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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

1 2

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

Tell me why adopting an outdoor kitten from a farm is a bad idea.

45 replies

LynetteScavo · 07/10/2016 18:32

DH has told me he doesn't want another cat arm. I'd love a kitten as our home is currently cat-less

DD (11yo) has told me DH is planning on looking at some kittens this weekend.

They are "yard kittens" so have only ever lived outside. I think they are about 11 weeks old atm.

I'm worried they will have fleas and worms and need neutering and (all things I can cope with) but also will not want to be indoors. Also would I need to have two if they are so young and I'm out of the house for for hours at a time? (I can come home at lunchtime initially)

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cluelessnchaos · 07/10/2016 18:33

They will be feral. At 11 weeks there will be no chance of them ever being anything other than feral.

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stealthsquiggle · 07/10/2016 18:34

Yes you would probably need 2. Of any sort of kitten.

Farm cats, in my experience, go one of two ways - they are either hunter killers or they embrace the easy life entirely and turn out to be the soppiest things known to mankind.

I would want them flea and worm treated before they came into the house, too - far easier than fighting flea infestation once established.

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SuburbanRhonda · 07/10/2016 18:37

So he's told you he doesn't want another cat but is planning to go and have a look at some feral kittens, which you would be responsible for looking after?

Right.

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LynetteScavo · 07/10/2016 18:39

Thank you!

I needed to be told. I've seen pics and they look adorable!

What is the youngest a cat/kitten could be home alone with no playmate for four hours? We had two kittens from the same litter last time we got cats, but that was 19 years ago and I'm used to old cats. I'm actually quite nervous about getting another cat!

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Mybeardeddragonjustdied2016 · 07/10/2016 18:42

Just get 2 and maybe limit how much access they have of the house initially. They won't be lonely left together!

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LynetteScavo · 07/10/2016 18:43

No, Rhonda, DH is gutted about losing old boy. Absolutely gutted. He would do all the work and would be happy to pay for every thing.
He's just brought it up..saying DD wants to look at these kittens "as well". Do I put my foot down and say no?

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LynetteScavo · 07/10/2016 18:44

Farm cats, in my experience, go one of two ways - they are either hunter killers or they embrace the easy life entirely and turn out to be the soppiest things known to mankind.

Old boy was both...

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NameChange30 · 07/10/2016 18:45

So your husband told you he doesn't want a kitten but told your daughter he's going to look at some? He hasn't actually told you himself?

What's up with that?

Surely if he's changed his mind about getting a kitten he should tell you so the two of you can discuss where to get one - together.

Getting an 11 week old farm cat is a terrible idea. The kittens need to be indoors, regularly handled by people, and litter trained - from birth. 11 weeks is far too late. As PPs said they will be feral.

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NameChange30 · 07/10/2016 18:46

Cross post. It was completely out of order for him to tell DD before discussing it with you. If you refuse he's made you look like the bad guy.

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allegretto · 07/10/2016 18:49

We got a farm kitten once and ended up taking it back to the farm - it was just too old to be socialized and basically never came in the house!

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LynetteScavo · 07/10/2016 18:53

Getting an 11 week old farm cat is a terrible idea. The kittens need to be indoors, regularly handled by people, and litter trained - from birth. 11 weeks is far too late. As PPs said they will be feral.

This is what I need to know. I only know about the kittens because DH showed me. I'm constantly Googling pedigree maincoons and DH has been very firm that he only wants to adopt.

Don't know why DH is being seen as the bad guy here. DD knows we have to find the perfect cat for our family, and is more prepared to wait than I am. She only told me about DHs plans to try make me happy.

I'll tell DH it's not a good idea.

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Unlockable · 07/10/2016 18:54

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Tunafishandlions · 07/10/2016 18:57

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NameChange30 · 07/10/2016 19:01

The choice isn't between a farm cat and a pedigree You could adopt kittens from a rehoming charity (such as Cats Protection, but there are plenty of others). If you ask around you might even find that a friend, family member or colleague has kittens that need rehoming, or knows someone who does.

All I was saying about your DH was that he should have discussed it with you before DD. So I would have a problem with him telling DD first, but if you don't, good for you.

