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Original poster

Thinking of getting a kitten / cat but need some advice please.

29 replies

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 13:21

I work from home as a childminder so I am at home more than most. I have 6 chidren under 5 each day and I have no other pets (unless DP counts?).

Anyway, if we were to get a cat/kitten would 6 children be too much do you think? Obviously the children will never be aone with the cat/kit and we will show the children how to be gentle etc.

If a cat/kit could cope with this what do we get a cat (who can pop outside when it gets all too much) or a kitten (who can't go out for 6 months I think)?

Then do we get one or 2? Having looked at insurance and vet bills for jabs and neutering etc we could afford 2. We have a nice big garden and live in a quiet street.

Next door have a cat if that has any significance. Oh and obviously I know this has a impact on my business.

Thanks for any advice.

OP posts:

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 13:23

Oh forgot to add and do we rescue an cat (donation is about £50) and hopefully get a cat that will be well matched to our home and hopefully has been well cared for. Or do we get one for free from a private seller (obviously might not be a good match but I would use my brain).

DP says just get a free one but I feel so sorry for the ones stuck in a moggery

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SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 13:28

Hmmmm I've only ever rehomed adult cats. It's fab they are litter tray trained, haven't been destructive (no curtain climbing!) and you know what you are getting in terms of personality.

So far we have chosen well and have had 4 people orientated cats however 3 of them have all been Somali which are known for being like that.

TBH the cats stayed out of the way of children they didn't know and appeared at nap & bed time to spend time with us!!!

The current pair we have are not allowed at night so consequently we see far more of them during the day and they play for hours with each other. This is a sibling pair who have always lived together and are just 2.

I'd recommend rehoming Somali or Abyssinian via their respective cat clubs.

JingleAllTheWay · 20/12/2009 13:29

Get two kittens so they can keep each other company. When they are tiny and using a litter tray have them somewhere where you can shut them off with their food, litter tray and some bedding then they can have peace and quiet.

Teach the children rules about the kittens, i.e. they must not pick them up, chase after them, not play with them if they are eating, let the kittens come to them etc.

Get them a cat flap so that if your home gets too noisy ( obviously when they are more independent ) they can choose to go out for a wander.

It really wasn't six months before ours were allowed out, I think they were neutered and immunised, then off they trotted. The first time we let them out we were just about to feed them, so of they went then 15 mins later it was their tea time, so they rushed back.

Get kittens, get kittens, get kittens
Get kittens, get kittens, get kittens
Get kittens, get kittens, get kittens
Get kittens, get kittens, get kittens

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 13:37

I really do want kittens, but my needs come second here, there is no way I am taking a cat/kitten back to a rehoming place so I need to pick good.

I'm not really bothered about the breed (I think Persians are so cute but probably not very practical for us with all the hair), the important thing is that they are happy and get on with the children (that's why I'm leaning ore towards a cat as you generally know their personality).

I'm not bothered abut a bit of destruction and playfulness to begin with and we only have curtains in one room so hopefully it wont be to bad. [deluded?]

What do you reckon my chances are of getting a cat/kit before Christmas? Just dawned on me that I have a week off over Christmas so a pretty ideal time!

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JingleAllTheWay · 20/12/2009 13:44

I think with kittens, if you treat them well, they really do become family members, we also re-homed a cat aged 7 and it took him a good year to get used to us, he was terribly nervous and shy, pitiful really. Whereas the kittens just sort of got on with it straight away. Our kittens are no particular breed, but just gorgeous, they are now 4 and have got presents under the tree!

Re getting them before Christmas, I know lots of places are loathed to re-home around Christmas time, in case people are giving them as presents, I know Battersea where a friend re-homed a kitten stop over Christmas.

Good luck.

SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 13:45

I don't think they will let you rehome a cat that quickly, they do home inspections. Plus it's not a good idea tbh, we've had ours a month! They've enjoyed the christmas tree..........

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 13:58

sleighgirl what do you mean it's not a good idea? Getting them before xmas? Luckily as we have 6 children in our house our Christmas tree is well protected from little fingers and little paws.

Jingkealltheway, I hadn't even thought about people giving them away as gifts how stupid is that? But I suppose people do all sorts. But if someone really wanted to do it they would buy private? There are lots on Gumtree for free in my area.

