Cat / Kitten?!?

Associate
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Hi folks

Looking for some advice from the cat owners amongst you here. My fiancee and I are currently looking at getting a kitten but have had a mass mix of advice from actual cat establishments themselves, which has slightly bamboozled us. We were looking for a kitten, about 3 to 6 months, but are both out the house for about 8 hours a day at work. Most places have said this would be too long to leave the kitten on its own but having two may be a better option as it would be company. Other places have said that it is too long for even 2 kittens to be left unattended. When I ask what sort of age cats could be left alone for 8 hours the answers have ranged from 1 to 4 years old.

I was just wondering if anyone here would be able to advise as to how old their cat/s were when they got them and how long they were left unattended for?

TIA :cool:
 
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Caporegime
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When i lived in Oxford i bought a kitten from the bloke in the Firkin.

Left it in the lounge of my old student house, not been back for 9 years.

I guess its doing ok?

On a more serious note, I think cats can cope from a reasonably early age, depending what the are used to. Maybe get a pair of them so they can entertain each other? Thinking back to my cats, i think they spent a fair ammount of time alone from the age of 1ish.

They used to get locked out for a week or 2 when we went on Holiday and the neighbour fed them.

One is 20 odd years old now so i spose it didnt do it any harm.
 
Soldato
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kitty cats grow up fast, 1 year old is fine to leave it alone with food, water and somewhere to deposit :p

Get a cat thats been abandoned, Im sure it'll be gratefull enough to wait 8 hours after being saved.

Any reason you cant let this cat out during the day ? Cats are less hassle then dogs like that..
 
Soldato
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I would not get a single kitten if you are out so long. Two kittens, however, should be ok, although I'd make sure you got two from the same litter, or at least who have been living together at the shelter. My reason for this is otherwise you will need to go through an introduction period which means they should really be separated whenever they can't be supervised, so they would both be lonely to start with.

Cats spend a lot of their time sleeping, and most will sleep when you are gone and play while you are there. Obviously another cat to play with will provide more interaction than just toys while there is no-one around.

I've left my cats for 24 hours at a time since they were about a year old, although I wouldn't want to do that regularly. They are normally left for 6-8 hours a day with no problems though.
 
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Thanks for the replies already. I guess a single kitten is going out the window, which, if best for the cat in the longrun, is fine by me.

So would 2 kittens, aged about 5-6 months be ok left by themselves for 8 hours? I would definitely look to get them from the same litter though. Hopefully our house would be big enough, also, when old enough, they would get outdoors.

Vixen, where did you get your cats from? Was it a breeder? We have so far been to the Lothian Cat Rescue Home and the SSPCA at Balerno, going to the CP on Thursday.
 
Caporegime
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sorry to but in DEffinatley try and get them form a cat sanctuary place. Phone em up before hand and say you are after a pair of kittens to make sure some are "in stock"

I love kitties, give 2 a really good home :)
 
Soldato
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2**4SLEEP said:
Thanks for the replies already. I guess a single kitten is going out the window, which, if best for the cat in the longrun, is fine by me.

So would 2 kittens, aged about 5-6 months be ok left by themselves for 8 hours? I would definitely look to get them from the same litter though. Hopefully our house would be big enough, also, when old enough, they would get outdoors.

Vixen, where did you get your cats from? Was it a breeder? We have so far been to the Lothian Cat Rescue Home and the SSPCA at Balerno, going to the CP on Thursday.

Yes, 2 should be ok around that age, as they'll be slightly less wild than at 3 months old!
My cats are both pedigree ragdolls, so both are from breeders. One is from near Dalkeith and the other from Laurencekirk.
 
Soldato
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2**4SLEEP said:
Thanks for the replies already. I guess a single kitten is going out the window, which, if best for the cat in the longrun, is fine by me.

So would 2 kittens, aged about 5-6 months be ok left by themselves for 8 hours? I would definitely look to get them from the same litter though. Hopefully our house would be big enough, also, when old enough, they would get outdoors.

Vixen, where did you get your cats from? Was it a breeder? We have so far been to the Lothian Cat Rescue Home and the SSPCA at Balerno, going to the CP on Thursday.

Mate my folks from west lothian got two adult cats (4-5 years old) from a sanctuary (sorry can't remember which one). Best cats we ever had when I was growing up, both well trained, well behaved and loved to play and be cuddled. They genuinely seemed to have missed it by being put in the sanctuary!

One of them lived to be 19, which apparently is very old for a pussy cat and she had a lovely life and have a huge amount of joy to myself and my family :D

Personally I'd go and get an adult cat if I was getting one, kittens are cute and all but adult cats can bond with you just as strongly without the mess and you get to know that the little cat you love would have had a rubbish life without you and you saved it.
 
Soldato
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We got our kittens at 6 weeks old and from 8 weeks they were on their own for 8 hours at least 3 days a week. Plenty of food down, litter trained and access to where we wanted and they were (and still are) fine. Ours are brother and sister. Me feels cat piccies coming on...


RonieeMaggie.jpg


Then

kidsnow.jpg


And now
 
Soldato
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I got three kittens, aged just about six weeks - it was hard to tell as they were all abandonded (one poor little fella had been left in a box over the weekend outside a vet's door with his brothers - the other two, from the same litter, were left at the side of a road). My girlfriend at the time was a veterinary nurse, so I got plenty of advice and comments on how to look after them. She would never have let me put them in jeopardy.

Basically, from one week after I got them, and virtually every weekday since then (and that was three years ago), they've been alone from about 8am to 5pm. Of course, there's times myself or my girl are at home during the day but, in general, they spend a lot of time during the week alone.

I left them in one room when I was at work. After a few weeks, they were let loose in the rest of the place. I would heartily recommend anyone who gets a cat to get one as a young kitten - less than three months (more than one kitty if you're going to leave them alone during the day). You will not regret it - take lots of photos and make sure they have plenty of toys, a good litterbox (covered ones do make a difference) and a decent scratching post. I got mine a water fountain last year and they love it - they go through way more water now - cost me about 25 quid.

Some other advice, if you can enforce it - keep some rooms cat-free - I chose the kitchen (cos it's where I prepare food) and the bathroom (cos it's where I get clean and try to avoid cat hair!).

Get yourself a lint-remover roller thingy for your clothes (you'll thank me for this one!) and make sure you've budgeted for their shots.

And finally (although I could go on for ages about new cats - diet, training, etc... ok, I'm stopping soon!), I know it's cliched, but the little fellas you bring home with you could live as long as 20 years - and they'll rely on you a lot (especially if they're indoor cats......mine are, and they're like puppy dogs following me around!) - make sure you're ready for that and you have someone nearby who can look after them when you want to get away for a week :)

And for the record, my cats are all amazingly friendly once they've met you a couple times, love attention and basically spend all their time playing, play fighting, sleeping, eating and purring loudly. I think that counts as content and well-brought up. :)
 
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Thanks folks for all the replies. My fiancee is slightly worried, as am I, that possibly two kittens would be too much to take on, both area size of our house, and financially, double the costs and all.

I think we may therefore look for something a wee bit older, maybe just over a year, which would still allow us to go down the single cat route, hopefully?!?
 
Soldato
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2**4SLEEP said:
Thanks folks for all the replies. My fiancee is slightly worried, as am I, that possibly two kittens would be too much to take on, both area size of our house, and financially, double the costs and all.

I think we may therefore look for something a wee bit older, maybe just over a year, which would still allow us to go down the single cat route, hopefully?!?

If you have enough space for one cat to play in, you have enough space for two :). Financially though, it is just double for food/litter/vets.

I think the best thing for you to do is see what cats are available at the shelter. Some cats are fine being left alone and are much happier as only cats, however every cat is different and you really need someone who has spent time with one to tell you what it is like. My ex had a cat who had been abused before, which meant he was wary of people and other cats. I took my cats over a few times and he just wouldn't get used to them, but he was perfectly happy on his own.
 
Soldato
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We got our two at eight weeks old.. Both the wife and I work at least 8 hours 5 days a week!...

They're now both 8 months old, and we've not seen any adverse effects!...

They play with each other!... Use the litter tray (no accidents yet!!)... Enough food... Spare room to sleep in (remember most cats sleep for 8 hours a day!!)... The window in the spare room to stare out of!...

and in the evenings we make a 'mahoosive' fuss of em together!...

I'll get some piccies up later!.. :) (or just search my name and 'kittens' for some)
 
Soldato
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Vixen said:
If you have enough space for one cat to play in, you have enough space for two :). Financially though, it is just double for food/litter/vets.
Couldn't have said it better myself. If they're indoor animals (which is suggested for six to eight months anyway) then a double bedroom will be more than enough space to start with. My cats are all rather big now, and they can turn a coffee table into a full-sized race track.

Saying that, don't stretch yourself financially, as it's not fair on you or your furry dependents. Speak to the vet and find out how much it will all cost you for shots and what have, and spend some time looking at prices for start-up stuff.

Happy to help with any queries :)
 
Soldato
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Efour2 said:
sorry to but in DEffinatley try and get them form a cat sanctuary place. Phone em up before hand and say you are after a pair of kittens to make sure some are "in stock"

I highly recommend this.

We got our dog from a sanctuary. The vet the dogs to make sure they are suitable, check for health problems or birth defects, immunise them and (in the santuary we got our dog from) microchipped them.

This was all for 30 quid.

They even did a follow up visit to our house to make sure we were all happy and had a 1 month return policy incase we didn't get on.

Look up the RSPCA and they will help you with a reputable sanctuary, you will get a better cat and help stop those breeding for pet shops.
 
Soldato
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you could go for an older cat, but to be honest it's down to the cat's personality. Some love other cats, some hate them. I have 3, and one of mine is a tortie girlie who just hates anything that takes mummy's attention away from her :D

The other two are fine together.

I would always have two though - then I know that the other has company if I'm not there. They do become closer if you have to spend time away, even the tortie was a bit softer towards her brother when I was living alone and out a lot.
 
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