Many people buy pedigree kittens from cat breeders. A breeder is a person who professionally breeds cats to sell and/or show. Suppose you wanted to purchase a Persian kitten. You could find a Persian cat breeder in your area, or a breeder who ships kittens to anywhere in the country. Ideally, you get a breeder's name from someone else who bought a kitten from them. If not, however, you can look in your local newspaper under the pet section.

Cat magazines have listings in the back, or you can call national organizations for listings of registered breeders. Your local veterinarian also can assist you.

Basically, all the litter has to do is able to absorb moisture from the urine and stool and give the kitten something to scratch in. Additional properties that litter can feature include deodorizers, fresh scents, dust free formulas, and environmentally friendly litter.

Be careful of electric cords, like those coming out of a lamp or appliance. Kittens can chew on these cords and get electrocuted. Keep them up off the floor and out of the kitten's reach. Another thing to keep away from kittens is household plants. Many are toxic, fresh or dried.

Whatever type of litter you use, keep the litter box clean. That means that if you use a clay or paper litter, change the entire box daily. Use a disinfectant to wash the box out, then dry it, and refill it with about one to two inches of fresh litter. Do not let stool or soiled litter sit in the box-it can increase your kitten's likelihood of getting an infection. If you use the clumping litter, scoop out the soiled clumps daily, then change the litter and wash the box weekly.

If you have more than one cat in your household, you might need two litter boxes. Some cats are so fastidious that they will not use a box if another cat(especially a new kitten) has soiled it. Many of my clients have told me, "Once I got the new kitten, my other cat would not use the box and is going on the floor next to it!".