How wonderful and congrats!

Many people think cats are very independent and unfriendly.  Yes, they are independent but all of mine (4) come when they are called and love to be hugged, kissed and cuddled.  They loved to be brushed too.

There must be a pet store in the Avalon Mall or even the Wal-Mart where you will be able to pick up some very needed items.

One of the best scratching posts for cats are the cheapest ones.  Don't know the brand but Wal-Mart and nearly every pet store sells them.  They are corrugated cardboard.  Either flat or a circle in a round thing that has a ball go round.  There isn't a cat in the world that won't use it and dirt cheap.  Rub the cat nip on it.

Cats need meat.  Huge controversy on this site.  Cats are carnivores.  Please feed your cat as she is meant to be fed.  I do home cook and as I think many people won't, buy the best food you can for her and put little tid bits of meat and veggies in her processed food.  Processed food is not good for anyone.  Vets do get kick backs to say no table scraps and eat this or that food.

Wal-Mart carries a very good kitty and dog vitamin in Canada.  Dr. Goodpet's vitamins.  I would check it out and add it to whatever you feed your kitten.

Cats do not need a huge space.  I hugely disagree with over vaccination.  My cats are indoor cats because firstly, they will live a long life and secondly, I am sick of seeing pancake cats on the road.

My 18 1/2 year old cat hasn't had shots for at least 12 years.  My baby cats who are now 6 has their first shots and then the booster a couple of months later.  My 12 1/2 year old hasn't had shots since I got him 6 years ago.  My holistic vet is totally against over vaccination.  I could go on about what it does to animals but my views are often not welcome on this board.

Just do not let your vet make you do something you have researched and do not believe it.  Yes, they do need the first set and the booster a few months later.

Please also be warned that many of the furry little toys that look like fur but don't say they are fur actually ARE fur.  Usually the ones made in China, the Philippines etc.  They do not have to state they are using dog, cat or bunny fur.  So, be careful in your toy choices.

Get some hard wheat berry seeds at a health food store....organic if available and I know St. John's is getting more available to these things and grow them in a dish.  Allow your new "baby" to graze on them.  Very healthy and helps keep kitty off the other house plants.  OK, not mine but the well behaved ones.

Just have fun with your kitty.  They need lots of love!  Clip her nails often.  I find using people clippers easier on cats than pet nail clippers.  Do not clip in to the pink.  It hurts and they will bleed. 

The main expenses of a new pet is the first set of shots, the booster shots and the spay or castration which is a must.  Many vets do it very young now but the rule of thumb with many is still elt them develop and then do them.  % to 6 months for a female cat or dog and 8 to 9 months for a male.  This is what I still believe in.  I worked for a vet for a few years and the vet I have been going to for over 20 years believes the same.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Di

Some good info here...do remember to have your cat wormed regularly even if she never goes outside, they pick up parasites from their food and can pass them on to you. I agree on having your new furry checked over at once, and make sure you get her vaccination and treatment records from the shelter.
And if she's too young to have had it done already, get her neutered at the right age, please! This may cause controversy but if you don't intend to breed it's the kindest thing. She won't go into heat (which can be very, very annoying when she starts "calling" at all hours), try to get out because she's in heat, and end up either flattened by a car, attacked by other animals or preggy with a batch of kittens that need to be re-homed. There are sooo many unwanted kittens and puppies in the world, I don't feel it's responsible to add to their number.
Make sure she has a corner all her own, she may find one herself, but you can place her bed in an out-of-the-way spot where she can "hide out" if she needs to. My cat had his "bachelor pad" behind a bookcase in a corner of my husband's den, a place of refuge where he could think long, deep cat thoughts.
And just remember, cats are very very smart. You may not train her but I can bet she will train you! ;D

