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Original poster

Taking on a kitten, what di I need to know?

21 replies

Bumnoise · 21/02/2010 13:34

We have the opportunity of haivng a kitten (or two) what do I need to know about kittens having only ever had adult dogs before now?

OP posts:
fruitshootsandheaves · 21/02/2010 13:38

aww I love kittens

get them a litter tray

get them some toys

and a scratching post, which they might use but they will probably use the furniture more!

keep them indoors until they have had their vaccs. The first time you let them out do it just before you would usually feed them, then they are less likely to disappear off!

give them lots of cuddles as it helps with handling them at the vet or when they need a brush etc.

forget all of the above and give them to me

TulipsInTheRain · 21/02/2010 13:44

don't worry, cats are very good at telling you what they want

just have a litter tray ready (get wood pellet kitty litter as it's much less offensive than the lay stuff) and some simple toys and and bowls.

scratching posts are great but don't count on them using them

good quality food is a must... alot of places sell it online for cheaper and you can bulk buy and have it delivered straight to the door.

don't feed a dry food only diet, a mix of wet/dry is easiest, supplementing with some raw meat occasionally is great too (in fact some people swear by a raw food diet as it's cheaper and more natural but it's alot of work)

keep water, food bowls and litter tray in three seperate spots, they don't like mixing them, and keep all three in low traffic area if possible

UnrequitedSkink · 21/02/2010 13:49

Lots and lots of handling is key - and a water spray bottle for when they scratch the arms of your sofa.

TulipsInTheRain · 21/02/2010 13:53

he he, that wouldn't work with most of mine... they love water

agree with lots of handling though, the differance in a cat that's handles alot as a kitten compared to one who isn't is truely staggering

Original poster
Bumnoise · 21/02/2010 13:53

Water bottle will definitely be in operation!! hugs her new sofas

Any recommendations on food or best to just follow what they've been eating already for a while and phase it out if it's not one I would choose?

When do they need worming/jabs/neutering?

FSAH no. :p

OP posts:
Original poster
Bumnoise · 21/02/2010 13:55

Is it better to have them as outdoor cats/indoor cats/bit of both? Live in quiet residential area, no busy roads. When can they go out? How do you stop them running away?!

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TulipsInTheRain · 21/02/2010 13:57

worm them straight away.... they often pick worms up in the litter.

bring them to a vet straight away and get them started on jabs, the vet will book you in for neutering at 4-6 months.

if the vet wants to wait longer than 6 months... change vets... you WILL have a pregnant cat on your hands and i wouldn't trust a vet with such a lax attitude.

luciemule · 21/02/2010 14:03

Our vet recommended keeping them in until they'd both been spayed and neutured (6 months) which we did. It worked and theyv'e never strayed far. It's not natural for cats to be kept indoors and unless they're a very expensive breed such as Bengal etc, there's no need.
Vets do vary on their feeding reccomendations too; our's said just dry food (better for their teeth and gums) and every now and then, a treat of raw meat, tuna or wet food. If you do this though, they must have loads of water.
I would also advise on Tesco pet insurance (seems cheapest) as ours are less than a year old and one cat had a cut paw and had to have antibiotics (£25) and tablets after and the male just broke a toe (£219). They seem such little accidents but vets bills cetainly add up!

CountryGirl2007 · 21/02/2010 14:39

Congrats, cats are great pets. If you are getting a pair of them thats even better as siblings especially are usually great friends.

I would say don't use clumping litter until the cat is older as if they get it on their coat and ingest it when washing themselves it can cause a blockage.

I feed a mixture of wet and dry food (dry for breakfast and wet for dinner) as wet food only can cause bad teeth and dry food only can cause UTI's/crystals, especially in males.

Good luck

CountryGirl2007 · 21/02/2010 14:41

Also, regarding the in vs. out, keeping them indoors with access to an outdoor run is generally safer in an urban area as they are safe from cars, dogs, foxes, poisons etc.

onlyjoinedforoffers · 21/02/2010 14:51

cats and kittens are brilliant .Do you have children? if so please remember that they will scratch and bite quite a lot at first and are attracted to moving objects and dont like being squeezed when lifted

Original poster
Bumnoise · 21/02/2010 17:52

Thanks for all this, am a first timer so it's all new to me. Just have to await the birth and see whats what I guess

Temperement wise, what are the differences between males and females and is it better to get a pair?

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Bella32 · 21/02/2010 18:04

IME there's no difference in temperament between males & females. Have probably had slightly more very affectionate males than females over the years. All tortie females are a bit mad ime though .

All the best - but get 2 if you can: they thrive on company and having another little terror to assist in wrecking your house

onlyjoinedforoffers · 21/02/2010 18:30

i dont know about getting a pair i have 5 and they are all related bar one and they dont really get on more tolerate each other than liking

Original poster
Bumnoise · 21/02/2010 19:38

hmmm it's a tortie female that's the mum eeek! I'm hoping for a white female one secretly and I will call her Suki but no idea on how the fur colours pass down.

I work at home so it won't be in need of company (of the human kind anyway!)

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Bella32 · 21/02/2010 20:02

Okay - if you feel adept at climbing curtains/emptying the bin/spending hours chasing a tiny bit of fluff across the floor ...

luciemule · 21/02/2010 20:31

We have a brother and sister and they love each other like nothing else. It's so sweet when they lie next to each other at night and clean each other's face. The house wrecking was a lot worse when we had one cat. He didn't have a little cat friend to play with and so attacked us instead!!

DontCallMeBaby · 21/02/2010 22:53

I am SO glad that we got two kittens. We've seen hilarious behaviour from them that we never would have seen with only one. Admittedly they did have a falling out a couple of weeks ago which completely freaked me out concerned me mildly, but they're mostly very sweet together (they're brothers).

Think about their background - it was only after I had more or less agreed to take these two that I read about how you should try to get kittens from a household like your own, eg with young children if that's what you have. Fortunately ours came from a home with two young boys, so they mostly find manic screeching DD quite restful, I think ...

Ours were going to be housecats, but one of them was simply NOT having that. We put a catflap through the back wall a couple of weeks ago, and they go in and out during daylight hours. They were already neutered by then - I didn't know, but suspected that this would make them wander less, as entire toms have bigger territories than neutered toms or females. I think they spent the first day outside ALL the time, but since have realised that it's warm and cosy inside, there are laps to sit on, food to pinch, and sofas to shred.

Original poster
Bumnoise · 22/02/2010 00:20

We have a catflap in the back door from previous owners (and scratches down the hallway wallpaper!! )so a tick for that

I'm getting very excited

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WynkenBlynkenandNod · 22/02/2010 04:35

How exciting ! We have a brother and sister for the first time and they have been great. They cane from a very busy household with 5 children and 4 dogs and are pretty much bomb proof. Lovely to see them curled up together which they did loads as kittens, stopped for a bit and have started again,

It was a fair bit more work whilst they were little. They were big on climbing the curtains etc whilst playing chase so it was rather hectic and my curtains still bear the scars but I'm really pleased I got them both.

Millie1 · 22/02/2010 15:47

Oh, can I just ask ... we're thinking of getting a couple of kittens (having noticed mice around bird-feeder outside) but want them to be outdoor cats. How do we start kittens off outdoors? Start as we mean to go on and put them in the garage or start them in the house given cold weather etc and then move them out. How will they know to use litter tray? Our cats at home over the years have always been outside cats but have either slept in tackroom or boiler house and wandered at will ... we have a large, well-fenced garden but are next to a busy country road so am a bit conscious of the need to discourage wandering if possible TIA

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