Which Kitten do i Chose?

Question

Westin came first, from an orphanage, he is a really nervous non playful & really scared kitten – We think he was abused/slightly “ferril”. We then got Lacey 2wks later to keep him company. Lacey is so playful &my kids adore her–Westin just sits in the corner &watches everything.He is a cuddly kitten (only with me) as he is not a people kitten. We are out of the house most of the day so they both live in my kitchen, which is not ideal, but big enough for them to stay in (Where I live it is not safe for a cat to be outside)
They get lots of attention,but she tends to get more as she is more loving and craves the attention.They have recently escaped from the kitchen no matter how much I try to lock them in & “trash my house”–(I think it is him–but my husband thinks it is Lacey and he wants rid of them.(They are both 5 months)
Do I a) get rid of them both – with the hope that they get adopted together, b) keep Lacey? c) Keep Westin d) Keep both but risk of them damaging my house even

Answer 1

If I'm hearing right, you've got male and female kittens at 5 months... My first suggestion, whatever you do, is to get them both neutered, and to find a vet who can do it early if yours won't--new techniques with the anesthesia have made it quite safe. Old-school vets may still say "6 months" as usual, but may do it earlier in situations like yours, with a pair of opposite-gendered kittens. A female kitten can get pregnant at 4 months old, conceivably; and you don't want that--it's very dangerous for her to be so small and pregnant. And even if she survives, you'd be adding to the surplus kitten population... Yet more kittens that end up being put to sleep in already overcrowded shelters.

I would suggest that you keep them both. A single kitten is more likely to be destructive and lonely during the day; and cat owners willing to take shy kittens like Westin aren't found just anywhere.

If you want to try a kennel for the day, you can:
a.) Set aside a special cat-proof room in which the cats always stay (this is assuming you have the room)
b.) Get a big dog crate and put them into it

If you use the dog crate, you want to be sure they see it as a home and not a prison. Food (if you leave it out) and litter box go at opposite ends (cats hate having to eat near their litter box--would you like eating meals in the bathroom?). You can place the crate near a glass door so they can see outside... Add a cat bed or a thick rug or pillow, for comfort, some toys (if they can't be knocked out through the bars of the crate, so much the better), etc. Don't leave them in there when you're home--they (especially your little "feral" boy) need the company. Don't leave them in for a long time (more than 8 hours); but leave the door open when they're out of it so they can get back in.

You can feed them in their crate, even when you're home, to form positive associations with the crate.

If they're not happy about the crate, you may have to get them used to it slowly: Put them in, put treats in the crate, leave the room for five minutes, come back, praise and pet. Then ten, then twenty, and so on... The thing to remember about cats is that training is more of an agreement than a dominance/submission thing, like it is with dogs. If they get something out of it, cats are happy to enter into such agreements with owners.

If your kittens are very unhappy about the crate, a blanket draped across it may calm them for the first few times.

If you catch them in the act when you're home, you can train them rather easily: Clap your hands, say "NO" in a loud voice, spray with water (or water mixed with lemon juice) in a squirt gun or spray bottle, et cetera. Only when they're actually caught in the act, though, or they'll have no clue what they're being punished for. Then distract them with an apporopriate toy or with petting.

To prevent furniture-scratching, buy a nice tall scratching post and/or a horizontal cardboard scratcher, and when you see a kitten stick its claws into furniture, say NO and take it to the scratching post instead (you may have to demonstrate what it's for), then pet the kitten. Good spots for scratching posts are near where the kitten is fed or given treats, or near its usual sleeping place.

Answer 2

5-6 months is the naughtiest age. That is the age they trash houses, drop things etc. That stops with time, and with neutering, which will happen in a couple of months if you don't want kittens. Also, when you see them do something like that, you say NO, and put them out of the room, but don't hit them, or they think it's a game and do worse. I would keep both. I have one cat, and we strongly believe we should have 2, so that they would keep each other company and play together. A lonely cat gets too dependent on you and very egoistic. Now we can't get any other animal, because our cat will kill it. But if we had had 2 kittens from the beginning it would have been perfect. So from my experience, keep them both and don't worry. Plus, 2 cats are not much more work than one (I mean you change the litter once anyway, you put food for 2 or for 1 it's the same). And it is so awful for a kitten to feel thrown out from where they feel at home! It's their worst nightmare!

Answer 3

A five-months-old kitten is comparable to a seven-or-eight-year-old kid (approximately). Would you lock a kid up in a room while you're away, or would you give them something to occupy them instead?

My guess is that it would improve if you find them some toys that they really enjoy playing with. We have a couple of small "plush" mice that rattle, and our kitten loves those. We also got her a ball that rattles a little, and it's so light that she only has to poke it to make it roll. She can play with that, all by herself, for half an hour without stopping. The same with a furry... err.... fluff-on-a-stick. She loves that one, and steals it from us and then carries it around like the proud hunter she is.
We also have a couple of innovative toys. For example, we have a blue LED poi (check http://www.salza.se/product.php?p=20 for more info) that we tied to a door handle, and she absolutely adores that one, lit or not.

