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

The litter tray

Lost our cat a year ago, DS desparate for another pet, cat or kitten???

13 replies

hulahoopsilove · 27/10/2013 14:08

Sadly lost our 18 yr old family pet last year due to illness, ds who is an only is so desparate for another cat . We've recently decorated and had new sofas and I can't face the thought of a kitten scratching, wrecking the place. Also had new doors so if locked in kitchen overnight may scratch these as well. What do u think???

OP posts:

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RandomMess · 27/10/2013 14:09

I would always rehome an adult, try looking on the somali & abyssinian cat club sites as they are very people orientated lap cats by nature and sometimes have a few adults needing to be rehomed.

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Sparklingbrook · 27/10/2013 14:13

I would have a look at the websites of your local Cat Rescues and see what adult cats they have.

I wouldn't go for a kitten if you are worried about the scratching and damage.

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cozietoesie · 27/10/2013 14:16

Yes - go for an adult. There are oodles of grown animals looking for loving homes (so many people want kittens) and they're not only usually of great character and loving but the rescues either know their history or have had a chance to assess their temperament. With an adult, their character is better known - with a kitten, you're always taking the chance of getting a hellion.

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cozietoesie · 27/10/2013 14:18

Have a look \link{http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html\here} for your local rescues. Many of them have websites with some of the cats seeking new homes. Or if you would like a specific breed, google the breed+rescue to find the official breed rescue site.

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hulahoopsilove · 27/10/2013 14:48

Ds wants. Kitten.I'd love a cat

OP posts:

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cozietoesie · 27/10/2013 16:49

Maybe get the odd website up and let him look over some of the older ones and read their stories? To be accurate, some of the cats who are harder to find homes for are really kittens to my mind (a year old, say) and the kitten phase lasts for such a short time.

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Sparklingbrook · 27/10/2013 16:56

Yes, the rescues have cats that are only young, and have had kittens of their own. Or ones that have been left behind when their owners moved house.
Some of the stories are really heartbreaking. Is DS old enough to appreciate that the older cats need a home too?

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RandomMess · 27/10/2013 16:59

Nooooooooooooooooo don't get a destructive cat too much like hard work

The down side of kittens is that you have no idea what personality you will end up.
Somali page - nothing suitable there at the moment

www.somali-cats.co.uk/club/Welfare%20&%20Rescue.htm

Aby have one potential

www.abyssiniancatclub.com/Welfare.htm

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RandomMess · 27/10/2013 17:07

Persians tend to be quite a lap-cat affectionate breed too.

Depends what your ds is looking for - most teenage cats and young adults tend to be aloof. This is why we wanted somalis as they are very dog like in that they want complete interaction with their humans and absolutely adore attentions and strokes and cuddles - affection seems to be rated above food by them

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CanucksoontobeinLondon · 27/10/2013 18:51

OP, an adult rescue cat who likes to be cuddled is probably the way to go. Talk to a local rescue organization or two and they should be able to hook you up with a cat who's affectionate with kids and doesn't rip the furnishings to shreds.

Very sorry about the loss of your other cat.

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issey6cats · 27/10/2013 20:13

the best thing to do is arrange to look round your local cat rescue center and go with an open mind, dont go with i want a ginger kitten who is 12 weeks old in mind as A there might not be any ginger kittens, or B the ginger ones there might be timid, hellions or not suitable then you would be disapointed,

have a look at all the cats or kittens that are suitable for your home, the rescue staff should only show you ones that are, you will find that either one or two will stand out, look at each cat or kitten a couple of times during the visit take your time staff dont mind this, if no one stands out dont be disappointed , get the home check and approval done anyway. then go back to the center a little while later, rescues should be quite happy for you to do this as they would rather you have the right cat for you than just take one because you feel sorry for it and its the wrong cat, we habve had people looking for a kitten who have adopted an older cat and vise versa wanted an older cat and fell in love with a kitten

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issey6cats · 27/10/2013 20:14

also some rescues will only rehome kittens in pairs so double trouble lol

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Taffeta · 27/10/2013 20:18

We got our rescue cat as a 9 week old kitten from a local Battersea place. He has never scratched anything other than his scratching post. He also came house trained.

When they called us and told us they had 2 kittens to choose from, one a girl shorthair and one a fluffy boy, I was sure I wanted the girl. We turned up, the girl hid in the corner, the boy jumped down and started playing with the children. 3 years on, he gives us all so much joy. apart from all the live creatures he brings in and lets go