I'm buying 2 kittens this week

[scott8]

I have relied on some of the advice in a previous thread on cats and have decided to take the plunge into the world of pet owner.

The decision for 2 was based more on the notion that two cats would be better for each other, than actually wanting 2 cats. Although, I don't think I'll mind.

I aim to seek out siblings, probably both female, around 10-12 weeks old.

They will be fixed (I think its required anyway), I will never declaw, although they will probably just be inside cats (although I may not fully appreciate the ramifactions of such a decision).

I have used petfinder to find a bunch of kittens available, and will probably pursue this angle.

It seems to be some sort of shelter/foster program where they rescue pets which were about to be killed and give them another chance.

I have no intention of buying from a pet store or a breeder.

I'm not sure if there is anything else I should be considering, but I would appreciate any advice or tips.

As of now, I own nothing cat-related, but plan on visiting the pet store tomorrow.

Thanks in advance,

SC

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They will be fixed (I think its required anyway)

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nope

[daryn]

wtf did you have earlier in that tournament when you raised utg and i flat called 2 positions later. flop came w/ an Ace and it went check check. turn you bet like 9500... size of pot, and i folded?

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[samjjones]

Technically, you are not "buying" if you are getting them from a shelter (you are "adopting"). But good job getting two, and good luck with the litter situation.

[Los Feliz Slim]

There are people here who will tell you that keeping them inside is cruel, I believe you MUST keep them inside. The life expectancy of indoor cats is much much longer than outdoor, and if you get them as kittens they won't know the difference.

You should still put collars and tags on them, though, in case they get outside. My cats also have microchips imbedded under their skin so they can be tracked if they ever get out. I don't think it was that expensive, maybe $75/cat.

I have only heard stories about un-fixed cats, but I'm told that if your cats are not fixed they go nuts when they are in heat and you'll have lots of gentleman callers. You should fix them unless you're going to be a breeder.

If you can stay in the habit of clipping their nails from the very beginning you'll be happier. We didn't do it regularly enough, so the cats hate it, so we don't do it, and they tear lots of stuff up. Do not declaw.

[Blarg]

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There are people here who will tell you that keeping them inside is cruel, I believe you MUST keep them inside. The life expectancy of indoor cats is much much longer than outdoor, and if you get them as kittens they won't know the difference.

You should still put collars and tags on them, though, in case they get outside. My cats also have microchips imbedded under their skin so they can be tracked if they ever get out. I don't think it was that expensive, maybe $75/cat.

I have only heard stories about un-fixed cats, but I'm told that if your cats are not fixed they go nuts when they are in heat and you'll have lots of gentleman callers. You should fix them unless you're going to be a breeder.

If you can stay in the habit of clipping their nails from the very beginning you'll be happier. We didn't do it regularly enough, so the cats hate it, so we don't do it, and they tear lots of stuff up. Do not declaw.

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I agree with this. THe lifespan of an outdoor cat is like a year and a half. Exposing your babies to that means they are subjected the violence a big nasty world can afflict on what are essentially prey animals. They're really not impressive compared to a dog, a hawk, a car, a coyote, or jerky kids. And just as bad, cat diseases are astoundingly quick and virulent. They can literally die in a couple of days after catching them.

Also agreed on the nail clipping. You should get them used to it very young. Even going so far as to touch and separate their claws when they don't need clipping. What you want is to have them habituated to your doing the deed and handling their body in intrusive ways in general.

This is very necessary for when they get injured or really need it.

Take your time and don't rush the clipping, because clipping the meat in their nails will freak them out for a long time to come. If they start squirm too much, discipline them by laying your finger down, with a little pressure, along the top of their nose up to the forehead. This works very well with cats to show them who is boss, yet is completely non-violent and low stress for both of you. Only clip when you can see that none of the nail bud is in the grip of the scissors. Use the special nail scissor device, not regular scissors. It's like a little guillotine.

This also goes for showers. Bathing a cat can be a violent and bloody nightmare if you don't get them used to it while young. But if you do, they'll trust you and let you do almost anything to them. I got mine so mellow that even the vet marveled at how docile and trusting they were. I built up that trust with frequent intrusive handling started when they were very young. When I bathed my cats, I would take them in the shower naked and sit cross legged, with one of those extended shower top hoses to do the rinsing and keep us warm. They were stepping around my nuts, but even when quite unhappy about the soaking and scrubbing, were docile enough to never scratch me even once, and completely trustworthy. This happens when you give your cats plenty of handling and reason to trust you. Putting off things like clipping nails and bathing them only makes doing it harder and harder and more of a battle between you. Start young, and they'll act toward you as if you were their loving mommy. They might not like what you're doing, but they'd never dream of giving you real trouble or trying to hurt you.

