It’s quite possible that my SO and myself will be moving in together next year, and also that being the 1st time out of student accomodation, it’ll be somewhere pets are allowed.
We’ve talked about getting a cat (most likely a kitten), and, knowing the wealth of kitteh related info that resides on the dope, i was wondering what advise you could all give me?
How much would it cost to adopt a rescued kitten (in £ sterling)?
How much is stuff like fixing a cat, or do shelters normally do that when they rescue a cat anyway?
Do cats instinctively know how to use a litter tray? I heard it’s learnt off momma cat, if a litter of kittens is abandoned and rescued, the kittens won’t have learnt this from momma cat will they? What’s the procedure in this event?
Clumping/non clumping litter - errrr, what?
Do kittens need injections and stuff like puppies do? Is this an expensive process?
As you may have guessed, cats would be a new venture for me. I’ve only ever had pet dogs, 2 of which i helped raise from day 1 though. So don’t worry, the wrecked house won’t come as a surprise!
If you can afford it ( important ) and have the space ( a little less so ) , two is better than one. They will occupy each other when no one else is about ( or when you’re tired of playing with the kitten for twenty minutes of every hour for a solid week ) and be prone to less mischief and damage as a result. Two are also more amusing.
Note that this does not continue to scale up :). Three is not necessarily better than two. It’s just that two is usually preferable to one ( I’d say the same with dogs btw ).
Not British, so I can’t speak to this. But my understanding is that British cat culture being what it is ( and very different from urban American culture in this regard ), many if not most UK shelters require some outside green space the cats can access.
In my area most shelter will not adopt out intact kittens and pediatric neutering is the norm. Typically you get charged a nominal fee ( $50-125 American ) to cover feeding, surgery and shots as needed. But again, I’m not sure of the comparable costs and practices in the UK.
Not quite, but almost and most the pick it up extremely quickly ( like days, if not hours, occasionally minutes ). Most kittens are very approximately 1 million times easier to litterbox train than it is to housebreak a puppy. As an example one of my two cats was acquired as a stray kitten. He figured out pooping in the box immediately, peeing took a day or two. No mishaps since then a couple of years later.
My other cat was a shelter kitten and came already set. Rescues acquired from a shelter will almost invariably understand how to use a box. However if you do get two, two to three boxes is usually advised, just in case they get territorial about where they do their business.
Some recommend against clumping when they are very young, as some kittens are like babies and stick everything in their mouths and ingested clumping litter can cause real problems. Litter brand changes, like cat food changes, are best done gradually and many cats get particular ( some don’t care ).
Most people swear by clumping litters, because of the ease of use. Personally I prefer silica gel for the best odor control, but not all holistic vets are keen on it, presumably due to the possibility of silicosis ( a potential threat in traditional clay litters ). There are corn, wheat and pine based stuff as well, which also will clump. I tried the corn stuff and found it a major tracking hassle. Like cat food, many folks have strong issues with one litter vs. another. Might be worth googling around to read some of the arguments and recommendations.
Absolutely.
While I’m not qualified ( again ) to speak to UK costs I will say that anecdutally cats seem rather cheaper on average to maintain medically than most dogs. Typically cats are relatively cheap to maintain after the first year and before they get elderly ( say around 10 ). However do keep in mind that emergencies do occur sometimes and can potentially be pricey. One of mine cost well over a grand ( American ) in emergency vet costs one weekend at less than two years of age, due to a urinary issue.
Not to mention the expense of replacing the three sets of blind drawstrings, one set of computer speakers and two sets of headphone wires he gnawed through.
But good luck with your venture. Pets are fun. Pricey and aggravating sometimes. But fun :).
I can’t tell you anything about costs, as I’m in Canada and I’m sure things are quite different. I can address a few other things, though.
Shelters (at least here) don’t normally automatically spay/neuter an animal - they wait until it is adopted and then either 1) do it before you take the animal home, 2) allow you to choose a vet, get the surgery, and provide proof that it was done or 3) do nothing at all other than tell you that you “should”. I’ve gotten cats from all three types of shelters in my life. I like option 2 personally, but some prefer 1. Shelters that do option 3 suck and don’t deserve your money, IMHO. The best shelter I went to charged one fee for the cat, first set (of 3) kitten vaccinations, spay/neuter, microchip, pre-adoption flea bath and dewormer, and a bag of food. And we could choose the vet we wanted.
Cats figure out the litter thing pretty quickly. They learn it from their mother, but also from litter/cage mates, and perhaps even shelter volunteers. Unless the cat is very, very young when separated from their mothers (a mother cat won’t usually abandon her kittens until they are a couple of months old), they know what to do. All I’ve ever had to do to make sure our kittens knew where the box was was to pick them up and plop them down inside it. They sniff at it, walk away and go be cats somewhere else, but eventually just come back to it and use it. For very young kittens, I’ve just put them into the box every couple of hours until they’ve gone once… after that, there isn’t much more to do!
I prefer clumping litter, as it’s easier to scoop. Some people prefer non-clumping… I don’t know why. There is also sand/paper/organic/pellets and other varieties, and personal preference and cost considerations come into play. Most cats aren’t that picky - you can switch litter types until you find what you like and they won’t really care. Some cats will care though… if you switch litter types, and they pee in your bed, then switch back to what they had before ASAP
Even if you are keeping your cat(s) indoors, it is recommended by most vets that I know (including my sister, a vet student) to get at least the basic series of shots, which IIRC cover Rabies, FIV and FLV, but YMMV and you should ask your vet. Rabies is currently a yearly shot here in Canada, but the other two are every 3 years, after the first year shots are done, I think. Things might be different in the UK, based on what diseases are out in the feral population, and what vaccines have been approved for use. Kittens generally get vaccinated in three sets of smaller doses (about once a month) and then adults get once a year.
