Cat or kitten? What will I need?

Question

I've been bugging and bugging my mum for the last three years to get me a cat, and she has finally agreed. She thinks that I should get a kitten from someone who is giving them away (eg not animal shelter, but from a posting that you find in the newspaper etc). She says that males are friendlier. Are theses things true? And how do I need to prepare for getting one? I live in a small flat in a clos with lots of other people who keep cats. Please help!

Note: i do NOT live in the city! I live on an island (Guernsey) in the channel islands! just cos i live in a flat doesn't mean its in a city. The block only has two floors lol & im on ground. there is another identical block opposite & some bungalows in the clos.

Answer 1

great advice given here, i will add one more thing, when you go to choose your pet, kind of stand back, and the one who comes to you is the right one, you will know..
good luck..

Answer 2

Well since you live on an island then there is no need to get it microchipped!

before you get your kitten, make sure youve got about £150 for neutering, plus a bit more for the vacccinations, de-worming and a flea treatment when its 3 months old, if you cant afford this, then dont get a kitten.

If this isnt a problem, then make sure the person you get your pet from has the kittens indoors with the family, or it will be nervous around vacuum cleaners etc, get a litter tray, and take a little bag of litter out of the tray its mother uses, put it in yours at home, and it will know where to go, buy a good quality kitten food, and a good quality kitten milk for the first 6 months, after that their stomach enzymes change and they dont need milk, anyway you will learn as you go along, good luck!

Answer 3

The thing you want to make sure is that the cat is healthy. I've gotten three cats from the shelter and all have gotten sick after they came home. You do want to be careful of people selling cats too. Sometimes there can be some health problem with the cat. I believe that both sexes are friendly but my male cat likes to cuddle a lot more although my female likes to follow me everywhere. As for things you need. A litter box, some toys, and if your getting a kitten get some food designed for kittens. Also if there are majorly breakable stuff you care about put it out of kitties reach. Oh a cat scratcher will help.

Answer 4

If this is your first cat....get a kitten.

Do check the kitten before you buy it.

Pick it up and look at its eyes...they should be bright and clear with little or no discharge.

Look in its ears..... these should be clean.....lf the are brown, the cat might have ear mite

Feels its belly....this should be soft....if it feels firm....most likely got worms

Lift its tail up and look at its bum.....this should be clean, have a really good look and make sure that there are no worms hanging out of its bum. Finally, just look at it.....if it seams to be happy and playfull when you interact with it, then it is most likely OK.

As has been said, you will need 2 bowls, and a litter tray. I would strongly suggest that you do not use a flea coller.....cats, kittens especially are very inquisitve (remember curiosity killed the cat). If your kitten sticks it head into something and the coller gets caught it could very easily strangle itself. Use flea drops, placed behind the head so it can't lick it off.

If you get a cat that is 8+ weeks, then chances are it's mother has already house trained it for you.....this is one big advantage over a dog. When you first bring it home, the first thing to do with it is place it in the litter tray. This way it knows where it is and doesn't have to search for it. This should avoid it leaving little persents for you. Also don't place its food dish next to the litter tray....you wouldn't want to eat in the toilet.

Lastly, the biggest piece of advice I could give you is get pet insurance. One of my cats swallowed a plastic bag (he had a fetish for plastic). One nights stay in kitty hospital, plus the x-rays to make sure it was all out would have cost 1300 (UK). The smae cat a year earlier had a kidney removed that cost me 3500 (UK) Vets are expensive.

Answer 5

Well, adopting an adult cat from a shelter is the best choice my husband and I made. We adopted two adult girls and they are extremely affectionate. Then we took in a male cat and he is affectionate, but the males are a bit more in your face....really looking for the lovin'. Make sure you have all of the supplies needed....food/water bowls, litter box with litter......brushes or combs......and a nice quiet room so that kitty can adjust to the new surroundings in a stress-free way. If you can swing it, I would get two cats...they keep each other company and are great fun to watch when they play. The best thing to do is to bring them home at the exact same time that way there is not a territory dispute. They are neutral. When you adopt from a shelter you know the cats have been screened for behavior and things like that. You will be saving a life. Good luck and have fun...you will get lot's of love in return. :)

Also.....just because you adopt an adult cat, doesn't mean that you won't have it as long as one you get as a kitten. I had a cat that lived for 18 years.....and my adult cats that I got from a shelter and as a stray are EXTREMELY bonded to my husband and I. Kittens are cute...but they do grow up to be cats.

