Cat advice?

I hadn't heard that advice about the cat food. I got a couple of bags of Iams from the pet shop last week in preparation, and a few different tins of regular Whiskas type catfood from a supermarket to figure out what they like. I'll definitely look into a proper diet for them though, if Whiskas aren't much use. Thanks!

(We used to have a tortoiseshell years ago. I don't remember her ever so much as swatting a fly let alone nipping at us though, lol.)

Re. spaying/neutering - not yet. The cat home's vet will try and neuter them before we get them though, or they'll let us know when we should take them back to get fixed. According to the SSPCA ladies there, they're possibly a wee bit too young for the op yet.

If they're only 5 months, then yes, I would agree with them I would say they are too young yet to be neutered

I also had a tortie who was as soft as butter, but the temperament thing is just a trend that has been noticed before now. no idea.

Yeah the diet is important - it's down to the change in hormones. After they've been neutered, they don't burn off the excess as efficiently as they did as kittens, so if they stay on kitten food, they pile weight on. Royal Canin do an amazing range of foods geared towards a cats age, weight, sex and whether or not they've been neutered. Our two girls are on dry food - Royal Canin (Female - operation to 7 years old) Afer 7 years old, we will change their diet again - most likely to Royal Canin (Female 7 - 16 years) Bootie is in fact on a ½-½ diet of the Royal Canin and Scientific's Obesity Control - because she is brain-damaged, she can't run around as well as Tosca does, so she can put on weight and not burn it off again. So we control it with her food type.

When it comes to wet food, they will get Hills science plan (adult) - or whiskas as a treat.

Congrats on booking the cats!
I'd get them spayed/neutered, the sooner the better...having a male and female together is a recipe for more kittens...some females have been known to get pregnant at 4 months old, so I'd say rather safe than sorry...

I have some suggustions to make the transition easier on you, them, and your folks... I have a similar situation at present, I finally convined my folks to let me get a cat last year... then two more kittens literally fell into my lap last summer, so we now have three. It is quite a chore keeping everyone happy, especially in a home where the folks would rather not have cats. So I've been doing everything possible to make life with cats easier on them until I can move out.

Here are my tips:

Before all else, have the new cats checked by a vet within the period of time set by your shelter... This could end up saving you if either has a huge health problem that the shelter was unaware of.

1. Confine them to your bedroom or a spare bedroom during the first week or so and then slowly let them out to explore the house when you're around.
2. Provide them with 2 litterboxes in case there are "issues" with sharing a box... and, I'd go with covered boxes IMO.
3. Find out what food they were on at the shelter, buy a bag of it and then buy some of your choice...slowly switch over the food to avoid any digestive issues.
4. Get at least a couple of different types of scratching posts for them..i.e. a verticle, horizontal, and angled scratcher so that they have "options" to choose from instead of shredding your furniture. Use some catnip on the scratchers to make them more appealing.
5. Start feeding them at set times in different areas of "their room" each day... For example feed them a half-portion of food in the morning and at night.
6. Go ahead and pick out a flea treatment that is readily available in your area and that you can afford. I use advantage (not sure if you have it where you live) each month.
7. I understand that pet insurance is pretty good in your area, you might want to consider getting a policy, or start putting back money for annual vet bills and emergencies.

8. Pick out a good clumping litter that you and the cats can stand... I personally like the organic litters, like world's best cat litter and feline pine scoop... These have the advantage of being flushable and produce less dust for both the cats and you to breath in.
9. Get a good brush and brush often- the "furminator" is supposed to be very good, but it's pricey. I have a bamboo shedding tool that pulls off clumps of hair that otherwise would be in the air, on my clothes, the furniture, etc.
10. Get a good set of pet nail clippers and start clipping nails every week... A must to save furniture and you, especially with hyper kittens.

I hope these tips help and good luck with your new kitties!
Artgecko

Congrats on the new kitties! Cant wait to see pictures!

And just to add I have a tortie who has never been the least bit snippy! She's always been very very friendly the only thing is she's the most vocal out of our cats, but thats perfectly fine with me!

Welcome to the life of being enslaved by your kittens! Make sure to have their breakfast down when they want it or be prepared to get a smack in the face, or a rough cat tongue to the cheek!

If I get them accustomed to breakfast at 7:30am, I may never be late to college again.

Artgecko - thanks v. much for all the info! I tried looking at a book for basic cat care book but most of them are all pictures and no info.

Is there any particularly good brand of cat food I should look out for in the UK? I'll try to buy in bulk online, be cheaper and less hassle that way than trying to cycle home from college with a month's worth of cat food stuffed in my backpack...

I would get them spayed and neutered before I brought them home. They can do that as soon as they weigh 2lbs and at five months old you're going to have kitten if you dont! They are old enough to get the operation! Eek is 12 weeks and he is getting it done on the 31st! Good luck to you and I think the pair was the best Idea! I wouldn't worry about them becoming "beasts" or "monsters"! Each kitty is different, but as long as they have what they need they wont be so bad! I havn't found a "bad" kitty yet!

First, I would sit down and make a list of your ideal cat. Decide if you'd rather have long or short hair. How much time/effort do you want in caring for the cat grooming wise? Longhairs will need daily to 2-3 times a week grooming depending on the breed/type of hair.

