adopting a kitten- is this too soon.

I just found this from a study at Banfield Pet Hospital, Portland,
Oregon, USA

Discussion
Analyses of the data revealed four key points:
• HCM and DCM are fairly uncommon in cats, and
RCM and TCM are rare.
• Male cats are at increased risk.
• HCM was most common in geriatric cats, and
DCM and RCM most common in mature adults.
• For breeds in which 10 or more cats were diagnosed,
HCM was most common in Persian, Maine
coon and DLH cats.


also out of 2610 only 2 cats had TCM so that is .08%

hopefully it is fairly accurate, plus being mixed I would imagine the risk is lower

KABUKIDAD said:

Flint. Thanks for the reply. Hyphens or not:nod: I agree the person is pretty clueless. according to them their "ragdoll" has papers but got out one night for some fun. The kitten is free so they arent trying to make money. I plan on vetting her right away for flea and worm treatment and will get her spayed when she is old enough. The owner said they atr pretty anxious to get rid of the kittens asap.
My concerrns are
1. Is she too young to be separated?. My first cat was found on the road and i had to bottle feed her.
2. She is eating Purina adult food. I will switch her to canned kitten food and royal canin hard food. I am wondering if I should bother to transition her of the Purina or just give her the better food right away?
Thanks. David

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It's hard to know if they are too young because the owner says 6 weeks old, but if their eyes aren't blue anymore( about 8 weeks) they are likely a few weeks older. They definately look old enough in the pictures!  Maybe you could ask if you could get a vet check before you take one for sure. They could estimate the age.

As far as feeding goes I would keep mixing what she is eating now with the new dry food for a few weeks to make sure she doesn't get an upset stomach. I would add the canned kitten food right away to keep her healthy. Have fun with your new kitty !

KABUKIDAD said:

plus being mixed I would imagine the risk is lower

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Well, the problem is you don't know what genes you're working with at all. Good Ragdoll breeders scan their cats for HCM (among other things), and alter their kittens prior to sale so that pet owners can't breed with them. 

You've got no idea the tests that were done on this "Ragdolls" parents, or her lines. Nor do you know the genes at play in the sire. So I wouldn't be using any stats to try and predict whether this cat is highly at risk for HCM. 

Also in some breeds cats are testing negative but throwing positive kittens, I know of one boy who's still testing negative but 11 of his 12 kittens are positive (from different queens) it's not a straight forward disease at all. 

One study I read on Ragdolls said from 600 cats, 30% were positive. 

And it's in domestics too, though records are not kept the same way as with pedigree cats.

thanks for the reply, Scary numbers .

We-are-not-trying-to-scare-you,lol,and-don't-let-you-stop-this-from-getting-the-kitten.We-are-just-giving-you-information,so-you-can-be-an-informed-pet-parent.

HCM-and-heart-issues-are-not-just-a-breed-issue,any-cat/kitten-can-get-it.One-of-my-show-friends,said-she-was-drawn-to-this-pet-shop,inside-was-a-10-week-old-kitten-that-had-obvious-URI-issues.She-bought-her,or-rather,rescued-her.Cleared-up-the-URI,then-she-developed-heart-issues.

Had-an-open-heart-surgery,only-6-months-old,never-been-done-on-a-kitten-that-young.Cost-her-$10,000.The-kitten-is-home-now,and-doing-well.And-this-is-a-non-breed,non-registered-kitten.

Its-just-that-in-Maine-Coons-and-Ragdolls,and-some-other-breeds,its-a-genetic-issue,they-don't-know-where-it-came-from,the-Winn-Foundation-is-doing-research-on-it.

The-purpose-of-testing,is-to-remove-the-positive-cats-from-the-breeding-program,thus-lessening-the-odds.Even-if-they-are-tested,it-just-means,they-are-negative,at-that-point-in-time,they-could-or-could-not-develope-it-later.

It-can-affect-only-one-kitten-in-the-litter,it-can-skip-generations,males-are-more-prone,but-females-can-get-it-too.In-my-case-he-was-the-only-kitten-in-that-litter,it-was-traced-back-to-his-grandmother,who-came-from-a-championship-line.His-mother-was-spayed-and-removed-from-the-breeding-program.I-have-2-kittens-from-that-same-breeder,different-parents,different-lines,they-are-fine,as-have-been-the-other-kittens-from-that-breeding.

missymoutus-is-right,the-lady-most-likely-has-not-a-clue,has-never-tested,and-prob-has-no-idea,what-her-lines-are.It-doesn't-mean-your-kitten-will-get-it,just-that-you-have-to-be-aware,should-an-issue-arise,that-the-kitten-came-from-a-RD-mother.

Here-is-a-link-to-the-Winn-Foundation,and-the-testing-they-have-done.

One-of-my-show-friends-just-lost-an-Exotic,to-it,10-yrs-old,never-had-an-issue-before.His-brother,same-line,is-fine.It-just-comes-on,they-don't-know,yet,where-it-comes-from.Fine-one-day-threw-a-clot,gone-the-next-day.Exotics-are-an-off-shoot,per-say,of-Persians,who-are-also-prone.

