In this next part of our cat care column, written by Bexley-based pet behaviourist Pauline Dewberry, who runs the website www.thedailymews.com, there is more advice on how to look after your kitten.

It’s advisable to get your kittens microchipped. This can be done when they have their first course of injections and it’s a good idea for indoor kittens too – for the same reason given in the previous article.

I’ve read a lot recently, where missing cats have been found – sometimes many years later – and returned to their original owners. This wouldn’t be possible if they weren’t microchipped.

If you want to stop the cats in the neighbourhood waltzing through your cat flap to eat your cat’s food, getting a cat flap which works with a microchip means that only your cat will have access in or out.

MORE: Cat care column: The essential trips to the vet - and some you'll want to avoid

Your kitten will need kitten food, specially prepared, containing all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals he needs to grow strong bones and teeth.

A pedigree kitten may have a special formula food for his breed, which the breeder will have already put him on. It’s advisable to keep him on that food, but if you wish to change it, you’ll need to do it very slowly over a period of a few weeks.

Reduce the specialist food each week and increase the new food until by the fourth or fifth week, your kitten is completely on the new food. If you do it all in one go, it can cause serious gastric problems and your kitten could become very ill with diarrhoea.

MORE: Cat care column: Things to get when you have a new kitten - including a new boyfriend possibly

It is not advisable to give your kitten table scraps, however much he might sit there looking at you with big sad eyes. Don’t start a bad habit that will be difficult to break. And it’s a definite no-no to give him any type of take-away food because of the high-fat, high-sugar content, which could make him extremely ill.

When he’s about 10 months to a year old, he can progress to the next stage up. This might say ‘adult’ on the packaging. He can remain on this food until he’s about eight years old, when he’s classed as a ‘senior’.

MORE: Cat care column: What's in a name? Quite a lot if you're picking one (or three) for a pet

The amount to feed your cat will vary from cat to cat, but as a rule, cats that go outdoors and are therefore more active, should eat slightly more than indoor cats.

Do not give your kitten cat cow’s milk as they are lactose intolerant. It will give them diarrhoea. Plain water is all that’s needed.

The fact that many cats live into their late teens now (presently, the oldest cat is Rubble, who lives in Devon – he is 30 years old!) is because of advances in veterinary technology and the quality of food they’re fed. There’s no reason why your little furball won’t be around to take care of you in your dotage.