Getting a kitten!

vasseur

Oh crikey, loads to think about. Maybe I'll see about getting a girl who's already been spayed. This has all happened so quickly, literally in the last 7 hours. With any luck it will turn out that there were 2 boys and I can have both of them.

Next question - which cat litter would you recommend?

Fire_Fox

Don't apologise for being a novice, the important thing is you are asking not just winging it, bet you will be a lovely forever home. Definitely agree about getting the second kitten, no decent rescue would home one kitten when you are out all day because they are likely to get lonely and/ or destructive and/ or not learn to use the litter tray properly. It doesn't have to be a litter mate, could be a kitten from another litter even an older one that are much less desirable to many but will be able to teach your little one his cat manners and how to have fun!! Do you mind me asking why you don't you want a female?

Vaccinations are annual and you can pay a one off fee for life (Vets 4 Pets, maybe others). Vaccinations should be started by your breeder because kittens should not leave mum until they are twelve weeks old. This is especially important if you are not home to be a surrogate parent. Does the breeder not know the sexes even tho the kittens will be ready in a few weeks??

Ideally start out with the same brand litter the kittens are being trained on, they need to make associations with how it smells and feels and going to the toilet. Clumping clay is a bad idea because they can eat the litter and it can clog their bowel. :eek:

vasseur

Don't apologise for being a novice, the important thing is you are asking not
just winging it, bet you will be a lovely forever home. Definitely agree about getting the second kitten, no decent rescue
would home one kitten when you are out all day because they are likely to get
lonely and/ or destructive and/ or not learn to use the litter tray properly. It
doesn't have to be a litter mate, could be a kitten from another litter even an
older one that are much less desirable to many but will be able to teach your
little one his cat manners and how to have fun!! Do you mind me asking why you
don't you want a female?

Not at all, I just prefer the idea of having a boy. My parents have had cats and the males have always been far more affectionate than the females. My friend got a rescue cat on his own and she was out working 3 days a week..

Does the breeder not know the sexes even tho the kittens will be ready in a
few weeks??

They are fairly sure they have 4 girls and a boy but are just checking with the vet tomorrow.

Ideally start out with the same brand litter the kittens are being trained on,
they need to make associations with how it smells and feels and going to the
toilet.

That's a good idea, I'll do that. The kittens seem to be quite good at using the litter tray anyway. It had been put in the garden (we were in the conservatory) and one of the kittens went over to where the litter tray had been kept and was scrabbling around there because it wanted to use it and couldn't work out where it was. It didn't mess though and waited until the litter tray was brought back indoors

Clumping clay is a bad idea because they can eat the litter and it can clog
their bowel. :eek:

Nasty. Thanks for the warning.

gettingready

The kittens seem to be quite good at using the litter tray anyway. It had been put in the garden (we were in the conservatory) and one of the kittens went over to where the litter tray had been kept and was scrabbling around there because it wanted to use it and couldn't work out where it was.

Sorry - are you saying they are already allowed out? Even just to use the tray? Before they had their injections?????

Hmmmmm

Congratulatons on becoming a cat slave - I have 4.. all boys

gettingready

Re litter - have a look LOL

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4030425

Clumping but not clay, wood based

HappyMJ

polesalot wrote: »

They are fairly sure they have 4 girls and a boy but are just checking with the vet tomorrow.

How strange...Is this a real breeder?

RosaBernicia

The rescue place I got my mog from recommend that you have two if you're at work all day, although as I was looking for an adult cat it's not been such an issue - they knew which will be OK on their own and even which would prefer it! If you want another you could try local shelters and they could suggest ones that would get along well with a kitten? (Mine is a lazy so-n-so and appears quite happy on his own, but I will probably find him a friend in a few weeks time, just as soon as the right one turns up... I am trying to persuade myself that the lovely longhaired tom I saw at the shelter last week is a fluff monster and therefore not the right one... )

Wish I'd checked here and found out about Zooplus beforehand - have a look - they are much cheaper for litter, carriers, trays etc than Pets@ and have stuff that isn't there or in the supermarket.

Re. bowls, I use ceramic ones simply for the weight - moggie is a messy eater and pushes around plastic ones. At least he can't move the ceramic one so he just drops bits in a circle around it

:j:j kittens, yay!


Rosa xx

NewKittenHelp

From what you'e said, I wouldn't get a kitten from the people you've met. They don't seem to know what they're doing and that's never a good thing with animals.

I was in your position just over a month ago, we'd talked for ages about getting a kitten and then decided to go for it on the Saturday night and by the Monday afternoon we had Alex here. Knowing what she gets like when I'm not there for even half an hour (I work from home), I wouldn't get a kitten if you're out of the house all day. They need feeding small meals several times a day so you need to be there to do that. Kittens can get themselves into all sorts of trouble on their own, and they can go downhill very quickly, so in your situation I really would look at getting an older kitten, perhaps 6-12 months old.

Fire_Fox

Agree with Gettingready, kittens should not be allowed in the garden before their vaccinations, there are nasties that reside in soil. If the kittens haven't been sexed they haven't been vaccinated. I am concerned your breeder is lacking in knowledge.

Re the second cat comment I referred to decent rescues, kittens and assuming you were out every day - my comment was based on reading and posting on rescue forums so those who foster and homecheck. You are referring to about a cat and a part time worker which is a different situation. Just like human babies/ children, as kittens/ cats get older they can be left left alone longer. Also as they get older they become less destructive, and of course once they are snipped they have extra stimulation of the outside sights, smells and sounds.

My two most loving cats have both been male, but my two most loving females have been hot on their heels. IMO it depends on socialising as a young kitten, their personality and the bond you create. Females tend somewhat towards hunting more but you can replicate that experience in the home with toys which move realistically ... but only move when controlled by you. These include Da Bird and attachments (Da Mouse/ Da Sparkler) and Original Dragonfly. Many cats learn where their favourite toys are stored or bring them to their humans for playtime! Not in every case by any means, but sometimes the cat that goes out all the time has a family that sees them as an independent and autonomous animal, and so it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. NOT to say you should get a female littermate - I def think an older male kitten could work well for you - more a general comment on bonding and harnessing their instincts.

NewKittenHelp

As to what you should get - I recommend getting a very high quality food from somewhere like Zooplus, and avoid the supermarket cr!p like Whiskas and Felix. You don't need to feed as much so the costs are very similar.

If you feed dry then go for something like Applaws/Orijen/Acana because they're high quality and have no grains/cereals which are useless to cats and potentially will cost you in vets bills and your cat in quality of life. Wet, which you should feed, try Bozita, it's very high-quality Swedish cat food and works out quite cheap. Whatever you use, make sure you transition your kitten from whatever food they have been fed on previously to avoid an upset stomach, even though mine seems to have an iron clad constitution and the rescue fed her on whatever they had available, alongside cooked chickens.

If you order some stuff soon (before Friday, I think), from Zooplus anyway, if you split your orders up into just over £30 orders, there's a code for £5 off for extra savings too. Every little bit helps!

Make sure you get several of the feather stick toys because they really help burn off your kitten's energy at playtimes and they teach her than claws are not used for hands and feet.

As for litter, I recommend Tigerino wood based clumping, and a large covered tray with carbon filters. I've just bought nearly 18 months worth for £52, which is far cheaper than the supermarket stuff, and it's so much better.

Definitely get a cat tree and a tall scratching post, and forget having any furniture without claw marks in it. It's not going to happen so just accept it.