New and Wanting To Do It Right

Hey all!

My husband, son, and I are about to welcome a sweet kitten to our family.

I had cats growing up but was never able to really "give" them what I felt they needed, due to my mom and dad being the "real" caretakers. So this time around I want to do it right. My husband is a CAT LOVER and so this is a really exciting time. This kitten will be our first family pet so we are excited !

I look forward to meeting other cat owners and learning as we go!

Hi and welcome to TCS . Congratulations on your new kitten. I am sure you will do great with with your new addition. But if you have any questions there are many wise members to help you.

It is also great your husband love cats ! If you have time we would love to see picture's of your new kitten.

welcome.

I've just gotten into a similar situation except my family had spoiled our cats rotten and I about had equal power with how they were raised but its soo different raising a new kitten on your own without having the support system of your parents to turn to constantly. Its almost like a whole new experience. Its nice having more control but then again its scary because you feel like this cat is depending solely on you.

Thanks for the welcome!! I've been looking around the forums and it seems like a really great site.

Originally Posted by TheMBCat

welcome.

I've just gotten into a similar situation except my family had spoiled our cats rotten and I about had equal power with how they were raised but its soo different raising a new kitten on your own without having the support system of your parents to turn to constantly. Its almost like a whole new experience. Its nice having more control but then again its scary because you feel like this cat is depending solely on you.

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YES. I am probably OVER preparing for this kittens arrival because I want everything to be perfect and run as smoothly as possible for all of us. lol

You should keep in mind that kittens are pretty resilient and survive, even thrive, in a wide variety of situations. I've seen them in a silent convent, and I've seen them in elementary school classrooms. To some extent, the personality of the cat takes over, but cats are just extremely adaptable. What else can you say about an animal that has served on many ships, but evolved as a desert animal?

If you do your best for your cat, and if you know the quirks of cat psychology, you will have a happy cat. We all know about their desire for altitude, the love of solitude, and their appreciation of food. What more could they ask for?

One question. You are talking about your first cat. Many cats likes to have a cat company. (dont worry, they do bond to their humans anyway!).

Do have in mind taking in two?

Another tip.

Consider taking in say, fostered from a rescue group, or so... If you want young kittens, fostered kittens from such a rescue group...

Whatever you do, dont take from a cat mill.

Good luck and much joy!

Congrats on your new addition!

Does it have a name?

Remember to have your cat spayed or nutered to help control the pet population (and having your cat fixed helps them live longer and healthier lives)

Are you keeping it as an indoor cat or indoor/outdoor? I recoment indoor but it is all up to the owner.

Look forward to seeing you around!

Originally Posted by StefanZ

One question. You are talking about your first cat. Many cats likes to have a cat company. (dont worry, they do bond to their humans anyway!).

Do have in mind taking in two?

Another tip.

Consider taking in say, fostered from a rescue group, or so... If you want young kittens, fostered kittens from such a rescue group...

Whatever you do, dont take from a cat mill.

Good luck and much joy!

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definitely no kitty mills! my parents are from a smaller town. one of the vets offices takes in strays/kittens/pregnant cats and have them examined, vaccinated, and dewormed. they are then placed for adoption. depending on how old the cat is, the vet has it spayed/neutered as well. so it's just a matter of finding the cat that fits your family and taking it home. it might sound weird but again i say that this is a small town and in my opinion the way they do this is just as good if not better than how a shelter would do it. they are definitely qualified professionals taking care of these cats

Originally Posted by Sibohan2005

Congrats on your new addition!

Does it have a name?

Remember to have your cat spayed or nutered to help control the pet population (and having your cat fixed helps them live longer and healthier lives)

Are you keeping it as an indoor cat or indoor/outdoor? I recoment indoor but it is all up to the owner.

Look forward to seeing you around!

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no name yet!! i don't even know if it'll be a male or female. we're going to the vet to interact with the cats next week, probably tues or weds. we are SO excited! i'll definitely be posting name/pics! we are definitely having the kitty fixed for several reasons and the cat will definitely be an indoor only cat for several reasons as well!!

Originally Posted by mrblanche

You should keep in mind that kittens are pretty resilient and survive, even thrive, in a wide variety of situations. I've seen them in a silent convent, and I've seen them in elementary school classrooms. To some extent, the personality of the cat takes over, but cats are just extremely adaptable. What else can you say about an animal that has served on many ships, but evolved as a desert animal?

If you do your best for your cat, and if you know the quirks of cat psychology, you will have a happy cat. We all know about their desire for altitude, the love of solitude, and their appreciation of food. What more could they ask for?

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thank you for this. *hug*

eta: about getting 2 instead of 1...i don't think i can handle 2 cats right now w/ my 2 year old son running around . my husband is overseas working but i can almost 100 percent assure you that when he gets home (soon!) that i will be in the forums asking about integrating a new cat into the home

To tell the truth, raising 2 kittens at once is MUCH easier than raising only one, IMO. If you have only one, you have to constantly amuse him, you're his only friend, only playmate, the only one to teach him cat manners, etc. It's very labor-intensive, and most kittens raised without other cats in the home turn out a bit weird, in my experience. Some shelters won't adopt kittens out as only pets (they make you adopt 2 if you don't already have a cat at home), because they so often get returned for playing too rough with the humans. If you have 2, they keep each other occupied, teach each other how to play gently, and it really is just so much easier. The main "problem" with having 2 is doubling the food and vet bills, but if money isn't a problem there really are no drawbacks to raising multiple kittens.

Originally Posted by Willowy

To tell the truth, raising 2 kittens at once is MUCH easier than raising only one, IMO. If you have only one, you have to constantly amuse him, you're his only friend, only playmate, the only one to teach him cat manners, etc. It's very labor-intensive, and most kittens raised without other cats in the home turn out a bit weird, in my experience. Some shelters won't adopt kittens out as only pets (they make you adopt 2 if you don't already have a cat at home), because they so often get returned for playing too rough with the humans. If you have 2, they keep each other occupied, teach each other how to play gently, and it really is just so much easier. The main "problem" with having 2 is doubling the food and vet bills, but if money isn't a problem there really are no drawbacks to raising multiple kittens.

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i just don't know if i can really do it. it seems so daunting! 2 kittens! it IS something that i've thought about...maybe some more info on it. i need to read some more.

of course, i say i can only handle one now...but who knows? i might end up not wanting to separate siblings. it just seems like such a task!

if i only have 1 kitten, will it be lonely? bored? i'm a stay at home mom. the kitten would barely ever be alone, and when it is alone it will only be for an hour at most while i run to the grocery store!

Welcome to the site! We are a bunch of Kitty Pushers If you are around most of the time, I doubt that your new kitten will be bored. I agree that it's not any more trouble to raise two vs. one. Some of the energy they use hopefully playing with each other might help wear them down from doing alone activies such as climbing your curtains, attacking your toes in the middle of the night, etc. But you never really know. I think the biggest thing you need to consider is cost of the vet and food bills when you have two.

Congratulations and we can't wait to see your new addition!

This with the vet being also sort of a rescue sounds very nice!
Yes, I have heard some vets do so. Swell!

Go for them!

And as said, consider taking in two. Willowy puts it very well.
Dont worry, they WILL bond to you anyway. they usually do.
And two ARE easier than one, as long as they are pals.

The only problem with two is the inreased vet, litter, and food costs. And yes, it does add up.

thanks everyone!