I agree with everything posted above. I do brush Tito and Sophie's teeth though I also trim their claws, to make sure they don't get too sharp, and brush their coats to avoid hairballs. Some cats are just more laid back than others, I guess, and mine are pretty darn laid back to let me brush their teeth, their fur, AND trim their claws!!

As for food, it always depends. You will need to feed kitten food for at least the first 4 or so months of a kitten's life - most people say a whole year, unless your kitten gets fat........like Tito!! He had to go off kitten food at 5 months (vet's recommendation) because he was packing on the pounds! Now Tito is on a restricted diet because he's still a little plush so he only gets 1/4 cup of diet food twice a day. I have to feed his sister Sophie in a separate room with the door shut, because otherwise her brother will eat all her food. So it really just varies from situation to situation. As for brand of food, it's your own decision...maybe ask your vet to recommend a brand. Obviously, with cheaper food, you get what you pay for. Some foods upset certain kitty's stomachs, others some cats just turn their noses up at. You'll know what your kitten likes.

Teaching them to use the litterbox and scratching post is the simplest thing to do....they'll pretty much do it on their own, if you're lucky. Training somes in when you want to prevent bad behavior - going outside the box or scratching furniture. As for litter, we had a thread about it a while back, and I a lot of people like Fresh Step. Here's the link to that thread. And upkeep is pretty easy - I scoop each box once a day, and completely change the litter and bleach out the box about once every 5-6 weeks.

Good Luck! I hope you get to get a kitty! When you do, we wanna see pictures!