buy your new faithful, British Shorthair kitten. This is not an exhaustive list, just some of our tried and true favorite finds. You will most definitely need a hooded litter box, food & water bowls, cat toy, a good brand of cat food, litter, and cat scratching post. Preferably you would also invest in a cat tree (where your cat will eventually enjoy perching on top). At the very bottom are some fun Facebook groups you will want to join, so you can join the British Shorthair family online and share photos of your new loyal family member!
This has become our favorite cat food. It costs more than other dry food brands, however, it is so high quality, they don't eat as much as they had with other brands. Our cats "free feed" and they eat this food much slower because it is that filling. Our cats are at healthy weights and since doing a raw diet just isn't an option for our family, we are incredibly thankful for Orijen making quality dry food. You can find this online or at Petco.
We love the more modern look of this cat tree. Max loves sitting at the top and all the cats scratch on this. If you have a room with important furniture, its ideal to have something your cat can scratch on nearby. Cats also love to be able to visibly see the door from where they perch. Your new kitten will love to sit and lounge on your furniture and chairs and any high place they can perch. Cat trees, of any kind or look, are an awesome buy for your new kitten.
FELINE PINE CAT LITTER
This has become our favorite cat litter. We have tried a TON of different litters, but this is the current front runner and it happens to be one of the cheapest on the market. It's natural, keeps the smells at bay, and there is little tracking (as long as you are keeping the litter box clean). The pine pellets will clump with your cat's feces. When it comes to urine, it swells. So if you don't take the swelled litter out, there would be tracking. So I dump the litter tray weekly for fresh litter and each day I remove the feces and the swelled pellets with a plastic cup. With other litters the tracking was way worse, they seemed to dig more, and with this litter, they seem happy to do their business quickly. I don't see them pawing around in there a ton which keeps the tracking at a minimum. With other litter there was lots of tracking and dust. This has been the best for their breathing intake, cleaning, and is by far the most natural litter I have found. The only downside is that the bag is much heavier than some of the other brands I have tried.
These freeze dried minnows are my favorite treats to give our cats. Our cats love them and have never had any issues with digestion. I actually have to hide the bag or the cats will sniff them out and destroy the bag, trying to claw it open. There is also some level of enjoyment handing your British kitten one of these little minnows, as it is as close to nature as they'll get, without catching a real fish.
Hooded litter boxes, plain and simple, are the way to go. Cats enjoy the privacy. I personally snap off the swinging plastic "door" but any large hooded litter box will work well. There are tons of modern litter boxes these days. Some where you enter from the top, robotic/self cleaning, and other featured styles for easy cleaning. At the end of the day, the basic (hooded) litter box, works just fine for our cats. We have multiple litter boxes. The rule of thumb is one litter box per cat. Keep it clean, and fresh.
We have a couple of these for our food and water bowls. The ceramic bowls lift out for easy cleaning.
SCRATCHER POST
Scratch posts are a must. The general rule, is one per room and/or near where you don't want your cat scratching. Put it near your bed or couch. We only have two in our house, plus our cat trees (which they also scratch on). This seems to suffice for our cats. We really haven't had any issues with our cats ruining furniture, bedding, or curtains. During the first year as kittens, I trim their nails (carefully). Trimming nails will help your kitten's nails not be too sharp and will keep them, in their innocence, from snagging things less often. Click HERE to learn about trimming nails. (We are firmly against declawing your kitten and it goes against our contract.)
FUN FACEBOOK GROUPS TO JOIN TO SHARE PHOTOS OF YOUR NEW BRITISH SHORTHAIR KITTEN
