been offered a kitten

Pollycat

Money_maker wrote: »

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

Chipping cost us £20

I soooo disagree with this!

Cats sleep where they bloody well want to sleep! At least mine does. :rotfl:
And if you have the the temerity to disagree with them, they'll either yowl the house down or start stripping the wallpaper off.
My cat was feral and even though I had him at 5 weeks, he still shows feral tendencies and is essentially mainly an outdoor cat through his choice.
But sometimes, especially when the weather turns cooler (he has arthritis) he likes to sleep indoors - which means on the bed as close to me as he can possibly get.

He'll take himself off upstairs and get himself comfortable on the bed.

The other night, I heard him yowling and thought he was in the kitchen wanting to be let out.

Oh no! He was sat outside the bedroom door which was unusually closed and he wanted to get in - and he wanted to get in right that instant!

Think your decision over very carefully, OP.

There's more to owning (owning? a cat? Hah! Who am I kidding!) than the financials - having it vaccinated, insured, buying one-off bits like a litter tray and on-going costs like food/treats.

Would you want it to be an indoor or outdoor cat?
Do you live near a busy road?

If you would let it out, would you have a cat flap?
How would you keep other cats out?
None of my cats have worn collars as I've always been worried about them catching them on something and choking, so a magnetic cat flap wouldn't work for me.

If it's going outdoors and you don't intend having a cat flap, what would the cat do when you're out?
Is there anywhere safe to shelter?

What would you do about holidays?
As someone has already said, if you would put it into a cattery, you'd need to have annual vaccinations.
It costs us over £50 per week to put our boy in a cattery.

And it would be sensible to have it micro-chipped in case it ever went missing and someone found it and took it to the vets or RSPCA.

sock-knitter

i think i would like the cat to be an indoor cat, but as its already been used to going out at its present home it may not like being in all the time.
no cat flap, as i dont own the property,
but we have an out building that i can leave unlocked for shelter if it did go out
as for holidays it would have to go to a cattery, and therefore it would have vaccinations, also agree with the microchipping if it was to go outside

spike7451

Daisy does too Pollycat.Quite often I've gone to bed & it's been a struggle to get her off the bed so I can get in.She quite likes jumping into my seat when I've gotten up to do something...But what they give you back in return far outweighs the cost.

Pollycat

spike7451 wrote: »

Daisy does too Pollycat.Quite often I've gone to bed & it's been a struggle to get her off the bed so I can get in.She quite likes jumping into my seat when I've gotten up to do something...But what they give you back in return far outweighs the cost.

Murphy has an old towelling bath mat on the bed at the bottom in the middle that he's supposed to sleep on.

Sure, he may start there but you can guarantee that he'll end up tucked into my knees if I'm laying on my side.

And when he takes himself to bed before us, he always curls up on my side just below the pillow.

He's quite amenable to being picked up (I slide my hands under him) and moved.

But - it does leave a nice warm spot for me which I'm beginning to appreciate as the weather gets cooler.

What he gives back?
Oh, do you mean the voles and rats he brings home, yowling at the back door until I show him I've acknowledged his 'gift' then eats? :rotfl:

You're so right though about what you get back from them.

After having cats for the last 33 years (Murphy is the 6th) my OH is saying he's the last.

Murphy is coming up to 11, and although that's not really old, he was very ill as a tiny kitten (5 weeks) with cat flu & pneumonia and the odds were against him pulling through.

We thinks that's given him arthritis (he limps on his left front leg and right back leg) and being hit by a car didn't help.

When we've been out, he meets us off the bus, complaining that he's had to wait for his meal.
When he's out, he sits at the back door (glazed) waiting to come in and if he gets impatient he stands on his hind legs and beats at the glass.

I just can't bear to contemplate life without a cat.

Kimberley

I just got my new male kitten neutured and it cost me £71 but that was for the Castration, Stronghold and Wormer. The Castration itself was £46. Don't forget at 8 months he could come into sexual maturity anytime so it's important to get him done as soon as you can to avoid him spraying and marking your home but let him settle in with his new family a few days first to avoid stress. Check he is free of fleas before you bring him home to avoid a flea infestation in your home. Good luck.

Fridaycat

One thing you have to be prepared for is the unexpected! We've only had our Bengal kittens for just over a week, and already today, I almost needed to rush Spot down to the vet!

He was being his usual naughty self and chased a wasp and got stung :eek: We managed eventually when he stopped wriggling to get the sting out with some tweezers, and called the vet who said he should be OK but to obviously keep an eye on him. But the amount of noise was unbelievable from a little baby cat! And it was doubled as his sister joined in :eek: But all was well in the end.

Oh, and it gives me another gratuitous opportunity to post a picture of the little sausage :rotfl:

borderlakland

cats will sleep where ever they want, which will almost certainly be exactly where you don't want them to sleep. so in my experience buying cats beds etc is an expense you don't really need. mine have always had fads..for 3 days running they il sleep on one particular cushion then its one chair for a few days. then its the bath mat etc etc. they will also play with what ever catches their eye, not necessarily what you bought esp for them.
food wise i would head over to petforums for help as with a few exceptions what you can generally buy in supermarkets are crap. the whole forum is a mine of info and help..
def go for castration asap, ask for innoculation proof and ask vets for flea advice (you DO NOT want to find out too late that the cat needs flea treatment.. been there had the bites. prevention is definatly better than cure)
we have kept piggies, rats, gerbils and currently hammies with cats with no probs as long as they are not left alone and free ranged alone (common sense) cats seem to realise that the "things in cages/behind wire" are not to play with and def not tea and ignore them as they are no fun

spike7451

A lady on freecycle was getting rid of a beanbag so I nabbed it for Daisy today....

balletshoes

I bought a catbed for our kitten when we first got him - he never even perched his butt on it, never mind sleep on it :rotfl:.

MiniMoo

Few tips i have learnt is:

Dont believe ANYTHING they tell you about the cat/kitten unless you know them really well, i rehomed our cat Kitty they told us that she was chipped spayed and fully vaccinated.
Found out today she wasnt chipped, and probably wasnt vaccinated.

Dont buy expensive beds for cats............. they sleep where they want in the kids buggy, on your black carpet (i have a black and white) in the clean warm washing, the kids bed, your bed lol they just dont care as long as they are comfy.

Enjoy, many people say a cat are very selfish pets, i dont believe that at all my Kitty makes me thankful i rehomed everyday even those days when she vomits up a slimy hairball and brings me a dead mouse, coz that contented purring when she on my lap makes everything ok