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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

Tips on how to look after kittens?

45 replies

MrsPeeWee · 15/04/2013 20:12

We are a family of 3.
There's me, DH, and our DS (5y/o).

We've always wanted a cat. So decided yesterday that it was time to get one.

My friends cat has just given birth to 4 kittens. Two of them are spoken for - there were two sisters left, she offered me. We immediately said Yes.

We are due to pick them up Mid - May.
We're so excited. I have a few Q though.

Can I bring them back in the same cat carrier?
Will they be OK travelling 5 hours in a car back to our home?
We intend on having them as house cats, is that something we can choose?
Get them Neutered or not?
Can both share the same litter trays?
Can they share food trays/drink trays?

Any other advice tips, throw this way?

Sorry if I sound stupid. I just want to make sure they're both happy and looked after to absolute full potential.

Thank you.

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsPeeWee · 16/04/2013 12:02

I'm worrying. I didn't realise how much work/money goes into looking after a kitten, ESP at this early age. I honestly was clueless.

I've been panicking all morning about whether I've bitten of more than I can chew.

OP posts:

thecatneuterer · 16/04/2013 12:25

I'm horrified that you say this is the third litter of kittens your friend's cat has had. Is she a very irresponsible person in other ways? Can you ask her why she's not had her neutered? Can you tell her about the thousands of cats being put down all the time because there aren't enough homes to go round and ask her why she wants to add to the numbers? Can you ask her if she realises the strain that constantly reproducing puts on her cats body and the emotional pain she will suffer when they are taken away from her at such an early age?

If she says she hasn't done it because she hasn't got round to it perhaps you can offer to help? Make the appointment yourself and take the cat to the vet for her? If it's because she says she can't afford it then there is a lot of help from various charities that offer vouchers for neutering. I don't suppose you live in London do you? - in which case I can organise more concrete help for her.

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:35

Nah - you'll be fine, MrsPeeWee. There is some expense at the beginning (starter shots, carriers, litter tray, neutering etc) but after that you'll find it's not too bad at all.

As for the work - well there is some - mainly cleaning up I think (although we'll be here to advise and help) but the pure joy they bring is well worth any effort. Great for your DS to be introduced to pets at his age as well. It makes a heck of a difference to children.

On the other hand, better to make your decision now than discover later on that you can't cope. I think you'd cope just fine and you have to remember that on this board, we tend to see mainly problems with cat owning - not the majority of completely unproblematic family pets.

You'll do OK if you're minded to have them.

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:39

Personally, I couldn't live without a cat around. Once you're used to it they can become real important in your life.

Original poster

MrsPeeWee · 16/04/2013 12:40

It isn't possible. She lives the other end of the country to me. She lives down south (Whiltshire) and I live in Scotland. We're both army wives so live on army camps with our families. The only reason we're friends is because we're all originally from the same town - where all our families are. Also our DHs did army training together for 6 months back in 2009. We're all from the Midlands - Nottinghamshire.

The only way I am managing to pick up the kittens is because her mother is going to visit her mid next month. Then her mother is going back home, which is a 10 minute drive from our parents, so when we go visit family next month, we will go pick the kittens up from her mothers.

I can't and won't go and start telling her what to do with her cat. It's not my place and although I know it's necessary, the whole idea that she is giving me two of her kittens, I find its highly inappropriate to start telling her what to do. Especially because she clearly has no intentions of neutering her cat, with her already having 3 litters.

I understand how important it is, but I am not in a position to stick my nose in. After all the research I did last night. I also realise how irresponsible it is of her to not neuter her poor girl.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:42

Fair enough, MrsP. Circumstances and all. It's just that we see so many sad tales (and thecatneuterer and a couple of others more than most because they work with rescues) that we can become pretty serious about things.

If you can't, you can't.

Original poster

MrsPeeWee · 16/04/2013 12:44

Thank you, ever so much Cozie - you have just given me every bit of confidence back. I fell in love with them both and so has DS so I refuse to go back on it. I just had a very nervous panicky moment, feeling much much better, and confident about it.

But more excited than anything. :D
I won't leave this thread alone, so I hope you're getting used to me.

Haha

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:48

Good. You've got hundreds of years of cat owning experience on this board (as well as the odd vet) so you've got plenty of back up - and there are a lot of us around so it tends to be a pretty fast board.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 16/04/2013 12:48

Please don't worry about how much work they'll be. Six weeks is young, eight would be better, but they'll be perfectly capable of lapping kitten milk from a shallow saucer or bowl. (They'll also paddle in it, so don't leave it down too long!) If you're having visions of bottle-feeding through the night, you can stop them!

