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Original poster

Are kittens hard work?

44 replies

MortgageConundrum · 07/07/2023 19:45

A friend of a friend has a cat that has just had kittens. I’m tempted, as we lost our cat a few months ago. However, I’ve never had a kitten before. Are they a lot of hard work to get them through the kitten stage?

DP and I both work full time, out of the house. Do kittens need someone at home during the day?

OP posts:
chohiad · 07/07/2023 19:47

They're not hard work but no I wouldn't have got a kitten if I hadn't have been WFH, she had a chewing habit! And we got her on her own (maybe different if you get a pair?)

Ladylonglegs · 07/07/2023 19:48

Yes, it’s like having a toddler again. They climb your curtains and leave holes in them. Scratch the wallpaper. they have a lot of energy and burn it off by doing zoomies around the house. They want attention during the night. Etc.

MrsBudd · 07/07/2023 19:49

They can be. But the cuteness more than makes up for it imo 😺🐈 I have two and they are now nearly 10 years old. Still remember the kitten days and they are such lovely family pets.

Feelingss · 07/07/2023 19:49

We’ve just got two kittens and I would say that they are fine to be left but I’d be uncomfortable leaving them full time when they are still so little as they need lots of stimulation. Cats are a different ball game especially if they are outdoor cats!

NegativNancy · 07/07/2023 19:50

I got my kitten when I worked 12 hour days. He was entirely happy entertaining himself but I did get him a companion a year later. I definitely think getting two would be better if you could.

BelindaBears · 07/07/2023 19:50

We had some rescue kittens from 8 weeks old 20 years ago, and they definitely weren’t as hard work as I was expecting but there were two of them so they annoyed each other most of the time and we avoided a lot of the climbing up the curtains and sitting on your head type stuff. They were perfectly fine being at home during the day while we worked. I wouldn’t get a solo young kitten.

Eveninginparis · 07/07/2023 19:51

Yes.

That's why you need two. They will play together and tire themselves out !

NeverDropYourMooncup · 07/07/2023 19:54

Get two kittens and their adorable kittenness means that your limbic system tells you that they're your babies. This gets you over the scaling the curtains, retrieving them from under the back of the oven, rescuing moths, being slapped in the face and dribbled on at 4am because it's nearly daylight and they love you/it's time to play and all the tiny pointy corners digging into your thighs because you're an excellent tree during a game of Kill One Another.

Especially when you come in the front door and focus on the adorable babies curled up together, instead of the trail of chaos they have left in their wake whilst you've been out earning the money to keep them in toys to shove under the sofa and fridge, Amazon boxes to live in and defend for three weeks at the the expense of the £80 of kitten beds that never get used until you're about to put them away because you're fed up of tripping over them and food that makes the tiniest thing emits smells that would do a ravenous swamp beast with dysentery justice.

LaPerduta · 07/07/2023 19:56

Not particularly - certainly not compared with puppies. Mine housetrained herself straight away and found her way around without any bother. Obviously they need to be played with, but that's not really work! Then they have to be booked in for vaccinations and neutering. Pretty straightforward, really, assuming it's healthy. It might be very scratchy for a while!

Original poster
MortgageConundrum · 07/07/2023 22:52

Going by some of those stories, I don’t know if I could handle two of them! plus what if they’re so engrossed in each other that they’re not interested in us humans?

I want a cat who is affectionate towards me, and worry that if we get an adult cat who has been used to its previous owner, it might not be affectionate towards its new owners. I guess that even if you have a cat from kitten age, there’s no guarantee that they’ll like you.

OP posts:
roseopose · 07/07/2023 22:56

I think it largely depends on how reliably litter trained they are. I've had 3 kittens at various points and the only real hard work issues I've had have been weeing and pooing on furniture/floors, never had any issues with destroying stuff or chewing.

chohiad · 07/07/2023 22:59

@roseopose that's interesting have had 4 kittens over the years and all of them took to a litter tray immediately! Not one accident (except when ill) But chewing has been an issue my little miss!

snoozingbaby1476 · 07/07/2023 23:14

We had a kitten recently and she was really chilled out. Didn't climb the curtains or anything. My neighbours got 2 together and they were a bit more crazy.
I think if you aren't going to be around much in the day it's nice to get a pair. I would definitely do it. The kitten phase is so short lived. If you have a room that you can keep them in when you are work whilst they are small just kitten proof it (maybe the kitchen as presumably no soft furnishings)
We also used a large dog crate at night when ours was very small & got some plastic wrap stuff from Amazon to stop her clawing the sofas which seemed to do the trick
Absolutely do it.

snoozingbaby1476 · 07/07/2023 23:16

We had no problem with training her to use the litter tray either. I think she did 2 accidents then was fine
You will need 2 litter trays if you get more than one though as apparently they don't like to toilet where another cat has been

roseopose · 08/07/2023 07:55

@chohiad our first kitten never had an accident in the time we had her, second we got as a companion for her and I think she just used to get too excited chasing about to remember to go to the tray! The third wasn't in a good way when we got her and it turned out she had worms so that was why she had accidents. But if you get them from a reputable home then you can be fairly sure they'll be trained, it's just them getting used to their new surroundings and where the tray is.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 08/07/2023 08:28

MortgageConundrum · 07/07/2023 22:52

Going by some of those stories, I don’t know if I could handle two of them! plus what if they’re so engrossed in each other that they’re not interested in us humans?

