Kittens are among the most charming of all young animals. Cuddly, playful and enchanting to watch - few people can resist them. However, it is important to remember that kittens need house training, can be very destructive to carpets and furntiure and, where there are young children or elderly folk in the family, can cause acidents or evenget trodden underfoot.

Although a kitten is a very adaptable animal and generally soon makes a good household pet, it does have certain minimum requirements. So before you get a kitten, it is worthwhile asking yourself a few basic questions in order to make sure that it really is the right pet for you.

Do you have a garden or safe access to the great outdoors? Are you at home for at least part of the day, every day? Are you willing to put up with the possible damage that claws can do to furnishing?

Are you willing to bear the cost of vaccinations and any possible veterinary attention? The RSPCA strongly recommends that you take out insurance to cover some of these veterinary costs. (All but those cats kept specially for breeding should be neutered before six months of age, and all kittens and young cats should be vaccinated against Feline Infectious Enteristis, Feline Influenza and Feline Leukaemia, which require booster vaccinations throughout their lifetime.)

Are you willing to pay for boarding your cat when you go away on holiday, or have you some caring neighbours who would feed and look after it for you? Please remember however, that on health grounds boarding a kitten is not recommended until the animal is at least four months old.

Once you are sure that a kitten is the right pet for you, the next decision to be made is whether to choose a pedigree or a mobgrel. For most people, the mongrel or kitten of mixed breeding is the first choice. Generally speaking, these cost little or nothing to buy, but do not forget, of course, that as they grow up they will cost just as much to feed as any pedigree cat. And, naturally, they will need the same cmount of love, care and medical attention. Mongrel kittens are generally hardy, with a strong constitution and come in a wide variety of colours and types. The choice is yours.

If you want to know what your animal will look as it grows up, a pedigree kitten might be the right answer for you. Some breeds have well-known characteristics, like the Siamese with its distinctive voice, or the Longhairs with theor dense coats, which require meticulous grooming. Pedigree kittens are, of course, expensive to buy.