Choosing a new kitten
Choosing a new kitten is exciting, but it's not something to be taken lightly. After all, cats can live up to 20 years. That's a long time to share your home and your life.

Purebred or Moggie
This is very much a personal choice. Purebreds can be expensive but their future appearance and personality is easier to predict.

If you have set your heart on a pedigree kitten, take time to do your homework on different breeds. There are over 70 to choose from. The Internet is a very good place to start your research as most breeds will have a website devoted to them.

Find out about any inherited conditions your chosen breed may exhibit and what health checks they'd require.

What about the personality traits of each breed? If you have young children, for example, it might be a good idea to pick a kitten from a breed that's known to be playful and sociable like Burmese.

It's also important to ask yourself what sort of regular care the kitten will need. Long-haired breeds such as Persian or Birman need daily grooming. Do you have the time and the patience?

Moggies can be hardier, though it's less easy to predict what sort of cats they will grow into. If you can, visit your prospective kitten a few times and try to get a good idea of her temperament. Don't rush your decision.

The pick of the litter
If you are choosing your kitten from litter, a few simple tips can help you pick well.

Take your time and ask lots of questions. Have the kittens seen the vet, had health screens, been vaccinated and wormed?

What sort of environment is the litter being kept in? Be wary if it's a shed or a pen and the kittens have had little human contact. Cats have a very short socialisation phase between 4 to 16 weeks of age. A kitten who doesn't become used to the sights, sounds and smells of normal life then, may have problems later on.

However heartrending a sight it may be, be careful about choosing a kitten that seems particularly nervous. This can be a sign of poor early socialisation. Equally don't be tempted to take the smallest, weakest looking kitten out of pity. This could be a very expensive mistake.

You should not take a kitten from her mother or her litter-mates too early. She needs to be at least six or seven weeks of age.

Where to get your kitten from
There are lots of places to get your kitten from - local animal shelters and charities, ads in the paper, friends and family and pedigree breeders.

If you're looking for a purebred, try breed clubs or specialist cat papers for information about litters.

If you've decided on a mixed breed kitten, local cat charities and rescue centres are a good place to start. Don't be surprised if they ask you lots of questions and want to carry out a check of your home. All good rescue centres will want to make sure they're putting their kittens into safe hands.