Hee hee hee...you are so right about a private spot.  As some of the older people on the  board know, I have a pet bed fetish.  During my recent de-cluttering which was huge, I got rid of at least 10 pet beds that were just yucky!  I still have at least ten! :-)
I do however disagree on the worming thing.  I hate giving my critters any form of drug (poison) that kills something that might not be there.  Have the stool sample checked yearly by the vet but please don't just give worming tablets that are basically pesticides.  None of my cats have ever had worms.  They were all indoor although a few ran out the door over the years.  They wanted back in but they were out.
My cats have all lived between 20 to 21 years without parasites. The new batch are between 6 and 18 1/2 and have never had parasites.  Don't medicate unless you have to.  Once a year, drop off a stool sample at the vets.  They will test it and let you know.
As for spay/neuter...a no brainer.  Millions and millions of animals are put to sleep yearly in shelters.  You don't want male cats hanging around and an female that isn't spayed constantly goes in to heat.  not a fun thing.
Have fun with your kitty and please let us know what you name her!
I am so over due for a trip to Newfoundland.  Maybe we will meet up one day!

Di

Wonderful advice all around, and thanks idioglossia-- I feel the same way about all of you.

Here's a few of my own tidbits:

Cats who live exclusively indoors live lots longer, are lots safer, and are not deadly to the local wildlife.  Keep her in.  She will love windowsills and balconies (watch her to make sure she doesn't do a nose dive) and patches of sunlight, but it's best to keep her in if you can.

Please, no flea collars!  They're poisonous to the cats, particularly to kittens, as well as the fleas. 

Air travel is stressful and dangerous.  If you must take her somewhere, arrange in advance to take her with you in the cabin of the plane: lots of animals die or are lost in the cargo section of airplanes.  Consider a tranquilizer for stressful trips; it does seem to help.

Confine her if you're taking her for a car ride.  You don't want her under the pedals and she'll be almost "seat-belted" if anything happens.  She will cry, yes.  But she'll be safer.

Royal Canin has a good reputation nutritionally speaking-- it's one that is often recommended for maintenance of sick cats, anyway.  (My cat's sick and I've been researching.)  The kitty will try a lot of people foods: find a list online of those you should avoid and you'll be fine.  Not Purina; not IAMS.  Canned food is healthier for the cats than dried, generally speaking, but quality ingredients are what matters.  Always LOTS of fresh water.

As for litter that has less environmental impact: they make scoopable pellet litter from various pressed plant materials, like corn, alfalfa, and cedar.  I'd go for one of the corn ones if it's available in your area!  Since she's a kitten now, what she adjusts to is what she'll be comfortable with for a long time.

A note from unpleasant experience: do please save up and get her spayed as soon as you humanly can.  A cat that goes through "heat" is very much more likely to suffer from breast cancer.  My cat has fought with breast cancer for years, and I am heartbroken that I let her go for a few years unspayed.  I don't know that I caused it, but I sure didn't prevent it!  (Also, a cat in heat is a special kind of annoyance-- you and the cat will both be miserable.)

Try catnip, but it's a genetic anomaly in some cats (like my little monster) not to have a reaction to the stuff.  No biggie, but if you don't see a reaction, don't worry about her.  Mine just mildly dislikes the stuff-- she unfortunately doesn't go through the transports and frenzies that a "normal" cat does. 

Kittens are very social and they don't keep your hours.  Be patient and try to delight in her amusements.  Expect to wake up with a frenzied kitten tangled in your hair and her claws in your scalp because your hair IS THE BEST TOY.  Distraction is your helper (and maybe sleeping in a scarf, which is what I had to do when Pepe was little).

A word about furniture: rocking chairs and chairs with moving parts can be dangerous to kitties.  Do check them EVERY TIME before you sit and be alert to her darting into them while you're in them.  Try to get your guests to do the same.  I got rid of our recliners when we got Pepe, since she liked to hide in them and I worried (my husband had a childhood kitten tragedy).  Also, no nylon beanbags: they feel to the cat like a swanky litterbox.  I know this one from flopping down into cold cat pee... ugh!  :o  Cats can squeeze under a dishwasher if the faceplate doesn't cover it, and will sometimes tear a hole in the gauzy stuff that covers the bottom of a bed's box-spring and hide inside (I've fished Pepe out of many hotel box springs). 

The best toy Pepe's ever seen is a crumpled little piece of paper.  She plays soccer-goalie with my husband.  :)  Also, open a paper bag and tip it on one side.  Scratch the bottom.  Wham!  Kitten in the bag, looking for the noise-monster!  Hmm.  Oh yes!  The "what's under the sheet" game (wiggle a finger just under the edge of a sheet-- expect claws) is lots of fun.

