Not sure if this goes here, but what is the best way to pick a kitten

[bronte73]

We are planning on a pair of kittens when school is out. What is the best way to pick them out? Obviously, health is a major consideration. I prefer cats that are affectionate and want to be around us and snuggle with us. I want one that will be gentle and laid back with the kids. I had a kitten once that was very aggressive and in your face. He would come to the door to check out anyone that came in and he would bite my kids in the face when they were watching tv. He was the one that got out of the screen and got ran over.

Anyway, we loved Oliver but he was a bit much. He even tried to attack my husband because he thought he was coming after me. (hubby was playing with the kids at the time)

Anyway, any suggestions/tips would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[trouts mom]

I would just see which kitties come to you. Of course you want them to look healthy too.

Trout picked us out..she started purring when my boyfriend picked her up..she was tiny too.

 

[abymummy]

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I would just see which kitties come to you. Of course you want them to look healthy too.

Trout picked us out..she started purring when my boyfriend picked her up..she was tiny too.

I agree with troutsmom - let them come to you...just make sure they've been vaccinated and dewormed, pink gums, healthy coat.

 

[momofmany]

I usually let them pick me. One time when I was looking for a snuggle-bug, I asked the owner which of the kittens in their litter was the snuggliest. Bogart came home with me that day and spent the next 13 years sleeping on my pillow with me at night and on my lap most of the rest of the time. They show their snuggliness young.

 

[cat_lover_330]

I remember that when I went into the Animal Shelter, my mother and I were only aloud to pick one to come out, b/c the shelter didn't want too many cats handled, in case something happened or something like that, I dunno...But, I sorta picked Sherbert out-of course, I picked him b/c he was the one who was trying to practically body-check the cage to get to me!

lol! BUT, when I took him out of the cage, he was VERY skittish in the start, running under stuff and things like that-he has changed into a very calm and laid-back cat-my advice to you would be to consider a cat instead of a kitten-maybe one that's a LITTLE older, b/c then you know what you're getting...I don't mean to tell you what to do or anything, but if you got a kitten that changed into a mean cat or something, then you wouldn't be happy...especially if you have smaller kids! Well, hope I helped!

 

[bab-ush-niik]

I would go with an older cat (or older pair) rather than kittens. That way, you know their personalities, and older cats are more snuggly.

If you do go with older cats, try to find two that lived together before. This is actually easier than it sounds. Our local humane society is always looking for people to take pairs of animals that came in together, and sometimes they have a hard time because people want to split them up. Ask your shelter to call you as soon as someone brings in a pair of cats that need to be adopted together. You can also check petfinder.org.

 

[wookie130]

I tend to agree with the last poster...with an adult, you know precisely what you're getting in personality and health. Besides, there are millions (yes, millions!!!) of homeless adults who have been living in shelters waiting for forever homes...kittens certainly have it easy. Everyone loves cute baby kittens!!! They get snatched up immediately, with really little effort. Adults, unfortunately, tend to get passed over...and when many adopting families decide that they're bored with the kitten, or the kitten didn't grow up to be what they were looking for in a grown cat, they then go to live in a shelter. Very sad, and it happens everyday across the world.

Unfortunately (and I do love kittens as much as the next person), I believe there is very little you can do to predict how a young kitten will mature, and what type of personality it has. There are individuals who train, cuddle, nurture, and manage all of those crazy kitten behaviors in hopes that they will be "shaping" their kitten into the perfect adult companion...however, I belong to the group of people who feel that kittens grow to the cats they are destined to be...kind of like people, too. That doesn't mean that the kitten won't thrive and grow in a loving home...because we know that they certainly don't thrive in an unloving environment. But like humans, kittens are born with their own personality traits.

Here's two examples of what I'm talking about. I brought home 8-week old Ripley (torti female), thinking she'd be a playful partner for 1 year old Fergus...she was playful in the pet shop, frisky, active. I thought she would play like that forever! Well, at 3 years old, she can still be fairly playful, but she's turned into a very needy lapcat. I would have never known that from her kitten behavior. And now, to present times, I have added my third cat to the mix, 10 week-old Steuben. I brought him home from a farm at 6 weeks...he was a lover!!!! He nuzzled me, cuddled in my arms, purred, ugh! Well, two days later, he has become a complete spastic ball of energy, and a force to be reckoned with!!! He is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love him to death, but I actually have no idea what type of adult cat he will be.

Pick the cat or kitten that speaks to you...and then go from there, because as kittens, it is hard to predict personalities.

 

[dark_waltz]

My thought was to see which was attracted to me, but my baby was the last one anyway though the woman before wanted to take him too

 

[tru]

I've only ever adopted two cats and what I did was look for the older cat with one or two preferred characteristics that the rescuer had that she hadn't been able to adopt after a long time. That is how Magic and Monique came to live with me. Magic a Maine Coon Mix and Monique previously declawed and Polydactyl.
Admittedly my thinking may be a little cockeyed.

I rather agree that adult cats may be a better idea for kids since kittens can be unpredictable. Also I believe that if children are a little excitable then a very young kitten will take their cue from that and may be rather hyper as a result.

I too have seen many times when someone would rather place two cats together because of their relationship and think you shouldn't have any trouble finding a pair in need of a loving home.

 

[bronte73]

from the local animal shelter. He was sickly from the first and I had him for a year. During that time, I spent hundreds of dollars on him. But he was such a sweetie, I never considered getting rid of him. He was my constant pal and would poke his head throw my front blinds when he heard my car drive up. He was great with the kids. He was a big old tuxedo marked cat and looked like he had some Maine coon in him.

Anyway, he had liver/kidney damage and I eventually had to have him put to sleep since he got sicker and sicker and was in a lot of pain. I sat in the parking lot afterwards and just sobbed for about 15 minutes before I could pull myself together to go home.

I am not a big fan of our humane society. When I went back in to tell them how sick Reilly really was, first they didn't believe me. I brought in the vet's reports, etc. and told them the vet told me if Reilly hadn't been adopted, he would have died within a week. It can be difficult to tell if a cat is sick under the conditions in a shelter. He had no obvious signs like discharge from his nose/eyes, etc. Anyway, the man told me you just have to expect them to be sick and they often came in to dead animals in the cages!!!

I would never want to adopt from them again. It was such a heart breaking experience. I really loved Reilly. The kids liked him and he would try to comfort them if they fell or cried, but he was really my cat. I am a writer and he would just lay across my arms when I would be writing at the computer until my arm was asleep.

Anyway, sorry to get all nostalgic. He's been gone for over a year now. I miss having a cat, but I don't want to go through what I did with Reilly again. So where do you find an adult cat, if not at the shelter????

 

[AbbysMom]

Bronte73, I am very sorry for your loss. Why don't you go to a different shelter in your area? I am sure they would have adult cats available also. Please don't write off all shelters because of a bad experience with one. I had a problem with one near me regarding a spay, but I would not hesitate to go to another shelter if the occasion arose.

 

[stephanietx]

If you have a PetsMart or PetCo near you, they will often have adoptable kitties from local animal rescue groups. Also, ask your vet if s/he can refer you to an organization. My vet also rescues animals and has them for adoption at his office. You might also check out the Petfinder site (www.petfinder.org). You can input your zip code and it'll show the list of available cats in your area.

Stephanie

 

[bronte73]

and for whatever reason, the window would not come up on my screen. We are having a few difficulties with our computer. If that person would like to email me they can. Just let me know and I will post my email addy. Thanks.

 

[nekokaasan]

Another vote for adopting a pair of adults! There are so many sweet adult cats who really need homes. My boys were adopted as a pair and they are great company for each other while DH and I are at work.

Granted, my boys were still technically kittens (albeit older ones) but we adopted from a rescue and Cotton is/was a special needs cat. The rescue actually required that they be adopted together, and I'm so happy that we brought them home. They're very spoiled!

Anyway, everyone loves tiny little six-week old kittens, but older kittens and adults need homes too. Definitely check out your local rescues.

 

[goldenkitty45]

Silly me, I thought you said "how to pick UP a kitten"...not OUT...so I have to rewrite my answer

I'd observe the entire litter if possible - see how they react to each other and to you. My one barn cat had 5 kittens (3 female, 2 male). Originally I wanted to keep another male cause they are more laid back. But Ling decided from the time she was in here (at 5 weeks old) she was determined to stay.

Everytime we went in the room, Ling was the first out of the box and sitting at your feet mouthing off till you picked her up first. Soooooooooooooo she got to stay and her twin brothers and twin sisters found new homes (just happened that the people took both males together and another couple took the 2 females together). Might also have something to do with the boys being named "Ping and Pong" and the girls "Ying and Yang"....

 

[goldenkitty45]

As far as finding adult cats (not in shelters) just check your local newspaper or local grocery store ads. You will find a ton of adult cats looking for new homes.

We have to find homes for our 3 barn cats before we move. Two of them could be happy as indoor only cats (the boys) but the oldest female (Lo Cal) would make a much better outside cat - she'd want to be outside more then inside.

 

[beckiboo]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

As far as finding adult cats (not in shelters) just check your local newspaper or local grocery store ads. You will find a ton of adult cats looking for new homes.

We have to find homes for our 3 barn cats before we move. Two of them could be happy as indoor only cats (the boys) but the oldest female (Lo Cal) would make a much better outside cat - she'd want to be outside more then inside.

I would be leery of adopting a cat from the paper. I'm sure there are some fine cats there, but I would guess many have behavior problems, and the owners are wanting to pass them off on someone else. (JMHO!)

I foster for a rescue. We are very different from a shelter, because each litter of kittens lives in a home, and is handled from the beginning. The foster Mom (or Dad) will know quite a bit about the personality. All my kittens would climb into your lap if you sat on the floor near them.

A rescue may also have some older kittens. Once they are 9-10 months old, they are less "cute", and less adoptable. (And they are past some of that stinker age! LOL!) If you pm me your zip code, I will use Petfinder to find some rescues near you.

 

[bronte73]

Anyway, here is my zipcode: 45801 Let me know when you get this so I can take it back off. Thanks!

 

[sasha86]

i would just recommend being completely sure it's healthy. my roommate adopted a kitten from an animal shelter here, it had all of its kitten shots and was thought to be completely healthy but ended up having panleukopenia and died a few days later (it actually died right in front of me, pretty disturbing). anyway, my point is apparently it's *really* contagious and hard to get rid of, takes 6 months-1 year for the virus to leave. my cats were fully vaccinated so they were fine, but apparently the virus can transfer through clothes/people (i don't mean people can get it) and a friend of mine who was over had been holding/petting the kitten and went home had an indoor cat of her own who wasn't vaccinated and her cat ended up with the same virus and died. so i would just suggest if you have any other cats in the house make sure they're fully vaccinated and you should keep the kitten(s) in the same room for at least a couple weeks

 

[bab-ush-niik]

And now, to present times, I have added my third cat to the mix, 10 week-old Steuben. I brought him home from a farm at 6 weeks...he was a lover!!!! He nuzzled me, cuddled in my arms, purred, ugh! Well, two days later, he has become a complete spastic ball of energy, and a force to be reckoned with!!! He is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love him to death, but I actually have no idea what type of adult cat he will be.

That's exactly what happened to us with Puppy. He's just now turning back around. And he was a year when we got him. We were really wanting a cat that was at least 3, but he kinda fell into our laps.

Besides that he was so huge, we didn't realize how young he was until the vet checked him out.