OT Kittens!

[Keara'sMom]

Well, I know this topic is very OT, but I thought this might be a good place to get some great information, so here goes...

Our well-loved, 16-year-old cat, Sophie, died last Wednesday, and dh, dd11 and I have been really sad--our house is just not a home to us without a cat in it. So...we decided to check at our local SPCA to see if they had kittens. A wonderful woman who works there told us that she's been fostering a litter of kittens who are just about ready to be adopted, and, long story short, we're getting two little ones on Thursday!!

Since it's been forever since we've had a kitten, I'm not sure of many things, so I have lots of questions! How do we handle 2 with litter box, food/water dishes, etc? Is there anything we can do to encourage them to be buddies (they're litter mates--a boy and a girl)? Does anyone have suggestions on food (they've been eating Science Diet kitten food)? Any information on raising little ones will be very helpful!

THANKS!!

 

[Nie0214]

The fostering mother and the SPCA should be able to give you lots of helpful tips, so definitely ask them.

I actually just filled out an application to adopt a cat of my own. My home isn't a home without a kitty, so here's to having one soon. Goodluck with your kittens! I think I'm going to get one that is a year or two old myself.

 

[Pumbaa_]

we have had 2 from the same litter twice.

our first set had their moments of liking each other, but for the most part existed together

Our current pair, 4 yo, spend alot of time together. They were from a rescue and young when we got them. They are house cats, male and female and they hang out together, beat on each other and play with each other. Just like regular siblings lol

We have littermaid automatic and we feed dry food out of a feeder so they graze at will. We have more than one but that is more for our benefit than theirs. They have no territory issues regarding this whatsoever. We have a 3rd cat and they all share everything

Warning though - we haven't had a xmas tree in 4 years! They climbed it and are way too active to let me have one yet. We went from a senior citizen of 18 to these guys. Took awhile to get used to. Oh, and I lost all my houseplants too BUt they are worth it

 

[Principessa1284]

Aw, kittens!! They're so much fun! They should already be litter trained - they seem to be drawn to it naturally. I adopted 2 strays who had lived out on their own and they took to the litter box immediately. They're brothers and they HATE to be seperated. They don't cuddle all that much, but they wont be out of eyeshot of eachother. I bought them a ton of toys, and they DESTROYED them all. Seriously. They tore them to bits with their teeth and claws. So, buy them toys, but don't spend a lot and you won't be upset when you have to replace them. One of the best things you can get is a replaceable scratchin post. Mine didn't detroy any nice furnature, but they tore apart the end of my old mattress.

If I can recommend one thing, start clipping their nails as soon as you get them home. You can get a cat nail clipper at petsmart for a few bucks, and it's pretty easy to do. You just cut off the sharp tip at the very end of the nail, and it helps a lot with scratches. If you get them in the habit while they're tiny and easy to manage, they won't fight you tooth and nail when they weight 18lbs and know how to wiggle away.

When looking for a kitten food, buy one with chicken or another sort of protein as the first listend ingredient. They are listed in order of amount from lowest to highest, so you want one with the least "filler."

If you're adopting from the SPCA, they should already be spayed/neutered, and should have their first shots. If not, be prepared for that first vet bill. My babies cost over $300 between the shots, deworming pills, blood tests, and general visit fee. I had NO idea it would be that much all at once, and they took no mercy on me for doing two at once. Ask vet prices up ahead is the lesson I learned!!

And lastly, this may go without saying, but take TONS of pictures! They don't stay little very long. A favorite of mine is when one of them climbed into DBF's boot and stuck his little head out - adorable!!

 

[Keara'sMom]

Thanks so much for all of the replies! The information you have all posted has been very helpful!!

The person who has fostered these kittens has had them since they were 24 hours old, and she has sent us pictures already! I've gotten kind of bad about taking pictures, but I'll try to get back in the habit.

Also, thanks for the tip on nail clipping--I'll do that! I also plan to take them in the car periodically so that they get more used to that than my old cat was. And I MIGHT try rubbing their gums with gauze--but I'm not sure. I don't want to alienate these little babies!!!

As for vet bills, we just spent about $700 on hospitalization for our Sophie, so I know how steep those can run. We're pretty well prepared on that front.

Pumbaa, what do you think of the littermaid automatic?

I have been a little afraid of a Christmas tree--we're going to give it a shot this year, but we're planning to put non-breakable ornaments on the bottom and try to discourage climbing. We can't watch them, though, while we're at work/school, so I guess we'll just have to hope they don't climb.

Again, thanks! If you all or anyone else has anything more to add, particularly about encouraging friendship between them, please post!

 

[Kaler131]

Awwwww! Have you picked out names for them yet??

 

[Keara'sMom]

Awwwww! Have you picked out names for them yet??

Not yet. I kind of liked "George and Gracie," but my dh doesn't really like George Burns, so I think that idea won't fly (although "Gracie" might stick). Our plan is to get them home and spend some time with them, and hopefully their personalities will help make their names clear.

They really are cute! I wish I could figure out how to post pictures of them! Oh well!