Newbie to the site here! We took in a pregnant stray over the winter (we're clueless and didn't realize she was pregnant until she was very far along), she delivered her three kittens and they're now seven weeks old and well on their way to being weaned. We did some things right but we definitely allowed the mom too much access to our house (and our three resident cats) too quickly and had aggression we don't know how to handle, so we're keeping them well separated now and the mom will be spayed in two weeks.
We have family who want to adopt, and we'd like to keep a cat and we're trying to figure out how to choose. We have a 10 mo old kitten (we took her in first, then the pregnant one) and our other two cats are both seniors (13 yr old male Himalayan & 10 yr old female Ragdoll), would it be smart to keep a kitten as a playmate for her? I think a kitten's energy might be really good for her.
The mom is 2 yrs old and a lot more reserved. When she feels safe, she's affectionate but hard to predict. Sometimes she wants us to pet her, sometimes she bites us for petting her. She bites and scratches if we try to cut her claws. I feel stupid for saying this but I'm actually a little afraid of her. I'm fond of her but I think her forever home isn't ours.
Of the kittens, two are male and one is female. Two are very affectionate with us, the third likes to play with us but otherwise seems really disinterested in humans. Is sex a factor in which kitten we should choose? Would our female kitten bond more easily with the boy?
How should we handle introducing them, after the mom moves into her own space just before & after surgery? We have them in a room with a door that can also have a baby gate, I read the article here on introductions and think we could put the blanket under the gate and feed the kittens on one side and our cats on the other. But when it comes time to let them mingle, do we try to only let one resident in at a time? Take the gate off and see who wants to go in? I'd love to be able to at least have the process moving along before the kittens we don't keep go off to their new homes, but is that an okay idea? I just don't want to make any more big mistakes, so please tell me if we're doing everything wrong!
We have family who want to adopt, and we'd like to keep a cat and we're trying to figure out how to choose. We have a 10 mo old kitten (we took her in first, then the pregnant one) and our other two cats are both seniors (13 yr old male Himalayan & 10 yr old female Ragdoll), would it be smart to keep a kitten as a playmate for her? I think a kitten's energy might be really good for her.
The mom is 2 yrs old and a lot more reserved. When she feels safe, she's affectionate but hard to predict. Sometimes she wants us to pet her, sometimes she bites us for petting her. She bites and scratches if we try to cut her claws. I feel stupid for saying this but I'm actually a little afraid of her. I'm fond of her but I think her forever home isn't ours.
Of the kittens, two are male and one is female. Two are very affectionate with us, the third likes to play with us but otherwise seems really disinterested in humans. Is sex a factor in which kitten we should choose? Would our female kitten bond more easily with the boy?
How should we handle introducing them, after the mom moves into her own space just before & after surgery? We have them in a room with a door that can also have a baby gate, I read the article here on introductions and think we could put the blanket under the gate and feed the kittens on one side and our cats on the other. But when it comes time to let them mingle, do we try to only let one resident in at a time? Take the gate off and see who wants to go in? I'd love to be able to at least have the process moving along before the kittens we don't keep go off to their new homes, but is that an okay idea? I just don't want to make any more big mistakes, so please tell me if we're doing everything wrong!
