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The litter tray

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

Original poster

So do I or don't I?

223 replies

FinishWhatWeStarted · 25/09/2021 07:27

Yesterday I took my friend to pick a kitten from my brothers house.
I fell in love with one of the kittens who was absolutely adorable.
I sent my husband photos and he said 'if you want one get one but I won't be involved' (we all know that would last about five minutes 😂)
After playing with them all for about an hour we pack up friends kitten and head home.
Now I'm thinking I should have brought the one home that I liked. Especially given that it's the only one that isn't spoken for.
We have an older dog who is soft as anything and would wander round the garden with our guinea pigs when we had them with no prey drive at all. She would ignore my mums old cat when we visited. She was more interested in the poop. Which leads me to another con on the list.
My heart says yes but my head says no. We had no plans to get a cat but we can afford one. My kids would love it, but it's, potentially, a 15 year plus commitment.
There are probably more cons than pros!
Realistically I know that it's care would fall to me as the dogs does.
I have no idea how much keeping a cat costs. I'd get insurance because we all know cats can get themselves into sticky situations!
If it makes a difference I did animal care at college and I've worked in rescue and boarding previously.

If you were me what would you do?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
34
Fluffycloudland77 · 02/10/2021 08:09

One of us should probably mentioned ornaments & blue tac 😃

It’s the best game though, “tap, tap, tap tap. Ooh it’s on the floor. I wonder what happens if I tap this ornament?”

AlfonsoTheDinosaur · 02/10/2021 09:41

@Fluffycloudland77

One of us should probably mentioned ornaments & blue tac 😃

It’s the best game though, “tap, tap, tap tap. Ooh it’s on the floor. I wonder what happens if I tap this ornament?”

Have the humans paid the gravity bill this month? Let's see if it's still working.
Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 02/10/2021 19:27

😂😂😂

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Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 02/10/2021 19:29

A question for you experts. My friend has Cassie's sister. She lives across the road (cul de sac) and we've talked about getting them together to play 🙈 but we don't know if it would be confusing and upsetting for them to be separated? If it did work then would it be possible for mine to stay at hers over Christmas when we go away. She's been booked in to care for her then since before we got her and her eldest will hang out at ours during the day when they haven't got plans so she's not alone. Thing is the dog won't be here as we have plans for her to go to my parents.

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 02/10/2021 19:50

They'll probably find each other anyway when they are allowed out. They may be friends, they may not. Time will tell!

AlfonsoTheDinosaur · 02/10/2021 19:53

Cats are attached to territory so as long as that remains the same, she should be ok. I don't think she'll be too concerned about being separated from her sister as they weren't a bonded pair. Give it a try and see how it goes. They might play together; they might not.

Elieza · 02/10/2021 23:16

I’d try it fairly soon while they are young and playful. It would be nice if they recognise each other and play together. Smile

The only worry I’d have is them crossing the road to see each other once they are big and allowed out.

violetbunny · 03/10/2021 03:40

Cats recognise each other by scent. If you're going to reintroduce them then it's best to do it sooner rather than later. Once they no longer smell the same it's quite possible they may not recognise each other any longer.

We have sibling cats and when one went missing for 2 weeks, when he came back his sister took one sniff of him, hissed, and slapped him in the face with her paw..!

iloveeverykindofcat · 03/10/2021 07:00

Ahh she's lovely! And a tortoishell.....they say torties are always feisty, though I think its just an urban legend, my friend who is a vet nurse swears there's something to it. She sounds like a confident little character. Being active and into everything is a sign she's in great health. Insure now though! Honestly I have two cats, one had never been ill in her life and I duly paid insurance every month, sometimes wondering if it was worth it...well, this year she dislocated her wrist (front ankle?) in such a way that needed a plate to fuse the bones. The surgery ran into thousands of pounds - she had to stay overnight and an orthopedic vet had to do it, then she had to have a post-op check and a followup x-ray a few weeks later to check all was healing properly. It was a rough few weeks with her crate and casts (we cheated a bit) but she made a fantastic recovery, she leaps, jumps, sprints and does everything she did before with no indications of pain at all. I saw the x-ray and the bones were nowhere near each other, there is absolutely no way they would have healed without surgery. If she hadn't been insured I honestly don't know what we'd have done. Here she is in her crate after the surgery and then a few weeks ago, sitting up on the drawers she just jumped on, with her feet placed perfectly.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/10/2021 08:40

Late to the party..........

