Bringing home a kitten is the start of a long, happy life together. These ten top tips for welcoming a new arrival will help you to make sure you start as you mean to go on.

1. Choose a name - be creative and have fun!
2. Serve fresh food and water every day in clean plastic, ceramic or stainless steel dishes.
3. Next to food and water, your cat's most important piece of kit is the litter tray. Litter trays should be as long and wide as you can tolerate. Kittens function best when they have a choice of at least two trays, which are easy to access and nearby.
4. Buy a 'quick release' identity collar that break away should your kitten's head get caught on a branch or similar. Attach an ID tag and also a bell to warn you when your kitten is underfoot - or trying to get out! Also speak with your vet about microchip insertion in case your kitten gets lost.
5. Choose a bed for your kitten. There are all sorts of shapes, sizes and materials available to buy, but even a closed cardboard box with soft bedding and a hole cut into one side is adequate. Bear in mind, however, that your new pet may have designs on your favourite sweater!
6. Choose a variety of sturdy kitten toys without small parts that can be swallowed. Dangle them from a string tied to a stick and watch your kitten perform all sorts of complicated gymnastics, before putting them away again when playtime is over. Always check the toys for damage after each play session.
7. Cats don't need to be bathed on a regular basis, but brushing or combing your cat's coat could become a happy habit!
8. Find a reputable veterinary practice that you can trust. This relationship may last 15 to 20 years.
9. To prevent damage to carpets and furniture, provide scratching posts of sisal rope or horizontal strips of corrugated cardboard. Position a post near each of your kitten's favourite resting places. Cats like to use a scratching post when they wake up.
10. Finally, take lots of pictures - your new pet will grow up very quickly. (If your cat ever becomes lost, recent photos on posters are a huge help to help bring them home.)