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I see, understood. I will definitely check out the links.A "regular" cat with a blue coat. Cats aren't like dogs, in that dogs are almost all at least partially some recognizable pure breed or breed mix. Purebred cats make up a very small percentage of the cat population; the vast majority of cats have no breed background at all. Cats usually get on with reproduction without any input from humans so they're simply. . .cats . We call them domestic shorthairs (or longhairs).
It's a bit technical, but here's a study about weaning times in kittens:
Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats
And this sums it up in easier language:
It is Best for Kittens to Stay with Mom in a Home Environment for 12-14 Weeks
I don't know what this kitten will end up looking like. I hope it will look good and will be a bonus if it looks more like a Chartreux or British Shorthair.
Most importantly I want the kitten to be healthy and happy and get along with me and my lifestyle. I don't discriminate between breeds. It's not like I paid for a pure-bred so no loss here, just a bonus.
As long as it is healthy, happy and gets along with me and people who come over and looks good without any defects, I am happy. Everything else is a bonus.
Thank you!
I am considering taking the cat after 9 weeks. I wrote an explanation a little below this comment. Any tips on what to ask the owner? I am going to see her in about 2 hours. She said she will definitely sign the contract, so I am working on it right now.Oh, and sometimes the owner of the mother cat will say, when the kittens are 5 or 6 weeks old, that they aren't nursing anymore so you might as well take them home at that age. Don't fall for that. Nursing isn't the important part; learning cat lessons from their mother is the important part.
Blue is the official term for the gray coat color in cats. It's a color, not a breed, and is fairly common. Most cats aren't any particular breed, and also aren't mixes of breeds, unlike dogs.
It really depends on how the cats are cared for. A responsible breeder pays close attention to the welfare and needs of the individual cats, and doesn't allow a female cat to mate unless she is in excellent health and physically and mentally ready to have a litter. Female cats are also stressed by going through repeated heat cycles, so it can also be stressful for a cat to go through many heat cycles without having a litter or being spayed. Since heat cycles can also increase certain health risks, female kittens that are not part of a planned breeding program should preferably be spayed by 4-5 months of age, before the first heat cycle.
New owners like your friend nearly always want to get kittens as early as possible. Most kittens do okay when adopted at 8 weeks, but some kittens adopted early will develop behavior issues, especially if they are adopted as a single kitten without a littermate buddy. I see that Willowy already linked the research study I was about to link here, so I won't repeat that.
The immune system is also not fully developed at 8 weeks, so a very young kitten is also somewhat more likely to experience health issues as a result of moving to a new environment.
If you do end up getting your kitten at 8-10 weeks, don't worry, it will probably be fine... and people here can help you with any behavioral or health issues that may come up. It's just not in the kitten's best interest to place them at this age, so breeders (like the one that sold your friend a Scottish Fold) really shouldn't be selling kittens at 8 weeks.
Oh okay I understand what you meant by Blue now.
I see. Well her cat is 2 years old, Probably first or second time it was ready for this process considering I know they need to reach adulthood first. I didn't ask her if this is her first litter, I will ask her when I speak with her again.
I was also told by another friend to take the cat on the 9th week and that is how PetSmart does it as well, they make them available at that time from the adoption agencies.
Then another friend who had a bunch of cats said the same thing. Said that if I want the cat to be a lap cat and cuddle and adjust to me and be easily trained by me, get it at 8-9 weeks MAX 10 weeks.
I don't understand what the extra 2-3 weeks would do for it from 9 weeks. Like what kind of behavioral issues? I am home all the time, I will make sure to keep it company and train it as much as possible if cats are trainable. I need to read everything properly, I just finished work recently.
I will feel confident taking it at 9 weeks if I find enough evidence to support what my friends are saying. It's just that people here are a lot more experienced... So I am torn. I just don't want to end up making a mistake which would make me regret not taking it home early or taking it too early.