She is gorgeous , you are very lucky .And don't think of her as "the one who wasn't spoken for" she was "the one who waited for you"

As a previous guinea-pig Mum (we had eight of them over 8 years . At one point we had a herd of 5 ) I can state that cats are much easier than piggies . (We have 2 young adult cats now )

As the previous CatMum to a tortoiseshell/white who lived to be 17yo . ....you have your work cut out Grin

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 03/10/2021 08:52

Love how you saw her on Fri , DH was Hmm and on the Sunday he collected her .
Especially as he had to travel a distance .

Cassie would have eyeballed him "Sooo you didn't want anything to do with a kitten and yet HERE YOU ARE " Grin

Recipe for UndertheClaw .

AlfonsoTheDinosaur · 03/10/2021 12:22

OP, your DH is her special sausage, now and forever.

Shmithecat2 · 03/10/2021 12:30

IME, cats really don't care about each other that much, especially torties 😂. Just one thing - please make sure she can't get outside until she's spayed. I've dealt with kittens less that 4mo pregnant 😓. A good vet will spay her from 4mo. An even better one will do it as soon as they weigh 2lbs, but they seem few and far between in the UK.

Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 03/10/2021 21:01

I will reply to everyone soon but she had her first injection today and she's feeling sad and hot. She's super sleepy too. She had a good wander round the vets office and he is very taken with her!
If we are worried we have him on WhatsApp.

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Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 03/10/2021 21:04

@Shmithecat2

IME, cats really don't care about each other that much, especially torties 😂. Just one thing - please make sure she can't get outside until she's spayed. I've dealt with kittens less that 4mo pregnant 😓. A good vet will spay her from 4mo. An even better one will do it as soon as they weigh 2lbs, but they seem few and far between in the UK.
She's gained weight in the past week but is still tiny. She won't be going out until she's spayed. We do not want babies!
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GiantCheeseMonster · 03/10/2021 21:31

I have three cats. One is a tortie with very similar markings. All I can say is, I didn’t believe the “personality is linked to coat colour” until we got her, and now I am 100% convinced - so many people have told me the same. Tortiecat is SO affectionate and wants to be with you all the time. If we go for a walk she will come with us all the way if she sees us leaving the house. She is a total lap cat (on my lap now as I type). The flip side is she lets you know when she’s had enough (she’ll suddenly nip you and run off) and she’s a skilled hunter. Apparently it’s rare to get a tortie that isn’t. She’s a real personality though and I wouldn’t be without her.

Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 04/10/2021 09:45

@iloveeverykindofcat what a beauty. Defo will be getting insurance but need to do some research.

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Shmithecat2 · 04/10/2021 09:53

[quote FinishWhatWeStarted]@iloveeverykindofcat what a beauty. Defo will be getting insurance but need to do some research. [/quote]
As far as insurance goes, PetPlan or Bought By Many tend to be the best - although not necessarily the cheapest, but the best cover for sure. I have policies with both (7 cats in total).

iloveeverykindofcat · 04/10/2021 10:13

Yes we have PetPlan! Not the cheapest but fair play to them they do pay out promptly. Thank you, she's a gorgeous girl and really really sweet and bonded to me. Not the sharpest tool in the shed but hey, we can't all be a rocket scientist.

Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 04/10/2021 10:29

I was on ft to my mum yesterday and I came back in the room after twenty minutes to find dh fast asleep and her curled up round his neck like a scarf 😂
I just wish she loved me as much 😩

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Fluffycloudland77 · 04/10/2021 10:49

The dh who won’t be getting involved? That dh? 😃 wearing her like a scarf

Chemenger · 04/10/2021 11:44

@Chemenger

Do it. In a week you’ll be posting a picture of mr “I’m having nothing to do with it” with the kitten sleeping under his chin, your floor will be littered with toy mice and balls of paper and everyone will have just a little bit more joy in their lives. Cats really are no bother compared to dogs. Oh and please make sure your brother’s cat gets spayed.
I told you so!
iloveeverykindofcat · 04/10/2021 11:46

That didn't take her long!

Original poster
FinishWhatWeStarted · 04/10/2021 20:58

@Chemenger so you did! 😂 he loves her but wouldn't admit to it!

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Awwlookatmybabyspider · 04/10/2021 21:04

Looks like she’s already a daddy’s girlGrin.

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