Hope-this-helps,can-wait-to-see-your-kitten-when-you-get-him-home!

http://ragdollresearch.org/

They do look older than 6 weeks, BOTH my kittens were 6 weeks old when I got them and they are perfectly well adjusted cats  

I get my vet to worm them to be that bit extra safe, I wont buy any flea stuff in shops either I hate that they sell stuff like that!

And aside can we keep this on topic please and take the keyboard chat to private message or the tech forum, thank you

Thank you all for the posts. I an not put off by the information. It is good to have. I am not sure when i am getting her but i will vet her asap. The owner said no later than deceber 8th. Her daughter is attached to all the kittens and they want to prepare her.

David

It sounds like you have decided and have gotten some really good information. I'm just adding one point that may be worth considering:

I agree the kittens do look older than 6 weeks. But, pictures can be deceiving so who knows. I know there is some concern about taking the kitten too early, and, as mentioned,  it's always best to keep them with Mom as long as possible. But, it sounds like that may not be an option here. I guess my point is that these people are giving the kitten away regardless of if it's too soon. It can be to you who will properly vet him/her and give him/her a good home, or to someone else who doesn't know anything about cats and won't properly take care of the little one. If it were me, I would probably want to save the them from a worse fate, even if it meant taking them a little young. 

You could always ask them to "hold" the kitten for you a little longer, but there's a good chance they will just find someone else, especially since they are giving them away for free. 

But, that's just my opinion. You may have to invest a little extra time in teaching the proper behaviors but with proper vetting there is no reason this little one can't grow up to be perfectly healthy! 

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know, that I will not be adopting the kitten.  Things came up with the owner and myself and I decided it wasn't the right fit.  The good news is the kitten has already found a home.

Now it is time to search again.  I usually check shelters first, then craigslist .  I have 2 females, would getting another female be the best for the girls.  They are spayed and up to date on shots

thanks

David
 

KABUKIDAD said:

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know, that I will not be adopting the kitten.  Things came up with the owner and myself and I decided it wasn't the right fit.  The good news is the kitten has already found a home.

Now it is time to search again.  I usually check shelters first, then craigslist .  I have 2 females, would getting another female be the best for the girls.  They are spayed and up to date on shots

thanks

David
 

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It sounds like you listened to your gut and made the right choice for yourself. Good for you!

When checking out the shelters I would also ask if they have any kittens in foster homes and if you can contact the foster. IMO taking a kitten out of foster is the best way to go, because you know they have been raised underfoot by people who know what they are doing. You are also saving a shelter animal without having to worry so much about respiratory infections or other common shelter illnesses. And, any good shelter includes at least the first vaccine, deworming, and spaying as part of the adoption fee so you don't have to worry about getting all that done! 

I love when people contact me wanting to see my fosters. It's especially fun if they aren't quite big enough to go home yet and you can watch them grow and really get to know them before taking them home. 

I can't tell if you meant "would getting another female be best for the girls" as a question. If so, I would say gender does not matter nearly as much as personality. Are there specific traits you are looking for? Some people believe coloring plays into personality traits. For example, orange cats tend to be more mellow while tortoiseshells tend to be more shy. Those are all things to consider in making your selection. But, since everyone is/will be altered overall gender shouldn't make that much of a difference. 

I wish you the best of luck on your search and can't wait to see pictures of whoever you decide is the right match for your family! 

thank you.  I have a tortie, who is very calm and a calico that is more active and a bit of a character.  I am looking for a playmate for the Calico.  My Tortie is about 2 and a half years, My calico is about a year old.  I found a dilute calico at an area humane society,That completely vets them and is quite picky about who they adopt to.  I just sent in an inquiry and if she is still available I will go visit her.  I am afraid I am the type that if I go, I will come home with either a cat or dog.  I will keep you all informed.

David
 

KABUKIDAD said:

 I am afraid I am the type that if I go, I will come home with either a cat or dog.  I will keep you all informed.

David
 

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Haha it happens to the best of us! 

Please keep us updated! Of course, with pics!

I will,  The calico was available as this morning but I just received an email that someone else wants her, so I will keep looking.  There are so many kittens out there, I am sure I will find one that is a good fit, It is just a matter of time. 
 

KABUKIDAD said:

I will,  The calico was available as this morning but I just received an email that someone else wants her, so I will keep looking.  There are so many kittens out there, I am sure I will find one that is a good fit, It is just a matter of time. 
 

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This is so the right adoption mentality to have. You are looking for the right fit, not just the first one that comes along! Remember that and be patent and the perfect kitten will show up when you least expect it!

Hi All,

I have been checking shelters and rescues for a new kitten and I have a question. 2 shelters say that adopting the opposite sex is the best,  Do you agree?  I have 2 girls  Kabuki age 3 and Ninjetta age 1.5 .  thanks. 

David
 

A lot of times, females do prefer male companions. But I also notice an awful lot of young males who pick on older females (more than usual kitten naughtiness) :/. So it mostly depends on the kitten's personality and the adult cats' personalities, IMO.