adopting/buying a kitten(s)?

[BroadfordQueen]

Hi all,
I have finally convinced my OH that we need a kitten or 2 to join our tribe of animals! However I have a few questions which I hope someone could help me with?
Firstly, one cat or 2? We live on a farm with 2 dogs (one working collie who lives in a kennel, one pet JRT). Obviously we will cautiously introduce them over time and not leave them together unattended until we are 100% sure they wont kill each other! I work PT and OH obviously works on the farm so kitty wouldn't be left alone for long periods which makes me think 1 would be fine, but growing up we always had 2 cats to keep each other company so not sure what would be best?
Secondly- male or female? Either way it would be neutered as we have a feral tomcat that occasionally graces our farm with its presence, and I wouldn't want a tomcat spraying everywhere! Just wondering if they tend to have different personalities as a whole?
Thirdly- wheres best to get one? I would love to adopt, but where from (anyone in the North East who knows of a cat shelter?!), smaller shelters or RSPCA/blue cross/cat protection? How many loops will we have to jump through to pass the adoption process?! Dont particularly want a pedigree as it will be an outdoorsy cat and I would worry about the whereabouts of my expensive cat!
Any other help/advice would be appreciated!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I would get two, all of ours like their cat friends and despite all being fully grown they do still play and sleep together.

We've always had a mixture of pedigree (generally oriental types which have always been nice natured cats, very friendly and personable) and moggys of both sexes (the gender doesn't bother me as I'm not breeding and they are neutered). The three we have now are all male and are a burmese, an egyptian mau and a moggy. I don't worry about the pedigrees any more than the moggy. The burmese is very streetwise and makes a serious dent in the local rabbit population, the Mau is too scaredy to get in trouble (although he does come to do the horses with me in all weathers, as horses aren't scary apparently) and it's the moggy who got stuck at the top of the biggest tree for miles. *sigh*

Pedigrees do go to rescues too, my mau's mother was rescued from an animal hoarder, so I would go with an open mind when you go to the rescue to view kittens. Basically once you love that cat, the fact that it cost £25 or £250 become irrelevant and I don't believe that the adoption fee varies with breed anyway. Get your kittens microchipped, if they aren't already done.

I'm not in your area, so can't advise on local rescues but good luck with your kitten search.

ETA - photos (any excuse LOL )

All in a row.

The siamese sadly died of old age.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi all,
I have finally convinced my OH that we need a kitten or 2 to join our tribe of animals! However I have a few questions which I hope someone could help me with?
Firstly, one cat or 2? We live on a farm with 2 dogs (one working collie who lives in a kennel, one pet JRT). Obviously we will cautiously introduce them over time and not leave them together unattended until we are 100% sure they wont kill each other! I work PT and OH obviously works on the farm so kitty wouldn't be left alone for long periods which makes me think 1 would be fine, but growing up we always had 2 cats to keep each other company so not sure what would be best?
Secondly- male or female? Either way it would be neutered as we have a feral tomcat that occasionally graces our farm with its presence, and I wouldn't want a tomcat spraying everywhere! Just wondering if they tend to have different personalities as a whole?
Thirdly- wheres best to get one? I would love to adopt, but where from (anyone in the North East who knows of a cat shelter?!), smaller shelters or RSPCA/blue cross/cat protection? How many loops will we have to jump through to pass the adoption process?! Dont particularly want a pedigree as it will be an outdoorsy cat and I would worry about the whereabouts of my expensive cat!
Any other help/advice would be appreciated!

Firstly be careful with a jack Russel as they can and do go or chase cats. Next I would have two as they are company for each other, it does not make a difference male or female.

What you do get when you adopt, particularly from Cats Protection is a healthy cat who is vaccinated and neutered and microchiped, also had bloods take for Felv and Fiv.
Firstly look on the website and see if any of the cats sound like what you are after, then contact the phone number on the site which will most likely be the homing officer who then will contact the fosters in the area who maybe housing the cat you are interested. Next you will meet the foster at their place once they call you as the homing officer will not give the fosters number out. Next once you have been to the cat and see him two things then occur

1. you like him or her on the spot and tell the foster you def want them on the proviso of the home check.

2. You need to go away and think about it or see another pair of cats which might be in another fosters pen then decided which.

Once you have decided you then tell the homing officer or foster and the homing officer will organize a home check by another volunteer who does the home checks, if its ok you will get told there and then and then the foster will too and she will contact you and arrange collection to suit both. You will then go on the designated day and fill the forms in and then collection your new family pet.

