Where to buy a kitten?

Silvertabby · 3 May 2018 at 5:59PM

I know you don't want a pedigree, but a good breeder won't re-home a kitten before 12 weeks for a reason.

8 weeks is far too young. And as Carrot says, can't be left all day by itself.

GwylimT · 3 May 2018 at 6:57PM

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

She has her heart set on a baby, so 8 weeks old. It will be left alone for short periods, my mum gets to my house during the day.

I wouldn't mind a young one, as in up to a year, but I can see it from a 9 year olds point of view.

We lost our dog in January, she wants something to cuddle and love and tell her problems too. A dog isn't practical at the moment, so this is a compromise.

Kittens don’t leave their mums at eight weeks (thats pups), kittens need to be 13/14 weeks old. A child wanting something isn’t a reason to suppirt a back yard breeder, if you wait you will be able to get a rescue kitten if you don’t want to pay for an ethically bred kitten.

tealady · 3 May 2018 at 7:34PM

Please get a rescue kitten (or two or three!) A good rescue will match kittens to new owners. Personally I would take on a slightly older cat (6 months plus) as they are still active but past the really needy stage of life. Also their characters should be obvious.
I have had a few older kitties who have been on the spectrum from being "meet and greet" to "up yours human". Knowing their purrsonalities before I adopted really helped.
HTH

sheramber · 3 May 2018 at 8:39PM

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

She has her heart set on a baby, so 8 weeks old. It will be left alone for short periods, my mum gets to my house during the day.

I wouldn't mind a young one, as in up to a year, but I can see it from a 9 year olds point of view.

We lost our dog in January, she wants something to cuddle and love and tell her problems too. A dog isn't practical at the moment, so this is a compromise.

she wants something to cuddle and love and tell her problems too.

Then go for an older kitten whose personality is known. Not all kittens want to be cuddled.

Savvy_Sue · 3 May 2018 at 11:37PM

At the risk of being harsh ...

pollyanna24 wrote: »

She has her heart set on a baby, so 8 weeks old. It will be left alone for short periods, my mum gets to my house during the day.

I wouldn't mind a young one, as in up to a year, but I can see it from a 9 year olds point of view.

We lost our dog in January, she wants something to cuddle and love and tell her problems too. A dog isn't practical at the moment, so this is a compromise.

You can see it from the 9 year old's point of view, but who's the adult here? If she set her heart on a baby brother or sister to cuddle, would you oblige?

Sorry, but

VVVVVVV

sheramber wrote: »

Then go for an older kitten whose personality is known. Not all kittens want to be cuddled.

This. And actually forget the kitten, forget the baby aspect. You need a cat who likes children, specifically your DD, and will let itself be cuddled and talked to. that's a very particular kind of cat, IMO.

Is there a rescue you can go and visit, 'just for a look', and see if any of them can change her mind?

BTW, mine often thought they wanted pets, and I was willing to consider it, but before doing so, one half-term we had their friends' guinea pig, hamster and rabbit to stay. No-one would touch them but me. No more pet talk ...

[Deleted User] · 4 May 2018 at 7:01AM

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

...You need a cat who likes children, specifically your DD, and will let itself be cuddled and talked to. that's a very particular kind of cat, IMO...

Exactly.

My cat is very friendly - particularly flirty with men and even happy to meet dogs too.

However, she hates children with a passion. When friends have brought children around she has zoomed out of the house and not come back for hours and will not come back into the house if they are still there.

marliepanda · 4 May 2018 at 9:57AM

I find in these situations nothing will convince someone not to take a tiny 8 week old kitten from a backyard breeder who just wants shot of them.

Then they'll come back in a few months time wondering why the kitten is scratching, biting, unfriendly.

I have a cat which is very cuddly. He will ask for cuddles and loves them. His brother, brought up exactly the same, always owned by me, same environment, is entirely different. If you want a cat to cuddle and hold and tell stories too, get a stuffed one.

Babies don't stay babies for long. You don't get an animal because you want a baby one, you get one because you want one.

[Deleted User] · 4 May 2018 at 12:20PM

marliepanda wrote: »

...I have a cat which is very cuddly. He will ask for cuddles and loves them. His brother, brought up exactly the same, always owned by me, same environment, is entirely different. If you want a cat to cuddle and hold and tell stories too, get a stuffed one...

As well as cats having different personalities the same cat will also react to different people in different ways.

We have not quite worked out who my cat thinks I am and who my husband is, but she treats us differently. I seem to be 'mum' and my husband 'hero God to be worshiped'.

So I can brush her, pick her up and turn her over and touch her back feet if she has a cut, tell her off and she obeys (well as much as any cat will), she will follow some of my commands (if I tap on the floor she will come to me), and she sits on my knee or sleeps on me.

If my husband picked her up and turned her over she would take his face off! She ignores him if her tell her off and only sits on his knee if I am not there. However, when she comes in from outside she looks for him first to have a tickle. If he is busy she will find him and then poke him with her paw till she gets a tickle, she will sit next to him and lean on him and stare adoringly at him (you have to see it to believe it).

You cannot get a cat and expect it to do what you want. It will do it what it wants and it may not want cuddles (we had one cat who in all the years I owned her only sat on my knee four times) although she would sit next to me.

marliepanda · 4 May 2018 at 12:28PM

Spider_In_The_Bath wrote: »

As well as cats having different personalities the same cat will also react to different people in different ways.

We have not quite worked out who my cat thinks I am and who my husband is, but she treats us differently. I seem to be 'mum' and my husband 'hero God to be worshiped'.

My non cuddly cat is like that. When I lived with my parents he adored my dad, would sit with him constantly. I believe the adoring looks because Ive seen them, but not at me! Now I live with my partner he gets the look, as soon as he gets in bed on a night hes up on his chest nuzzling and purring. Hes obsessed. It must be a man thing for him.

I mean never mind little old me whose had him for 8 years, fed him, sheltered him, no, no testosterone, no love!

Savvy_Sue · 4 May 2018 at 12:44PM

marliepanda wrote: »

If you want a cat to cuddle and hold and tell stories too, get a stuffed one.

This made me laugh, but seriously we did buy DS3 one of those stuffed cats which purrs and 'breathes'.

Where to buy a kitten?

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