Answer 6

Kittens: The bond will be closer, however initially they poop everywhere until the get use to there new home. Kittens are great fun but you can't leave them on their own for long and for the first week or two you must not leave them for longer than a couple of hours. If you do decided to get a kitten when you go to collect if take something which you rub on its mother to make it smell like her (e.g. a pom pom). Pop this in its bed as this will comfort the kitten because he will cry and pine for the first week or so. You will need a bed and you need to place this in a small quiet place to make your kitten feel secure.

Don't go overboard on toys cause kittens love nothing better than a cardboard boxes, cardboard toilet roll tubes (trust me hours of fun) oh and they will love your curtains too? Obviously kitten food and they should get some milk (for the first couple of months) and water, so you will need a bowl. My friend gave me a really good tip which was when you get the kitten don't hound it leave it alone and let the kitten come to you. My brother and mum didn't do this and I did and I ended up being the favourite.

Also despite what the seller says take the kitten to the vet to get checked up on cause they catch everything at that age like mites etc. You will also need a straching post for their claws (otherwise you will have shredded furniture) and a litter tray. Get yourself a good book on looking after kittens to. And most importantly play with your kitten regularly or they get bored an start to destroy your house.

Answer 7

Yes, Male cats are generally more social than female cats (I have one of each). Getting a cat from an ad in the paper is a nice way to relieve someone else of the responsibilty of caring for the cat and ensures the cat a home.. BUT adopting a cat/kitten from a shelter can insure the cat is healthy, as most shelters evaluate the health of a cat before giving it to a home.

You will need: litter box, cat food, bowls for food/water, a bed for it to sleep or hide in, scratching post(s) and little toys. A brush would be good and some cleansing foam/cloths that do not require water.

Good luck

Answer 8

If you want your cat to be playful which means running everywhere and climbing on everything and playing with you and toys then you should get a kitten. If you want a layed back cat that will just go up to you and lie down with you then you should get a kitten. You also have to make sure that when you get a kitten it doesn't spray around the house in hidden places because it will smell and you will have to be looking around your house for that spot. I would go with the cat but I think it's also best to start of with a kitten so that you interact better and so that it will already know you.

Answer 9

Get a kitten. I am not sure about the males being more friendlier, because it kind of depends on the kitten. You can also make it more friendly by giving it TONS of love. You need to prepare, but it isn't too drastic. Just make sure it can't eat anything abnormal like spare change, or any small stuff. Good luck!

Answer 10

A kitten is always better. Its always easier to toilet train a kitten than a fully grown cat. (Although both kitten and cat provide the same amount of love and cuddles, so ur on to a winner which ever u choose) They can't usually go out til they are a certain age, and before they have been injected so you have plenty of time to introduce them slowly to the neighbouring cats. Although if you get a female, you may want to get her spayed (unless you want lots of teeny weeny kitties pattering about) All you need is

2 bowls (one for food, one for water)
Cat litter tray, with cat litter.
Collar (preferably a normal collar, as I don't think young kittens are allowed flea collars yet.
Maybe a little bed.
Scratching post.

People may have their own views of which sex is friendlier but since my Mum has been breeding cats for like, forever, I have found that both sexes have been nicer. Each cat has their own personality, whether male or female, although male cats are more likely to spray (wee)up things and it smells a lot worse than female wee. Nothing a good neuturing can't sort.
I hope u get a gorgeous kitten and love him to bits

Answer 11

Well first of all the thing about the male cats being friendlier is not necessarily true. To prepare for getting a cat you need to make sure you buy something where the cat will be sleeping at, some food to eat and you need to buy a litter box. Well I hope I helped.