Kittens, Cats and all things Feline.......

[Dan_1981]

I've finally managed to persuade the missus that a kitten (or two) would be the perfect pet for us.

She has finally come around to my way of thinking and has agreed!

I've grown up with cats all my life and mis not having them around, however this will be the first one that i've actually "owned" myself from scratch so to speak.

So a few questions....

I'm seeing kittens for sale from as young as 8 weeks - is this the normal age that they are sold at?

If taking them from this age - is it better to have two than one on its own?

How much roughly will it cost for neutering and microchipping? The local cat rescue charges £65 but all cats are neutered and chipped.

How much is cat insurance per month?

[DogChops1]

IME, getting them already neutered and chipped for £65 from the cat rescue is cheaper than buying and getting them done yourself. The cat rescue option will probably include 1st jabs as well (about £15 a pop).

I pay roughly £90/year for cat insurance through the RSPCA; I think most are around this mark).

Cat rescue places should also have health checked the cats first so I would say you are definitely better off going down that road than buying from some local pikey (not saying thats what you were planning to do, but there are so many places which are only there to make money and don't really care for the animals.

[paulmurr]

Dan_1981 said:

I've finally managed to persuade the missus that a kitten (or two) would be the perfect pet for us.

She has finally come around to my way of thinking and has agreed!

I've grown up with cats all my life and mis not having them around, however this will be the first one that i've actually "owned" myself from scratch so to speak.

So a few questions....

I'm seeing kittens for sale from as young as 8 weeks - is this the normal age that they are sold at?

I think it's normally at least 12 weeks, but we got ours about that age and she's fine. Ish.

Dan_1981 said:

If taking them from this age - is it better to have two than one on its own?

In hindsight we should have got two. She thinks that we are as able to deal with the scratching and biting that kittens do when playing. I don't like it. Especially when she gets me on the sole of my foot through the night.

Dan_1981 said:

How much roughly will it cost for neutering and microchipping? The local cat rescue charges £65 but all cats are neutered and chipped.

That's about right for neutering and chipping. We got a discount on the chip as it was done when she was still out cold from the neutering.

Dan_1981 said:

How much is cat insurance per month?

About £6 a month through Asda.

Remember to post pics on the Caturday thread

[deadmau5]

An 8 week old kitten would be tiny I think. We've just got a Siberian, and had to wait until it was 13 weeks before we were allowed to bring it home.

[lazyitus]

DogChops1 said:

IME, getting them already neutered and chipped for £65 from the cat rescue is cheaper than buying and getting them done yourself.

We had our cat chipped.

She's now pumping out 148bhp (AT THE PAWS).

[paulmurr]

very good

[Justayellowbadge]

lazyitus said:

DogChops1 said:

IME, getting them already neutered and chipped for £65 from the cat rescue is cheaper than buying and getting them done yourself.

We had our cat chipped.

She's now pumping out 148bhp (AT THE PAWS).

Paradoxically, you'd get 200 by de-catting.

[Dupont666]

Do you care what kitten you get or are you after a specific breed?

I would love a maine coon kitten:



But fear the lack of out door space (2nd floor flat) would mean keeping one at the moment is not the best idea

Edited by Dupont666 on Tuesday 14th July 10:25

[Dan_1981]

Dupont666 said:

Do you care what kitten you get or are you after a specific breed?

Preferably a mongrel.

But no not after a breed just a short haired, everday cat(s)

I would prefer black or black and white though.

[lazyitus]

Justayellowbadge said:

lazyitus said:

DogChops1 said:

IME, getting them already neutered and chipped for £65 from the cat rescue is cheaper than buying and getting them done yourself.

We had our cat chipped.

She's now pumping out 148bhp (AT THE PAWS).

Paradoxically, you'd get 200 by de-catting.

nice

[Nolar Dog]

Just to clarify, the cat owns you. You don't own it.

I got mine at twelve weeks old. She was spayed at seven months old and it cost forty quid.

She isn't microchipped but the vets I use often have a "promotion" on where they offer it for a tenner. Yours may do similar?

[Marcia]

Dupont666 said:

Do you care what kitten you get or are you after a specific breed?

I would love a maine coon kitten:



But fear the lack of out door space (2nd floor flat) would mean keeping one at the moment is not the best idea

Edited by Dupont666 on Tuesday 14th July 10:25

Oohhh that is gorgeous

[paulmurr]

More info - Just booked ours into the vet for her booster injections, £30.13.

[moosepig]

We got ours at 8 weeks, they were absolutely fine. However, if you want them to have been neutered before you get them, that normally has to be done after they're at least 4 to 5 months old. Definitely get at least two - they are company and playmates for each other. Our two are brothers from the same litter, and they're inseparable. Which is a good thing as we're out a lot of the day.

ETA: 8 week old kittens!!

Edited by moosepig on Tuesday 14th July 10:35

[IainT]

I'd reccomend getting a pair - same litter might help them settle in to their new home. Having two will give them company when you're at work too.

We'd decided we wanted Bengals so went to a breeder. They were fully litter trained when we went to collect them but we had to sort out their chipping (jabs were already done).

While you can't guarantee temperament making sure that any kittens have been handled regularly from birth and handling them a lot in the first few months will mean you ahve cats that are less likely to scratch and struggle when picked up.

[otolith]

When you get the cat chipped, you can now get an identichip with an onboard thermometer. Judging by the expressions on their faces, our cats would prefer this option to the vet's thermometer up the bum I'm guessing that at some point the catflaps that recognise your cat's chip to allow entry will also read the temperature data and let you know if the animal is running a fever.

[Simpo Two]

If you want a black and white mog, then it should be fairly easy to find one at a cat rescue place. Kittens are cute but not for long and I've always chosen adult cats that really need a home, as opposed to kittens that will get snapped up the same day they come in.

As mentioned a good rescue place will supply them with full service and MOT, but whether you choose insurance is up to you. Personally I've never bothered, as 'all things being equal' you will lose money.

[Jumpy Guy]

In the past three months, both of my elderly cats have died

In the past two years, they had cost nearly £2k in vet bills....

Next time, I'm definately getting insurance!!

[Dan_1981]

I think the rescue type place does sound the best bet - i've emailed one near us to get some more info from them.

I'm not adverse to taking a cat rather than a kitten but would still prefer a younger one - < 1 year old.

I'm not normally one for insurance on things but vet bills for my parents cat until he died a few months ago were horrendous, a couple of those would have covered the cost of insurance for his whole life.

[dan101smith]

We've got two cats - one is nearly 10, and was found on the doorstep. The other is a kitten of 8 months, who we got at 8 weeks from a friend.

The older cat is pretty lazy, but since getting the kitten has become much more active and seemingly more content. I wouldn't like to leave the kitten alone all day, even though she can go outside and explore.

If we didn't have the older cat I'd have definitely got two kittens. They need someone to play with, and we're at work all day.

Here is said kitten not too long after we got her: