Kitten for Christmas - where from

[BrassTactical]

Before I get shouted at, I know they aren’t just for Christmas but I have 3 weeks off work and Jan/Feb is work quiet time so illl have time at home to settle them in and do all vet stuff. Kids have been desperate for pets (we have horses but they can’t sit on the sofa), and no time for a dog.

So thinking of getting 2 kittens for Christmas, 2 so they can keep each other company when I am at work. Have a large house and garden and a back porch they can come in and out of when I’m out.

But where from? It’s been years since I had a cat and google just shows me a load of backyard breeders selling at £550-£1500

I’d like them already neutered but understand if I’ll have to get them done, will call RSPCA but loath to as they banned my parents for bringing back a puppy that was attacking my little sister (despite us having 2 dogs from them that were family pets for years).

Just looking for advice and any tips on what I need to do when they come other than flea/worm/vaccination/neuter etc.

Lots of cat rescues that aren't RSPCA...

Lots of cat rescues that can help you i toi would avoid the rspca though. Try cats protection that's where i got my girl from or battersea cats home if your further down south but don't buy a cat from a breeder that's just cruel and fuels animals dying in shelters

Cat protection league?
Flyers at your vets?
Local Facebook page?
Classifieds in your local paper?

Definitely try the Cats' Protection. It isn't 'kitten season' at the moment but they will get a few all year round. They will come chipped, and you may get a voucher for neutering.
Some cat rescues suspend rehoming over Christmas so you may have to do this sooner.
Definitely not 'Gumtree' or breeders or a man in the pub!

Cat's Protection
Celia Hammond
Battersea.

However this isn't really kitten season so you may struggle with timing.

Where are you living?

Sorry cats'. I understand they do have more than one cat

I'd get rescues. Depending on the age of your children an older kitten around 4 to 6 months might be best, still playful less likely to scratch and much less squishable. Most rescues will have already neutered if old enough and chipped or will give you a voucher for the neutering if not old enough. No point buying a posh cat unless you really want a specific breed, there are so many unwanted kittens. Oh and do get them after Christmas so they don't get scared by the mayhem.

Does it have to be kittens? There are so many adult cats desperate for a home, and they are far less damaging to your soft furnishings/wallpaper etc.
They will also be calmer, less traumatised by the move and more tolerant of your DC than a kitten might be.
Cats Protection neuter, microchip and immunise all their cats before rehoming them. They usually ask for a minimum donation (it was £60 when I last got a cat from them) but they are always grateful if you can offer more.
They refuse to give out cats pre Christmas, as a PP said, for very good reason. So you would need to get a move on or leave it until after New Year. Good luck!

I would wait until you have taken the Christmas tree down.

I would go to a rescue. Many of them neuter or give a voucher to neuter as part of the adoption pack.
However a lot of rescues will not rehome around christmas due to the animal being brought back after the cute factor, excitement has died down and the reality of having a pet has set in.
In my experience cats need to be left to their own devices when getting used to a new home. I foster cats, and generally start them off in a quiet room with all their stuff and gradually open the house up to them.
From a social point of view i start off with non touch play and maybe a few strokes when feeding. Some cats are more friendly than others, so you might get one that wants to jump up on couch within a week or one that will hide under furniture whenever you come in the room. You just have to take it at their pace.
This however can be quite complicated to explain and achieve with excited children at christmas.

You can find your local rescues on this website: www.catchat.org/index.php/cat-rescue-centres-uk-ireland

Whilst it isn't strictly kitten season, there are kittens all year round these days.

Do not be tempted to buy from private sellers unless it is a registered, reputable breeder! Most of these private sale kittens have never even seen a vet and you don't know anything about the real circumstances they are coming from.

Rescue kittens will come vet checked, vaccinated, flea & worm treated and the back up and advice from the rescue. Most ask for a donation in the region of £50-100 per cat/kitten.

The only thing I would say about the timing is that if you have a busy Christmas, i.e. lots of family or friends visiting, parties etc., then it might be best to wait until after that's all done as it's not the best time to settle in new cats. If it's just your family and a more quiet time at home, then that's fine.