[HopeydaFish]

As always, great advice from Blarg. There are only two points I'd like to make:

1) I've read a bit about clumping litter, and some vets are totally against the idea. The reason is that after the cat uses the litter box, he'll proceed to clean the dust off himself. The clumping litter that the cat injests can clump up in the cat's bowels and cause a blockage. That being said, I've used clumping litter for years and neither of my cats have had any issues.

2) I've never bathed my cats. If you keep your cat from getting obese, and it's a short-haired breed, and you keep him indoors, there's no reason that the cat can't bathe himself. Cats obsessively groom themselves all day.

3) I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but wet food is the way to go. Dry food can cause crystals in the cat's urine, especially in females. My female cat had crystals in her urine, but once I switched to wet food (as recommended by my vet), she was fine. The only problem with wet food is that it doesn't clean your cat's teeth. You can get crunchy treats that clean your cat's teeth, though. You can also brush your cat's teeth if he's really docile (I've never seriously thought about doing this, though).

4) Don't get the cheap cat foods. Spend a few bucks more to get the good stuff. Your cat will live longer, have less health problems, and won't get fat (unless you overfeed it).

[Los Feliz Slim]

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As always, great advice from Blarg.

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I agree.

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1) I've read a bit about clumping litter, and some vets are totally against the idea.

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I've heard this also and also use the clumping litter (Arm & Hammer). Our vet wants us to use the organic corn-based litter you can flush down the toilet, and we don't do it.

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2) I've never bathed my cats.

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My large formerly-stray beast nearly killed me once when I bathed her, so I don't bathe mine either. I use these wipes that they sell at pet stores if they get stinky (which they do, I think they have anal glands or something that can make them smelly). So I recommend the wipes as a bathing alternative. If they stay indoors they won't get too dirty anyway (although keep the chimney flue closed, my cat once jumped up there and got all sooty).


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3) I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but wet food is the way to go.

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My cats won't eat wet food, which is odd I think.

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4) Don't get the cheap cat foods.

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I use Wellness food, which our vet recommended.

[Shajen]

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My cats won't eat wet food, which is odd I think.


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Mine won't either. Also, of the 5 vets I've gone to, none of them have recommended wet catfood. From what I understand, vets will often get incentives to pimp certain brands of food.

Mine get Iams Adult Hairball formula. (One of them is part Himalayan, and sheds like a beotch.)

Kudos to the OP for getting two. One kitty by itself will be lonely when you are gone.

[colgin]

Lot's of good advice in this thread already. A few more things.

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I've read a bit about clumping litter, and some vets are totally against the idea. The reason is that after the cat uses the litter box, he'll proceed to clean the dust off himself. The clumping litter that the cat injests can clump up in the cat's bowels and cause a blockage. That being said, I've used clumping litter for years and neither of my cats have had any issues.


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Cheap clumping litter made from clay (e.g., Fresh Scoop) is bad fro several reasons. However, there are certain clumping litters made from safe products that are fine. World's Best Cat Litter is simply the best. Made from corn it is safe to ingest and produces virtually no dust. I recommend the Multi-cat Formula.

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I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but wet food is the way to go. Dry food can cause crystals in the cat's urine, especially in females. My female cat had crystals in her urine, but once I switched to wet food (as recommended by my vet), she was fine. The only problem with wet food is that it doesn't clean your cat's teeth. You can get crunchy treats that clean your cat's teeth, though. You can also brush your cat's teeth if he's really docile (I've never seriously thought about doing this, though).


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There is a big wet food/dry food debate. The dry food people are wrong (and I used to be one of them). Feed your kittens wet food 4 times per day (when they are fullgrowm it can be twice) and clean their teeth regulalry and have professional dental cleaning done when necessary (your vet will tell you if it'd necessary.

Also, buy a premium cat food. Try to finda specialty pet shop rather than a Petco if possible. You can always go mailorder. Some of the best premium brands are Abady, Innova, Merrick's, Wellness and Halo (Spot's Stew). You can always get Nutro Max at Petco and that is pretty good too (I used to feed my cats tha brand until they needed a more specialzed diet).

Avoid anything with fish in it. Cat's don't need fish and it is not good for them notwithstanding the huge number of foods that have them in it. Cats don't eat a whle lot of fish in the wild. Stick with chicken, beef, turkey and other meats.

Change the water twice per day and clean the litter box twice per day.

Halo makes a very health freeze dried chicken treat that my cats love.
Get a good book on cat care so that you will be prepared.

Enjoy the added company. You will be very happy you did this. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]