You might want to consider getting two cats - the upfront costs are higher, but the maintenance isn’t that much more expensive, and the cats are generally less destructive, get more exercise through playing together, and much more fun to watch.
I’d have to add a caveat on that for a first timer. While the best toy for a kitty is another kitty. You can end up with problems especially if they are from the same litter. Particularly if you feel a bit hesitant about the person-cat dealings. They can reinforce themselves in ‘cat world’ behavior, and never understand they have to become a person cat. They sometimes can mob up together against the humans a become a huge pain in the ass. A single kitty will be more likely to want to have a relationship with you, and compromise a bit.
Thanks very much for the insight, whilst it might be quite a while off, it’s good to know things in advance, especially when i get hella curious about something!
My dad’s 2 black labs, the ones i helped to raise, were much worse than this. They chewed up;
1 carpet
1 dining table’s legs
2 1/2 dining chairs (the middle supporting bits bits between the chair legs - straight through!)
And plaster off the wall that covered an old vent in the brickwork - my dad re-plastered the wall over the vent 3 times before he gave up and put a plastic vent cover thing on the inside :smack:
I think you got off pretty easy, considering!
I really do want my very own pet, sometime soon though. I really miss my dogs when I’m away at uni, and cats would be an interesting venture methinks.
The litterbox thing is pretty much a non-issue. Every cat I’ve ever had has figured it out from the first time I set them down in it. That includes the two abandoned kittens I rescued in a parking garage once, and the 5 week old kitten I adopted a month ago who was found behind a bar and likely had never seen a litterbox before. Put them in, let them realize they can dig in it, and you’re set. If they do go outside the box, put it in the box so the box smells like that. Also, to avoid confusion, avoid having other things around that can be dug in (baskets of laundry, large potted plants, etc) until they’ve established the litterbox as the spot to go.
of kitties + 1 is the number of litterboxes you should have, ideally. So for two cats, three boxes. You can get away with less but I’ve found that odor wise and cleaning wise it’s just so much better with more boxes.
[soapbox]With all of the deadly kitty diseases out there, as well as other animals, cruel people, and vehicles, I really, really, really advise you to keep your kitties indoors. They can live totally happy and fulfilled lives without going outside. [/soapbox]
I don’t know what to tell you regarding costs and stuff since I am in the US. (Also we’re lucky in that one of our best friends is a vet and takes care of all of our cats for free.) I have 4 cats right now, three were strays and one I adopted from a rescue organization. She cost me $80 and had been spayed and had her first round of shots. Most shelters around here don’t adopt out animals until they’ve been fixed. Cats who don’t go outside typically don’t need annual vaccinations after they’ve had their series of kitten shots.
I could not even imagine living without cats in my life. Cats are awesome.
I thought I saw somewhere that UK authorities consider it cruel to keep a cat indoors all the time, and require you to let the cat outside (into a garden at least) regularly; I may be making that up. I personally am a firm believer in indoor cats for safety (and songbirds).
At any rate, please adopt/rescue. You can love any pet, but every time you think of your pet, you know with a rescue that you saved his or her life. A pet store or breeder-provided animal is just as lovable, but deep down, you know you contributed to the excess of animals suffering and dying in shelters.
Great advice already. To add to that, don’t be taken aback at the cost of adopting from a reputable shelter. Many people balk at the cost (for my kitten adopted a year ago, it was $125 or approximately £85), but that included the neutering and shots. Getting those taken care of yourself would be at LEAST that much. You do need to continue with the shots at the recommended intervals, but the neutering/spaying is a major cost that is already taken care of!
Cats are super easy to litterbox train. When I had my kitten, I gave it some food, as soon as it ate, I put it in the litterbox and show it how to dig. It hopped out and later that evening, it hopped right in and used it.
The trick is keep the litter box next to the food. Then each day move the litter box a little bit farther from the food. The litter box should be away from the food but do this by gradually moving the litter box away from the food.
The second thing is from day one teach him how to use a scratching post. I did this from day one and only one or two times, did the cat miss. I just caught him scratching and I gave him a light tap on his backside, said “NO,” and brought him to the scratch post and worked his claws with it. He got the idea ASAP.
Get the animal fixed, it solves so much.
If you have a kitten be warned they have baby teeth. Most of the time, they swallow them but don’t be shocked if around 5 months you see little teeth all over the place.
Lastly every cat has a favourite and a pecking order. For instance the cat will like either you or your SO better and clearly show a preference. Don’t be upset if you’re not number one on the cats list.
Adoption prices vary by agency and locale, but last time I checked with the local shelter it was about $80 for kitty with first set of shots, deworming, and a voucher for $30 off the sterilization. Other places do the sterilization before kitteh goes home, and their prices are generally a bit higher.
Cats instinctively want to bury their waste, so all you really have to do is plop 'em down in the box, take their little paw and scratch a little. They figure it out. You’ll want to restrict the area a young kitten has access to for a while, though. They’re like little kids–they understand the whole potty in the box thing, but they don’t always have the physical ability to hold it long enough to make it to the box. Keeping them fairly close to the box most of the time cuts down on accidents. While you’re gone during the day, shut the little beggar up in a bathroom or similarly small room. (Put the lid down on the toilet so there’s no chance of falling in.)
Be careful in picking toys and in kitty-proofing. Cats love strings, and they’re prone to eating them, which can be deadly. Keep strings, ribbons, hair elastics away from kitty. Those long string on a stick things are fine, provided the string is too wide for it to be swallowed. Keep blind cords tied up, so there’s no risk of getting hung up in them.
Those cardboard scratching things are awesome (these things). You sprinkle catnip on them (they usually come with some) and then your cat falls in love with them and won’t ever scratch anything else ever again for the rest of its life.
