Hello,
I've never had a cat before (or a dog) but will be getting a 10 week old Siberian kitten on May 10th. My husband and I have a single daughter age 4 who is very gentle with pets and shows a lot of love for them.
I am curious about many things. 1) First, I feel guilty because we are only getting one kitten. I wanted to get a Siberian cat because I have slight allergies but also so people who are allergic can visit and stay at my house. The cost of this purebreed prevents me from getting a second one at least for another year. My husband and I are both teachers and our family will be able to spend a lot of time with the kitten starting mid-June, (at least for the summer) but for that first month he will be alone. I've read that Siberians are very social and that I should get two. How horrible will this be to just have one? Any advice? I've heard to leave them in a closed room while we're gone when they're a kitten with a good scratching post and of course the litter box and safe toys.
2) How do I do scratch training? This is my biggest concern. It seems like cat owners I know just say that losing your furniture is part of owning a cat. We just bought a house and have new furniture- a faux leather- and I'm worried it'll be ruined. Even though we bought an expensive cat, our savings is not that big.
3) Where is a good place to find good scratching posts, pads, trees? Is it best to get all 3. Do I need multiples of any of those if we live in a 2-story house?
4) I bought purrdy-paws (soft claws) but I just read a thread about how they don't fit kittens too well, they can get caught on things, and cats chew them off. Does clipping your cats nails once a week really help? Is it easy enough to do- I'm worried I won't know how and I'll make a mistake.
Thank you for your advice.!
Bonnie
I've never had a cat before (or a dog) but will be getting a 10 week old Siberian kitten on May 10th. My husband and I have a single daughter age 4 who is very gentle with pets and shows a lot of love for them.
I am curious about many things. 1) First, I feel guilty because we are only getting one kitten. I wanted to get a Siberian cat because I have slight allergies but also so people who are allergic can visit and stay at my house. The cost of this purebreed prevents me from getting a second one at least for another year. My husband and I are both teachers and our family will be able to spend a lot of time with the kitten starting mid-June, (at least for the summer) but for that first month he will be alone. I've read that Siberians are very social and that I should get two. How horrible will this be to just have one? Any advice? I've heard to leave them in a closed room while we're gone when they're a kitten with a good scratching post and of course the litter box and safe toys.
2) How do I do scratch training? This is my biggest concern. It seems like cat owners I know just say that losing your furniture is part of owning a cat. We just bought a house and have new furniture- a faux leather- and I'm worried it'll be ruined. Even though we bought an expensive cat, our savings is not that big.
3) Where is a good place to find good scratching posts, pads, trees? Is it best to get all 3. Do I need multiples of any of those if we live in a 2-story house?
4) I bought purrdy-paws (soft claws) but I just read a thread about how they don't fit kittens too well, they can get caught on things, and cats chew them off. Does clipping your cats nails once a week really help? Is it easy enough to do- I'm worried I won't know how and I'll make a mistake.
Thank you for your advice.!
Bonnie