Kitten vs cat

[Frazzledmum55]

I’ve got the chance to get 1 year old cat. Aside from the cuteness factor what are the benefits of a kitten over a cat?
I do have my heart set on a kitten, have done for a while but I’m now wondering whether to get the older cat. Apparently a friendly lap cat.

Are all kittens bitey, scratchy, pouncy things? I haven’t had a kitten for a very very long time but I vaguely remember being it’s prey, and being scared to walk around corners as it would pounce on me What age do they grown out of that play and calm down?

An older cats personality if likely to be better known. So you are more likely to get a lap cat!

Agree with previous poster - if you know you want a cuddly lap cat then it's easier to get an older cat as their personality is more established. With kittens you can't guarantee what you'll end up with 🤣

Kittens are cute but require a lot more attention and you've almost got to train them like dogs to not scratch the furniture, curtains or carpets, not to mention the crazy kitten zoomies at 10pm every night! 🤣

We adopted my old boy (RIP) as an adult, he was a chilled out lap cat, we had a good idea of his personality and he slotted in well.
After he passed away, and a failed attempt to adopt another adult (who unfortunately
hated our existing girl), we adopted a kitten from the RSPCA instead.
He is now 10 months old and starting to become a cuddly companion, but the first 6 months were frankly painful.
He has to be allowed out for several hours a day or he will literally run up us (despite having a huge cat tree). We kept him in for a couple of days around Diwali & NYE due to fireworks and needed to play with him (long feathery stick to protect our hands!) several times a day. Toes must be firmly tucked under the duvet or will be munched on
He's probably at the more extreme end but we couldn't have predicted it from the little bundle of fluff that arrived at 12 weeks.

Kittens are bites scratchy wee buggers but it’s up to you, adult cats are a known quantity.

Only three out of 7 cats I’ve owned have been lap cats.

Older cat is apparently a lap cat.
Are kittens really that bad? I sometimes think if they didn’t look cute nobody would have them.

There not bad their just your typical baby animal. Like toddlers.

I had kittens, they were easy enough but if I'd had the offer of a good natured one year old cat I'd have leapt at the chance. One is still such a young cat.

AwkwardPaws look at that tummy!

My kitten is nearly 2 years old and is only now starting to calm down a bit. She has brought a lot of pleasure but probably an equal amount of pain. Personally at 1 I do not think you can tell if you will be getting a lap cat, probably still too busy causing havoc.

I want a kitten next time because I like bengals and I think I can bring the next one up to be a good cat and not a little hooligan.

Deep down I know I am on a hiding to nothing.

Kittens are hard work - they get into absolutely everything, run up and down your curtains, hide in obscure places. Sometimes they need help with toilet training and you have to clean up after them (although many are litter trained by their mums). And they are kittens for a very short time - you only have a few weeks of the 'cute kitten' phase and then you have a gangly adolescent cat . You will have to vaccinate and neuter/spay when the time comes.

An adult cat is much easier and a rescue will come vaccinated and neutered.

Kittens can sometimes be hard work, sometimes not, it really does depend on the kitten but they are never kittens for long so even if you end up with the most hyperactive, bitey kitten in the world (like we did recently ) it soon passes and the next thing you know they're out and about teenagers treating your house like a hotel and you're nostalgically reminiscing about the cute little kitten that used to love chasing rolled up bits of tissue as you scrape up the remains of yet another half a mouse from your dining room floor. The only thing which stops me from saying definitely go for a kitten is the fact that although the world is usually overflowing with kittens looking for homes, the moment you decide to get one there are suddenly none to be found. Certainly you may be waiting until at least April or so for kitten season to really get going. So an affectionate one year old right now might be more of a banker unless you are happy to wait.

I got my cat when he was a ball of fluff on legs. Incredibly cute but he was a little demon. We all have at least one permanent scar from his days of leaping on to bare legs with claws extended and scraping his way down to the floor.

He didn't really calm down until he was 3 or 4 years old but he was still growing at that age. (The vet thinks that a parent or grandparent was a Maine Coon, and they tend to take longer to reach full size).

Much as I love him, I don't think I could go through the kitten stage again anytime soon. I would go for an older cat.