People talk about "litter-training", ime they do it themselves. It's not like house-training a puppy.

And they'll be zapping round your house, up your curtains and (in the days of hessian wallpaper) the walls, and indeed your trouser legs before long. There is nothing funnier than a pair of wee kittens playing!

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:50

We had a pair of Siamese boys once who chased each other across the curtains. Only time I've seen it. Admittedly, it was a big window and heavy drapes....... but still!

Original poster

MrsPeeWee · 16/04/2013 12:53

Thank you OldLady - mainly for the laugh

Oh, I really can't wait. Very exciting to be finally able to bring two beautiful kittens into our family next month.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 12:54

And get that camera charged ready !

thecatneuterer · 16/04/2013 13:16

Yes, apologies for being serious. But it is I'm afraid a serious issue.

It's not 'inappropriate' to mention neutering to your friend and to ask why she isn't doing it and to maybe offer advice on getting vouchers or something. It can be done in a friendly way.

This issue is being thrown into sharp relief this week as yesterday our rescue had to take in 40 cats from someone who is being evicted, and tomorrow we are going to have to take in another 50 odd from someone else who is being evicted, and we literally have nowhere to put them. Both these people started off with one female cat which they didn't neuter. Both were brought to our attention when the numbers started to increase and both refused our offer of neutering and now they are being evicted because of it and we are being saddled with 90 more unwanted cats.

ItsYoniYappy · 16/04/2013 13:30

It doesn't cost too much to feed them, I would say it costs me £5/6 but that is only because I don't have a lot of money just now, my spending limits were extortionate at one point.

Litter is only £4 a bag (approx) I change mine every 2 days if its smelling OK. Very low maintenance and I doubt very much your friend would be giving away kitten which couldn't eat properly.

I've always had a cats or cats. My DC love having them around. One practically lives in DS1 bedroom and DS2 has his favourite too, most pictures of him are with 'his cat' thankfully they have grown up together so she loves him and lets him carry her around.

Obviously everything thecatneuterer is saying is true but I tried and failed with an ex friend to advise her. Her cat was so young she panicked, ex friend called me and was disgusted by the birth, (small cat delivering big kitten tail first and struggling) yet she the let the cat out again.

All this talk if kittens is making me kitten broody

ItsYoniYappy · 16/04/2013 13:33

That's disgusting thecatneuterer I felt a bit bad breeding and selling when thee are so many cats/kittens in homes. I would love to do it again but there is always a bit of guilt. On saying that there are pedigrees in homes too.

Original poster

MrsPeeWee · 16/04/2013 13:36

What an absolute wee shame. I completely understand.

OK, as it happens I have just spoken to my friends mother on Facebook, she wanted to pass over her address and details.

I asked her about the situation regarding her daughter neutering her Dcat. She stressed that despite many attempts at trying to get her daughter to neuter her cat, she refuses because she makes a profit in selling her Dcats litter.

What a wee shame, eh?

I have come to the conclusion that she is only letting me have them for free because despite her advertising, nobody else wanted them.

Each day, unfortunately I am becoming more and more aware of how important it is to neuter kittens.

OP posts:

ItsYoniYappy · 16/04/2013 13:41

I thought that may be the case, a man local to me does the same, twice per year, last he was left with one, last time I asked she was 5 months old £30/50 on gumtree sadly.

Just look forward to getting yours.

thecatneuterer · 16/04/2013 13:41

If anyone is feeling kitten broody and all rescue centres always need foster carers for abandoned heavily pregnant mums or mums with newborn kittens. They need people to care for them and to socialise them until they are old enough to be homed.

And yes YoniYappy there are plenty of unwanted pedigree cats too, which is why animal welfare charities are against all breeding.

ItsYoniYappy · 16/04/2013 13:59

I'm at my local cat rescue just now. Sadly they are all older cats and not good with DC, I think mine would be OK with a kitten but 4 cats is a bit much. I would love to foster, last time I asked they were looking for people with outside enclosures, sadly when I moved house, I gave mine away.

cozietoesie · 16/04/2013 13:59

Plenty of older cats whose owners may have died or can't have them any more. Seniorboy was my mother's and no-one else in the family wanted him when she died. (I don't think they thought he would last, either.) Luckily, I happened to have a 'vacancy' at the time. Now, 5 years later, he's post-prandially snoring in the crook of my knee as I type.

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