Me and my partner are in the process of getting a house together, and the very nice landlord will allow us to have pets :)

We have decided that once we are settled we would like to get a kitten or cat, but the last time i had a kitten i was 8 years old, and of course it wasn't me doing most of the work!

I'd like to get some advice from people who own/have owned kittens as i would like one, but am also considering an older cat as that might cause less destruction :D

Any advice on what i can expect would be greatly appreciated :help:

It depends what aspect of cat/kitten care you are wanting advice on:) I have an old cat and a kitten, and I'd be more then happy to answer any questions you may have. Kittens are lovely, but bloody HARD WORK:hihi: And rescuing my old baby was one of the best feelings I've ever had.

If i were to get another (and I'm becoming increasingly tempted!!!) I think I'd go for another adult. There's so many in need of a good home:(

You need to be around more for a tiny baby too. There's a lot to take into consideration. But good luck, getting a new pet is such an exciting time:love::D

thanks for your response LitleMermaid, i was mainly concerned about the time we would be at home to look after a kitten. there would be a gap when nobody will be about most weekdays for about 3 hours in the day due to work patterns.
and what about training, and vets bills.. what should we expect?

Three hours doesn't sound too bad to be honest. I know some people will disagree, but my cats are often on their own for longer then that, because I broke up with my boyfriend and he moved out. Before that they were rarely left alone for longer then a few hours, but I have to work and Uni, and there's not really a lot I can do about it, circumstances change. And they get lots and lots of attention when I am in the house, in fact, I don't get a choice on that matter, they are in my face:hihi:

As for vets fees, I have been quite lucky to say Ginger is 16! She's never cost me a penny, apart from routine checkups and flea treatments etc. Getting a kitten is much more expensive, neutering and jabs and then I had a couple of courses of ear mite treatment at 15 quid for the smallest bottle you've ever seen:roll::hihi: Also depends on your vets. There is a huge difference in price, and in my experience, just because a vet is cheaper doesn't neccessarily mean you get worse service/treatment.

Insurance is definately worth getting, because it's easier to budget for a fixed monthy outgoing rather then random huge bills as and when you need them (hopefully never!) No-one will insure Ginger cos she is too old though:(

Providing you are careful about where you get your cat or kitten from, and by that I mean making sure they are in good health, frequent trips to the vets are not likely to be needed. Thank God, cos I'm poor:hihi::hihi:

:)

Kittens or Cats: choice is really up to you. Consider if it will be a house cat or one allowed outside and if allowed outside- will it have access to a cat flap or will it be outside all the time you are at work. If indoor, you'll need to keep a litter tray down all the time - but provided you keep it clean, you probably won't even notice it, especially if you buy a hooded one. Cats are generally clean and fastidious by nature so are usually litter trained by the time you get them. cats can be clicker trained in much the same way as dogs can be but I've never tried it- Lotti is the expert on the clicker.

Outdoor cats: make their own amusement, are more self-sufficient, keep their own hours and may or may not develop a strong bond with their owners, depending on how much attention they get from you and whether or not they find the great outdoors more exciting than time spent with you. They must be neutered/ spayed and prefereably vaccinated against FeLV and all the usual cat diseases AND microchipped as they are at high risk if coming into contact with another infectious outdoor cat. Can be fickle creatures- may wander off and decided to take up home with someone else if the food os tastier, the fireside warmer and the attention more forthcoming...

You may wish to consider whether you will be living close to a main road and other risks such as if there are dogs, high incidence of cat disappearances or disease in your area. Sorry if that sounds alarmist- Ive owned lots of outdoor cats over the years and also lost several to the roads, dogs, evil neighbours with air guns, disease and other unpleasant incidents. My cats are now indoor.

Indoor cats: need lots of stimulus to keep them amused, depending on age and breed of cat - some are quite happy to chill out all day but some such as Bengals and Orientals/Siamese demand attention and crave human companionship. they are not good breeds to live alone. It is still adviseable to get an indoor cat neutered/spayed and vaccinated AND Microchipped- if he or she escapes you want him/her to come back safe. Have to watch their diet and keep them active to prevent obesity. Will reward you with lots of love and laughter if you interact with them regularly.

Cats or kittens? Kittens intially need more attention and are more likely to get into mischief when on their own- but they do soon calm down and a lot of is depends on the age you acquire a kitten at. A lot of people give kittens away at age 6 weeks. Personally, I think that's too young- the kitten needs time to learn how to socialise with it's brothers and sisters as well as people and other pets and at 6 weeks old it has only just been weaned and it can be traumatic being snatched from the security of one environment and placed into a new and alien environment at that age. Yes, they get over it, but kittens we've adopted at a slightly older age have tended to be more rounded individuals and bonded better than the real babies.
I think 8-12 weeks is better. Pedigree cat breeders dont let their cats go to their new homes until they are 13 weeks old when they have completed their vaccs regime.
If you were likely to be away all day I would say get 2 kittens together as they would be company for one another, but if you're only talking about leaving a kitten for about 3 hrs a day it's not so much of an issue- they tend to have their mad half hours, eat and sleep a lot and as long as you spend time playing (lots of chase, fetch and catch activities), they will make their own amusement.
An older cat will soon settle in to his or her new home but may intially be a littlenervous- depending on its background. If you adopt from one of the cat rescue centres, most cats will have been cared for and observed by cat lovers who can advise you of the particular personality of a cat, to see whether you and it will be a good match. There are a lot of 'preloved' cats out there, all desperate for a loving forever home and if you decide to opt for an older cat, I'm sure you will be aptly rewarded as they are just as capable of being playful (and 'kittenish') as any youngster - kittens don't remain kittens forever.

