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New kitten....questions & advice (merged)
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mynameiscatherine wrote: »He's 8 weeks old but he's very small! Apparently his mum is a small cat so he won't grow very big.
Went breeders sell pedigree cats, they sell them at 13 weeks.
Why do moggies always get sold/given away much younger?0 -
Hannah was given away (not to us) at 5 weeks, and there were only two kittens left! We got her about three months later when my friend decided she had too many cats......DFW Nerd no 239.....Last Personal Debt paid off Nov 2012!
Donated 50 pints so far.... gold badge got 17/11/13! Blood Group O+
mummy to 3 cats, 2 budgies and a cockatiel0 -
Went breeders sell pedigree cats, they sell them at 13 weeks.
Why do moggies always get sold/given away much younger?
Pedigree breeders: cash benefits larger & reputation of their `product' being v healthy & happy. Standard agreement is that v young kittens (5 or so weeks) do not thrive or behave as well as those parted from their mum's as those who are allowed to stay for 12 weeks plus.0 -
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I wanted a kitten for my daughters 9th birthday because I thought having an animal to look after might teach her a bit of responsibility. A lot of the rescue centres don't rehome to families where there are young children though we have an 11 year old and a 3 year old as well so I eventually ended up getting Sparkle who is a very naughty although absolutely adorable tortie from a colleague whose cat had had kittens and was looking to find homes for them. However during my cat hunt I found a website called preloved.com and there were always kittens available on there. Some were free to good homes and others had owners who were just asking for nominal sums for the cat or kitten. Hope this helps someone who like myself might also be struggling to find a cat.loobylou2.Proud to be dealing with my debts and aiming to sort out the mess in 2013!!!!:eek:0
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Kylie
we did exactly the same, CPL wouldn't let us have a kitten as we were both working full time, RSPCA said they'd be happier if we'd take 2 kittens (but didn't have any at the time).
We eventually ended up with a farm kitten (semi-feral really), and less than 2 days after having him, he had cat flu and pneumonia.
The vet couldn't say if he would pull through but he did after 10 dreadful days.
We think he was so ill that it screwed up his brain, he's crazy.
On top of his early illness, he was hit by a car 5 years ago.
At the end of November, he came home and his back legs wouldn't hold him up.
Straight to the vets, they X-Rayed him but couldn't find a reason for his problem.
He's still limping slightly on one of his back legs, we think he'll always have joint problems.
Last Tuesday he came home with blood dripping from the side of his neck.
1st thought - he'd been shot, 2nd thought - he'd caught his neck on barbed wire.
Straight up to the vets, they found a toothmark in his cheek muscle (which was why it bled so much - the vet's hands were covered in blood).
He's struggling to understand that he's now a senior cat and is too old to be out fighting.
Although he was 'free to a good home', he's cost us a fortune over the 8 years we've had him.
He's cranky, demanding, hates strangers, will only have fuss made of him on his own terms, is a phenomenal hunter (and eats what he catches) - but we love him dearly.
Catherine
Mike looks so cute.
OMG, are you sure you haven't got one of my cats? :rotfl: :rotfl: That is his story exactly apart from being hit by a car - he's totally mad, always fighting, and has cost me an arm and a leg since I took him on. But mine isn't cranky and he loves people, dogs, other cats, sheep, cows etc - he's adopted all of our neighbours and takes turns whose bed he sleeps on when he's out during the day. I wonder if the hunting is part of being a farm kitten - mine was taken from the farm as soon as I could but he hunts more than any other cat I've known.0 -
mynameiscatherine wrote: »I heard that 8 weeks is when kittens are fully weaned and people in general want tiny kittens so they'll sell quicker the smaller they are I suppose?
I have heard that taking them away from the litter too young can cause behaviour & social problems for them, as they learn from their mum.0 -
mynameiscatherine wrote: »He's 8 weeks old but he's very small! Apparently his mum is a small cat so he won't grow very big.
When we were looking for a new house, there were lots that said "no pets" but when we said we had a young cat they were fine with it, so it's worth double-checking on the houses that say "no pets":)
Anyway here he is!
Introducing Mike:
Mike and Phillip hiding from each other:
Glad you got a kitten, and yes, I would reckon that was "rescued" as well - so you can take a pat on the back for that.
He is truly georgeous! I just love cats that look as if someone has flicked paint at them or made them up from "spare" kitten parts:o . Phillip is stunner as well - and sometimes neutered males are better at accepting kittens than females are so hopefully he will enjoy the company once he gets used to idea."there are some persons in this World who, unable to give better proof of being wise, take a strange delight in showing what they think they have sagaciously read in mankind by uncharitable suspicions of them"(Herman Melville)0 -
Went breeders sell pedigree cats, they sell them at 13 weeks.
Why do moggies always get sold/given away much younger?
I would suggest part of this is because a decent breeder would want to get vaccinations done before parting with the kitten and make sure that they were healthy and well weaned and wormed, etc.
I prefer to wait until 12 weeks with all kittens - but would home at 8 weeks to an experienced owner as long as I was sure that they were fully weaned and had learnt to play.
We have one rescue cat who does not appear to know how to hunt and who never plays. I suspect this is because her mother died before she was old enough to have been taught to hunt, and her instincts do not seem to have ever kicked in on their own. If one of the other cats brings home a live mouse and drops it on the patio she is interested, but doesn't pat or paw at it at all - just watches it with a sort of "academic" interest.
"there are some persons in this World who, unable to give better proof of being wise, take a strange delight in showing what they think they have sagaciously read in mankind by uncharitable suspicions of them"(Herman Melville)0 -
thanks for all the replies, a few weeks since i posted this, and the two girls are still fighting each other, but they also trying it on with our big tom and old queen cats, they still learning boundaries but a hiss and a big paw normal puts them back in check0
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