Cat/Kitten owners advice please **Updated with pics P2**

Hi Memedoaky,

We got a kitten ourselves about 5 weeks ago and are still very much working everything out ourselves.

I believe you already have kids so if you've kid-proofed your house it should be pretty much kitten-proof but expect them to get into everything! Think about all the potential gaps in your house that a kitten can get into though (behind the sofa, behind kitchen cabinets etc).

Personal opinion but don't give them kitten milk! I bought some as a treat for ours thinking it would be OK as it's formulated for kittens' digestive systems but after dealing with one post-milk kitten tray I swore never again! Think baby's nappies and you get the idea!

Also, although the temptation will be there, I wouldn't bother buying lots of toys for them. Our kitten's favourite playthings are a cardboard box, a laundry basket and rolled up crisp packets - he ignores everything else.

Our kitten's a pedigree British Shorthair Blue, so we haven't decided about letting him out of the house yet. We're going to get him neutered and microchipped in a few weeks and we'll see how we go after that, but so far he's shown no interest in leaving the house. I'm more scared of him being stolen than of anything happening to him!

HTH

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Yes you are right we do have children, so our house is child proofed to the hilt!!

Thanks for all your advice, my MIL is wanting to get one too so our plan is to get 2 brothers from the same litter and keep them socialised as much as possible. So their cat will be used to our house and vice versa!

Our dog, who is very used to cats, is neutered and micro chipped so this is something that we'll get done to the cat too!

I've no clue when it comes to breeds but would love a cat like in the sheba ads. H would love a grey tabby cat and mil wants a ginger cat so we're a mixed bag?!

Thanks again for your adivce, its was really helpful!

I'm off out for a while but will respond to any more posts when I get home!

Luv Victoria

xx

Hi Victoria,

I think since you are used to children a kitten will be a breeze! They are extremely demanding and want attention all the time but I'm sure your oldest boy (is it Kyle?) will be good on that front. Our kittens needed feed 5 times a day because they were so small and not very well but usually I think in the first few weeks need fed 3 times a day.

Ours are indoor cats because I lost my first, Tigger, and just couldn't go through that again. They don't mind being in because they know no different and also our white cat can't be let outside because he needs special food and we can't risk him getting fed by someone else.

I adore my babies who are just moggies from the rescue home (brother and sister).

xx

If you have children, you will need to consider how they will interact together. Kittens can be very scratchy and have to be watched with kids. Equally, children love to fuss over cats and they can easily get sick of being tugged around. You maybe better off considerig a resuce cat that isn't so flighty around children, and perhaps a cat that has already lived with children so you know they would work togther.

I've got two Ragdoll cats that are both house cats, having never been outside. It's pretty common for this breed to be indoor cats. They're 9 and 10 and are such healthy boys. There are no fleas to worry about, no injuries, no fighting (well only with each other!), and no getting lost to worry about. I think that house cats need plenty of play, access all around the house and stimuli to get enough exercise etc., but I can't think of any drawbacks to making them indoor cats.

The "Sheba" cat is a British Blue.

Kittens are great fun, but hard work. Much like children. They will scratch the carpet/furniture and cover the house in a thick layer of fluff, but they're worth every minute! When you get one, please consider a rescue kitten. So many unwanted cats in centres in need of love. My cat, Betty was a rescue and she had a bad start to life, so is very nervous. But you just can't beat the feeling of when a frightened kitten decides to trust you and begins to purr. Just wonderful!

I can recommend world's best cat litter which is fab. I can also recommend taking your kitten to the vet as soon as you get it, to get it checked out. Most vets do this for free and some even give you a free kitten pack!

Also get the kitten insured and microchipped as soon as you can. I have mine microchipped when they are neutered as it's two birds with one stone.

I can't imagine that you'd get pedigree breeds there, but please, please call in at your local rescue center to look at kittens. Our local RSPCA always has loads of kittens (that's where we got Moustache and Smudge from).

Ours were 10 weeks old and cost £70.00 each. This included microchipping, neutering, all their jabs, being de-wormed and flea'd.