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Kaloki · 20/12/2009 13:59

I think a cat may be better, the rescue places normally tell you which ones are most affectionate/used to people.

SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 14:01

They're always stressed by moving probably for about a week and then another week after that before they are truly over it. It depends whether you will have a routine for the week or not?

I suppose I'd recommend bringing them into what will be the normal routine rather than everything chopping changing around as it will take them longer to settle in IYSWIM.

Winter is much easier for keeping them in though as they need to be housebound for 3-4 weeks.

ShinyAndNew · 20/12/2009 14:01

Cats for free? Are you sure they are free? Dd1 paid £55 for her moggy, and that's cheap around here.

I vote for rescuing one anyway.

SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 14:03

Our cats have been up and down the tree a few times, in the loft eaves, helped wrap presents, cooking & clearing up is carefully supervised just in case a morsel comes their way. There is sometimes the 5am can we get up and be fed cry sometimes too

They also were having a "fight" at some point during the night

It's back to have toddlers again.

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 14:11

Sleighgirl our Christmas plans are thus: Stay home eat, drink and be merry. My sister is coming over to visit on boxing day but that's it. We normally go tearing round the country to visit everyone but this year we are staying put and having a nice break so I was thinking it mignt be good to get them into their routine now whilst the children are not here?

Kaloki thanks for the input that's why we are thinking rescue centre as they will have a good idea of temperament etc.

ShinyAndNew yup free to a good home, most of them are wormed and up to date on jabs but not chipped neutered etc. But obviously they may hve underlying health issue we wouldn't know about and the seller may be just getting shot of them and have no interest in making sure my home is suitable etc.

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SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 14:13

I would ring up some local rehoming places and ask if they would consider giving out adult cats at this time of year, explain it's because your house will be quieter than normal for a couple of weeks. See what they say?

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 14:23

sleighgirl, great advice I've emailed a few and will call around on Monday too. Is there a better moggery to get them from? Maybe one that does kill the animals?

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wannaBe · 20/12/2009 14:54

six children under five? is that even allowed?

That aside, I would be inclined to get kittens on the one hand as kittens do grow up and adapt whereas an adult cat will already have its personality, and may possibly have been abused and be more fearful than a kitten. Having said that, kittens can be immensely destructive.

It's also worth bearing in mind that cats do kill things, birds/mice etc and will be likely to bring them into the house, so is something you will need to keep a close eye on esp in the spring/summer.

Also, many rescue places won't rehome to families with young children, so you'd need to check with them first.

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 20/12/2009 16:48

wannabe why the shock? Nurseries around here have about 60 children under 5! And yes it is allowed if you work with an assistant / another childminder.

RE cats killing things I was thinking a bell on a collar might stop some of that but I know I will have to keep a keen eye on them especially given I have a wildlife friendly garden.

Thanks everyone for the help.

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slushy06 · 20/12/2009 17:25

We had a cat who had kittens accidental litter and we gave the kittens to good homes because it was more important to us that they were well cared for than getting money kittens are usually litter box trained by the mum by the time they can go.

Bells can stop them dragging things in but really it depends on the cat we had one who only ever brought two animals in and one who brought 1 a day the bells slowed her down to one a week. You wont really know that until you have fetched her home.

Cats and kittens are more solitary than dogs and will do fine as one or as a pair. I have often taken in stray cats and they can be a bit rough not having learned to retract the claws. Kittens can also scram a bit at first but there nails are softer and so don't hurt I would go with the kittens you can still see quite a bit of personality when you pick them up.

Florin · 20/12/2009 20:27

Can highly recommend Ragdoll cats. We have 2 rescued ones. My 2.5 godaughter has done most things to them but they never mind or retaliate. They are famous for their laid back natures not like any cat I have ever known. Goddaughter loves them and even trying to watch her all the time we have several times caught her pulling their tails, 'stroking them' (read tapping them hard' her finger going a little close to their eyes than I would like but they don't flinch at all and let her do whatever and purr throughout. Although she also shares her food with them if she gets a chance(I never realised cats would happily be fed breadsticks!)
They love being hugged to and really enjoy being part of our family although hate being left out of any activity mine even sits on the edge of the bath to keep me company when I am having a good soak!