We got two male brother kittens when they were 9 weeks old. They had been rescued and were on their way to the shelter if we didn't take them so we did. My god they were so bold and still are at almost two but they are so funny and cute. I wouldn't swap them but I'm not sure I'd get as young next time. They're the oddest fellas. They're soooo cuddly, particularly one of them who is my shadow. None of our cats growing up were like them. I don't know enough about cats in general to know if it was that they were love bombed by their human sisters and spoilt rotten from day one or if they are just like this. One is still very young.

Having previously adopted a pair of one year old cats, and also kittens at different stages I would go for one year old cats next time if I had a choice. They were much less work than the pair of 5 month old kittens we got or the two 8 week old kittens.

Having an 8 week old kitten is like a baby, they can't be left alone for long, need feeding four times a day, climb curtains, scratch furniture etc. Don't get me wrong I loved having them that little as they were so cute being that small but overall the one year olds were a lot better.

Good luck!

Kittens look cute. So people want them.
If fact they’re only cute so you don’t murder the little buggers for ripping up furniture, attacking the kids and climbing the curtains.
We got our two as kittens. Won’t again.
An adult is a much safer option. You can tell their character. As it is we have bitey cat and growly cat. Good job I like “character” and “spirit”
If we have more cats. They won’t be kittens.

My ten year old has recently discovered her second kitten hood.

A 1 year old cat is just edging out of kitten and into juvenile years, and will be energetic and loads of fun. I’d go for it!

If you know you what a lap cat go older.

I've fostered so many kittens over the years. The climb up your legs, claw at your feet and shit everywhere.

I hand raised the last 3 I fostered and they were so adorable I kept them all.....only 1 remotely likes me. Very sad, I'm just feeding free loaders with the others

I have a now 22 week old kitten. Within the time I've had him he's pulled down my living room curtains, obliterated 2 Christmas trees, refuses to use his 6 foot cat tower as a scratch post and prefers my year old £2k sofa...we have now had to cover our lovely new sofa with smelly old throws and clear sticky tape so we may as well have not got it! 🤣

He's also obsessed with water and has fell in both the toilet and bath umpteen times. He is adorable and I don't regret him but it's harder than an adult cat for sure.

I think I may be in a minority here - but I think kittens are absolutely brilliant.
I've only acquired one adult cat, the other 9 all came as groups of sibling kittens (in sets of two, three, two and two respectively).
They entertain themselves & cause endless amusement for the humans. My experience has been to get more than one at a time and they are no trouble at all.
They do of course calm down a bit, although Karl (3) still climbs the living room curtains and Basil (10) is still ridiculously playful (chasing dressing gown ties, biting toes in bed etc. EVERY morning).

Best of all they develop different characters, and I've really enjoyed seeing kittens grow and change.

Actually in some ways adult cats are more difficult than kittens because they insist on welding themselves on your lap the minute you sit down and prevent you from doing the things you need to. .

Having said all of this OP - I'd probably just get the one year old anyway.

Our latest "clutch" are now 14 months. We got them at 12 weeks a year ago and they've been a joy. Sadly not as affectionate as my previous cats and they're total wrong'uns but I wouldn't have missed their kittenhood for the world.

I'm kind of hoping a lap cat stray will adopt us though! I miss cat cuddles.

@Frazzledmum55

Older cat is apparently a lap cat. Are kittens really that bad? I sometimes think if they didn’t look cute nobody would have them.

Same with puppies, actually puppies are much worse

But agree with PP - an older cat is a better cuddly lap sort of kitty rather than a kitten, they can be cuddly but often less so

My kitten is fun because she's up for doing more and playing, but a 1 yr old cat will still have lots of energy. However, my kitten is also a nightmare. I have to wear slippers all the time else she'll attack my feet, she eats everything and had to be rushed to the vets after she ate some string. She also pounces on you when you least expect it, if I'm typing she'll be all over my hands biting and scratching. Also, my youngest DD is kind of scared of her. She'll grow out of it but she's definitely more work than my 9 yo cat who very chill

Kittens = pouncey, unpredictable, sharp and cute.

They are adorable but I will never have another one. We adopted our second at 10 months and it has been much smoother sailing. I'd also go for the older cat.