Whichever you opt for- make sure you supply a good scratching post so your cat/kitten has no excuse to use the stair carpet, furniture or wallpaper to strop their claws on- keep the claws trimmed too.

Feed a good quality diet (avoid the cheap brekkies/whiskas/ shops own type biscuits and cheap cat meat- it ruins their teeth and has very little nutritional value, being bulked up with additives, sugars and flavourings - check out the meat content on some of them, it's shocking). I use Burns, James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin dried food and a mix of wet foods- Nature's Menu, Applaws, Gourmet, Alno tinned and some HiLife. Tinned Tuna as a treat. No milk. Plenty of fresh water.

Vets fees: I pay about £50 for the starter vaccs (which includes the Feline Leukemia FeLv) and it's about £38 for the annual boosters. Microchipping is about £15-£20 but sometimes you find out about free microchipping events - there's one advertised somewhere on the forum at the moment. If you make sure you put a bit of money on one side every month you can be prepared for most minor medical emergencies or you could choose to pay into a pet insurance scheme. I did that for years but with the quantity of cats I own it was'nt practical so now I put money to one side instead. Spaying or neutering at 6 months differs but is probably around £60-70. If you adopt a Cats Protection Cat, the £50 dontation already covers the cost of spaying/ neutering, vaccs AND microchipping and I think this is true of some of the other cat rescues- but the adoption fees differ from place to place- so worth looking into.

Good luck finding what you want. It's great that your landlord is willing to let you move in with a feline- a lot are funny about it and assume the flat will end up trashed and smelling of cat wee in no time, which is rubbish unless you let it happen, of course!

Re the destructiveness issue - even if you provide your cat with lots of scratching posts, you will still likely get some claw marks somewhere! Cats like to stretch up and scratch - that's just cats.

We found ours were particularly partial to textured wallpaper - woodchip and that embossed stuff. Before we left one rented house we had to repaper a section of the chimney breast where the littlest tom had scratched - this is despite having activity centres and a scratching post in every room. I would say as long as you keep an eye out and maintain anything the cats shred, you shouldn't get any hassle from your landlord!

thanks for all the replies, it's all very helpful stuff :)
i think we would most likely go to cats protection and adopt, most of our cats (we had quite a few over the years!) have been adopted from similar places.
i'd be prepared to replace anything damaged in the house, i can remember having four kittens and two cats at the same time as a kid... best not getting floor length curtains as i remember!!
i just wanted to get all the information i can from people with a bit more experience and get all the facts, rather than rushing into anything.
will keep you updated as to what we end up doing :D

thanks for all the replies, it's all very helpful stuff :)
i think we would most likely go to cats protection and adopt, most of our cats (we had quite a few over the years!) have been adopted from similar places.
i'd be prepared to replace anything damaged in the house, i can remember having four kittens and two cats at the same time as a kid... best not getting floor length curtains as i remember!!
i just wanted to get all the information i can from people with a bit more experience and get all the facts, rather than rushing into anything.
will keep you updated as to what we end up doing :D

Keep us posted - you could try
Sheffield Cat Shelter, http://www.thesheffieldcatsshelter.org/
Sheffield Hallam Cats Protection, http://www.catsprotectionshop.com/
North Sheffield Cats protection, no weblink but tel: 01142 456371
South Yorkshire Animal Rescue, Tel: 0114 234 9656 (rehoming/24hr free advice service)
Email: philslack_sheffield@blueyonder.co.uk
Thornberry Animal Sanctuary, http://www.thornberry-animal-sanctuary.org/
Sheffield RSPCA http://rspcasheffield.homeip.net/cgi-bin/makepage.py?menu=homecode.dat&targetpage=createhome
WIZZ Cats http://www.wizz-catz.co.uk/
Sheffield C.A.T.S http://sheffieldcats.org.uk/
Penistone Cat Rescue http://www.penistone-cat.co.uk/
plus the other local private rescues (help me out gang- I cant remember them all). I'm sure there's a list of the websites of them all somewhere here on the pets forum. Some general info here http://www.catchat.org/adoption/yorkss.html

Hi I got Pagan @ 8 weeks old ( I chose a kitten due to already having a resident big man cat and thought they would adapt easier After advice from the rescue centers on older cats behaviour habits)

He's been an absolute dream!!! but yeah very time consuming at first due to not just being able to stay out for long hours but to be honest i couldn't and still can't wait to get home to see him

He has never messed anywhere than in his litter tray and if you leave him for a short while with lots of things to entertain him and some nice lil hidy holes to curl up n sleep in i'm sure you'll be fine!!

expence wise startin out can seem a lil pricey ...but you can pick an excellent starter pack up from argos that got litter tray ..cat carrier...scratchin post...n bed up for about £25 and the essential jabs if you get a package from vets are only about £60 ....then a few months later on if you choose ( but highly highly advisable ) the neuterin and micro chippin can come as a package again for about £60 ...different vets have different prices and packages and you can sometimes get the chippin done for free.