They had been handled a lot over the week that the RSPCA had them, so they were extremely friendly and they also knew how to use their litter tray, so we didn't have to train them.

HTHs

x

ETA - Really bad quality phone photo of our girls in their carrier being brought home from the RSPCA center....

I would look at getting a rescue cat myself, one that is well used to children.

We had our cat before our daughter and she's two now (the daughter not the cat). It has been a struggle sometimes to keep her away from the cat when she gets overexcited. The cat has never scratched her (although I sometimes have thought it would be better if she did to teach my daughter) but a kitten wouldn't be as patient as that with my daughter's rough handling.

Kittens will scratch everything to pieces. So you need to consider whether you love your furniture or not!

The good thing about cats is they are relatively easy to care for and really just need lots and lots of cuddles (and a nice quiet place to go to get away from the children) because someone else has already housetrained them.

On the scratching furniture front - buy a scratching post and a small squirt gun (fill with water) and encourage the kittens to scratch the post by placing their paws on it. I must have looked very strange, but I "showed" ours how to do it and they soon caught on. Keep the squirt gun by the sofa and when you see them scratch anything non post-related, squirt them. They will learn very quickly.

We have just (within the last half hour) installed a cat-flap, and are currently teaching our girls how to go through it which is resulting in some very funny photos!

Kittens are hard work but so worth it. I would also advise rescue cats - our two are great and are often used to handling. Perhaps getting a young cat as oppose to a real baby might be an easier introduction to cats, especially one that has been around kids.

Definitely get a scratch pole and place it near the basket when they first arrive and get a 'get off my sofa spray' (as we call it) for cats in the beginning - any pets store has these. Cats only basically need food, water, snuggles and somewhere nice to sleep - beds and sofas work if they haven't got a basket. Ping pong balls are a great favourite with mine.

Have fun

Hi

I got my cat as a 12 week old kitten - she is now almost 11 years old.

She was very timid and shy when I first brought her home and I echo what everyone else has said about scratching. Kittens' paws are very sharp and can really hurt sometimes. I have never had any litter tray problems and she does use a scratching post but still loves to stretch out against the sofa and has never grown out of that.

She has never and will not sleep in a cat bed or in a basket, despite me trying several things over the years. She loves to curl up on a cushion but generally sleeps on top of the Sky box as it's always on and warm. She loves to be high up so she can see what's going on but also loves lying on a rug if the sun is coming through the windows. She's a house cat, only leaves the house to go to the cattery or the vets and absolutely hates going in her cat box and cries all the journey - bless.

I do strongly believe that cats add value to people's lives - generally they are very loving, know when you're upset but are also very independent. I wouldn't be without mine.

Good luck.

Not much to add to the others apart from a couple of minor things; don't necessarily expect them to scratch all your stuff to bits, a scratching post and a spray bottle with water in trained ours not to scratch furniture from arrival. Never had a problem with that. Also just because they're house cats don't expect them not to get fleas - you can bring fleas in from anywhere, ours are house cats but have to be de-fleaed monthly otherwise they come back.

Not sure how old your kids are but our cats were kittens when D arrived and they co-exist pretty happily, the cats occupy upstairs during the D while D is on the rampage and come down for their cuddles once he's in bed. They get pulled around a bit but generally ignore him!

Wow thanks everyone for your advice!! I knew hitched would be the best place!!

Sorry only to get back to this now, but we got home quite late last night even though we only thought we'd be out for a few hours, but you know how things go?

The tips you've given are great! I've been looking on the rescue centre's websites as well and we're planning a trip up to a few of them next weekend.

Kyle is used to cats as other family members have them and he knows not to touch animals unless they come to him for attention. Adam is a baby so he'll be brought up with the kitten.

Again thank you so much for the advice - you are all fab.