She'll understand a lot of what you say to her, if it's frequently repeated phrases in similar contexts.  Before my cat went deaf, we had quite a shared vocabulary.  My husband has taught her about six distinct "signs" he made up since she went deaf: "come to the kitchen," "get down from there," "quit that," "come get cuddled/petted," "where's the problem," and "want a taste?"  She also understands several gestures to be overtures to play.

Touching is what life's all about: pet, pet, pet her!  Every cat is different about where they want to be touched (and how!)  Mine likes her cheeks to be scratched, right behind the whiskers.

Vaccuums are scary.  Tinfoil is scary.  Rustling plastic is scary but OH SO DELICIOUS.

Phew.  Can't think of anything else.  ;)

You are going to have so much fun, and a cat is a rewarding companion.  You are acquiring a dear friend who will be your solace and constant company for years.  I'm very happy for you and your new darling.

Ack!  I feed Pepe Eukanuba kibble on the side-- didn't know they were owned by IAMS (though I do still see IAMS-branded cat foods... are you sure that's how they're connected?  I'll look!  To the Internets!)  IAMS has attracted the Wrath of PETA for their inhumane and superfluous animal testing, that's all.  Thank goodness they don't have the "roadkill" reputation.

I would avoid all "supermarket" brands of cat food, except in emergencies: they aren't healthy as a dietary staple, and vets dissolve into tears about people feeding their babies a steady diet of junk food.  I reckon they're like potato chips for cats: tasty, but not great for the bod.

EDIT: bloody hell, they are both under the same ownership. Well, they've had the last dollar from me that they'll ever get.  Thank you yabbit! 

Go to vegancats.com. They have some great cat food options.

Our house would NOT be the same without a furry friend.  I think it's so important for kids to grow up with a pet, my boys are 2 1/2 and are already learning to feed our cat and change his water, and they've already mastered "be gentle" and "pat nicely".

We feed our cat "Innova" dry, and "Wellness" brand wet. All human grade ingredients and no by products.

His litter is Swheatscoop..  Its made from wheat, not clay, so if he injests it (by cleaning his paws etc.) it won't clump in his tummy.

One thing to think about... if your cat is indoor/outdoor you may want to consider pet insurance.  Our cat is a fighter :-\, he doesn't fight very often, but when he does :o !!  For $10/month ($120/year) he has "accident" insurance; this type of pet insurance covers very specific perils. Like animal attacks, falls, accidental poisoning, etc. There are other types or pet insurance which cover illness as well. This may seem like alot but one fight and the subsequent vet visit, surgery (yes surgery!!) and medication can easily run $500, so it pays for itself.

Okay that's my $0.02.

Later,
K^2

idioglossia, I am so jealous. I've had cats for years but after my last one died (just about killed me) I decided I didn't want to go through that again so I've been catless for a couple of years. My youngest daughter adopted the sweetest kitty I have EVER known (even sweeter than my sweetest) while she was living with us and I was able to enjoy her for a year before they both moved out. Now...reading all these postings from other cat lovers has made me miss having a kitty like crazy.

The contraption I'd like to recommend is called Litter Locker. You do have to use clumping litter with it and it does use special plastic bags, BUT it keeps the used litter smell under wraps, as it were. Since you will be living with Kava in a fairly contained space, you might want to at least consider it. If you've ever seen or heard of a Diaper Genie, it works on the same principle. You scoop clumped litter into it, turn a handle, and it twists and seals that portion of litter. We got one for the above-mentioned daughter and grandcat and we never smelled the litter. It was great!

Check out this website: http://www.petmate.com/Catalog.plx?ID=1600

Felicitations!  You will enjoy each other so much. 

Kava is a lovely name for a kitty.  :)  I cannot wait for pictures.  Pepe's a black-and-white tuxedo kitty too (she's named after Pepe le Pew... she kind of ran all-four-feetly like he does in the cartoons when she was a small uncoordinated kitten).

Thanks for the warm words-- I always enjoy your posts here too!  This is the kindest, most beautiful community I have ever lucked into online... maybe anywhere.  I always feel like I'm sitting on the porch with good neighbors, having tea and conversation.