How do you pick out a kitten?

[meuzettesmom]

My neice is about to pick out a kitten from a litter of persians. How can she pick out the most laid back and managable kitten to turn into the cat she can brush and live with?

 

[Winchester]

When I found Mollipop, the vet had put her two brothers in my arms. But they squirmed and squiggled and fussed. He put Molli in my arms; she laid back, made herself comfortable, and just stared at me. Never made a sound, just sat there and stared. Even the vet said she was working on me, that she had found her new mom. And so she had.

And with Banshee, I literally took her away from her mom's breast. She laid in my arms and looked up at me. And started to purr. I was hers from that moment on.

Let your niece handle the kittens. She'll know.

 

[jcat]

Kittens and cats have a tendency to do the choosing, not the other way around. When I got Jamie, I had every intention of taking one or two of his brothers, but he had other ideas, untying my shoelaces, jumping all over me, etc., as if to say, "Me, me, take me!" :lol3:

Mogli was the same way when I went to the shelter just to play with the cats. He had me convinced within minutes that I simply had to take him home with me.

 

[kookycats]

I agree with J-Cat. You don't pick the cat - the cat picks you! When I found BJ at the Humane Society, he poked his paw out of the cage he was in and knocked down the little sign that told about him. I knew he was saying "take me home". We did and had 13 wonderful years with him --- wish it could have been longer, but I cherish every minute of those 13 years.

 

[dejolane]

I love Persian kittens. If the kittens plays well with you,that tells it all.

 

[1pentrick]

I love Siamese kittens anyone have any they'd like to sell to a lady who spoils her cat totally rotten.

 

[1pentrick]

M lollipop is the best cat name I have ever heard. I want u to be my next cat

 

[wendysue]

I put all my cats/kittens through a checklist. I have 10 important points and they must pass 8 to be considered. For example, does he play with me? Does he purr? Does he let me hold him? Etc. So far, it hasn't failed me and I get the kind of cat I'm looking for.

 

[dejolane]

I have to say if a kitten plays,in great health, and is very active it's yours.You have to get those (puppy eye look) 

 

[meuzettesmom]

Wow. such good advise. Yeah that all makes sense. Mollipop's find story brought tears to my eyes Winchester.

 

[tulosai]

Kittens and cats have a tendency to do the choosing, not the other way around. When I got Jamie, I had every intention of taking one or two of his brothers, but he had other ideas, untying my shoelaces, jumping all over me, etc., as if to say, "Me, me, take me!"

Mogli was the same way when I went to the shelter just to play with the cats. He had me convinced within minutes that I simply had to take him home with me.

This.  When I went to visit the kittens I ended up adopting I was actually there to see another litter entirely.  In theory I have a soft spot for black kittens and I know they are less 'adoptable' so I was ready to take a pair home.  Their foster mom was taking care of two (smallish) litters at once in the same room at the time.  Suffice it to say that my kittens had other ideas than my taking the black kittens home.  I sat down on the floor and they RACED over to me and started climbing on me and purring.  One of them tried to climb inside my shoe and got stuck while the other one tried to make a toy out of the pen I was using to fill out an adoption application.  I knew I had to have them, and I wasn't wrong.

If you are going to a reputable breeder this should not be an issue but much more important IMO to try to see that the kittens are (at least externally) healthy (clear eyes and pink ears and gums, clear nose that isn't runny, no sneezing- though actually I broke the sneezing rule with my own cats- fortunately it worked out okay).

 

[ck2d]

I pick based on temperament.  In a nutshell, the cats that are fearful and hide - I don't pick them, because I want sociable pets.  The ones that are wild - I don't pick them, because kittens already have a ton of energy, so a hyper kitten is more than I can handle.  I pick the ones that are curious about people, but not going crazy.  The "just right" cat.  For that reason, I highly recommend seeing the kittens with their litter mates.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Bunny chose me; that's for sure.  It was magnetic.  I had gone to the shelter with my Mom to see Pumpkin; who she was planning to adopt but I saw Bunny in her cage and I was struck.  We adopted her 3 days later; having never even had time to interact with her except through the bars of the kennel.  I was taken with Glory; my soul kitty, from the start too.  And she didn't even have her eyes open yet.  

 

[my-boy-jasper]

I guess I have a soft spot for the shy ones. Jasper was the first kitten I looked at. The local vet had 3 kittens up for adoption - a tortie girl, a black boy and a grey boy. When I got to the vet, the tortie girl was off having some time with a foster carer so that left the two boys. The vet nurse opened their cage and I saw this wild looking black kitten. I knew he wasn't for me. I asked where the other one was and she lifted up a blanket to reveal this little face poking out, not looking too impressed. The nurse took him out and I held him in his blanket. He sat quietly on my lap and rested his head on my arm. And that was it - love

 So yeah, I agree with the above posters. You just know. I knew that Jasper was right for me because I could give him a quiet home and lots of one-on-one time. Turned out to be the right choice and we bonded very well. But no-one else has met him because he won't tolerate strangers and reverts to his hiding ways.

 

[meuzettesmom]

This.  When I went to visit the kittens I ended up adopting I was actually there to see another litter entirely.  In theory I have a soft spot for black kittens and I know they are less 'adoptable' so I was ready to take a pair home.  Their foster mom was taking care of two (smallish) litters at once in the same room at the time.  Suffice it to say that my kittens had other ideas than my taking the black kittens home.  I sat down on the floor and they RACED over to me and started climbing on me and purring.  One of them tried to climb inside my shoe and got stuck while the other one tried to make a toy out of the pen I was using to fill out an adoption application.  I knew I had to have them, and I wasn't wrong.

