New to cats - some help please

Hiya everyone,

After a bit of advice regarding being new to the whole feline world. I split up with an ex about 6 months ago and we had two Siamese cats. She took them with her as she could offer them a home I couldn't as I was out all day and stuff.

Now I miss having a little fell around and have been looking into getting one. What I'm after is pretty specific, buit I don't know what breed it is etc. I'm after a grey/blue tabby; I think the variant is mackerel similar to this one here:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j7...6/yinyang2.jpg

The grey one looks stunning and that's what I'm after. Can anyone help with what breed it is, what price would be good for a kitten that is house trained already etc.

Thanks!!

Gosh, I'm sorry no one has replied to you yet -- we're usually much quicker around here!

First of all, that lovely kitty in the picture looks like just what you said: a blue mackeral tabby DSH -- Domestic Short Hair. That's not really a breed, but a very common mix. And very beautiful!

Second... please don't buy a kitty! There are so many cats put to death in shelters every day for lack of space and money to care for them... please adopt a shelter kitty instead. You can find just about any kind of kitty at a large shelter, and since the plain ol' tabby you want is so common, you'll undoubtedly find several to choose fro -- well, actually, one of them will choose you.

By the way -- if you're like me, you really don't want to walk into a "kill shelter"... it's just too heartbreaking to see so many animals who will eventually be euthanized if they aren't adopted soon enough. But even if you adopt from a no-kill shelter, you're still saving lives, because whenever those shelters have room to spare, they take in animals from the kill shelters, to save them from being euthanized. So as long as you're not buying from a breeder, you're doing a good thing for the animals.

Third, you will probably do much, much better if you have two kitties, rather than one. They need companionship and play and the simple comfort of one another's company when you aren't around. It might seem like two would be more work, but they're actually less trouble... believe me!

Fourth -- don't worry about house training. Cats are almost born with the instinct to use a litterbox as soon as one is provided. The most I've ever had to do, even with four-week-old kittens I've fostered, is take their first little accident, put it into the litterbox, and gently place the kitten in the box beside it. They catch on immediately.

I'm so glad you found TCS! Please ask anything you like either here or by PM, and update us as your kitten search progresses. And we love pictures, too!

Welcome!

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

Gosh, I'm sorry no one has replied to you yet -- we're usually much quicker around here!

First of all, that lovely kitty in the picture looks like just what you said: a blue mackeral tabby DSH -- Domestic Short Hair. That's not really a breed, but a very common mix. And very beautiful!

Second... please don't buy a kitty! There are so many cats put to death in shelters every day for lack of space and money to care for them... please adopt a shelter kitty instead. You can find just about any kind of kitty at a large shelter, and since the plain ol' tabby you want is so common, you'll undoubtedly find several to choose fro -- well, actually, one of them will choose you.

By the way -- if you're like me, you really don't want to walk into a "kill shelter"... it's just too heartbreaking to see so many animals who will eventually be euthanized if they aren't adopted soon enough. But even if you adopt from a no-kill shelter, you're still saving lives, because whenever those shelters have room to spare, they take in animals from the kill shelters, to save them from being euthanized. So as long as you're not buying from a breeder, you're doing a good thing for the animals.

Third, you will probably do much, much better if you have two kitties, rather than one. They need companionship and play and the simple comfort of one another's company when you aren't around. It might seem like two would be more work, but they're actually less trouble... believe me!

Fourth -- don't worry about house training. Cats are almost born with the instinct to use a litterbox as soon as one is provided. The most I've ever had to do, even with four-week-old kittens I've fostered, is take their first little accident, put it into the litterbox, and gently place the kitten in the box beside it. They catch on immediately.

I'm so glad you found TCS! Please ask anything you like either here or by PM, and update us as your kitten search progresses. And we love pictures, too!

Welcome!

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I agree!! I adopted two kitties from our animal shelter last year, and like I have said on here before, it was the best thing I have ever done! I have never had two kitties at the same time before, and it is so entertaining to watch them play together. One of my kitties looks like the black one in the picture. I will never have only one cat at a time again. I know they keep each other entertained when no one is home... the toys are strewn all over the place! Good luck with your decision, and welcome to the neighborhood!

Good luck with finding your special kitten! Lots of times you can "buy", technically adopt, a kitty at a petsmart near you...I dont' know about all the other ones, but the ones near us works specifically with rescue organizations and they don't "sell" pets. I think the adoption fee is usually around $100 in this area, but that includes a lot of things, like shots, and so forth. In some cases, perhaps all, they're already fixed. I think that depends on the agency itself, though.

Even if they don't have the color kitty you're looking for, you can ask them if they have one like that, and perhaps they weren't able to bring all the kitties out.

Keep us updated on your kitty search !

Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

By the way -- if you're like me, you really don't want to walk into a "kill shelter"... it's just too heartbreaking to see so many animals who will eventually be euthanized if they aren't adopted soon enough. But even if you adopt from a no-kill shelter, you're still saving lives, because whenever those shelters have room to spare, they take in animals from the kill shelters, to save them from being euthanized. So as long as you're not buying from a breeder, you're doing a good thing for the animals.

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That part i disagree with. I work at a shelter that is low kill....but a kill shelter non the less. (we have to- no other choice when we get extremly aggressive/unadoptable animals in that none of the no-kill shelters want/etc.or when we run out of room/foster homes. it is hard, but sometimes it takes loosing one to save 5.) We all LOVE the animals we work with very much and do our best to save them all. I even foster the little ones and bottle feed them when they need to be in a foster home. When you adopt from ANY shelter you save a life- but when you adopt from a kill shelter- you are REALLY saving one that will likely not be up for adoption as long as it would at a no-kill shelter. Due to irresponsible owners who do not spay/neuter and as a result- animal overpopulation. Eithor way- adoption saves a life- so whatever you do choose- please adopt and make sure whomever you take home is spayed/neutered and current on vaccinations i'm sure you will give a very lucky kitty a wonderful home!! Let us know how things go and what you decide!

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Good luck with finding your special kitten! Lots of times you can "buy", technically adopt, a kitty at a petsmart near you...I dont' know about all the other ones, but the ones near us works specifically with rescue organizations and they don't "sell" pets. I think the adoption fee is usually around $100 in this area, but that includes a lot of things, like shots, and so forth. In some cases, perhaps all, they're already fixed. I think that depends on the agency itself, though.

Even if they don't have the color kitty you're looking for, you can ask them if they have one like that, and perhaps they weren't able to bring all the kitties out.

Keep us updated on your kitty search !

Click to expand...

Yes!! Petsmart adoptions are the way to go Our local Petsmart near us is our primary sponser for our shelter! All of our cats/kittens that are ready to be adopted are taken there. Then the person who wants them fills out a form- and takes it to our shelter for an interview/ if all goes well they get to foster for 3 days and then adopt in most cases Also - another AWESOME thing about petsmart is- when you fill out the adoption for to adopt one from petsmart- petsmart will Pay your local shelter for each adoption! (they are wonderful about donating money to rescue groups.) I can not tell you how many lives have been saved thanks to Petsmart supporting our shelter At our shelter- our adoption fee is $65- this includes, spay/neuter, testing, shots, flea treatment while they're there, any medical work/medicines they need- etc.!

ladies lets not get into that, he is offering to give a kitty a home, SO lets try not scare him.

i think CarolPetunia view of what type of cat it is correct.

the onliy advice i will give you, is if yoiu wak into a kill or no kill or check out a breeder, the right kitty will pick you.

My two girls are litter-mates and I agree with everyone else so far, it is much easier! They keep each other company and entertain each other too. The only 'down' side would be a bit dirtier litter box! But then it needs cleaning ever day (or 2 days with my littermaid) either way. Food wise having 2 is not much more of an expense.

My parents have one girl who was adopted at Petsmart through our local humane society. I think the adoption fee back then was about $75 and it included spaying, microchipping and shots. Oh and another thing, when we adopted our babies they gave us a sheet to take to Petsmart and at Petsmart they gave us a TON of coupons on every kind of product immaginable it seemed! It was really a help in getting some of the things we wanted for the girls but hadn't made a priority or had forgotten.

Another thing I'll suggest, is that you provide plenty of toys to keep your kitty entertained. Especially if you work all day and things like that. That is another reason 2 can better than one. It also helps to have a little variety. Mooch loves toy mice and catnip sacks to wrestle (I always clip off the tails and things because I've heard of kitties almost choking on them, I do the same with other toys that have small hanging or easily pulled off parts...better safe than sorry ya know?) while Noodles prefers mylar balls or fuzzy toys. I also would get a toy or 2 for them to play with with you. A popular one is the Cat Dancer toy. It's inexpensive and very simple, but lots of kitties go wild over it!

