• The Cycling News forum is looking to add some volunteer moderators with Red Rick's recent retirement. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

How to Adopt a Kitten

Totally off-topic here, but my better half runs a kitten rescue in her spare time, and has worked for veterinarians for a few years part-time. Time and again we see people make the same mistakes or have the same questions on how to adopt a kitten (or cat) that I thought I would make posts on this, and other cafe forums I visit:

1.
If you have no other pets, do not adopt just one kitten, adopt 2 at the same time, preferably siblings. We have seen this 100 times. People think they can't afford two cats, two would be more trouble (like a dog), and one is enough. so they adopt one kitten, and find the thing cries all the time, needs a lot of attention, seems confused, shreds the furniture, etc. Cats are sociable creatures, and they like to play. If you have two (or more) they will play together, sleep together, clean each other, and when you're not around not get lonely. They'll also cry a lot less. Two is also not much more expensive. You have one food bowl, one litter box, etc. They aren't like dogs, and don't require the same amount of work.

If you're in a big family, and home a lot, sometimes 1 kitten does work, but find the right kitten. If you have other pets already who may be kitten friendly, 1 kitten may work.

2. Adopt a cat, or cats, not a kittens. While kittens are adorable, they are grown up by about six months. At least they look almost grown up. They'll keep playing until often 3 years old, or older. So, consider adopting a young cat. The county shelter can often help with this. Plus, if you insist you only want 1 cat, this is an easier way to make that work.

3. Spay or neuter your cat! Within four months, without fail! There are too many unwanted pets out there. Ask around, you can find vets that will do it relatively cheap. If you are going through a pet rescue, they can often take care of it - rolling it over into the cost of the adoption, or give you a voucher for a very inexpensive vet visit.

4. Get to know a good vet. Not only for vaccinations, but everything else.

5. Breeds do have different personalities, but the environment they are raised in has as much to do with it. Exotic cats are beautiful, but expensive. We find Manx mix cats (kink in tail) to be very playful and fun overall.

6. Black cats are common, and often passed on. We've had a lot of luck with black cats. Consider a black cat.

7. If your cat is going to be an outdoor cat, get them a collar, tag and microchip. Again, ask around to get the best prices on chips. You must train your cat to stay the hell out of the road! A good way is to let it wander around, and when it comes to the front of the house or yard, yell at it chasing it to the back. This must be done many times for the cat to get the idea.

8. Consider a cat door/window. We have several cats, and they love the cat door to our (big) back yard. Works great for us too. If you have a cat door, be prepared though. One of our cute little kittens was so sweet and adorably we named him "Flower". Well, just like the boy named Sue, Flower grew up to be a tough, hunter/gatherer cat. He frequently brought inside all kinds of stuff through the door. Sticks, twigs, leaves, pine cones, dead mice, birds, snails, rats, squirrels, etc. Imagine waking up one morning and finding your little kitty has proudly placed a dead bird on your pillow next to you (yes, this happened to me). He's pretty much grown out of it, however...

9. Feed your cat the best food you can afford, but don't radically change food on them. We often have a few food bowls out, and slowly cycle through the food. If you do it abruptly, cats don't like it.

10. Find a good kind of litter, and stick to it. One problem some people have is cats peeing on stuff. Once you find litter kitty likes, stick with it, and don't change. We like the pellets. Especially Feline Pine. But recycled cardboard, etc. works good. A great litter too is called The World's Best Cat Litter, but it's expensive.

Change the litter frequently. We had one kitten who hated an unclean litter box. He would even let us know. We'd find him meowing, wonder what he wanted, and an hour later he'd pee on something. Well, it was because the box had poop in it, and he didn't like it. Not all cats are this picky, but be aware of it. It's also easier to clean a litter box that isn't very dirty twice a day, than a filthy one every few days.

As an aside, if cats don't like the litter and are peeing in the house, they will look for something similar, or to cover it. Plants are good to them. If not that, piles of clothing.

11. Get a good scratching post, or similar. This can be tough to train cats on. We find some take right to it, while others much prefer the couch/bed/carpet and take training.