My guess would be that your kittens are bored. Even if they have each other, cats tend to need toys, otherwise they find other things in your house to use as toys -- whether or not they are suitable for it. Even if you're not sure, toys aren't expensive. Isn't it better to spend maybe $5 on toys for your kittens and hope that solves most of the problem, before you have to make a decision on which cat to keep or anything?

If they are five months old, it could also be a good thing to castrate them if they aren't already. If they aren't neutered, you'll probably end up with a "teenage pregnancy" because instincts will tell your male kitten that he should mate, whether or not it's healthy for her to get pregnant. Since cats come into puberty around 6-12 months (and females shouldn't have kittens before 12months, preferably later), I'd advice looking that up soon.

Answer 4

I really wish you luck if you decid to give one away coz I can't imagine how you can do that. I have two destructive tom cats at home they fight with each other when they are not scratching the furniture ( the beds and the rest of it...) and not to mention peeing (marking their territory) but I'd die without them. Can't you find a home for oneo f them insteado f hoping they'd get adopted. I know they put down cats that don't get adopted and that seems rather cruel to a cat who had lived with a family for so long. 5 months os so young and they od then to settle down after a while. could be going through thier teenage phase.

Answer 5

Wait let me get this straight you lock them up in the kitchen...ok 1rst of all the only time you lock animals away is when you 1rst get them and thats only when you have other animals that tend to get territorial and you are getting them used to another animal around..2nd when they are sick so if you other pets they don't get sick also ...3rd when there is the constant of the door open where they can get out and is open,like when you moving things in or out...I think if you're house is getting trashed then they are not happy or need something to do..that and they are still babies,do you have any kind of toys and I don't a lil ball a toy mouse,I'm talking about a schatching post unit(and notice unit..key word)or something where they can jump at thats attached to some kind of string or aspring type of wire.When animals are babies(just like us)as they play they are learning how to do things that in the wild they need to do to survive, they more things they got to play with or should i say they more play they more better at catching the mouse in the house or wfere they feel confident and would be more apt to coming around to other people(that and lil pieces of food to coax them).But if you are still locking them away while you are gone and nothin to do....well you just askin for your house to be tore up and I garinty it's not just one they are doing together playing ,they are mad about being locked up.have you tried not locking them up when you leave?....Animals are like children you have to teach them how to behave,and it won't be an over night change.here is some sights to check out....

Answer 6

Reminds me of a little bit funny story I like. Perhaps you'll be able to revel in it, too. It turns out that a nation preacher was once going for walks down the lane sooner or later, and he encountered a little bit woman with a basketful of baby kittens on the aspect of the avenue. He stopped to talk and respect the kittens, and requested the little woman, "What variety of kittens are they?" The woman responded, "Why, they are christian kittens, Reverend." Well-cheerful at her reaction, the preacher gave the woman and her kittens a blessing, and walked on. Several weeks later, even as going for walks down the identical lane, the preacher once more encountered the woman, and he requested her, "And how are the ones christian kittens of yours, younger woman?" She replied, "Oh, Reverend, they are now not christians anymore. Their eyes have opened." Your kitten, I believe, might love to be of the Buddhist faith. Clearly, all cats are Asian, what with the inscrutability and all.

Answer 7

Get a cage to keep them in for the day. It sounds like they both have a nice home, and it will be hard for them to find another home together..
You might discuss with your husband, that teaching children that pets are disposable, will teach them to forsake any relationship that isn't going smooth. They will learn how to handle relationships, when they see you resolve this issue..
You see, to kids, at least..their pets are family, and they have to learn that family isn't disposable, but a safe, committed, and devoted place..
Our society is already much too disposable, when it is rare that families stay together..

Here is a good deal on cage, that will work for them> http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-20-Folding-Dog-Cage-Crate-Crates-Kennel_W0QQitemZ150059282764QQihZ005QQcategoryZ20745QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

several size options from same seller, if you scroll down> http://home.search.ebay.com/cage_Pet-Supplies_W0QQsacatZ1281

Answer 8

Why the &*#@ do you have cats in the first place if all you're concerned about is your precious house?

Take them to the Humane Society and tell them that the cats do well together so that they can be adopted by people who REALLY care about them.

AND DON'T GET ANYMORE PETS.

Answer 9

KEEP THEM BOTH FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!
they will grow out of it
as for westin not getting as much attention - its just that cat's personality don't worry about it
just pleasssssssssse do not get rid of either of them

Answer 10

either A or D. There is no way of knowing which one did it. What if you got rid of the wrong one? How would you feel then? Think long and hard before making any kind of decision like this.