I once got two kittens from a kill-shelter. They were tiny, runted 3-4 weeks old, could fit in the palm of my hand with room to spare! They were in the "kill cage" and slated to be put down very soon because of their coloring and sickliness. I took them home with me and was it ever a chore! They knew nothing about using a litterbox, dry catfood, playing with toys, climbing. I had to feed them formula and wetfood and build up to dry food (eventually they turned into little piggies!), I had to put their paws on objects and move their bodies to teach them to climb, bat at toys, etc. They were thin as rails, stuffed to the gills every form of worm imaginable, one kitten had it's whiskers shaved off, and the other had an abscess in it's leg, plus a world record amount of earmites. They eventually survived but were never "normal". The boy cat hated the house and when given the opportunity, merrilly adopted the barn as his haunt and has a grand time tearing up the outdoors. He tolerates people but prefers to be a loner. The other cat became desperately attached to a little boy that visited and refused to leave his sight. I ended up giving her to him to prevent an feline breakdown when he left. She is now living it up in Florida, absolutely worshiped and adored by her new family. Which is a good thing, because I could not litter train her to save my life and the new family ended up putting chicken wire around their beds to keep her from using them a dumping ground. Then and only then did she use a litterbox, and then as a last resort.
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Why do people give kittens up too soon?
- Thread starter ashley45
- Start Date
Ignorance and/or greed. I got Persi at 7 weeks of age from what I thought was a responsible breeder because he had champion parents. I just did not know any better. And the strange thing is, I found The Cat Site the very same day I brought Persi home and started reading about how NOT to get kittens that young. You can imagine how this made me feel.
6 weeks!!
i didn't even know it was...LEGAL...to sell them that early!:
George and Addie were 5 weeks when we got them. I did know better, but the mother's owner would hear none of it. Either we were taking them or they'd be "on their own". I took both for their own good, originally having intended to rehome them (my bf will hear none of it....once an animal comes in, he's too attached to give it away lol). Having each other helped them out. They were litter trained to some degree and were eating solid food, so it wasn't too much more work. As soon as we were able (ie after they beat off roundworm and had their shots), we got them together with our other cats, who have taught them a lot. They're very affectionate and docile when held. I wasn't happy about how young they were, but they were better off with us.
I got a kitten on Friday that turned 8 weeks 1 day later. The kitten was being fostered by a co-worker who worked closely with the local animal shelter. The shelter visited our workplace to find homes for rescued cats/kittens. Now that I am reading this thread, I realize that the kitten must have been removed from the mother too soon. When she got to the shelter, she was in a cage with her other siblings, but I don't know if she spent a lot of time with them. I can tell she spent a lot of time with humans because she was very lovable from my first contact with her. Her only issue right now is getting to know my two male Shih Tzus. She really holds her own with them. My dogs are crated during the day and we plan to keep the kitty in the bathroom until we can train her to stay off of kitchen counter tops and tables. We plan to let her have free reign of the house when she gets older.
It was not until after I brought Persi home at age seven weeks that I read on here that I should not have. The strange thing is is that the cattery was researched and Persi has champion parents on both sides. I had told the lady I wanted another cat and when I went over to pick it up, it was gone. That's how much and how fast she wanted to sell them. I "settled" for Persi, the greatest cat I have ever had. I am just glad he turned out so good, bringing him home so soon. I have no idea what the motive was but the woman that sold me Persi acted like she wanted to get rid of those kittens as fast as possible.
I got Prue at what i now think is about 4 weeks old. She was able to fit in my hand and was VERY sick. The lady told me she was moving, and had to get rid of everyone, and Prue was the only one left. she was in a corner by herself, all huddled up and not really responsive. I knew she was sick, but i knew i was better then the life she had, so i took her. Made a quick vet trip, and found she had worms, but couldnt find the reason for the lethergy. I took her home, made a liquid lunch of wet food mixed with KMR, and syringe fed her every 2-3 hours. I had to teach her to walk again, use the litter, clean herself. She is now a loving, 2 year old that weighs in at about 9 lbs.
I learned my lesson, and would never get a kitten that young again, and i jsut think that ppl do it to either make money, or count on the cuteness to get rid of them, poor things.
I learned my lesson, and would never get a kitten that young again, and i jsut think that ppl do it to either make money, or count on the cuteness to get rid of them, poor things.