12. Kittens and cats put a smile on my face every single day. Especially over the last 2 years of economic misery. They're almost always in a good mood, and help put me in one too. Yes, even my hunter who brought me gifts.

External link to more info, mostly about vaccinations and care.
 
Jul 4, 2009
340
0
0
Visit site
+1 on the Black cats, I have had very positive experiences with my black cats

I would also add. Don't be afraid to adopt a male cat. They can be as loving and as affectionate as a female. But a lot of people will pass them by.
 
Dec 29, 2009
409
0
0
Visit site
L29205 said:
+1 on the Black cats, I have had very positive experiences with my black cats

I would also add. Don't be afraid to adopt a male cat. They can be as loving and as affectionate as a female. But a lot of people will pass them by.

we have three black cats. one i named floyd after landis won the TDF. we also have floyd's sister. they are four this month.

all four of our cats are adopted. my wife, who worked for a veterinarian for about 10 years, has been raising kittens for years. many very sick. she wakes up during the night and tube feeds them and takes them to her class (biology teacher) to feed during the day.

adopt and spay and neuter your pets :).

ed rader
 
May 18, 2009
3,757
0
0
Visit site
L29205 said:
I would also add. Don't be afraid to adopt a male cat. They can be as loving and as affectionate as a female. But a lot of people will pass them by.

I dunno. I like cats and have had many in the past, only females. I love animals but only one in my past that I didn't like.

The only extended interaction I have had with a male cat is with a girl I dated in the mid 90's. She had 2 Siamese, both inside/declawed. The female loved me.....the male would hiss and try to attack me at various times. I tried to pet it and befriend it, but it was psycho.

One day I went to her condo when she was not there, and when I walked into the den the male jumped out and attacked my leg. Hissing/howling/biting...basically going apeshyt. This was a big cat.

Unfortunately for the cat, it was in the fall and I was wearing jeans. And, alot of times in the colder months I will wear cowboy boots. I happened to have some on that day.

I never had a problem with that cat again. It would still hiss, etc. when I came over, but it would never get within 15' of me.
 

Fred Thistle

BANNED
Apr 30, 2010
70
0
0
Visit site
Alpe d'Huez said:
12. Kittens and cats put a smile on my face every single day. Especially over the last 2 years of economic misery. They're almost always in a good mood, and help put me in one too. Yes, even my hunter who brought me gifts.
[/URL]

You've softened my heart!:)
 
Alpe d'Huez said:
1.[/B] If you have no other pets, do not adopt just one kitten, adopt 2 at the same time, preferably siblings. We have seen this 100 times. People think they can't afford two cats, two would be more trouble (like a dog), and one is enough. so they adopt one kitten, and find the thing cries all the time, needs a lot of attention, seems confused, shreds the furniture, etc. Cats are sociable creatures, and they like to play. If you have two (or more) they will play together, sleep together, clean each other, and when you're not around not get lonely. They'll also cry a lot less. Two is also not much more expensive. You have one food bowl, one litter box, etc. They aren't like dogs, and don't require the same amount of work.

This goes double (at least) for wild-domestic hybrids.
 
I never liked cats, yet I found a little black kitten 10 years ago meowing at me outside my apartment in Virginia. There was never any doubt in my mind for some reason that that little cat was coming home with me. I was single at the time and really had no time for pets, but I couldn't let that little cat be alone in the world.

Ten years later, he's now chilling on our couch, happy as a lark. Gets along great with our two dogs and my wife adores him. Plus he and our kid get along spectacularly well.
 
Mar 12, 2009
349
0
0
Visit site
Great Post!

Thanks for the info Alpe. I've had my cat for 18 yrs and she's been my best friend every day of them. Well maybe not a couple of those days. She once brought a live bluejay into my tiny 1 bdrm apt then hid under the bed while it went batsh*t flying around. Also, when I first got her I was having a tough time financially and couldnt afford to get her fixed. I guess my karmic payback for not doing so was when she gave birth while curled up under my chin in bed. That's an alarm clock I recommend to no one.
 
