We are considering getting cats/kittens - what do I need to know?

[NickNacks]

We'd like to get a pet to add to our family and think we've settled on getting (2) cats. I have some questions as despite dh and I both having cats as children, these will be our first pets as adults.

Is it ok to get 2? We figured they'd be company fir each other.

Should we buy them from the same place litter?

Would you advise getting kittens or cats?

Any particular breed recommended?

I can imagine the sort of things we will need to buy but anything a rooky won't have thought of?

Any thing else you can think of to tell me would be great!

Thank you :)

We got a sibling pair, 2 rescue cats aged about 1 both of whom had had litters and had been abandoned in a house.

They are very sweet, very clean in the house - only a few accidents - use their scratching post and are great companions for each other. we will let them out in a few weeks, although we are close to a busy road we back on to gardens etc. fingers crossed it will be ok.

Just think about expenses too - insurance, food, litter all adds up. Also ours will be regularly treated for fleas and worms as they are likely to come into contact with vermin.

OP the first few pages of this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_litter_tray/a1681116-Were-probably-getting-a-rescue-cat-soon-What-do-we-need-to-buy-and-how-much-will-upkeep-cost

has lots of useful advice you should find interesting.

I have found all my rescue cats to be much, much more loving than those who arrived as kittens. As I am sure thecatneuterer will echo often the pregnant females or those with young kittens that come in are 'teenage' pregnancies so by taking on one who has had kittens you get a a young cat, but not a kitten.

One of the best points of each day is as I read my DD a bedtime story the beautiful tail less wonder ( who maybe just 2 now, prior life as baby making machine) joins us to cuddle up and here the story.

If you go to a rescue centre eg Cats Protection you will probably be encouraged told to go for 2 kittens rather than one and yes, you won't have to wait long if you do want a kitten/s!!

We have a 5 month old rescue kitten and from our experience, keeping a kitten inside until neutering can be hard work - especially if you pick one up at 9/10 weeks. On the plus side, what is lovely is that kitten grows up with you and your family!

Thank you so much for all your advice. I'm sorry for the delay, I lost my thread having realised I'd previously hidden this topic! (No pets)

We've spoken a bit more and I think we'll def get them from a rescue. We'd love to get 2 if they get on already because we have the space and time to love and look after them.

How old do they have to be to be neutered? I think I would find it difficult to keep a cat in that didn't want to be!

We're just about to ours neutered and she'll be 5.5 months but it depends on weight. Some vets will do it earlier than this if kitten is big enough.

Forgot to say also that you get all vaccinations and neutering paid for by cats protection when you adopt a cat/kitten. We paid £60 to adopt our kitten.

That's very helpful, thank you.

We advise neutering at 5 months and no later. We even do it at four months in some circumstances.

Regardless you will need to keep them in for at least three weeks after rehoming them to get them used to where they live. You will need to be very, very careful with windows (ie don't open them at all) as cats are great escape artists.

Could I resuscitate the thread and ask a question about rescues? We are in exactly the same position as the OP, two children and would like cats/kittens but DH and I have never had cats as adults. Our local rescue has an open day next week, so we think we will go along to that. Do the rescue places do a vetting on potential owners? I used to have the impression that they were very strict about who they would re-home with, but don't know anyone IRL who has rehomed a cat for years. My main worry on this front is that we live fairly close to (but not on) a fairly busy road (ours is a very quiet cul-de-sac but main road is only two houses away. I don't want to get the DCs hopes up too much if the rescue place wouldn't even consider us. Are we selfish for considering it ourselves? I know people who live on that road and have cats, as does our neighbour one house nearer than us.

We were vetted by Cats Protection and I know roads are something they did assess. If it's a huge issue they might suggest a house cat but may not be a problem for them if other people have cats in your street? Good luck!

I was vetted and actually failed due to the fact that I live on a busy main road. However, I pointed out that I only ever let my cats out the back of the house and have lived here for 6 years without losing a cat.

Sorry posted too soon and my arguments were taken into account and I have my tail less wonder.

We've had our rescue pair just about 6 weeks now. We went to look at kittens and somehow ended up with a male black and white kitten and his calico mum. Kitten is totally bats - we were trying to watch telly tonight which variously had a kitten looking over the edge or was being interrupted by crashing noises from the back of the room. Mum tried to hide and I feel for her! (I have a DS.)

They are highly entertaining, in a 'hope you don't mind but I shredded the sofa' kind of way.

You need to expect the unexpected! Like cats disappearing through locked catflaps (still trying to work that one out) or falling down the loo.

They eat a lot more than you might expect. Allow a couple of quid per day in food, plus litter. Don't get clay-based clumping litter for kittens unless it's labelled as suitable. What goes in must come out. The first few weeks days you'll be walking about wishing you had no sense of smell. You need ideally one tray per cat. You'll need a cat carrier, scratching posts, toys, cardboard boxes. (Latter as toys and also as places to hide). Cat flap optional, though we didn't have one for old lady cat and we spent an inordinate amount of time letting her in or out when she howled. (See post above about Staff . We now have a flap...)

They will do as they please. Best way to choose a kitten is to let it choose you! Cats Protection do home visits first, and you get a bit of paper if they think you're OK. Different CP branches charge different amounts - ours is £80 per cat and issues neutering vouchers if they've not been done at collection. The next branch along is £100 and if they're not neutered then it's your problem. They do have lots of help for new owners.

Thank you. Shredding the sofa is one of my worries, I must admit, most of our house is in a fairly shabby state of repair but we have a fabulous fabric sofa which cost a fortune last year.

Do you think one cat or kitten would be lonely? DCs are at school, I'm in and out a lot during the week - I work two days. We don't mind the cost of two, but have barely got space for one litter tray and feeding bowls let alone two.

whoknows most rescues, and certainly ours, rarely turn people down full stop. They will be less interested in how close the road is but rather how easy the access to it is and how likely a cat is to want to go that way. For example traditional London terraced houses, where there is a large block of back gardens all adjoining, provide a great and safe environment for cats as it's very difficult for them to get to the front of the house/road if they are only let out the back.

If the rescue feels the road is a problem they can recommend cats that are either very steet-wise (they were strays on streets with busy roads) or are very unlikely to want to go that far (they are middle aged for example) or even cats that are happy to be indoor cats only (but you will need to be very careful with open doors/windows in that case and if you have younger children that probably isn't going to work.

Middle aged/older cats are much less of a road risk than young cats/kittens.

The rescue staff are very good at placing the right cat in the right home and they should be able to find something to suit you.

As for one or two - our rescue never homes kittens under about five months singly as they really need a playmate and hate being left alone. Generally speaking if you are going to be out a lot it's good to have a bonded pair, but then some cats, particularly older ones, aren't that bothered and also seem quite happy to be left alone to snooze all day, so it really depends. Again I would be guided by the rescue.

Good luck!

This is all useful info, thank you. We are in a Victorian terrace, there is a side access but it has 6ft wooden gates at the front and back. The back is totally enclosed by other gardens and all the other side paths have tall gates too, I know cats climb, but it would actually be quite a lot of work for one to get out to the road, thinking about it.

House cats probably wouldn't work, our back door is almost permanently open in the summer (and is in constant use all year round).

We have a single kitten who we adopted at 9 weeks - CP weren't too happy about that but I said we could afford to look after one properly or none at all so they agreed (whilst making me feel rather guilty about it at the same time!!). In the longer term I have had lots of friends say their cats don't get on with each other anyway (although I know this isn't always the case).

My kitten seems very happy on her ownsome and I guess not having to share food/attention can be a bonus!

I have just been to see a lovely kitten but the owner wants £180 . Admittedly the kitten is lovely, but for a nonnpedigree I think this is ridiculous. What do others think?

That a) this is a zombie thread, that b) you should get any cat/kitten from a rescue centre where it'll have been looked after properly and not from a dodgy and irresponsible breeder where it'll have been treated like a commodity and that c) it's a rip off (as is any price from a breeder). .

• c) perhaps pedigree cats aside