I think I've been fortunate in the past. We once got a kitten from a neighbour (who's son was my friend), but I'm not sure how old the he (the kitten) was. Maybe 6 weeks, maybe 12 weeks. Regardless, I think he grew up as well-adjusted as he did because his mom, who was an indoor-outdoor cat (that's how she got pregnant in the first place), would wander down 2 houses, to our back door, and would cry until we brought Grizzly out. Then she'd groom him and love on him and even try to take him back to her house before we'd stop her. So in a way, Grizzly still got his socialization lessons from mom.
We got Willow 8 years later when Grizzly disappeared (he, too, was an indoor-outdoor cat, and was eventually caught in someone's cat trap and disappeared). Willow was 6 weeks old, and our first indoor-only cat, and she grew up...odd... She's skittish, nervous, anxious, flies off the handle real easily, etc. Fortunately she does have good bite inhibition (thank goodness for small favours, eh?). We got Buffy 2 years later, when Buffy was a 4 week old orphan. Her mom and litter came to the vet hospital (I think they were strays), but they were all sick and all but Buffy ended up dying. The day after Buffy lost her family, she came to our place (screaming like a banshee, might I add). She was still on milk formula, but I praise the heavens that we had Willow. You might not think that this poorly-socialized, territorial, SCARY cat would be a good role model for Buffy, but surprisingly she was. She doted on Buffy, groomed her and taught her and loved her, and Buffy grew up well-adjusted. Granted, Buffy "inherited" some of Willow's odd quirks, and she's a stubborn little knucklehead, but she loves people and attention and is extremely intelligent. And, as a plus, having Buffy just happened to really mellow out Willow. She's now calmer and less territorial (though she doesn't hesitate to kick ass when she thinks Buffy's being threatened by my dog or a stranger, lol).
Personally, I think 12 week kittens (and puppies) are cuter than 6 week olds. So you get the kitten twice as old than if you'd gotten her at 6 weeks, but you'd get the 12 week old either way and she won't be 6 weeks old forever. Before you know it, a month has gone by and she's getting older and older, and you don't even remember what it was like when she was 6 weeks old. 6 weeks or 12 weeks, you get your kitty in her kitten stage for MONTHS, six weeks extra or six weeks less means nothing as a result. And by waiting just a month longer, you get a more well-adjusted, friendly, loving kitty that won't make you grow more grey hairs over the next few years, lol
We got Willow 8 years later when Grizzly disappeared (he, too, was an indoor-outdoor cat, and was eventually caught in someone's cat trap and disappeared). Willow was 6 weeks old, and our first indoor-only cat, and she grew up...odd... She's skittish, nervous, anxious, flies off the handle real easily, etc. Fortunately she does have good bite inhibition (thank goodness for small favours, eh?). We got Buffy 2 years later, when Buffy was a 4 week old orphan. Her mom and litter came to the vet hospital (I think they were strays), but they were all sick and all but Buffy ended up dying. The day after Buffy lost her family, she came to our place (screaming like a banshee, might I add). She was still on milk formula, but I praise the heavens that we had Willow. You might not think that this poorly-socialized, territorial, SCARY cat would be a good role model for Buffy, but surprisingly she was. She doted on Buffy, groomed her and taught her and loved her, and Buffy grew up well-adjusted. Granted, Buffy "inherited" some of Willow's odd quirks, and she's a stubborn little knucklehead, but she loves people and attention and is extremely intelligent. And, as a plus, having Buffy just happened to really mellow out Willow. She's now calmer and less territorial (though she doesn't hesitate to kick ass when she thinks Buffy's being threatened by my dog or a stranger, lol).
Personally, I think 12 week kittens (and puppies) are cuter than 6 week olds. So you get the kitten twice as old than if you'd gotten her at 6 weeks, but you'd get the 12 week old either way and she won't be 6 weeks old forever. Before you know it, a month has gone by and she's getting older and older, and you don't even remember what it was like when she was 6 weeks old. 6 weeks or 12 weeks, you get your kitty in her kitten stage for MONTHS, six weeks extra or six weeks less means nothing as a result. And by waiting just a month longer, you get a more well-adjusted, friendly, loving kitty that won't make you grow more grey hairs over the next few years, lol
