how do i convince my parents to let me have a kitten?

Question

My friend just found 3 abandoned kittens and i fell in love with one of them my friend even let me name her Derdra. the only problem is my parents wont let me keep her. there not cat people. How do i convince them. Im 13 and very responsible. My friend has 3 cats and said she would help me learn to take care of her. My parents are worried they will get the responsiblitys . My friends mom is even trying to convince them i need help

Answer 1

You have to understand that it is REALLY hard to keep a cat in a home where it isn't wanted. I know what you mean exactly, I found my cat, Peshie, abandoned on the street, she was only 8 weeks old, she was in really bad shape, but my mom still didn't want her. shes STILL not used to her. It just isn't fair to Peshie. if I were you, I would work at finding a new home for the kitty where the people are all willing to devote their day and lives to the kitten. And maybe thats the best you can do for the kitten right now.

Answer 2

Your parents will get the responsibility, most likely in 5 years or sooner. You will be either going to college, where you will not be able to have a cat, or moving elsewhere, and unlikely to be able to have a cat.

And cats come with a cost, primarily food, litter, and vet costs. You can expect the first vet visit with your kitten to run at least $100, since it will have worms, ear mites, and probably fleas. Then there are vaccinations. In a young kitten, there will be booster shots, then rabies shots, and then spay or neuter. That will run from $300-$500 from adoption through spaying. Then vet costs should stabilize around $100/year.

So while it is important to show responsibility, and I applaud you for that, there is a much larger picture and without your parents on board, it is a steep hill to climb. Getting a kitten or even a cat should be looked upon as giving a 'forever' home.

Answer 3

Ya... they are thinking of the litter box mess & where. The stink. The food. The feedings. When and how much spay and neutering. The fleas. Kittens are more responsibility than cats. They are more demanding, but they do grow fast.

I had 3 cats that learned on their own to tell me when they wanted outside. I didnt have to buy kitty litter.... that was nice. You have to get lucky with cats like that.

Frontline I have found to be the best flea control. They wont have any fleas on them. Just put it on the cat's back of neck skin once a month. Ask your local vet on the cats age and weight before you put any medication on them. There is a flea powder that you can sprinkle around the yard to keep the fleas down.

Cats can eat on their own time, they basically feed themselves. You can get those food & water refill dispencers that you only have to refill once a week. If not inside the home, its better if you have an indoor patio where you can keep the food or else the wild animals eat it.
Cats & dogs need dry food to keep their teeth and gums healthy. I used to give my cats a piece of wet cat food to spoil them after a vet visit or if they havent had it in about a month just because she keeps inspecting the grocery bags when I get home.

Call your local S.P.C.A. and ask them anything and everything you need to about vaccinations, getting them fixed, flea control or even finding a home for an animal you found or just cant keep. They will vaccinate them and fix them and find them a home. They do not put animals to sleep unless the animal is beyond help.
If not the S.P.C.A. then your local Humane Society. The Humane Society when I lived in Utah for 2 yrs put the animal to sleep if not adopted out in 30 days.
If no cat sanctuary, then put up flyers to find a home for stray animals.
Good luck

~peace

Answer 4

Try getting a little job like dog walking or baby sitting and tell them the money you make will go to caring for the kitten. And if you plan on going away for a weekend for a sleep over then tell them you will have somebody cat sit for you. Make sure to show them you can be a good and responsible pet owner. Tell them you will change the litter box and do everything for the cat.

Answer 5

be mature about it and write up a proposal to your parents explaining exactly what you will be doing to take care of this kitten make sure you enlude how the food, litter and vet visits will be paid for. also purchasing of litter box food bowls and toys etc. go through everything you will need to start off with and think about everything that you will need down the line

once you have this all written up ask your parents when a good time to sit down and talk to them. you give your side and let them give their side. don't whine if after all is said and done they still say no, this is their house and their rules. it may not seem like it, but before you know it, you will be off at college and what is going to happen with the cat, you parents will probably have to take care of it. but keep in mind, when you get a place of your own you can get a cat then.

Answer 6

You are 13, you just have to convince them that you will take full responsibility for the kitten and agree that if you fall though in your duties they have the right to find it a home. Also you have to take into account the expense of owning a cat, vet bills, food bills, etc. Who will pay for them? Good luck with this, parents can be difficult, I should know, having been one for years :+).

Answer 7

yeah, as other people have already mentioned, the best thing you can do is to mention to your parents that you can be very responsible, clean up around the house, but only to a level that you would be happy to continue, or else your parents will just think you are cleaning until you get the cat...which is a bad thing lol. research about keeping cats and show them that you are putting effort into this, and it isnt somthing that you are just going to dump on them when you get sick of it...but realise that you are going to have to look after it for how ever many years it lives...dont just think you can get rid of it when you are sick of feeding it and emptying its litter box lol... just prove to them that you will take care of it...if that doesnt work i dont know what will...especially if you have strict parents lol sorry if i cant help very much :\

Answer 8

It really is a big responsibility, kitten's are very demanding for attention, and if you aren't giving it attention, it will find something to do, and they can be very distructive, and I assume you will be in school so, I would think about who really might be taking care of this kitten, if your parent's work then that little baby will be alone and bored, and cause havoc. But I hope you find a way to keep it they are fun and very cute, but they can be handful.

Answer 9

Prove how responsible you are around the house. Remind them how independent cats usually are. The litter box could stay in your room & have some agreement about what will happen if you don't follow through on this responsibility. Kittens do grow up!

Good luck!

Answer 10

If the only problem is that they think they might end up taking care of her instead of you then you could show them how serious you are about it by promising not to do things you like doing if you break your promise (ie going out, having friends over, going on hols...). By promising I mean that they can actually stop you from doing those things, maybe you should try to put it all in writing for them!