Lastly, it can't hurt to do some research on cat care and things. Either pick up a book or even just read through posts on here. Here you can find a lot of information on everything from food choices to safeguarding your home. And anything you can't find by searching you can always ask. I've asked some 'simple' questions since I joined, even though I've been a cat owner all my life. There's always more to learn. I've learned a lot by just reading other people's posts too.

I hope you are able to find yourself a nice kitty (or 2) soon. Please let us know how it goes and feel free to post more questions. Good luck!

Congrats on taking steps to find yourself the purrrrfect kitty

I also agree that going to a shelter is a wonderful choice. Also, you may want to check out www.petfinder.com to see if there are any kitties of the type you're looking for up for adoption in your area. Please know that isn't a complete listing (I know my county run shelter only lists certain kitties while there are actually many more in the shelter), but it may get you started.

I just adopted another kitty from my local county run shelter and he was $79 which included first shots/neuter/microchip. I've found if I adopt from a foster home it is a little more - I think Buddha was $125?

The only thing that I will say is a must is this: If the foster home/shelter/breeder/etc does not spay or neuter your new kitty, please do it yourself. Unspayed/unneutered kitties produce many unwanted litters which keeps the shelters overfilled. Most shelters/foster homes will do this, but not all. We can also help point you in the direction of low cost spay/neuter clinics in your area.

Now, in my *personal* opinion (and you will find many who don't agree on here ) a pair is better than a single, but I believe a pair of neutered boys is the best. I found that my girl cats always wanted to be loners while my boy cats always wanted to buddy around with each other and be best friends. If you're going to be out all day at work, I think boys would keep each other company perfectly. (Again, just IMO)

Glad to meet you and come back any time with questions... anything to help!

First off, welcome to TCS.

I'm so glad you have decided to share your life with cats. And if you can afford it, I would strongly recommend getting two little kitties. As stated before, they will be much happier with each others companionship. There are two things that I feel I should stress: 1) If the cat or cats that you adopt are not spayed/neutered, please have it done. And 2) Please do NOT de-claw them. It is a truly cruel and gruesome procedure and, aside from the side effects it can have (behavior issues, aggression, etc.), there are so many much safer and humane solutions.

If you need any help, don't be afraid to post or PM any of us on here. Good luck with your search.

I think one of the only choices for him to find the grey tabby he's looking for is probably a shelter or adoption event... he'd have a much better chance of finding that color/pattern than say, if he was to contact person by person who has kittens listed in the newspaper..

Just as a side note, I'm definitely supportive of rescues, but I do, indeed, also support pure bloods, as I now have four of them.

Anyway, happy kitty hunting and don't be surprised if you end up with one that picked you that isn't exactly what you went out looking for....:glances at Noel:...

'pure bloods'??
Been reading too much harry potter?

Wow, the pic you posted could have been my Gizmo or Corky (check my siggy). Grey striped tabbies are predominant in our barn cats. If you are near West Virgina, come on over and take your pick of the litters! Some are really gorgeous.

I agree though that 2 cats are better than 1...as long as they get along. They will spend their time attacking each other instead of your furniture, clothes, etc (well, most of the time )

I guess I'd better clarify: I didn't intend any insult to "kill shelters" -- I know they're a sad necessity, because there just aren't enough homes to go around. But I personally don't have the emotional fortitude to walk into a kill shelter, and in case Lachesis felt the same way, I wanted to be sure he knew that there is an alternative other than breeders and pet stores.

And before I get whacked upside the head for seeming to dislike breeders, let me clarify that, too: I do understand the value of keeping certain pure breedlines intact. Responsible, humane breeders are fine with me. But I feel anyone who doesn't have his heart set on a purebred kitty with papers should look into shelter kitties first... just in the interest of saving a furry little life that may otherwise be lost. No offense intended to the breeders among us.

Heather, thanks for mentioning PetsMart adoptions -- somehow I didn't even think of that, even though that's where my little Pearl came from!

And let me also second the comments of Muttigree Mom and Tiger On The Prowl -- two neutered boys will probably provide the most peaceful combination, especially if they're brothers... and declawing is a barbaric and destructive practice that should not even be considered. If you're concerned about scratching, there are lots of posts in the Behavior forum (especially among the stickies at the top) about how to work with your kitten(s) to keep scratching from ever becoming a problem. And if all else fails, there's always SoftClaws, little glue-on nailcaps that prevent damage to furniture without doing harm to the kitty.

Can't wait to hear how your kitty search goes!

hehe, well, I *was* just on that thread not too long ago... although Mr. Kahn does have an attitude much like the Malfoys...no stinkin' muggle blood there.

:returns the thread to its originally scheduled programming: