THE RSPCA has teamed up with cat and vet organisations to create a 'kitten checklist' in a bid to show the warning signs of a bad breeder.

It will guide anyone considering buying a kitten to know what to look for, including behavioural traits and common signs of ill health.

The charity warned it's important that potential owners see the kitten with the mother in the place where they have been bred as well as proof of vaccinations and to ensure the mother and kitten are both healthy and socialised.

The animal organisations, titled 'The Cat Group', recommend asking questions about when the kitten was born, if the kitten was raised with its mother, where the kitten was born and where the kitten spent most of its time between the age of one and nine weeks old.

The full checklist is available on the RSPCA site.