I need some guidance...

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by TigerLord

Thanks for your input !

In fact I'm originally from Montreal, I'm moving to Sherbrooke in an apartment. My whole family is still around Montreal, so I'll be 2 hours away by car. Better than 8 hours away by plane though

It was my intention to have both cats spayed as soon as possible. Why do you think a male and female would make better pairs? My fear was that even if the male would be neutered and the female spayed they'd still hump each other or something. Sometimes neutered dogs still hump everything they can ... quite annoying. Cats are much more ''classy'' and proud than dogs, which is why I also like cats a lot. Dogs can be very dumb sometimes...

You seem to be experienced and if you say a male and a female make for better pairing then that what I'll do ... for some reason I have always preferred female pets (I just find hanging testicles and a hanging penis under a dog to be very uncute, in fact it can cut the whole cute factor for me). Maybe because I'm a man too ... no idea why.

What do you suggest about food and claws? Unless very necessary I'd prefer not to have their claws removed, since when we do our clinical immersion we are sent in distant regions for 8-10 weeks, and are often in rural places and live 4 students in a house... so if I can I'd like to allow the cats to enjoy the great outdoors, but without their claws they would be defenseless...
Is there any danger to have them keep their claws ? Can they unwillingly hurt another kitten when playing ? The retracting of claws is probably very instinctive for them but who knows... as for my apartment, I have carpet and no furniture of any real values. Beside if they have a big cat tree they'll have something to work their claws on , right?

Normally they don't "hump" each other although I've had a neutered male that loved our daughter's teddy bear.

If you go to the Health and Nutrition forum you'll find a lot of information on food. Wet food is a better diet for them than the dry so we feed mostly wet with some dry for in between meals for them.

It really is safer to keep your cats indoors. They will be healthier and generally live longer. There are many dangers outside for cats and if you are going to pay all those $ for them, take good care of them and keep them safely inside. You may also be able to leash-train them. We trained Bijou and Mika to a harness and leash and would take them for walks around the block in the summer time.

As for claws, this site is very much anti-declawing. De-clawing is a cruel and barbaric act. Get your kittens used to having their paws touched and caressed when they are young and clip their claws about every week to 10 days. If they have adequate scratching posts/places they shouldnt' harm your furniture. We have no issues with ours scratching any furniture or each other. If they do start to scratch any furniture, simply re-direct them to their scratching post.

Before you get the cats, I would ensure that your other roommates are agreeable to responsibly caring for them while you are away. The other option is to take them with you if you are not going out of country. We've taken ours to a cottage for a week and they both love the car. We've taken them with us since they were babies even to just go to the library, store, etc. so they have no fear of going in a car. If you were to take them with you on one of your assignments, that would be an even better reason to make them indoor cats only since if they got out at your new location, it would be easy for them to get lost or hurt.

PS - my hubby is heading to Montreal tomorrow for a concert at the Jazz Festival.

 

[tigerlord]

I will be leaving alone in Sherbrooke, not roomates. I would get roomates only during our Clinical Immersion, which is usually only twice a year and lasts 5-8 weeks, so I'd definitely bring them with me wherever I would go for that period.

I'm not the kind of person to bring his pets whenever I go run some errands. If I leave for a few days somewhere (say visiting my parents in Montreal for a long week-end) I'll bring them with me, but I definitely won't bring them in the car while I go grocery shopping. Honestly I find the very idea idiotic - they will either freeze to death in the car or die in the heat during summer. I'll be doing Sherbrooke-Montreal quite a few times per month so I might bring them with me say for the week-end when driving back to Montreal ...

As for de-clawing I also find it to be barbaric, so I will also follow your advice on that. Thing is both my parents have wood on their condo and they'd kill me if my kittens messed their floors up or something ! Travel scratch pad required I guess !

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by TigerLord

I'm not the kind of person to bring his pets whenever I go run some errands. If I leave for a few days somewhere (say visiting my parents in Montreal for a long week-end) I'll bring them with me, but I definitely won't bring them in the car while I go grocery shopping. Honestly I find the very idea idiotic - they will either freeze to death in the car or die in the heat during summer. I'll be doing Sherbrooke-Montreal quite a few times per month so I might bring them with me say for the week-end when driving back to Montreal ...

Ah, but we don't leave them in the car - we have a carry pouch much like the ones you carry children in except it has no holes for legs and it has a sewn-in clip for the leash to attach to so they come into the stores with us. In fact Bijou is usually on his harness and leash and is free to walk about the local hardware store with us. Naturally in the grocery store they are kept in the pouch. We carried Mika around one day at Home Sense for about 1.5 hours and she was just fine with it.

We aren't idiotic enough to take them in the car and leave them by themselves to freeze of die from heatstroke.

 

[green bunny]

Hello and welcome!