The adoption is £ 60 per cat just to let you the know the cost

Hope this is what you wanted to know.

 

[Stroppy Mare]

I got two freebie kittens 3 years ago - they were 3 weeks apart age wise, but both were the wildest of their litters. If you want tough kitties try and find feral or semi feral cats nearby who have had litters and locals want the kittens gone once weaned. They're generally tougher (my little black cat has seen off rottweillers and JRT before quite successfully) and will hunt as desired. Having said that, my black cat would happily be a house cat too, my black and white less so, but you'd get an idea from their personality as a kitten. Definitely get two, genders don't matter.

 

[hackneylass2]

to be honest, if you would be worried about an 'expensive' cat being outdoors, but not a moggy..I would not get a cat!

 

[BroadfordQueen]

Thanks for all the help, we have an appointment today with local cat shelter one more question- do I need 2 separate litter trays for two kittens from the same litter?

 

[BroadfordQueen]

to be honest, if you would be worried about an 'expensive' cat being outdoors, but not a moggy..I would not get a cat!

I worry more about my horse worth £8000 than I do about my horse worth £1000, doesn't mean I love her any less or care for her in a different way. Just human instinct to worry more about something you spent more money on!

 

[Stroppy Mare]

Thanks for all the help, we have an appointment today with local cat shelter one more question- do I need 2 separate litter trays for two kittens from the same litter?

Is the cat going to be coming in the house at all? If so realistically just 1 tray should be fine, and when outside they'll dig and bury it anyway so no surprises like what dogs leave!

 

[SuperH]

I would ask your farrier, mine does a roaring trade in yard/farm cats.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Thanks for all the help, we have an appointment today with local cat shelter one more question- do I need 2 separate litter trays for two kittens from the same litter?

Yes you do need two litter trays ideally one for each cat, kittens you maybe be able to share till they are more mature.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Is the cat going to be coming in the house at all? If so realistically just 1 tray should be fine, and when outside they'll dig and bury it anyway so no surprises like what dogs leave!

Sorry incorrect they do need a tray each as most cats wont use a tray which another uses with its smell on which is why you get accidents

How many litter trays do I need?

The general rule of thumb is one box for each cat plus one more. Then none of them will ever be prevented from eliminating in the litter box because it's already occupied. It's not possible to designate a personal litter box for each cat in your household, as cats may use any litter box that's available. That means a cat may occasionally refuse to use a litter box after another cat has been in it. In this case, you'll need to keep all of the litter boxes extremely clean, and you might even need to add additional boxes

Imagine coming home, bladder bursting, and walking into your bathroom to see that your roommate has left it reeking, the toilet unflushed, toilet paper everywhere. It would give you a moment of pause, no matter how badly you needed to relieve yourself. The same can be true for cats who share litter boxes.
Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, says litter box issues are one of the top three reasons cat parents hire him. (Read our interview: Cat from Hell Star Reveals the Top 3 Cat Complaints.) But for multi-cat households, the solution can be as simple as having the right number of litter boxes. “The rule of thumb is one litter box per cat, plus one extra,” Galaxy says.

The cat-to-litter box ratio
As a cat foster mom, I recommend that new adopters have at least 1.5 litter boxes per cat. So if you have one cat, you need two litter boxes; two cats, three litter boxes.

Some cats just don’t like sharing litter boxes, and this ratio lets each cat claim his own. Even if they don’t mind sharing, keeping extra litter boxes around ensures that, if one of your cats is using one litter box and the scary washing machine is running next to the litter box in the basement, there will still be an appropriate place for your other cat to relieve himself.

Preventing litter box problems
You may have fewer than 1.5 litter boxes per cat and your cats might be fine with it — that’s certainly possible. But one cat may become tired of sharing and opt to seek out another place to potty. Before he decides that your bathroom rug suits him just fine, you’ll want to offer him his own litter box..

 

[Casey76]

If your cats will have free access to the outside, you will probably find that they prefer to go outside.

I have three cats, one litter box, and it is used approx 3 months of the year in deepest winter when it is too cold to go outside.

 

[EmmaC78]

Sorry incorrect they do need a tray each as most cats wont use a tray which another uses with its smell on which is why you get accidents

I have had three cats all using the same litter tray without any problems at all. They are fine as long as you clean it regularly. I have had many cats over a period of about 30 years so I don't think I have just been lucky.