Adopting a kitten or a bonded pair: questions

alphakitty

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The good thing about having two devils is that their devil-ish energy will mainly be focused on themselves and not on you. Lonely kitten will want to bite your hands, attack your feet etc. You will not keep up with a small kitten, even comparing to most puppies they have way more energy. And since most kittens in the US are separated from their families way too early, having two kittens is crucial imo to ensure they have the least behavioral problems possible. And it's important to have cats that know how to play nicely if you're going to have a human baby around.
Most often than not, two kittens are less work than one. But I also know it's counter intuitive and I understand your wife reservation.
Some articles for you to read if you want to:
Single-Kitten Syndrome - MEOW Cat Rescue
Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
She's a witch,

Excellent, succinct post and I completely agree!

>>two devils is that their devil-ish energy
I love to watch a bunch kittens playing. I often can sense their thought atmospheres, especially when they are unaware that I am watching. One can walk in a actually feel their thought-pressure as they play. Its amazing.

>> Lonely kitten...
Exactly. A very selfish and cruel thing to do, in my opinion.

>>...most kittens in the US are separated from their families way too early,
Sadly, so true. I had opportunity to socialize an entire community of kittens reared in their families. The difference in their behaviors as adult kitties is so different from kittens seperated too early from their mommy kitties. Its not just their mommy either, as there is an actual community, a pecking order, ways of hunting, ways of behavior, they have a kitty cultural society. Of course most Humans don't give a hoot, as it doesn't fit their ideas of how things are or how it fits their agendas.

Sincerly - Alpha Kitty
 
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MoriartyX

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I just wanted to give you an update, as we are finally adopting two siblings!

Today we went to meet one particular female that was in a foster home with her mom (now spayed, not feral at all, just likes to keep her distances) and siblings. And we couldn’t say no to her little brother, so we are coming back tomorrow for the two of them!

They are 12-13 weeks old, but I’m happy to know they have been in that foster home since week 2 or 3 and they have spent all this time with their mom and the rest of the litter.

We are excited (and also kind of terrified!). Thank you all for your advice, it really helped :)
 

alphakitty

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I just wanted to give you an update, as we are finally adopting two siblings!

Today we went to meet one particular female that was in a foster home with her mom (now spayed, not feral at all, just likes to keep her distances) and siblings. And we couldn’t say no to her little brother, so we are coming back tomorrow for the two of them!

They are 12-13 weeks old, but I’m happy to know they have been in that foster home since week 2 or 3 and they have spent all this time with their mom and the rest of the litter.

We are excited (and also kind of terrified!). Thank you all for your advice, it really helped :)
That put a BIG smile on my face. As our friend Spock would say, "May you and your kitties live long and prosper!"

Alpha Kitty
 
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MoriartyX

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Sorry, they do require a lot of attention. Or maybe it's just that they are so fun to look at :p

So please meet Kylo (boy, left) and Coco (girl, right):
20200807_071343428_iOS.jpg


They are extremely lovely! They never hissed or anything at us, not even when we first met them at the foster home where they were living with their siblings and mom. They accept being carried, hugged, picked up... They even accept their ears being cleaned every day, as they came with a lot of dirt inside.

Coco was feeling ill, with diarrhea and all, so I think we've only seen like a half of her, Kylo being the active and playful one. She is feeling better since yesterday, so now she jumps and attacks her brother as well.

They are so much fun, really :redheartpump:
 
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MoriartyX

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Sorry, I didn't see an edit button. They are 9 weeks old, not 12-13 as I said. The foster home wanted to have this litter adopted sooner as they had many other kittens looking for foster homes. There are so many abandoned kittens here in Mallorca!
 

molly92

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Ohh look at them! I have no idea what parasites are common in your area, but I bet one of them is causing the diarrhea. Kittens are super susceptible to intestinal parasites because their immune systems aren't strong enough to fight them off completely like grown cats. If they don't get better on their own soon, there are some medications available.

Congratulations!
 

Norachan

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Oh, they are gorgeous! So cute.

Have they been seen by a vet yet? They probably will need to be treated for parasites. They'll also need to be vaccinated and blood tested and you should schedule their spay and neuter appointments for around the 4 to 5 month mark. Make sure you get them both fixed before they are six months old, because male and female kittens kept together tend to mature a little faster and they will be able to produce kittens from 6 months old.

A few articles for you.

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips – TheCatSite Articles
Identifying Common Ailments In Cats Adopted From Animal Shelters And Rescue Groups – TheCatSite Articles
Cat Vaccinations: A Quick & Useful Guide – TheCatSite Articles
When To Spay Or Neuter A Cat? – TheCatSite Articles

Please keep us updated, I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures as they grow.
:heartshape:
 
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MoriartyX

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Well, I’m a little mad right now, as the shelter and the foster home mom told us they had been treated for parasites, and yet today we found one white worm exiting from his rear.

. 4A460842-B334-4BFD-A80A-77486D9433A8.jpeg

We went straight to the vet as soon as we picked them up last Wednesday, and even after talking with him four of five times since, he didn’t think on trying to treat them for that either. So a lot of money spent and only today we are starting to treat this.

So here we are, almost a week later, Coco is still with diarrhea, and now we are paranoid thinking on the possibility of having ingested some worm eggs.

