been offered a kitten

sock-knitter

i have been offered a 8 mth male kitten, which hasnt had his bits done yet
are kittens/cats expensive to look after, what equipment would i need, what age would i get his bits done, is that expensive?
propably have more questions later

badmumof1

it will cost approx £30 -£40 to get his bits done.
Please dont go begging to the cats protection to get this done for you, if you cant afford it then dont take him on

sock-knitter

badmumof1 wrote: »

it will cost approx £30 -£40 to get his bits done.
Please dont go begging to the cats protection to get this done for you, if you cant afford it then dont take him on

i wont be doing any begging anywhere, if i can afford the upkeep of the cat, i will take him in, but only if i can afford it, which is why i posted in first place, to get an idea of cost

balletshoes

I don't think its that expensive (we were offered our kitten too). He'll need a litter tray, food and water bowls. Food obviously, has he had his injections? A scratching post is good too, costs around £5 upwards.

In our area the RSPCA has a couple of options for neutering - if you want to use your own vet they will send you a £15 voucher to use, or you can use one of their specified vets, in which case they will give £25 towards the cost of the operation. I think I only had to pay another £20 or so (might have been less) for our cats neutering, including microchipping, at my own vet. You can get his bits done now - anytime after 6 months generally.

Initial innoculations were £45, his booster yearly injection is another £25.

Insurance you can get for way less than £10 per month.

And apart from that, its just toys etc you would like to get him. Mine does just as well with a ball or a bit of string, although my DD does like buying him toy mice etc from the poundshops .

sophief333

If he is 8months then he can be snipped now! If you do take him, book him into vets as soon as possible to get him checked over, micro-chipped and vaccinated (if he isn't already) and then you can discuss spaying with the vet.

One cat isn't too expensive unless you are particularly poor. Depending on what you feed him, food is around £30 a month (bulk buy for cheaper deals!). Insurance can be from as little as £5 a month.

You will need a comfy bed or some snugly blankets, litter tray, food and water bowls, toys and a scratching post.

Where is the kitten coming from?

geminilady

Hi sock knitter:wave: I think you can get its bits done from 6 months so it is old enough now.You will need a litter tray and food other things are a matter of choice ie bed scratching post toys ect.IF the cat is going to go out it will need its inoculations and insurance hopefully someone else will be along with prices.
Sorry crossed posts with another poster but just because you buy a bed it does not mean it will sleep in it most cats like to find their own places

jennyjelly

Sock-knitter, funnily enough I rang my vet today to get prices for vaccinations etc after we had 3 kittens left on our drive and we were trying to decide whether we should keep them or not.

They are girls so your boy will cost less to neuter than the £57 I was told, but as far as vaccinations are concerned I imagine it will be the same. This is £42 for all the standard ones, or £67 if you want the feline leukemia as well (obviously your vet might be different but it gives you an idea). Of course at 8 months he may well have had all this, but you will need to consider booster shots over his lifetime.

On the Cat's Protection League subsidy, I'm with you on not taking money, even though the vet receptionist suggested we should ask them (apparently they will contribute £26). I feel that their money should be spent on looking after their strays and cruelty cases and I wouldn't feel it was right. I agree that if you can't afford him you are better to say no.

Other than that, barring illness and injury, which can run into hundreds if you are very unlucky, cats are not terribly expensive. I tend to stock up on food when it's on offer, which is always is somewhere, and make sure mine also have a dish of crunchy food to supplement the sachets or tins.

Good luck in making your decision, I'm sure your common sense will tell you which way to go.

JJ

ETA Sorry, we all seemed to be posting at the same time then!

sock-knitter

thanks everyone for replies so far
hi geminilady :wave:
the kitten belongs to my sons friend, who also owns the mummy cat
i've just texted him to see if kitten has had his injections
does a cat sleep in its own bedroom? i have a spare room so thats not a problem, got two guinea pigs in other spare bedroom, guessing cats and guinea pigs dont mix?

Money_maker

Cats sleep just about anywhere they are allowed! Mine likes to sleep as close to my neck as possible.

Chipping cost us £20

Fridaycat

sock-knitter wrote: »

thanks everyone for replies so far
hi geminilady :wave:
the kitten belongs to my sons friend, who also owns the mummy cat
i've just texted him to see if kitten has had his injections
does a cat sleep in its own bedroom? i have a spare room so thats not a problem, got two guinea pigs in other spare bedroom, guessing cats and guinea pigs dont mix?

No, cats and guinea pigs don't mix

I have 5 cats - 3 adults and 2 kittens. At night, the adults usually sleep in our kitchen/diner & conservatory - in the kitchen/diner there are cat beds, a ceiling-high cat tree/scratcher (that has sleeping platforms), and our dining chairs that have comfy cushions on. In the conservatory there is a squishy sofa and squishy bean bag. Our cats will sleep on any and all of those surfaces, depending what mood they are in!

Our two kittens currently have the spare room set up for them, as they are not yet fully socialised with the adults. Their cat beds are set up on top of the bed and they quite happily sleep in there at night.

Good luck with the kitten if you decide he is the right thing for you

sock-knitter

been told the kitten has had its vaccinations, am wondering if they are just saying that, or if they really have.still in two minds about it, as i said i jusyt got 2 baby guinea pigs 2 weeks ago, and dont want the cat getting at them. guinea pigs have an upstairs room to themselves, and as they are in cage, the door is kept open so they see as i come and go, and i like to sit and cuddle them too, they love it