Brilliant advice thank you, happy to get a rescue, I’m in South Yorkshire, rural but near some big cities so will take a look at that link.

Good point on the Xmas rehoming ban, I can see why, maybe I should move the timescale forward/back.

House itself should be fairly calm as we go to family at Christmas (few doors down), will have one party on Boxing Day but I have a totally separate room that I can use for them well away from the noise as you are right hadn’t thought about noise levels.

Would be happy to take an older cat with kitten, but do want one to grow with the girls, although that feels a little selfish now... hmmm lots to think about.

when the Christmas tree comes down made me laugh, I forgot that cat habit

Oh and happy to pay the cost to a rescue, but some bloke in a shithole holding up a grands worth of Savannah by its front paws I won’t support which was the first sight I saw

There's 2 pairs of kittens at yorkshire cat rescue that I saw on fb this morning.... there's 2 bonded sisters that they are trying to rehome together :)

What everyone else said, but you will be out of season.

Cats have kittens twice a year in Spring and late Summer There are always outliers in terms of timing, and at the moment there are still quite a lot of kittens around, but in another month there will be very few indeed. However rescues will still have a number of older kittens, say around four or five months, that they weren't able to find homes for during the glut. So as long as you aren't fixed on getting very small ones you should find them.

www.catchat.org will show you all your rescues near you. As long as they are old enough they should come ready vaccinated, neutered etc.

And yes, as everyone else said, does it have to be kittens? With adult cats you know the temperament you are getting and if you want very friendly and good with children for instance then that's what you can get. With kittens you just don't know.

Pink Paws rescue are in Yorkshire, they're on FB, so ave a word with them?

Sorry Allerton cat rescue not yorkshire cat rescue. Still not too far from you though...

Brasstactical,
Other posters have suggested some great rescue organizations. I would also seriously consider getting an older cat. Kittens are hard work and as others have said, there are lots of adult cats looking for a loving home.

Don't rule out RSPCA completely, you may have just had a bad experience with one particular branch. Our local one is run separate to the main RSPCA and we had a great experience with them. The other nearest branch has some bad reviews.

We got a young brother and sister pair and so glad we did. They were already trained to toilet in tray or outside, perfectly housetrained and used to kids. But still young enough to grow up with the kids.

Have a look at World Animal Friends. They bring abandoned kittens and cats from countries like Romania. We've had a couple from them and can't rate them highly enough. They have a Facebook page.

I’ve messaged Allerton now thank you Cricket, and will take a look at the other rescues noted really appreciated.

As PP said they introduce slowly in a quiet area I think I’ll just go for it now as they won’t need me there 24/7, I do work from home 2-3 days a week so would only be 2 days I’m away and my childcare can help with them then as she stays in my house.

Not ruling out an older cat / older calmer kitten, think I’ll visit the rescues if I can and introduce the kids to see if there is one that they just bond with.

Oh please go to a rescue. I was at Celia Hammond a couple of weeks ago with a friend who rehomed two cats. They had 230 cats/kittens in just this branch and they all needed homes. I could have taken them all and keep thinking about those we left behind. Please give a homeless cat, or two, a warm and loving home.

Just after rescusing a Tom Cat. Have a femal cat already about 12 yars old. was going to get a kitten but rescue centre said could get jelouse. Tom cat is about 5 years old, he has fitted in nicely to thehouse and its a bonus as he is cat litter trained. Please go to a resucue centre and see all age of cats as they are all love geting attention. My last Tom cat died last year he was about 9 years ol. When went to the shelter to get him was going to get a kitten however every time i walked past his cage his was climbing it with his paw sticking out trying to claw at me, so he picked me. He was a fab cat, like a bbay, all he wanted was cuddles and attention. He was a year old when we got him and the shelter said had him for 6 months as no one wanted an older cat. Took him home and he lived a good lif, untill he died of a kidney stones. Was devastated. Took me a while to get a new cat to repalce him but again went to a shelter.

Some rescues may also have a mum cat (often quite young herself) and a kitten - our kitten came from RSPCA and they were also looking for someone to adopt her mum. She came to the rescue pregnant, so the kittens hadn't lived anywhere else.

(Someone else had already reserved mum, otherwise we'd have taken both.)