Got the kittens - not sure how I feel about the whole thing now...

[FindMyLocalSite]

I have NC because if I get slated I can disappear.

After years and years of daily begging by the DC, we have got two kittens from a rescue centre. They came on Friday, they are 10 weeks old.

I was always a bit ambivalent about the whole cat situation. I feel a bit 'meh' about cats; even though I am an animal lover, I have never felt a desire to own one or live with one.

Anyway. I researched for months, if not years, and when we felt the time was as right as it was ever going to be, we went for it. This has been a long process of research, visiting rescues, registering with them and finally waiting for 10 weeks once we knew two orphan kittens had been allocated to us.

The two kittens, a boy and a girl, came home Friday evening. They slept through the night in their open travel crate (by choice, they have several bed choices). In the morning I opened a pouch of wet food and the smell of it made me feel sick. Later on they both used the litter tray and the smell brought tears to my eyes. I went out shopping and when approaching my house, I started dreading the smell of cats, cat food and cat litter in my house.

I then started mentally resenting the cost and aggravation of owning cats. The extra planning and expense it will involve when we go on holiday...

I am having a bit of an inward panic.

Is this normal? Is this because they're too new and too little for me to have bonded to the point where no effort is too much for the little kittens and then cats? Don't get me wrong, they already live like royalty, we take care of them and the DC are smitten. But I want to love them. Will that happen with time?

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

We're fortunate as we have lots of fields and open spaces on our doorstep- otherwise it would be litter boxes for us too.

[ElegantDream]

Dry food is not better!!

You need decent high protein cat food without grains. The better the food, the better the poo (I take it you won't want to feed raw!).

Butcher's is the best of the supermarket brands £2.76 for 6 cans (there's a bigger pack for better value).

Better food even, is for like Mac's. Zoo plus has good food that you can get delivered.

The better quality the food, the less they need - the higher protein keeps them full.

[ElegantDream]

Also better wet foods don't smell bad - it's the poor quality brands like Felix and Whiskas that do (don't believe the advertising).

[ElegantDream]

Ps I will always have a litter tray.

Animals poo: deal with it!

Poo outdoors? You mean in your neighbours gardens?!

[Heyheyheygoodbye]

I've always been advised to feed dry food by vets. I used Hill's Science Diet.

Litter - catsan is the best for smells IMO. My cats would actually prefer the cheapo red dusty stuff but they have lost that fight (they won basically all the others )

With bonding, a big part of it is just giving it time for their personalities to come out. Unless you are a Cat Person you won't instantly want to lay down your life for them, and that's ok! Just try to do nice stuff with them like playing and cuddling as well as feeding and litter tray!

[ElegantDream]

Sorry I'm frustrated.

Dry food cleans teeth in the way biscuits clean yours.

Cats are desert evolved animals who are designed to get their water mostly from food.

They don't have a high thirst drive, so a cat fed on dry will never get as much water as a cat or wet food.

You CAN clean cats teeth (if you start young enough it'll be no problem). You can also get logic oral gel, for them to lick up (some people swear by licking, some people say it doesn't work so well)

[ElegantDream]

Hill's and Royal Canin market directly to vets.

Do the research - I think you'll be surprised with what it throws up.

[lljkk]

I disagree about whether good quality foods smell bad, b/c we all have different ideas what are good and bad smells, anyway. But you can get used to the smell of the food.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I clean my cat's teeth, he is amazingly tolerant considering he was a stray and is over a year old now. I use liver flavoured tooth paste with mascara wands I buy from eBay.

[TSSDNCOP]

Switch to dry food, it also doesn't get flyblown.

You can have a litter for the rest of their lives, but if they're like mine they just won't use it.

Also, with cats the one that emits the highest antl cat vibe will become the epicentre of cat love.

[TSSDNCOP]

dame I could absolutely do that with TSSboy, but TSSgirl would shred me.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Oh yes, completely depends on the cat. I think Cat was so grateful to have a new home he'd let me do anything

[3amEternal]

Kittens do have stinky and loose poo a bit. Mine hardened up with age and now mostly I can't even tell when they've been. Royal Canin is good, a mix of wet and dry I would stick with. Just keep the tray scrupulously clean and they won't smell. Kittens are hard work but it does get a lot easier.