Parmageddon · 20/12/2009 20:45

I only have 2 dcs and I couldn't get a rescue cat at all! They would only consider me for a completely 'bomb-proof' cat (in their words) and I suspect with 6 young children regularly in the house they may think the same in your case. But don't give up.

In the end I found one online on a free ads site. She's 9, we've had her 2 months and she's very friendly and no problem at all with the children. The only thing is she turns out to have a very bad gums which is costing us a bit in treatment, but she's worth it. I would say it took her a good month to really settle down and she's still a bit nervous at times.

SleighGirl · 20/12/2009 21:17

My MIL used to bree Ragdolls, only 50% of hers had nice personalities, one of them was actually nicknamed "the bitch"

Generally her persians were all laid back. Somali & Abyssinians are recognised as bombproof they rank affection above food..........

Ours had never lived with dc before and they just see the pulling/stroking being picked up as affection!

Kaloki · 21/12/2009 03:32

"they just see the pulling/stroking being picked up as affection!"

Sounds like my friends cornish rex, he actually disliked stroking, preferring you to playfight with him. And for no apparent reason liked you to bite his ear.

I know if I didn't have pet rats I'd get a rex or a siamese.

SleighGirl · 21/12/2009 10:04

I wanted a rex but dh refused because he thinks they are ugly! The like of fur really appealed to me (I'm allergic to cats!), meanwhile I shall continue to groom and hoover up after my 2 semi longhaired mogs

DontCallMeSantaBaby · 21/12/2009 21:46

Kittens are fab - I have two who will be six months old, they're currently dashing around the house, stopping only to tiptoe across the laptop, typing '[[[[[[[[[[[' as they go. I will say though, I've been glad we got them now, with DD aged 5, and not earlier. She is a relatively sensible and gentle 5yo, but this hasn't stopped her doing some really stupid things - throwing cushions (hard) at the kittens when they were about 9 weeks old and considerably smaller than a cushion, for starters. She's been scratched a fair few times (there's no malice in them at all, but they make mistakes from time to time), in your shoes I would wonder what my mindees' parents would think of them coming home with cat scratches. If it were me, I'd ask exactly what I ask DD when she gets scratched - what were you doing to them? - but not everyone would!

They are extraordinarily good though, they put up with utterly nonsense from DD now (lots of cuddles), and are utter sweeties. They could have gone out after their second lot of jabs, 13 weeks I think (which was a little later than it could have been, as they had the squits when we got them and had their first jabs delayed). However I definitely didn't want them going out until they were neutered, and then it got dark and cold ... in short I wanted housecats, but one of them is determined to be no such thing, so we'll be getting a cat flap in the new year. I really don't want prey being brought in, but neithe do I want to have to sneak out every time I leave the house (nor to take a kitten on the school run again, but that's another story).

SleepingLion · 21/12/2009 21:57

Our cats are a year old now. They were rescue kittens from the RSPCA so are brother and sister. We had a home check but it was pretty straightforward and they weren't at all worried by our having a DS who was 5 at the time.

It does cost a bit to get them from the RSPCA - £90 for the pair with initial injections and microchips plus a voucher towards the cost of neutering (but not enough to cover the whole cost) - but it's in a good cause.

They are lively but have settled in to the household very well and are good with DS. Because they have grown up with us, they are very affectionate and come for cuddles and so on. Very hairy though - the girl especially sheds all the time so be prepared for your mindees to be covered in cat hair!

Original poster

navyeyelasH · 22/12/2009 13:05

a few of my mindees already have cats so I hope the parents would be understanding about any possible non severe scratches.

I was hoping to keep the cats more or less of of the playroom (more as they get older) and am happy for them to be outdoor cats. We are lucky that we have 2 reception rooms so when they are kittens we could keep them in the other room and let the children play with them now and again so they get used to how to touch them etc.

I am quite lucky that my mindess are largely very gentle children. But maybe this is wishful thinking and I'm a bit niave.

Hair is my main worry I would not be happy with children going home covered in hair and I don't want hair on my stuff either. I hoover daily as it is. Would a short hair domestic cat shed lots??

Thanks for all the advice I'm ringing a lady back today.

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