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Motheroffourdragons · 07/10/2016 19:01

We got a farm cat as a kitten. She was a beautiful cat but only my mother who fed her milk from a baby's bottle could really handle her. She'd lash out (most of the time) at the rest of us.
We all did really love her though, we just got used to being scratched as she'd turn in a second when she'd had enough of being stroked.

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SlinkyVagabond · 07/10/2016 19:04

Slinkycat was a farm cat, he was absolutely daft as, in fact we thought he was deaf for six months he was so unresponsive, he ended up being the softest lap cat ever. But a fearsome hunter of small mammals. Birds he totally ignored. Go and see them, see how they respond, if they are really feral you will have your work cut out.

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m0therofdragons · 07/10/2016 19:07

This is my farm cat. I'm laying on the bed wrapped in a towel and she's purring on my tummy. Amazing cat - can't catch a spider though.

Tell me why adopting an outdoor kitten from a farm is a bad idea.

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roundandroundthehouses · 07/10/2016 19:23

It depends how feral they are, and you can't really know that without seeing them.

It's worked out well for us: we don't know the history of our cat, but when she arrived with us at 6 months old she behaved very like the semi-socialised outdoor cats which live on farms around here. She associated humans with food but not with affection - however she isn't aggressive and took very well to coming indoors. After a while she took to jumping on laps from time to time, but usually to persuade us to feed her. She can't be picked up, and nips and scratches when very frightened, but at other times only gives 'warnings'. A prolific hunter when younger and despite being very small (she had kittens when still a kitten herself so didn't grow to full size) could beat the crap out of any invaders of territory until quite recently.

She's now in a peaceful retirement of indoor snoozing, and very happy. But she gets massively distressed in the cat carrier, and if she ever developed a chronic illness I would err towards letting her go early rather than putting her through regular vet visits. In the meantime we give her slightly one-sided love .

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Molecule · 07/10/2016 19:24

This thread is about our feral kitten. She's lovely but very brave ( that's probably why she survived), but she was younger at around 6-8 weeks, and I think there is an age upto which they can be socialised, and you might have missed this. If you do go for them I think you might need to contain them in a large crate so they have to get used to you and not flee on sight.

I think really you would be better going for younger kittens, Cats Protection are always looking for adopters.

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annatha · 07/10/2016 19:31

We took on an abandoned farm kitten, the vet reckoned he was about 6 weeks old. Completely unpredictable- one minute he'd be loving and snuggly and the next he'd nip you. Started getting fed at another house a few streets away and would go days without coming home, before eventually leaving us for good. I was pregnant at the time and quite relieved to be honest, there's no way I'd trust him around the baby.

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thecatneuterer · 07/10/2016 19:32

Molecule's post is spot on. They are likely to be feral, but they could come round eventually. However they would have to be contained in a crate for at least three weeks to stop them running away immediately.

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instantly · 07/10/2016 19:38

Go and see them.

We had two actually feral kittens who were supposed to be outdoor mousers.

They were the most pathetically soft things you ever saw.

My indoor cat came from a farm too. Also soft as butter.

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ralice · 07/10/2016 19:40

Our two cats were farm cats, but kept in a barn with toys, litter trays, bedding to sleep on. Not feral, exactly, but not 'house' cats. There were about 8 to choose from but to be honest these two chose us - as soon as we walked through the barn door they ran up to us! One sat on my foot and the other climbed DH's jeans. They were 8 weeks.

3 years later they sleep on our bed at night, come to us when called and are generally very affectionate.

I think your best bet is to visit the kittens with your OH and see them for yourself. Don't necessarily write them off for being farm cats.

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thecatneuterer · 07/10/2016 19:42

Oh and you really would have to have two.

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Booboostwo · 07/10/2016 20:39

Choosing a farm kitten is an odd choice. You are likely to need to spend a lot of time socialising and training the cat with no guarantees of success. My old cat came from the CPL and used to be feral. She was recovered by them when she was six months old with her mum and sister. It took the CPL six months to socialise her and they had to start with touching her with a fake hand while she was in a crate. She turned out to be a wonderfully cuddly cat but her sister had to be rehomed as an outdoor, farm cat as she never really trusted humans.

Why take this risk when there are hundreds of well adjusted kittens to choose from?

BTW all kittens need worming and neutering, most have fleas, so maybe a kitten is not the best choice for you anyway.