[whattheseithakasmean]

My cat will only eat dry food, she doesn't like wet. She won't drink water from a bowl, she likes me to run the tap so she can drink from the tap. Or she gets into the toilet. Or drinks from my glass.

Anyway, dry food is great, no smell. Mine doesn't have a litter tray as she goes outside, but when she was little she had cat litter than clumped & always covered up her poo, so it wasn't too bad.

If I am honest, I am not always mad keen on our cat, but she is adored by DH so doesn't need me really. She is part of the family - just a slightly annoying spoiled family member. You just get used to having cats - they wear you down until you do whatever they want.

[gamerchick]

Just experiment, I wouldn't blindly follow what vets say re food. My vet only recommends what they sell on a whole wall so obviously a vested interest and another who says that go cat is ideal for them. Experiment with litters, avoid the cheap stuff. Get a lidded box for when they're bigger. Mine likes a change of food often, it's like she gets fed up of eating the same stuff. It's Asdas crab encore wet atm with applaws dried.

I felt pretty much like you but I was kinda forced into it because of circumstances, I would never have chosen to get one and when she dies I won't be replacing her by choice like her and find them a bit fastenating but I'm still not a fan of animals roaming the house and I certainly don't see kittens as cute. I see them as little pains that climb the curtains and get lost down holes

You'll get used as they get bigger and through the baby and teen stage.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Get some better cat litter. Wood pellets stink. I use intersand Classic. No smell what so ever and clumps really well so just needs a quick scoop. Catsan is pretty good smell wise but mine walked it everywhere

[Bonbonchance]

I've always fed my cat both wet & dry food to have the benefits of both. Dry good for their teeth (in the absence of bones etc in the wild!), can leave out etc & wet obviously closest to their natural diet. I started off on Felix etc but found out more about the actual meat content (low) so feed her better quality now - look for high meat content (I get bulk orders online from Zooplus and works out hardly anything more than Felix etc). The actual food smells less, the poo smells less & has definitely improved her life in terms of activity levels & personality.

Sometimes food smell can still make me go "yuck" but rarely & I just don't get too close! I use cat litter with anti bacterial in it/oudour control (like Catsan but Tesco/Asda cheaper version) & it rarely smells tbh. Plus if they're little kittens maybe they're not too good at covering it up yet? I've had minimal other costs, have had family or friends more than happy to look after on holiday & you can get cat sitters for a reasonable price.

Once they've settled in & show their little personalities I bet you'll feel a bit more positive!

[ManonLescaut]

Whether dry food optimum for cats is debatable but, my it sure cuts down the mess and smell.

Try 'World's Best Cat Litter' it really is the world's best ime.

Plus get a litter tray with a hood and a flap, that cuts down the smell.

Once they're older they'll be going out, (I hope0 so you can ditch the tray.

[DontOpenDeadInside]

We got 2 kittens a few weeks back, and yes the litter does pong! I've bought Oko cat litter which is brill and a "Litter Locker" which is like a cat poo bin, but its smell proof so the wheelie bin doesn't stink with all the poo.

[DontOpenDeadInside]

Oh and cats who eat only dry foor are more prone to kidney problems so make sure they drink plenty.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I feed a combination of Iams dry! Iams wet,Felix wet and raw beef and fish. Goes bananas for raw beef!

[TSSDNCOP]

Dont I had not heard that about exclusively feeding dry. Is there something you've seen that I can read?

[ElegantDream]

this is a good place to start

There's lots out there if you want to research.

[TroysMammy]

I've always used Hills dried food when my cats were a bit older than kittens. There is hardly any smell, flies don't go on it like they do with wet food. I used to just top it up when they could see the bottom of the bowl, despite the fact there was food around the edges. The poo hardly smells as well.

When my cat had a poo, he would make it well known. He usually pooed the same time as I did . I would use a doggy bag to pick it out of the litter immediately, tie it up and put it in a bin outside.

[gunsandbanjos]

t.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/cats_best/14001?ref=reorder

This is the best cat litter ever, I would never buy anything else.