The nice thing is that it is easy to pick a healthy kitten. You're kitten needs to be bright eyed and interested in the world. It should walk comfortable, not be overly frightened of you and interested in everything. It should be clean if mother cat is around, or pretty clean if she is not (kittens take a while to begin to groom themselves satisfactorily).
Do not pick the quiet, shy kitten. You will never see your cat if you do. Shy kittens become shy, skittish adults. Cats do not have to be shy, skittish creatures. Some are by temperament, but many, many are not. I can easily name twenty owned by different people in many different situations.
Picking a kitten is easy. Wade in and pick whoever catches your heart. And if someone else happens to, go for it.
You will be doing yourself a favor, especially if you do not have another cat, or have a very old cat. Kittens get into everything. They are curious, inquisitive, agile, cute bundles of destructive energy. They will happily destroy your house, turn your into prey and make life miserable because they are babies and growing, and that's just what they do when alone. They invent ways to amuse themselves.
Now, two kittens do all of the above, to each other. At night they beat each other up instead of wrestling with your head. They groom each other (major kudos there) and they have company. Lonely cats are often destructive cats. Kittens need to practice a verity of hunting, staking, and bad behaviors to enthrall you with (stealing socks), and its much easier for two of them to do it together.
Basically, they wear each other out, and you get to enjoy the results of their playing. They also tend to be bolder, more alert and inquisitive animals. They are more secure, less skittish and ore affectionate as they constantly share their space and time with others.
The investment of time is no different, and the money is perhaps one third more. The rewards you reap are ten fold.
There are few nicer things you can do then rescue a kitten from the pound. Most of these babies are condemned to death. The kittens go faster then the adults, but they are all going to die. It's a pretty simple equation.
Pound cats are no different from the cats you might get from a neighbor. There is normally a selection of sexes, ages, colors, and coat types. Pure breeds wind up at the pound to, so don't assume they are all strays. A lot of pure breed mixes also hit the pounds. People drop cats off because cats are disposable to them, and they are to old, or the wrong color, or they don't like their shedding. These are all valid reasons for people to drop their pet off and condemn it to die.
The only warning about pound kittens is that they normally have a cold. This is often cured with same antibiotics, so don't let it stop you from saving one of these lost children.
Also pound kittens have adoptions fees. For seventy dollars ours covered: microchpping, spay, license, and adoption fee, first shots, deworming. If you get a kitten down the street and pay for all of that out of pocket you are looking at 200 bucks or more. You will still need a vet visit, but it's more then worth it to take one of those babies home from that cold, sterile room.
The benefits of pure breed animals are that you know within 90% what you are getting in temperament and looks. This is the main benefit, and if you have fallen in love with something specific, then get one. Getting a pure breed kitten is the same as a normal kitten. Again, you will have to pay for the spay/neuter, microchipping(so recommended), and all of your shots, so don't forget that.
There is almost no such thing as a 'rare' color. Do not let them tell you that said color is 'rare'. Research it first. Many people sell colors that do NOT conform to the breed standard as rare, and in truth you are not getting what you paid for. Buyer beware!
Note: Many breeders have older cats (1-3) that they are looking for homes for if you wish to avoid the kitten antics.
These cats are, however, not guarantied to be better then a normal 'alley' cat. In fact, before you go pure breed hunting please research the breed. You may find that you are in for more then you expected. Below I outlined a few breeds that people often have issues with because they did not realize what they were getting into.
Persians are well known as the beauty of cats. If you like the absolute lack of muzzle and huge bulging eyes, then go for it. Remember that Persian kittens are delicate creatures. Their lack of muzzle has altered the shape of their head. They are often delicate cats.
The big bulging eyes water constantly. You will need to wipe them daily to avoid the fur under the matting and become ugly and gunky.
The coat is hard to maintain. Daily brushing is a must or you need to go to a groomer regularly. That super fine, soft hair will mat and need to be shaved. Your Persian won't be very good at grooming itself, especially with all that hair. It will need help, so think about that before you grab one.
Having a smashed face in dogs and cats can often lead to breathing issues. The nasal cavity has been altered. Check the cat's family history and background. Allergies are also a problem you may have to deal with. Fine out about the cat's past before you get the cat.
There is also a group of people breeding 'old fashioned' Persians. These cats have a slight muzzle as they did 30 years ago before fanciers decided that they should have flat faces. Everything is the same about the cat, but they have a face!
We all know about the Siamese. The Siamese is the father type of the Orientals. All 'oriental' cats have the same basic Siamese standard. These cats are easy to care for coat wise, but they have demanding people oriented personality. You must have the time to devote to these cats or they will become screaming terrors. They need much, much more attention then most cats, so if you do not have the time to devote to one of these silky, save babies, don't get one.
There is also a group breeding back true type Siamese. They are called apple headed Siamese and have a slightly heavier body. These, like the Persians are what the breed used to be like 30 years ago.
Tortishells and Calicos are 99% female. When a male pops up he is 99.8% of the time, sterile. Don't let someone sell you a male for uber bucks. He won't be producing anything.
These coat colors are a sex-linked gene. There are several definitions of the colors, but they are unimportant for this section.
These are the general definitions:
A calico has large amounts of white with black and orange areas. Normally large splotches. She may also have tabby markings in these areas.
A tortishell is black, brown, red, and cream. Not white. The areas may be splotches, blotches, muddy, mixed, tabby, or anything else.
Both of these colors come in a 'dilute' form, which has a blue appearance to the black areas. They can come in any coat type or color, and almost every breed type has them.
Hair is what you plan to do with care.
Both types of hair can get hairballs. Hair does not depend on sex at all. Both types of hair can mat and be shed. Short hair is in general easier to care for.
Medium is closer to short, with the plumed tail of the long. I like it best. But it is not as easy to find as the other two, and very hard to define in a young cat.
Longhaired cats need to be groomed. If you don't groom them, you may have a mat issue, and they need to go to the groomers. Yes, cats go to the groomers to. Also there is a product called laxatone that you can get at the vet to help deal with hairballs.
Long hair has several types dependent on undercoat. Most common long hair cats will have a thick undercoat. If you wan the length but not the work, research some of the longer haired breeds. Some have very little undercoat.
And as for allergies, there is a definite difference between long and short hair. Some people are allergic to one and not the other. Interesting, no?
If I've convinced you to get two, or you already have one or two at home, you are wondering about sex mixing and sex choice.
First I find that males, in general, are more affectionate. Females may be more overly affectionate, as in jump in your lap and demand attention now, but I find the boys tend to want to be with you.
My girls will come up to me, demand some affection and walk off.
My boys follow me around the house. Keep to the same room as I am. Regularly come up and pat my leg as if to reassure themselves I am there. Greet me at the door. If they are not in the room every 15 minutes they arrive to make sure they know where I am.
When mixing the two, well, it varies with temperament, but in general I've found it to go:
Male vs Female: One is and one is not dominant.
Female vs Female: Prone to more problems, even after being spayed. Will love or hate each other. Being sisters is not a large factor.
Male vs Male: Tend to get along better in a multi cat household together. More tolerant in general of stuff and each other.