I want a cat who is affectionate towards me, and worry that if we get an adult cat who has been used to its previous owner, it might not be affectionate towards its new owners. I guess that even if you have a cat from kitten age, there’s no guarantee that they’ll like you.

Nah, they're lovely because they will grow up having been socialised as part of the family. They might pick their own favourite human, but that's fine - it's a lot harder when both want you and will debate about who gets the best place on you as you're trying to watch TV or sleep.

PriamFarrl · 08/07/2023 08:31

We’ve adopted a now 14 week old. We got her at 12 weeks. We weren’t looking for a kitten because we didn’t want two but Cats Protection suggested we take her as she was rather quiet and getting picked on by her litter mates.

We had her in one room for about a week and came home at lunch time to see her. We get up early to play with her for a hour or so before we go to work. She’s now got the run of the house and seems very happy. She takes some playing with but that’s no problem really.

StuntNun · 08/07/2023 08:32

I found single kittens quite hard work but then I got two littermates (I asked for two that got on well together) and they were much easier. They entertained each other rather than climbing the curtains. Three years on they're still best mates and hang out with each other.

sashh · 08/07/2023 08:49

MortgageConundrum · 07/07/2023 22:52

Going by some of those stories, I don’t know if I could handle two of them! plus what if they’re so engrossed in each other that they’re not interested in us humans?

I want a cat who is affectionate towards me, and worry that if we get an adult cat who has been used to its previous owner, it might not be affectionate towards its new owners. I guess that even if you have a cat from kitten age, there’s no guarantee that they’ll like you.

I've had mine since she was about 1 year old (stray) she loves me, sleeps on me at night, demands to curl up on me a sleep during the day.

But she absolutely LOVES men. It doesn't matter who it is, the delivery driver from Sainsbury's, my carer, my dad.

The only time she doesn't sleep with me is if my dad visits.

chohiad · 08/07/2023 08:54

@MortgageConundrum you can't guarantee an affectionate cat. We've got one kitten and someone I know another from the same litter, ours just isn't a lap cat whilst her brother likes being carried around like a baby and sleeps on its owners shoulder! Ours likes to be near us, but isn't one for affection really, her brother follows his owner around for constant cuddles. Both singles with WFH owners, so similar lives, same litter.

Choosing to have a single in the hope it loves you more is quite selfish really, if you're both going to be out of the house full time you should consider the quality of life for your kitten. Kittens needs entertainment and company, adult cats less so.

BelindaBears · 08/07/2023 09:42

It just depends on their personality. We had solo cats as a child who were super cuddly and ones who weren’t interested in people. Of my pair of kittens one was a total love bug and one was much more independent. You could pick him up and carry him round like a baby right into old age but she always hated being picked up. They often don’t bother with each other as much once they’re older ime. I’ve currently got 2 cats again but from an older age. Again, one is a real lap cat and the other treats us like staff.

KnittedCardi · 08/07/2023 10:20

I've had single kittens over the years. Not one of them was messy in their litter tray, or destroyed anything, or climbed up curtains etc etc. They were initially kept in a small single room, to settle, with lots of play things, and we all went in there regularly for play and cuddles. Someone was in the house most of the time tbf. Lots of lying on their backs along your legs, they get very relaxed that way. Kittens also need to feel secure in their own space and have quiet. Left totally alone overnight. All have been fabulous loving cats.

LaDamaDeElche · 08/07/2023 10:22

A bit, but not like a puppy. You have to toilet train them and expect to be woken up at night for a bit, but apart from that they're pretty easy.

Superstar22 · 08/07/2023 10:25

You should really get two. It’s better for them. Our two who are now 1 are much more chilled out than the one we had 10 years ago.
They fight and play and bite and learn from each other. They are company.

They are not hard work at all. Unless they’re sickly cats (which we’ve never had)

GuppytheCat · 08/07/2023 10:26

If possible, get someone to nip in during the early weeks and give fresh food at lunchtime, check the litter, retrieve the kittens from the back of the radiator etc . Kittens have very tiny stomachs and no common sense.