Remember the days when cats were more often family animals who helped out in some capacity around the home (mostly as mousers) rather than being members of the family? Yeah, neither do we. These days, our kitties are full-blown members of the family, which means we celebrate their important occasions, whether that’s a birthday or a pregnancy.
When it comes to pregnant cats, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a kitten shower! What exactly is a kitten shower? It’s a baby shower for cats! Throwing kitten showers for pregnant cats has become more popular recently, so you’ve likely heard about the phenomenon before. Kitten showers are an excellent way to celebrate mama cats and welcome new kittens into your home. In fact, even if you’re simply adopting a kitten, you could still throw a kitten shower to welcome them (even shelters throw kitten showers during kitten season to encourage people to adopt kittens!).
You may not know how to throw a kitten shower, though, which is why we’re here. We’re sharing kitten shower ideas below so you can plan the perfect party for your soon-to-be mama cat!
Before You Begin
You can’t throw a party without making a few preparations, of course.
The most important party preparations will be:
Choosing a date and time for the event
Making a guest list
Setting up a gift registry
You’ll also need some supplies, which we’ll cover below. Supplies will vary depending on how extravagant and creative you want to get with your kitten shower.
Image Credit: ANURAK PONGPATIMET, Shutterstock
How to Throw a Kitten Shower
Now that you’ve done your preparations, it’s time to throw a fabulous kitten shower for your incoming kittens!
1. Send Out Invitations
Once you’ve chosen your party date and time and made your guest list, it’s time to send out invitations! Invitations can be as simple or as fancy as you want. Get some cute physical invitations and mail them out like the olden days, or just make a Facebook event page and invite your guest list there. Whatever works best for you.
2. Start a Registry
Make sure your invitations include the link to your registry. You can start a registry on Amazon or a site specifically for registries and add items you will need for upcoming kittens (food, crates, bedding), items for the mama cat (she deserves a push gift!), and items for the kittens (toys and more toys).
Image Credit: Elise Christopher, Shutterstock
3. Get Some Decorations
Decide how you want to decorate and acquire your decorations. This is another area where you can go as big or small as you want. Grab cat-related banners, tablecloths, paper plates, and more to go all out for your kitten shower or put up a few pictures of mama cat (or the new kittens, if adopting) and blow up a few balloons for a simpler vibe. Pinterest is a fantastic place to get ideas for decorating a kitten shower.
4. Plan Party Games
Once your decorations are gathered, decide whether you want to play party games with your guests. If so, you may need to get a few more supplies. Some fun kitten shower party games include Pin the Tail on the Kitty, a cat cookie decorating contest, and a litterbox toss!
5. Pick Your Food
Again, you can get creative as you want with the food for your kitten shower. You might choose to stick to simple finger apps or go all out with a kitty-themed cake. Don’t forget special treats for any furry friends that might be attending! Make some tasty feline snacks or order a few items from a bakery that offers cat-friendly items. If you decide to order food, be sure you place your order far enough out that the food will be ready on the big day.
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6. Start Setting Up
Once everything is decided upon and the day of the kitten shower arrives, it’s time to set everything up! Put up decorations, set out food, set up any games you want to play, and ensure everyone in your home is ready to have fun!
7. Don’t Forget the Photos!
Choose a family member or friend to take photos. You’ll likely be quite busy on the day of the kitten shower, but you absolutely want plenty of pictures of the event, so ask someone to act as the dedicated photographer.
8. Do a Safety Check
Before people come to your house, consider the safety and comfort of any pets in your home. Whether it’s a mama cat or another pet, determine how well they’ll deal with having multiple people around. If you have a pet that will be anxious or stressed, consider placing them in a separate room away from the action. If mama cat or kittens might not enjoy the attention, bring them out briefly to greet people, then separate them from the action.
Image Credit: ZalinaSirik, Shutterstock
A Few Last Things
There are a couple of things you should avoid during your kitten shower. One is putting your cat (or cats) into costume (unless they just really like being dressed up). As adorable as it is to see kitties in costumes, they usually aren’t fans, and you want your pets to have fun on their big day!
You also want to avoid having any foods at your party that could be toxic to felines. Look into any foods you’re ordering or making to ensure that they won’t harm cats; this way, if something is dropped on the floor and one of the cats in your home snatches it up, you can guarantee they won’t suffer serious side effects.
Final Thoughts
Kitten showers, or baby showers for cats, are a newer trend that is getting more popular. Whether that means celebrating a pregnant cat or simply throwing a shower to welcome new kittens to your home, a kitten shower is a fun and fabulous way to celebrate. Kitten showers are easy to put together and throw, too, as you don’t have to do much more work than you would for a baby shower. They’re also guaranteed to allow you, your friends, and any felines in the home to have a great time!
Featured Image Credit: Sheila Fitzgerald, Shutterstock