Won't it be harder on the kitten and the mother cat to let go of the kitten if I let it stay 12 weeks rather than 9 weeks?
Thank you!
Yea she probably should. I will ask her how many litters her cat had, hopefully she will tell me this was the only one and it will be the truth.I'm just so happy for you! I'd like to call her and tell her to fix her cat and get the neighbor cat fixed too. She has the money to do so.
Thank you for educating me on the matter. I will look more into it for my 2nd cat if I get another one. The way I look at it, even if $150 is a little steep (I got her down from $200) I get the experience of watching the kitten grow since she invited me back as many times as I would like to visit it until it is ready. The downside is that she is not a professional breeder so I hope she is doing everything she needs to do in order to keep the kitten healthy. I have no idea how long it will drink just milk from mama cat and what food she will give it once she decides to do so. She seems like a very nice person and she always makes herself available for me so I want to believe everything will be okay.You’ve gotten so much great advice on this thread, and I wanted to pop in to say welcome as a fellow Canadian cat lover!
I also wanted to make one comment, regarding adopting from rescues- some rescue cats certainly come from traumatic backgrounds or have less than ideal starts to life, but for the vast majority of them, you don’t need any special skills to look after a rescue animal!
I’m glad you already feel bonded to this kitten and that you are happy with the route you’ve gone, and at the same time I want everyone reading this to know that rescues and shelters are great places to find a cat companion.
As for price, I agree it’s likely that the owner was hoping to get more for the kittens by saying the father is a purebred cat. $150 seems quite steep to me. I live in a more rural area of Canada where there are dozens of free cats and kittens on kijiji right now, so I actually checked the Toronto SPCA page and their kitten adoption fee is $120, which includes vetting and spay/neuter.
Regardless, getting to see your kitten grow up will be very special, and I’m glad you’re already so fond of the kitten!
Another upside is that I get to take it for its first Vet visit. I feel better I get to do it MYSELF as I wanted that experience. I checked and for a first visit (which includes a $20 first vaccine, $12.5 de-worming, $67 fecal test and a $50 exam which I get for $42.5 as a new member) it is cheaper than I thought it would be to be honest.
Sure I may be paying a little more but I get to go through the experience with the kitten together and watch it grow from time to time and it feels more natural than a breeder who breeds their cats time after time. I don't know if I am right about this but does it make sense to anyone else?
Thank you for your kind words.
[/QUOTE]1. Re costs of mixes: mixes are almost always cheaper then purebreds, esp if Ooops litters. Usually a quite essential cut. No wonder, technically they are moggies. Unless such a mix is an allowed outcross.
Although here, as the others said, we may be fairly sure parents are two nice domestics.
The kitten should be nice and healthy anyway! May even have the "bastard-boom" becoming extra healthy, because any inbreeding depressions are covered up by the new outcrossing.
2. Nay, skin / hair color is a gene by itself. Its not connected automatically with the great majority of genes. Not in cats anyway!
Your grey kitten means only, both parent has the dilution gene. Did you say 4 kittens are black, one grey? So most probably both parents are black, but both hade the dilution gene, and this combo gives usually this result: 1 of 4/5 kittens is grey, the siblings are black.
These statistics arent ironclad in an individual litter, it may vary some, but - they are fairly sure in a 1000 litters.
The kitten will have half of genes from each parent.
If its a female kitten, the probability is the dau will tend to be smallish, as momma. There ARE after all, some maternal lines, some properties taken more after ma. And some perhaps after dad. So for example, its now known, gentle and friendly toms tends to get friendly and easy handleable kittens.
But its not ironclad either. You can see tendencies in 1000 litters, but its impossible to know in 1 litter.
Thank you for the science lesson, it's incredible how much you all know here. I will ask to see the neighbor's cat and hopefully she will make it happen and show me the actual cat it bred with. Can't be sure but I can only hope she tells me the truth. In either case, if this is not the real mix it does not void the cat. It can still turn out to be an amazing cat and I feel that it will be.
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