Last summer we were introduced to a Burmese cat through a close relative. Michael held the cat and it was like he just melted into his arms. He felt heavy and his coat was so silky. He didn't push away or scratch and bite. He just laid there like a puppy. Up to that point we very much disliked cats. "We were dog people" I also held the cat and fell in love with it.

Finding your kitten-  When we got home I began searching for all the information I could about this cat. It was a European Burmese cat. They are very "dog like"cats and there are two types, the European Burmese and the traditional breed. There is also a recognized breed of a mix Siamese and Burmese called a Tonkenese. At some point Michael must have felt the love again because there was an E-Mail from a Cattery sending us information about kitten's available.  Cattery names are registered with the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) which is the equivalent of the American Kennel Club (AKC) for dogs. They must adhere to strict standards so you want to search for all the ones in your area and visit them if possible. We only had two that were within 500 miles of us. Most Cattery's will ship a kitten if they have the one your looking for.  

Pre Planning-Expenses, Consider all the expense that will come with it. Picking out a kitten or cat at the local animal shelter is a much less expensive and may be a more gratifying choice. They usually are spade or neutered with all their shots. Pedigree's have different medical issues depending on the breed. Feeding Bowls, Food, Litter Box, Carrier, Collar, leash, bed, toys, first Vet visit so your own vet can check your kitten out, are all expenses to prepare for.

Floor Plan - You will need to plan where to put the food and water, litter box, bed, toys. The liter box should be in a private place and not to close to the food. The toys should be where you can play with your kitten and enjoy watching them play. They litter may bother some people, because they kick it up when they bury their business. It gets dusty and what they bury smells really bad. Picking up kitty You may be going to pick it up at the airport, going to the Cattery, meeting somewhere or they may bring it to you. Some Cattery's will want to come to your home to be sure the environment suits your new kitty. You will need your carrier, a blanket or some cat apparel, some snacks, a toy or two, maybe the cat collar and leash. I met my breeder and kitty half way at a vet, because he needed one more shot. That worked out well because he had a cold and was started on antibiotics which the breeder paid for.

Bringing Sid home- I brought Sid (Siddhartha Moses Michael) home in his carrier. We had never used a carrier for a pet but I am really glad we bought one for SId. He loves his carrier and hangs out in there a lot.  We had his litter box set up and just showed it to him and that's all we needed to do. We bought one of those automatic ones and it is awesome. I swear he thinks it's a toy. It rakes when it senses he has been in there within 10 minutes. He has that figured out and jumps in what seems like every hour. 

Introducing Sid to our two dogs was the next task, we have a Chinese Shapei named Missy and a long haired dachshund named Lady.