[valkyrie]

Congratulations on your upcoming kitty!!

In terms of keeping happy little claws occupied on things other than your furniture, just keep several different types of scratching posts around your house. When I got nice new couches a few years ago, I got one of those gigantic kitty jungle things that's about 6 feet tall. That thing has been destroyed, but my couch was never touched. Some cats like to scratch on a horizontal surface instead of vertical, so try to provide something like that as well.

Good for you for keeping kitty indoors!

I have breakable stuff all over and none of my 3 cats bother any of it. It might be a good idea to put stuff away at first, just until kitty gets adjusted. Some cats claw/climb curtains, but I've never had a problem with it. Also, some cats will eat plants. Try to keep them as much out of reach as you can, although it's hard to find a place that's out of reach for cats! Also, be careful if you have any ivy, because I know that's poisonous to cats. You can probably find a list of poisonous plants on line if you ever need.

Hardwood floors shouldn't be a problem. I have them, and my cats haven't seemed bothered at all and there's no damage from little claws. It's funny too when a kitty slides across the floor, LOL.

Keep the litterbox somewhere that isn't too terribly out of the way for kitty. You're right that they don't like their toilet and dinner table to be right next to each other, hee hee. Unfortunately, I have my litterbox in the kitchen because I don't have a better place for it, and their food bowls are on the other side of the room.

You'll learn how to pick up a cat. It's kind of a zen thing. I'm trying to describe the way I do it, but I'm having a hard time. I put my hands on the cat's sides and pick her up and hold her sort of on my shoulder. Some cats don't like to be picked up, though, so see how he feels about it.

Milk can give kitties the runs. Ick.

When I go on vacation, if it's only for two days, I'll leave the kitties at home with several bowls of food and a million bowls of water. If it's longer than that, I have someone come over and kitty sit. I never take them to a kennel, but I'm sure you can.

Good luck, and I hope you'll keep us updated on all your kitty adventures!!