Sorry if I sound a little crazy, but it’s our first time with internal parasites and everything you read on the internet on this matter is horrifying.
 

klunick

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Well, I’m a little mad right now, as the shelter and the foster home mom told us they had been treated for parasites, and yet today we found one white worm exiting from his rear.

.View attachment 346493

We went straight to the vet as soon as we picked them up last Wednesday, and even after talking with him four of five times since, he didn’t think on trying to treat them for that either. So a lot of money spent and only today we are starting to treat this.

So here we are, almost a week later, Coco is still with diarrhea, and now we are paranoid thinking on the possibility of having ingested some worm eggs.

Sorry if I sound a little crazy, but it’s our first time with internal parasites and everything you read on the internet on this matter is horrifying.
I dealt with roundworms when we first got our kittens late May. The chances of you ingesting anything is slim. You would literally have to do something like pick up feces with your hands and then eat something without washing. I'm sure you don't do anything like that. :) The dewormer will work quickly (like by tomorrow). Also get them on Revolution Plus if you can. It treats fleas/ticks but also several types of worms like heartworms.
 

molly92

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Seeing actual worms seems scary, but they're pretty easy to take care of with a dose or two of dewormer pills. You can usually get good ones from pet stores if your vet didn't give you any.

The trickier ones are the microscopic parasites, which you may need to get prescription medication for and give that for a week or two. It's not unlikely they have these too. Still, they are treatable and very common. Annoying, but not life-threatening. If diarrhea persists even after dewormer pills and there are no more visible worms, it's very likely there's a microscopic parasite. You can try just treating with a medication like Metronidazole (Flagyl) or maybe Panacur, which will cover a lot of the common parasites. Or you can try to narrow down a diagnosis first with a fecal test and then select a medication. Metronidazole is very useful for pretty much everything except coccidia, so it might be easier to just treat with that and not worry about an exact diagnosis. (You may or may not have to guide your vet to these options--some don't see a lot of young kittens and don't have as much experience with kitten parasites.)

I also vouch for Revolution. That monthly flea treatment has so many benefits and is very safe. Also I should mention, be extra diligent about scooping their litter for the first few weeks to reduce chances of reinfection, and if you're treating one kitten for something, treat both of them, because they will pass it back and forth to each other otherwise.

Try not to be too frustrated with the shelter! Worms can easily reinfect animals in a shelter environment, and it sounds like they might be spread thin if they're adopting out 8 week old kittens that aren't completely healthy yet. And all but the very biggest shelters usually rely on unpaid volunteers that take on more than they can handle because they can't say no to a cat in need. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, or they're not as thorough as maybe they'd like to be.

The upside of adopting kittens from a rougher environment is that they're going to start feeling better with your extra care and medical attention, and they're going to associate feeling well with you guys taking care of them, so your bond will be even stronger! I have no proof, but I swear cats like that are truly grateful.
 

Norachan

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Don't panic. I've been doing TNR and rescue for over ten years now and every single cat or kitten I've had come through my home has had worms. There easy to treat, even though they're pretty disgusting to look at.

I've never got worms from any of the cats or kittens I've cared for. As long as you've been washing your hands after you scoop the litter box you have nothing to worry about.
 
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MoriartyX

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Thanks for your comments!

Well, you know once you start looking at diseases and parasites on the Internet, you pretty much end up thinking you're dying!

Once I saw this one, we went straight to the vet. I even showed him the pic (and the actual worm that I was carrying in a zip bag) and he gave them a deworming pill. She continued with diarrhea during the rest of the day, but she kept drinking and eating. I was afraid we're going to wake up to a terrible scenery today (a during the weekend she had a pretty bad night and there were poop stains everywhere), but everything was fine! They were both super hungry, and for now, there are no poop episodes to regret. I'll keep you posted.

I want to keep using this thread and honor the subforum (Cat Behavior) so here's another question: they play together a lot, and that's great. However, ever since day 1, it's almost 90% of the times Kylo who goes looking for her, and he's the one who's always on top. Coco starts meowing (like crying) almost every time when they're one minute onto it, and she barely defends herself. I rationalize it's because she's so weak from the beginning, but I don't know. It's true that when Kylo seems to start being bored, she starts trying to catch his tail or she pokes him, so I guess it's okay. Right? Am I to expect more fair fights when she gets better?
 

Norachan

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Am I to expect more fair fights when she gets better?
If they are anything like my brother/sister cats by the time she is a year old she will be bullying Coco mercilessly.

:lol:

Girls usually keep their brothers in place. I think as she gets healthier and stronger you'll see more evenly matched games. Just make sure you get them spayed and neutered early on, as male cats can start to get aggressive as they mature sexually.
 

klunick

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If they are anything like my brother/sister cats by the time she is a year old she will be bullying Coco mercilessly.

:lol:

Girls usually keep their brothers in place. I think as she gets healthier and stronger you'll see more evenly matched games. Just make sure you get them spayed and neutered early on, as male cats can start to get aggressive as they mature sexually.
Ain't that the truth! Gracie is only 4 lbs and she is definitely the boss over her brother who is twice her size and 2 lbs heavier.
 

klunick

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I have also noticed that girls tend to be smarter (ie more mischievous) than the boys. Gracie is always coming up with new ways to get herself into trouble and then showing her brother how to get himself in trouble. Even though she is small (4 months and just under 5 lbs), she is brave. This morning, she learned a new trick. How to jump up onto the kitchen cabinets. No idea how she did this but she did!!
20200812_032320.jpg
 
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