Are you? Many people don’t pay much attention to what it takes to care for a pet. They see how cute the puppy or kitten is and that’s all they need to know.
Having a kitten requires more than just buying a litter box and picking up a cute kitty from somewhere. You have to realize that kittens play a lot. They haven’t learned what they can or can’t do. And it is not so easy to teach them. So if you have curtains that are costing you a fortune, you’d better replace them with some old ones for now. The same goes for your leather sofa. You can expect the cat to pee/pop out of the litter box from time to time.
I make it look like a nightmare, but it’s not that hard, your family will love your new friend. You just don’t want to tell your kids after 2 or 3 weeks that their cute new friend has to go. A cat can live up to 19 years, make sure you want to make that commitment. The same goes for dogs, of course.
In the first few weeks you have your kitten, it’s a good idea to keep her in one room, make that room as cat-friendly as possible. This way you won’t be tempted to climb on the curtains or pee on the bed :). But make sure you spend plenty of time with your cat. After your cat has learned to deal with the litter box, you can let her slowly explore your house. Stay with them and if they do something bad. NEVER EVER hit them. Make sure your whole family understands this from day one. Hitting a cat is NOT a form of punishment. You can harm your cat for life. If you want to punish your cat, you can grab her by the neck and return her to her room. This is a natural way for the mother cat to punish her kittens.