If you are going to a reputable breeder this should not be an issue but much more important IMO to try to see that the kittens are (at least externally) healthy (clear eyes and pink ears and gums, clear nose that isn't runny, no sneezing- though actually I broke the sneezing rule with my own cats- fortunately it worked out okay).

Speaking of adopting the homeless...there is a cat shelter in my town having a two for one sale on the 30th of this month. I want to grab two...so bad. Help homeless plays in my mind. I like the black cats too for I too know they are put down. On the subject of picking a kitten thank you. I will pass on your story to my neice

 

[meuzettesmom]

I guess I have a soft spot for the shy ones. Jasper was the first kitten I looked at. The local vet had 3 kittens up for adoption - a tortie girl, a black boy and a grey boy. When I got to the vet, the tortie girl was off having some time with a foster carer so that left the two boys. The vet nurse opened their cage and I saw this wild looking black kitten. I knew he wasn't for me. I asked where the other one was and she lifted up a blanket to reveal this little face poking out, not looking too impressed. The nurse took him out and I held him in his blanket. He sat quietly on my lap and rested his head on my arm. And that was it - love

 So yeah, I agree with the above posters. You just know. I knew that Jasper was right for me because I could give him a quiet home and lots of one-on-one time. Turned out to be the right choice and we bonded very well. But no-one else has met him because he won't tolerate strangers and reverts to his hiding ways.

Such a heart warming story. Glad it turned out.Most of mine are cats, people have given to me.I only picked out two of my nine. And I did what everyone did here. Let the kitten pick me and thought out what I could live wtih and what would be happy with my cats I already have.But my neice isn't as tune-in as we are. There were some helpful hints on here and I think she will be able to do this now.

 

[catspaw66]

Sheba, and then S&S (Sugar and Spice) were adopted from the shelter.   Tell your niece to sit down on the floor without speaking or touching the kittens and watch them for 10 minutes. The one she wants will make itself clear.

 

[sivyaleah]

Casper, was given to us by a friend, who couldn't keep him any longer so we were lucky he turned out to be such a great cat in every way.  But, I didn't bond with him quickly - even though he was so good.  It was like having a stranger suddenly living in my home lol.  

With Cocoa, however, the connection was immediate.  We had been looking for a few months for a second kitty and had seen A LOT.  The rescue organization suggested her to us, which was kind of weird because I had seen her photo and skipped over her on Petfinder because she looked kind of annoyed in the photo.  We were assured, that she would be a good match of all of us (Casper included) and she brought her over to meet us.  We were cautioned that while she was well behaved and all, that she needed some work still to feel confident about herself and her surroundings.

Well, the moment I picked her up, and that little timid ball of fluff nestled her face into the crock of my arm I was a goner.  I felt this intense need to protect her instantly, and knew I'd do anything possible to make sure she had a happy life.  My BF, well it took quite a while longer for him as Casper was his buddy, but now he walks around with her, hugging her always saying with a beaming smile "I LOVE THIS KITTY! I DO!" ROFL

(Seriously, you people should see him.  It's priceless 

 )

So, in other words - sometimes - you just know.  It's just a "heart" thing.

 

[brandi122088]

Misty chose me. I went to the shelter picturing myself picking a little grey kitten. I even started looking at some. And there in a cage is my baby meowing at like crazy. But I ignored her at first because I was trying to get the grey one to come to me. Next thing my baby is on her back paws meowing louder. I went over, held her, and fell in love with this little white banged up kitten. She has been my shadow ever since.

 

[flintmccullough]

I-was-looking-at-show-kittens,had-it-narrowed-down-to-2.

BUT......this-other-kitten-kept-saying,pick-me,pick-me,was-all-over-me.The-breeder-said,he-is-not-show-quality,he-will-never-final.I-took-him-anyways,lol.At-10-months-old,he-was-in-first-place-in-his-region,and-he-pretty-much,could-not-be-beat.

He-was-my-boy,my-best-friend,I-loved-him-dearly,and-he-loved-me,you-could-see-it-in-his-eyes,the-way-he-looked-at-me.He-was-put-down-in-the-ER-at-only-5-yrs-old,there-was-just-nothing-more-they-could-do-for-him,HCM,genetic,Maine-Coon.To-this-day,I-never-regretted-my-decision,he-picked-me.

Another-show-friend,was-in-a-pet-store,looking-to-give-a-kitty-a-good-home,or-rather,rescue-one.She-and-her-mother-kept-passing-on-this-one-kitten,looked-sickly.Each-time-they-walked-past-her,she-looked-at-them-and-said,please-pick-me,please-help-me.They-took-her-home.She-had-heart-issues.Vet-said-she-needed-open-heart-surgery,like-about-$10,000,and-she-was-only-6-months-old,never-been-done-on-a-kitten-that-young-before.

The-University-specialists-refused,kitten-too-young,said-she-would-not-make-it-thru-the-surgery.My-friend-insisted,she-is-kinda-like-me,saying-no,ain't,an-option.

Kitten-made-it-thru-the-surgery,and-now-6-months-later,you-would-never-know,she-was-ever-sick,and-paved-the-way-for-other-kittens-to-be-operated-on.That-kitten-picked-my-friend.