Then look at personality. Most purebreds have consistent personalities. Persians are laid back, quiet but require the most grooming. Siamese/Orientals are talkative cats, in your face and love to help you with everything. Rexes are relatively non-shedding or very low shedding. Abys/Oci's/Bengals are VERY active breeds and need to have another cat, dog, or human around all the time. They are not good for an "only cat".

If you want to adopt mix, then you'll have a tougher time narrowing it down as mixes can be any and all personalities

When you do look (whether from the shelter or breeder) please do not adopt a kitten younger then 10 weeks old - its better for them to be 10-16 weeks - most breeders will not let them go before 12-16 weeks for very good reasons.

If its your first kitten, I strongly advise you to go older (3-4 months) so you won't be frustrated by the very young kitten behaviors that most people have problems.

Maybe attend a local cat show if you can to see different breeds and then go from there. I've had both pedigree/purebreds and mixes and both are great. I prefer certain breeds of cats. And I would pick shorthairs over longhairs as I do not want all that grooming

Whatever you choose, be sure they are neutered/spayed as early as possible (in the states you can get them done by 3 months old). Kittens as young as 4 months old can breed and get pregnant.

I personally like males better then females. They tend to be more outgoing, friendly and get along better with other animals. Females tend to be more territorial and resent new additions. However, if you only want one and have no plans of adding anytime soon, you could adopt either.

This is wonderful news! Congratulations on becoming a mom!

Congrats on getting your kitties! Trust me, 5 months is not fully grown. I thought Tiger was full grown by then too but he just keeps getting bigger! I'm glad to hear you're getting two because it's worth the extra kitty when you can watch them chase each other around the house and get all that extra loving. When our kitties chase each other, it sometimes sounds like a herd of elephants are running through our apartment and knocking down the chairs!
IMO, I wouldn't let my cats out unsupervised because of the risk of owls and other birds of prey here. My parents have two mini=poodle mixes and a Great Horned owl that lives next to their house has tried to get them at least twice! I can only imagine that if they can go after small dogs, then they'll most certainly try for cats.

Ah, well, we're fortunate in that the largest and fiercest birds around here are probably seagulls. Cheeky beasts, but not the type to swoop down on unsuspecting moggies and swipe them.

Originally Posted by c130

Ah, well, we're fortunate in that the largest and fiercest birds around here are probably seagulls.

Cheeky beasts, but not the type to swoop down on unsuspecting moggies and swipe them.

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I hate seagulls, they beg too much. The only swooping they do is for a french fry from an unsuspecting toddler!

Since I'm not from the UK, I'm not sure which brands you have over there...
I have used:
1. nutro natural choice before, which is a good food which is usually readily available (at least in the US) the company also offers many coupons/sales, again not sure about the UK. They also have a less expensive line (nutro max here) and a good selection of canned food.
2. EVO (made by natura)- really good food, high protien and very low carbs. BUT some digestive issues and gassiness reported. Also not sure if avail. in the UK. Great canned 95% meat line of wet foods. Quite pricey but you can feed somewhat less.
3. California natural (made by natura) good food, dry is especially good for allergies as it has few ingredients. Good wet food too.
4. Orijen- I remember reading that this was available in the UK (I think) similar to EVO, but less digestive issues. Is also quite pricey like EVO.

As to the feeding at 7:30.... that's up to you! BUT I would caution that you not feed right after you get up (i.e. brush teeth, eat, and dress, then feed them) otherwise the cats will realize the sooner they wake you up the sooner they eat.

One other note about scratching posts that I forgot to mention... I like to use the corrugated cardboard type ones because they are cheap and last a pretty long time... you can get them in flat and angled models. I have heard, but not sure how accurate it is, that you should not buy a carpet scratching post as it will teach the cat to scratch on all carpet... again not sure of the accuracy of this as I have avoided carpet "just in case".

HTH,
Art

Originally Posted by c130

*bump*

Well, we booked a pair at the cat home today. They're male & female, 5 months old - the male's ginger and looks about fully-grown; the female's a tortoiseshell, still pretty small, and has the most adorable voice.

They look really happy together (don't know if they're brother & sister though), so hopefully they'll be happy to keep each other company while the rest of us are out of the house during the day. Should be able to take them home sometime during the week if all's well. I'll post pics. ^_^

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So, your folks relented and let you get two?
How did you convince them?

I don't even know! It just sort of... happened. I showed 'em all the info I could find that reccommended 2 cats in a household where they'd be left alone for several hours a day. Then our discussion of "cat" gradually changed into discussion of "cats", and my dad either didn't notice or didn't bother fighting it.

Congrats - didn't know you had adopted before I posted

But having a M/F at 5 months old and neither one of them spayed/neutered, you will have to keep them separated till they are spayed/neutered. Kittens as young as 4 months old can and do breed and get pregnant. He could very well get his sister pregnant.

I wish the vets in the UK would start doing more early spay/neutering instead of waiting till 6 months. If they are not done now, try to find a vet who would do them at 5 months. More peace of mind for you as a new cat owner - you don't want to be looking at a pregnant kitten and having to deal with that