Adopting young cats

[njtom]

Our last cat, who we sadly had to put down recently, was one year old when we adopted her. In a couple of months, we will probably be ready to get a new cat. We're thinking about bonded siblings so that they can keep each other company. From what I can see, these pairs are usually available when the cats are very young.

We basically had to learn how to take care of a cat from scratch the last time, so at least now we have experience - but we don't have any experience with anything younger than a year old. What are the challenges in adopting younger cats that we might not have experienced with our last cat?

 

[ArtNJ]

Cats under 1 year will most likely be very playful. If you are in an apartment or single story house, cats playing at 3 am is a not to be under estimated annoyance.

Cats under 1 year are perhaps less likely to have basic training already done, so you may find them scratching your furniture (which is honestly pretty hard to train so you may have seen it in older cats) as well as even less desirable habits like climbing curtains.

If you are getting kittens, you'll definitely have to do all the training, and cat proofing has an ever higher importance because kittens are the best at finding trouble.

There are also some differences attached to having two cats. Sometimes play fighting can look really brutal, and there can be protest noises and running away, especially if there is a size difference. Really throws most folks for a loop the first time they see it. Also, bonded siblings can have real fights, and there are certain well known triggers that you may not know about - useful to know about redirected aggression and non-recognition aggression if new issues to you. We have articles on those things (see link bar up top).

Thats about it.

P.S. Personally, I'd just get two young kittens. Any two sufficiently young kittens will bond as deaply as biological siblings. This way, you avoid some of the unknowns of adopting other people's cats with ingrained behaviors. There are of course many folks on here that regularly step up for this challenge and can help -- and two kittens are not without their own challenges -- but on average, two kittens are going to have a smaller risk of difficult problems.

 

[Luvyna]

I'm raising a kitten for the first time right now and here are some big differences I've found:

- You need to socialize them - it's important to expose them to as many different things that they may need to experience throughout their lives as possible. This means making sure they eat a variety of foods with different textures, flavours, and brands to ensure that if their diet needs to change in the future, it's easier for them to adjust. It means getting them used to the cat carrier, vacuums, claw trimming, brushing, strangers, other pets...etc.

- The energy levels! Kittens seem to have an unlimited reservoir of energy between naps and they always want to play. It should be easier if you get a bonded pair so they can play with each other - otherwise, you have to satisfy their desire to play. I feel like I always get tired before my kitten does. Sometimes they can want to play at inconvenient times, like when you're sleeping, eating, cooking, or working.

- They are extremely curious and will get into everything! You basically need to baby-proof everything - wires wrapped and stowed away, keep potentially dangerous items off the tables and counters, make sure toxic chemicals or items that can be ingested are in cupboards and drawers that can't be opened by felines.

- They can be annoying - you will need to teach them boundaries on what behaviours are unacceptable (scratching furniture, biting, jumping on counters, meowing for attention, begging at the dinner table for food...etc.) This is something that also needs to be done for adult cats, but kittens seem to be particularly curious, persistent, and energetic. It can even be pretty stressful dealing with them at times.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And while a pair of kittens may be just right, don't forget to at least ask about bonded pairs of adults. They, and senior cats, can be terribly hard to place.

 

[tatonka1233]

I tend to get kittens around 6 weeks of age. At this point, they are weaned from their mom and they are just becoming more independent. I have had better luck when getting them in pairs or even groups or 4 or 5, so that they have plenty of playmates. They learn from one another and usually are already litter-trained. Although a downside would be that they are adventurous, they tire quickly and seem to be more open to being friendly with everyone they come into contact with.

When getting kittens, always ask the seller what cat food are they eating. If a dry food, like Meow Mix or 9 Lives, and you either can't afford to buy that or you don't like that brand. Ask for a small baggie of that food then buy whatever you choose to. For the first couple days do 3/4 old food, and 1/4 new food. The next few days do 1/2 and 1/2. After that do 1/4 old and 3/4 new. Then finally when the small sample baggie is gone the kitten should be used to the new food and it shouldn't give harm the cat at all.


I hope this helps!

 

[LTS3]

The best age for kittens to leave their mom is 12 weeks. Any earlier than that and many kittens often don't know how to use the litter box, aren't socialized properly, etc. There are situations where a kitten has to be removed from mom before 12 weeks (orphaned because mom died or wasn't taking care of the litter, etc) and they just need extra care and attention and tons of patience.

Any kitten under a year old is a handful, Young weaned kittens are especially a handful and full of energy and mischief and naughty behavior. If you don't have the time or patience to deal with kitten zoomies and them knocking things off tables, etc (and potentially breaking them), climbing curtains, parkour at midnight, chewing and eating anything they can get their curious mouths onto (and many household things are harmful if not downright dangerous) and an insatiable appetite (kittens eat a ton of food), then kittens aren't the best to get. In short, take a look at your lifestyle and living situation and talk to the local shelters to see what age of cats would work best. Kittens bouncing off the walls in an apartment with shared thin walls might make all the neighbors angry. Shelters often have adult bonded pairs that need homes so ask if they have any.