Luv Victoria

xxx

I am going to go against what others have said and say that I don't think that cats are hard work at all, certailny not on the same level as a child. Cats are so independent; they clean themselves and are happy as long as you give them food, a clean litter tray and plenty of cuddles. I have two rescue cats, I got them when they were 10 weeks, so they do keep each other company. However, they are indoor cats so I have a cat tree and plenty of toys for them. This is the website I use for food, litter, toys and pretty much everything else:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats

This is the cat tree we have (they love it and it has saved our sofas):

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/large/13534

Their favourite toys:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_toys/cat_tunnel_bag/tunnels/13550

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_toys/mice/153181

The best cat litter we have found:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/clumping_litter/extreme_classic/13626

The best food:

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/orijen

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd update you all on the kitten situation!

We got 2 last week! I had a wee browse on Gumtree and there was a post from a rescue place about an hours drive from us that rehome kittens & cats so I took my MIL down last Saturday. She got 2 males and I got 2 males too!

MIL called hers Barney & Dino because she has a dog named Freddy, so its like the Flintstones in her house!

We called ours Willow and Rocky - we had picked George and Alfie, but when we got then home and they settled in the names didn't suit their personalities - Willow is quiet and relaxed where as Rocky is really lively and playful!

They're both brothers and were used as footballs by some teenage boys! They has 2 sisters, 1 of which was put in a tumble drier (by the same boys who thought it would be funny) and sadly died the other girl came into the rescue centre with them but was rehomed earlier that morning. I was only going to take 1 but when I lifted 1 out the cage the other started crying for him so I just couldn't separate them.

Here are some pics, thanks again for your advice and help - we've put loads of it into practice in the past week and all is going well so far! They're booked into the vets this coming Friday for a check up and their first set of injections!

Oh if anyone can help me identify the breed 9if any) I'd be very grateful, the rescue centre didn't tell me, but then again I didn't ask and I need to know the breed to sort our their insurance!

Thanks again everyone!

Luv Victoria

xxx

This is Rocky

This is Willow

This is them cuddled up on the stairs

Aww , they are just gorgeous.

They are so cute!!

Oh they are gorgeous x

So cute. I can see why you didn't want to separate them.

Enjoy all their antics!

x

Aww Victoria, thety are sooo sweet.

I think you did a really good thing by not separating them, they look really close all snuggled up together.

They are just adorable. We couldn't separate our two sisters either (although they later turned out to be brother and sister!) and they are still cuddly like that two years on, they adore each other.

I LOVE the names, when I get my puppy (eventually!) I want to call it willow.

Gorgeous - makes me want another!

Thanks everyone!

Our dog hasn't bothered with them and vice versa and Kyle just loves them so much. He loves to play with them!

I think after spending the first few weeks of their life being abused then being kept in a cage at the rehoming centre they're just loving the stairs in our house! They sound like a herd of elephants running up and down!

Rocky has taken a real shine to my H and loves to cuddle up to him or sit on his head!!

Luv Victoria

xx

They are gorgeous memedoaky

I've got housecats, 3 maine coons (2 boys and 1 girl) my one bit of advice would be to use chick crumb instead of cat litter, it costs about £12 for a 25kg sack, which lasts my 3, a month, it clumps much better than any of the other branded litters i've tried, so you get a lot less smell from it.

hth

Em x

They're gorgeous! I'm so envious. ❤️

As for breed, I highly doubt they're a breed as such, almost certainly they're bog standard moggies. Most cats aren't particular breeds. If these ones were they would have cost their owners a fair wack to buy their parents so probably would never have ended up with such terrible treatment and needing rescuing. Plus without papers to back it up any opinions of what they might be really don't mean anything. I'd just put them down as 'cross breed' or whatever the moggie option is, no point making insurance more expensive than it needs to be.

Ohh i'm so broody, they are gorgeous bundles of fluff.

I can see what you mean about the names...Rocky has a mischievous look in his eye ..Willow, very serene ?

Hi Morrigan!

Thanks for the advice, after I posted on here I was doing some research which also said most cats are a mixture of breeds too!

I got a quote of £19.01 per month for both of them from Petplan and £14.97 per month for both of them from Tesco. Both plans are cover for life so I'll be going with the Tesco one as I get clubcard points too!

Thanks again

Luv Victoria

xx