Puppies & kittens
Puppy & Kitten First Year
Choosing well, settling in, the socialisation window, and the teenage months.
6 stages · 31 guides from PetsLikeMine
Who can help near you
- Your vet1 kind
- Specialists1 kind
- Therapists1 kind
- Emergency care1 kind
Listed by distance from you. Nobody pays to be listed.
Should we, and where from?
Stage 1 · 4 guides from PetsLikeMine
Buying safely: Lucy's Law and spotting a bad sellerOf all the decisions you'll make in your pet's first year, where you get them from is the one that sets the most. It quietly shapes their health, their temperament and…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Pet insurance for a new pet: lifetime vs annual, and why timing winsOf all the admin that lands on you with a new puppy or kitten, insurance is the one that feels the easiest to put off and is actually the most urgent. Not because…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine Choosing well: breed, rescue, and your real lifeThere's a particular kind of daydream that comes before a puppy or a kitten. You picture the walks, or the cat curled on your lap while it rains. You've probably got a…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine
All 4 guides in this stage
Bringing them home
Stage 2 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
The UK vaccination schedule explained (10-week vs 16-week finish)If you have found this page, there is a fair chance you are confused, and honestly, that is not your fault. The breeder said one thing, your vet said another, a forum…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine Worming and flea control in the first yearIf you have ever stood in a pet shop aisle staring at a wall of wormers and flea spot-ons, feeling faintly grossed out and completely unsure which one is "right", this…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Cat flu: what every kitten owner should knowVery few things throw a new kitten owner more than the first sneeze. One day you have a bright, bouncy kitten, and the next it has runny eyes, a snuffly nose, and that…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Is this normal?
Stage 3 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
The puppy blues: it's real, it's common, and it passesIf you have just typed something like "do I still want my puppy" or "I regret getting a kitten" into a search bar, and you feel a bit sick for having done it, please…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine House-training that actually worksIf you are reading this standing over yet another puddle, wondering what you are doing wrong, take a breath. You are almost certainly not failing. House-training is one…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Introducing your new pet to resident pets and childrenThe moment a lot of new owners are most nervous about is not the vet visit or the first night. It is the first meeting: carrying a new puppy or kitten through the door…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
The window
Stage 4 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
How to socialise before the vaccinations finishYou have almost certainly been given two pieces of advice that seem to flatly contradict each other. One says: keep your puppy off the ground and away from the world…12 min read · on PetsLikeMine Handling your kitten: the 2 to 9 week windowMost of us think of socialisation as a dog thing: puppy classes, meeting other dogs, walks in the park. It is easy to assume cats simply are what they are, aloof or…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine Puppy classes: what good actually looks likeA good puppy class is one of the best things you can do for your dog in the first few months. A bad one can do real harm, teaching your puppy that other dogs are…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Growing up
Stage 5 · 6 guides from PetsLikeMine
Growth charts and a healthy weight for young petsSomewhere in the first few months, almost every new owner asks the same quiet question. Is my puppy the right size? Is my kitten too small, or is that a bit of a belly?…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine When to neuter your cat: the four-month myth-busterLet me start with the sentence that matters most, because it is the one an older leaflet, a well-meaning relative or an out-of-date breeder may have got wrong. For cats…8 min read · on PetsLikeMine When to neuter your dog: the breed and size evidenceFew questions get you more confident, contradictory answers than "when should I neuter my dog?" The rescue said do it before you collect him. The breeder said wait…8 min read · on PetsLikeMine
The teenager
Stage 6 · 3 guides from PetsLikeMine
Surviving adolescence: when your good puppy "forgets everything"There is a moment, usually somewhere around six to eight months, when a lot of owners quietly panic. The puppy who sat beautifully at four months, who came running the…11 min read · on PetsLikeMine The transition to adult food and adult careSomewhere in the second half of the first year, the frantic pace of new-pet life starts to slow. The jabs are done, the toilet training has held, the biting phase is a…10 min read · on PetsLikeMine What "done" looks like: your pet's lifetime recordYou made it. The animal who arrived as a wobbly, sleep-stealing, expensive little disaster is now, more or less, a functioning adult. The vaccinations are done, the…9 min read · on PetsLikeMine
Find care near you
Your puppy & kitten first year care team
These are the practitioners this condition can call for, from your everyday vet to specialists and therapists. Enter your postcode to see who's near you at each step.
- Your vet (primary care)
Clinical animal behaviourist
Accredited trainer
Emergency / out-of-hours vet
With PetsLikeMine
Read the whole journey on PetsLikeMine
Every puppy & kitten first year guide, in order, sits in its own space on PetsLikeMine, written by owners and vets who have been through it. We show the first few here and link to the rest.
Read every puppy & kitten first year guide