Hope all this helps and I hope you find a cat that brings you as much love,effection n endless hours of amusement that i get from Pagan ...i can't remember life without him ;o

Harpo our big man cat loves him too they are practically attatched at the hip..

Just depends on the character- we have two cats, they were rescued seperately as kittens, one had been left at the side of a road and the other was mistreated, they are both completely different, mossup likes lots of attention and doesnt leave you alone (a show off). The other, Jeff just keeps himself to himself, apart from cuddles at times. It took a while for him to build up confidence.

My dad also adopted an older cat, she was amazing (died last year)- they became real best friends. Older cats are often harder to rehome, depending on what characters they are, may give you less hastle and more appreciation for a nice home.
a good idea to go to the cats shelter and see if you bond with a particular cat or kitten (although with kittens they might want a play mate- our jeff was much happier once the other cat came along- but this creates even more work for oneself!). Hope you egt on okay!

Hi I got Pagan @ 8 weeks old ( I chose a kitten due to already having a resident big man cat and thought they would adapt easier After advice from the rescue centers on older cats behaviour habits)

He's been an absolute dream!!! but yeah very time consuming at first due to not just being able to stay out for long hours but to be honest i couldn't and still can't wait to get home to see him

He has never messed anywhere than in his litter tray and if you leave him for a short while with lots of things to entertain him and some nice lil hidy holes to curl up n sleep in i'm sure you'll be fine!!

expence wise startin out can seem a lil pricey ...but you can pick an excellent starter pack up from argos that got litter tray ..cat carrier...scratchin post...n bed up for about £25 and the essential jabs if you get a package from vets are only about £60 ....then a few months later on if you choose ( but highly highly advisable ) the neuterin and micro chippin can come as a package again for about £60 ...different vets have different prices and packages and you can sometimes get the chippin done for free.

Hope all this helps and I hope you find a cat that brings you as much love,effection n endless hours of amusement that i get from Pagan ...i can't remember life without him ;o

Harpo our big man cat loves him too they are practically attatched at the hip..

Glad you mentioned the Argos starter kit- I think it's great value for the price and more or less everything you need in one pack

Personally I would recommend getting an older cat rather than a kitten. Although kittens are very cute they seem to get rehomed very quickly as they are more popular than the adult ones. I got my Harry from the Cats Protection League, I chose him because I was told that he had been treated very badly by his previous owner. His owner was a heroin addict and abandoned him when he got evicted from his flat. Harry only got rescued because the guy's drug support worker found him. Harry had loads of gingivitus on his teeth because he never got fed proper cat food and had to scrounge whatever human food was available (to this day he still tries to sneak a bit of curry or pizza when I'm not looking!), also I think he was beaten as he used to flinch and hide a lot when we first got him.

Saying this, he has now settled into our home and is very much a happy cat. Yes cats with a history can be a bit of work to begin with but they can give so much love back. Harry was so shy when we first got him but now he is very vocal and likes to answer back!

One thing I have learnt is that he must have had to really look after himself before as he is very intelligent. I have discovered that he can open doors and cupboards, he halps himself to cat food and he can even drink out of a glass with his paw. A lot of adult cats get over looked as people think they are too old to do anything more than just sit there, whereas kitens play etc but I would disagree.

Hope this helps!

Personally I would recommend getting an older cat rather than a kitten. Although kittens are very cute they seem to get rehomed very quickly as they are more popular than the adult ones. I got my Harry from the Cats Protection League, I chose him because I was told that he had been treated very badly by his previous owner. His owner was a heroin addict and abandoned him when he got evicted from his flat. Harry only got rescued because the guy's drug support worker found him. Harry had loads of gingivitus on his teeth because he never got fed proper cat food and had to scrounge whatever human food was available (to this day he still tries to sneak a bit of curry or pizza when I'm not looking!), also I think he was beaten as he used to flinch and hide a lot when we first got him.

Saying this, he has now settled into our home and is very much a happy cat. Yes cats with a history can be a bit of work to begin with but they can give so much love back. Harry was so shy when we first got him but now he is very vocal and likes to answer back!

One thing I have learnt is that he must have had to really look after himself before as he is very intelligent. I have discovered that he can open doors and cupboards, he halps himself to cat food and he can even drink out of a glass with his paw. A lot of adult cats get over looked as people think they are too old to do anything more than just sit there, whereas kitens play etc but I would disagree.

Hope this helps!


I love a happy ending and I'm so pleased you shared this story- there a so many cats out there that fall out of favour with their original owners for a number of reasons and it's great when another one finds a happy new home.