What Should You Splurge On For Your Kitten?

I have two furry, bratty little boys named Jezebel and Joey who run my life. These little cutie pies can win me over by rolling over.

We've been through it all with them. We've raised Jezebel from the time he was six weeks old, and we've gone through food changes, neutering, fleas, tape worms, and a UTI. Joey was 9 months old when we adopted him, and over the past two months, we've had to tame his scratching tendencies and work on his constant battling with Jezebel over who's "man of the house". Sometimes, you don't have money for the most expensive pet products, and you find yourself worrying over what things you should spend that extra dollar on. Here are a few do's and don'ts, from my experience, to guide you a little bit:

Do splurge on food. What you put in your cat's stomach is a hard thing to decide. Many go the route of wet food, but we've found much more success keeping them on a dry food diet. Either way, many brands include both dry and wet food. Splurging on it is ultimately worth it-the more real ingredients that are in your pet;s food in the place of "chicken meal" and "beef filler", the better for their sensitive digestive system. We've found the most success with Blue Buffalo (from about $9.99 for a 2 lb. bag, Petsmart.com or your local Petsmart) and Purina Pro Plan (starting at about $12.99 for a 3 lb. bag). Purina Pro Plan has especially been our savior since Jezebel had his UTI-we switched to the Urinary Tract formula and he's been fine ever since, not to mention that it was extremely easy and painless to switch the foods and both cats like the Pro Plan.

Do splurge on a catnip plant. A catnip plant is barely a splurge at around $6.99 per plant at Petsmart, but it's a little extra something that most people don't think about. Catnip can keep your cat calm when need be or get them excited when it's rubbed on a toy. It's one of the most useful plants ever-just be sure to store it out of your cat's reach, or else you could find it chewed to pieces all over the floor one morning.

Do splurge on litter. Do you want the smell and the mess? No. And neither does your cat. Litter is worth springing on simply because it keeps your house from stinking and keeps your cats from going in other places in the house because they are trying to get away from the smell. Plus, I've generally found that buying litter under $6, unless it's a reputable name brand on sale, doesn't bode well-a lot of them have powdery deodorizers whose smells clash with the smell of the cat's little, or form puffy clouds of powder when your cat kicks litter over his business or you try to pour new litter into the litter box. The best solution, and actually a fairly affordable one, is to get a Tidy Cats 30 lb. tub (about $15.99, PetSmart, Petco, and some drugstores) and continue refilling it with bags of Tidy Cat Litter (about $9.99 each, Petsmart, Petco, and some drugstores). We prefer the long-lasting action-it controls the smell completely, doesn't have any perfumes that confuse the cats by covering up their smell with flowery scents, and clumps better than any cat litter we've ever used.

Do splurge on an extra scratching post. Teaching your cat not to scratch things is about as nerve wracking as litter box training. It's even worse when you have two cats. Multiple scratch posts are key. We have one scratch mat that lays on the floor ($9.99, Petsmart) and one scratch ramp ($19.99, Petsmart), and our cat's scratching is pretty much nonexistent now. What do you think is a better investment: trying to save money by wrapping sisal around random things to make unsuccessful homemade cat posts and risking having to repair your furniture when it gets clawed to pieces, or investing $30 in two cat posts and skipping the destruction of your furniture all together?

Don't splurge on a cat bed. I get it, trust me. It's extremely easy to get sucked into the experience of buying expensive Martha Stewart pet beds, especially because you want your kitty cat to feel comfortable. But trust me-your cat will find its own comfort. Cats sleep on tables, couches, heads, your bed-pretty much any place that's warm, they'll curl right up and take a nap. In the winter, ours sometimes even sleep under the blankets with us.

Don't splurge on toys. I swear, cats will play with anything. A shoelace. A q-tip. If it's in their way or sticking out in a weird spot,they will be entertained. Use a laser pointer if you really want to keep them, and yourself, entertained. You can give them homemade toys (just make sure there's no loose threads) or stock up on things from the dollar store-I've gotten many goldfish with catnip openings for $1, and Jezebel has loved them all.

Don't splurge on a litter box. No, you don't need the $69, two story litter box with stairs and a matching mat and dome lid. Cats are more concerned with being in a space big enough for them to stretch out and do their business-nothing else. Get a plain, ordinary, mid-size plastic litter box with a lid and an opening for about $9 at Walmart, get a mat if you wish for an extra $4.99 so your kitty doesn't track as much litter around the house, and that's that-add litter, keep it clean, and you have a happy kitty.

Don't splurge on treats. As long as you get your cat dental treats, not just regular treats, you're set. Buy a bag on sale at Petsmart for $1.50 (there's a cat treat sale just about every other week) and give two to your cat every other day to keep their teeth clean. And yes, the dental treats work just as well as regular ones when you're training and rewarding your cat.