Jul 22, 2009
25
0
0
Visit site
Love Cats!!!
I have two cats Hanna and Eddy (Eddy is named after my idol Eddy Merckx and Hanna after his nickname The Cannibal and Hannibal Lecter). Eddy is the Orange mackerel tabby and Hanna the Brown mackerel.
"If you have no other pets, do not adopt just one kitten, adopt 2 at the same time, preferably siblings." Alpe d'Huez
I agree completely.

I had only Eddy for close to a year, at times He seemed depressed and bored, He didn't cry too much though, but He would scratch the furniture and sleep all day.
Soon after I adopted Hanna His whole attitude changed, He is just a happier cat, They run amok together and I have no problem with it, it's actually rather interesting watching Their predatory behavior. Their hunting instinct is really amazing, These two really brighten up my day.


picture.php



picture.php
 
May 6, 2009
8,522
1
0
Visit site
Nothing more annoys me is seeing people going to a pet store and handing over money, in some cases, hundreds of dollars to buy a cat or any other animal when they could go to the local Animal Welfare Centre and get a cat/dog/rabbit etc.

It's not a money thing, but from a moral POV I could just never do it. Where we live we're not allowed to have pets which is a shame. We've always had cats and we have always gone to the AWC to get one.
 
We had always wanted a cat, but we also go on vacation a lot, and didn't know how to balance things. Several years ago we decided to give in, and got Kitty.

My husband spent a lot of time on the internet finding all these very beautiful and very expensive kittens. I said that they would find a home without a problem, and that we should instead go to the local animal shelter.

We did that, a certain cat jumped into my arms, lay there and started purring. We didn't actually have to make a decision, it was made for us.

She was a cat, and not a kitten, either, probably about 3 years old when we adopted here. She is an "only cat" but since I work at home, she is not alone during the day.

We still travel alot, and when we do, she goes to the local cat pension. She hates it, but it is still the best option.

As a matter of fact, she has been laying on my lap the last ten minutes, "helping" me do my CN work. I did make her stop licking my hand while I was typing, though.

Susan
 
Jun 16, 2009
19,654
2
0
Visit site
Susan Westemeyer said:
We had always wanted a cat, but we also go on vacation a lot, and didn't know how to balance things. Several years ago we decided to give in, and got Kitty.

My husband spent a lot of time on the internet finding all these very beautiful and very expensive kittens. I said that they would find a home without a problem, and that we should instead go to the local animal shelter.

We did that, a certain cat jumped into my arms, lay there and started purring. We didn't actually have to make a decision, it was made for us.

She was a cat, and not a kitten, either, probably about 3 years old when we adopted here. She is an "only cat" but since I work at home, she is not alone during the day.

We still travel alot, and when we do, she goes to the local cat pension. She hates it, but it is still the best option.

As a matter of fact, she has been laying on my lap the last ten minutes, "helping" me do my CN work. I did make her stop licking my hand while I was typing, though.

Susan

That's good, I am a dog person and when I helped the neighbours look through the pound for their lost dog, well it was depressing to see how lonely they looked.:(Sorry, a bit off topic with dogs
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Susan Westemeyer said:
We had always wanted a cat, but we also go on vacation a lot, and didn't know how to balance things. Several years ago we decided to give in, and got Kitty.

My husband spent a lot of time on the internet finding all these very beautiful and very expensive kittens. I said that they would find a home without a problem, and that we should instead go to the local animal shelter.

We did that, a certain cat jumped into my arms, lay there and started purring. We didn't actually have to make a decision, it was made for us.

She was a cat, and not a kitten, either, probably about 3 years old when we adopted here. She is an "only cat" but since I work at home, she is not alone during the day.

We still travel alot, and when we do, she goes to the local cat pension. She hates it, but it is still the best option.

As a matter of fact, she has been laying on my lap the last ten minutes, "helping" me do my CN work. I did make her stop licking my hand while I was typing, though.

Susan

I couldn't get a thing done without Pete's help... (when he's not busy catching mice).

wrc0og.jpg
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Pet Insurance!

The last one we lost cost £1500/$2500 in the last 8 months of his life. Insurance is only about £8-£12 a cat a month.
 

Oncearunner8

BANNED
Dec 10, 2009
312
0
0
Visit site
Alpe d'Huez said:
Totally off-topic here, but my better half runs a kitten rescue in her spare time, and has worked for veterinarians for a few years part-time. Time and again we see people make the same mistakes or have the same questions on how to adopt a kitten (or cat) that I thought I would make posts on this, and other cafe forums I visit:

1.
If you have no other pets, do not adopt just one kitten, adopt 2 at the same time, preferably siblings. We have seen this 100 times. People think they can't afford two cats, two would be more trouble (like a dog), and one is enough. so they adopt one kitten, and find the thing cries all the time, needs a lot of attention, seems confused, shreds the furniture, etc. Cats are sociable creatures, and they like to play. If you have two (or more) they will play together, sleep together, clean each other, and when you're not around not get lonely. They'll also cry a lot less. Two is also not much more expensive. You have one food bowl, one litter box, etc. They aren't like dogs, and don't require the same amount of work.

If you're in a big family, and home a lot, sometimes 1 kitten does work, but find the right kitten. If you have other pets already who may be kitten friendly, 1 kitten may work.

2. Adopt a cat, or cats, not a kittens. While kittens are adorable, they are grown up by about six months. At least they look almost grown up. They'll keep playing until often 3 years old, or older. So, consider adopting a young cat. The county shelter can often help with this. Plus, if you insist you only want 1 cat, this is an easier way to make that work.

3. Spay or neuter your cat! Within four months, without fail! There are too many unwanted pets out there. Ask around, you can find vets that will do it relatively cheap. If you are going through a pet rescue, they can often take care of it - rolling it over into the cost of the adoption, or give you a voucher for a very inexpensive vet visit.

4. Get to know a good vet. Not only for vaccinations, but everything else.

5. Breeds do have different personalities, but the environment they are raised in has as much to do with it. Exotic cats are beautiful, but expensive. We find Manx mix cats (kink in tail) to be very playful and fun overall.

6. Black cats are common, and often passed on. We've had a lot of luck with black cats. Consider a black cat.

7. If your cat is going to be an outdoor cat, get them a collar, tag and microchip. Again, ask around to get the best prices on chips. You must train your cat to stay the hell out of the road! A good way is to let it wander around, and when it comes to the front of the house or yard, yell at it chasing it to the back. This must be done many times for the cat to get the idea.

8. Consider a cat door/window. We have several cats, and they love the cat door to our (big) back yard. Works great for us too. If you have a cat door, be prepared though. One of our cute little kittens was so sweet and adorably we named him "Flower". Well, just like the boy named Sue, Flower grew up to be a tough, hunter/gatherer cat. He frequently brought inside all kinds of stuff through the door. Sticks, twigs, leaves, pine cones, dead mice, birds, snails, rats, squirrels, etc. Imagine waking up one morning and finding your little kitty has proudly placed a dead bird on your pillow next to you (yes, this happened to me). He's pretty much grown out of it, however...

9. Feed your cat the best food you can afford, but don't radically change food on them. We often have a few food bowls out, and slowly cycle through the food. If you do it abruptly, cats don't like it.

10. Find a good kind of litter, and stick to it. One problem some people have is cats peeing on stuff. Once you find litter kitty likes, stick with it, and don't change. We like the pellets. Especially Feline Pine. But recycled cardboard, etc. works good. A great litter too is called The World's Best Cat Litter, but it's expensive.

Change the litter frequently. We had one kitten who hated an unclean litter box. He would even let us know. We'd find him meowing, wonder what he wanted, and an hour later he'd pee on something. Well, it was because the box had poop in it, and he didn't like it. Not all cats are this picky, but be aware of it. It's also easier to clean a litter box that isn't very dirty twice a day, than a filthy one every few days.

As an aside, if cats don't like the litter and are peeing in the house, they will look for something similar, or to cover it. Plants are good to them. If not that, piles of clothing.

11. Get a good scratching post, or similar. This can be tough to train cats on. We find some take right to it, while others much prefer the couch/bed/carpet and take training.

12. Kittens and cats put a smile on my face every single day. Especially over the last 2 years of economic misery. They're almost always in a good mood, and help put me in one too. Yes, even my hunter who brought me gifts.

External link to more info, mostly about vaccinations and care.

***edited by mod***
 

TRENDING THREADS