I'm glad you have decided to get 2 kitties; I was going to suggest that so one just didn't get bored. If you do decide to get a male and female instead of two females, don't worry about the male's "dangly bits," since by what you've mentioned, he'll would be neutered as soon as possible.

I have 2 kitties, Loki and Possum, both males. Loki was neutered at 2 years old, and his testicles are quite prominent. Possum, who is a Siamese mix, actually, was neutered as a kitten, and his testicles really are barely noticeable.

One thing should should know about Siamese is that they can be very vocal, so you should be ready for that. Possum, is actually very quiet, but I lucked out on that, I guess.

About toys; you should probably, in addition to the cat tree, just buy a variety of cheap toys at your local pet supply store chain. Cats are like people in that they have different personalities and like different things. You don't want to spend a lot of money and find out they don't like the toys! In fact, Possum's favorite toy is a little cloth and catnip mouse that cost $0.99 (American)! When you've had them for a week or two and have seen them interact with the toys, and have seen which ones they seem to prefer or hate, then you can go out and go crazy!

Congratulations and good luck!

Tricia

 

[tigerlord]

@Yosemite- I'm not the kind of person to bring my pets around with me either. Might be a culture thing, but where I am from, either rich people carry their small dogs or cats around (ie. Legally Blonde) or elderly people. In any case, I find it totally innapropriate when people bring dogs to the supermarket. Restaurants in Canada do not allow any pets in. The only exception is guide dogs for the blinds which is of course more than ok. I always found people to carry their pets wherever they go to be a little weird... but that's how we are taught, so like I said, it's a culture thing. Unfortunately I do see people who leave their animals in the car while they go shopping

How cruel...

When you said I needed to clip the claws, you mean at the rear right? I thought cats ''managed'' their front claws themselves ? And you haven't told me yet why a male and a female make for a betting pairing ? I do trust you, I'm just curious to learn more

@Green Bunny- Thanks for the warm welcome ! When you say Siameses are vocal, do you mean when they need attention? Because if they keep crying all day for something like dogs bark, it might be a problem. Cats are ''tolerated'' in the building, not allowed per say, so if they disturb the other tennants I'll have problems.

I was going to get this cat gym problably:
http://www.7thheavencatfurniture.com...alog/2/30.html

With the sisal leg covering, and a few hanging feathers and a few mice as well. I don't have living room furniture except a futon couch, so I'll definitely have room for that gym

I know Siamese can be very dependent, my friend's Siamese acts a little like a dog when someone gets home - she runs to the door right away to see who it is. She's absolutely lovely ! This is why I love Siamese so much - not only are they beautiful, but they are less independant than other cats so you have a closer relationship to them.

 

[catsarebetter]

Well, I have two "talkers" which I think is what everyone is referring to when they say vocal. Both of mine will meow about things, but neither of them are "loud" when they talk. The sound difference between a dog barking and a cat talking is huge. Now, that's not to say that the cats can't make noise, but generally when they talk to you, it's not any louder than a human talking. Neither of mine cry at night. One of them is a Tonkinese, and I don't know if you're familiar with the breed or not, but Tonkinese is a combination of Burmese and Siamese, so they're somewhat similar in personality/nature.

Just regarding the dogs humping things... dogs do this as a sign of domination, and it has absolutely nothing to do with sex or mating except that traditionally it's the "dominant" male that "covers" the female.. but male and female dogs will hump other dogs, to establish pack leader. Cats don't generally do that. The other thing is... I think I've only ever seen one male kitty with his little wiener sticking out, and he was an unneutered male. I think if you run into that with a cat, it will be a *very* unusual situation. I honestly haven't seen it to be the case with cats the way it is with dogs.

Now, my opinion on male/female versus any other pairing; female/female, or male/male.. is a little different, but only because I have an alpha female that has issues with male cats, but gets along great with the females. This has always been the case with her, she fights the males for dominance.. but it doesn't start until the male gets to be about two years. I'm not entirely sure that it makes a difference. I think it depends more on the personality of the cat, and not so much the gender. I've had the most success overall with the female/female pairings.

The gym you picked looks great! I'm sure they'll love it. I have no problem here with mine scratching (but I *used* to). I'm against declawing, but at one point, with Noel, I had considered it because she was destroying furniture.. and had destroyed many many pieces and we'd tried everything, except those Soft Paws. We moved, and I happened to be walking through a store, and sort of out of desperation, when I saw a "scratching pad" I bought it. I figured.. hey, what's $5 more .. maybe it will work. And it's one of those little cardboard scratch pads that you put the catnip in... and I never had a problem with her scratching furniture again.. provided that I keep them fresh so that they're serving the right purpose. They really work, and now with five kitties here, they all scratch the scratching pads, and the cat tree.

 

[tigerlord]

I spoke with the breeder and she has agreed to keep the babies until week 10 with the mother at my insistence and request! I said I wanted either two females or a male and a female, but that I absolutely one blue and one seal !

She sent me the picture of two little males that went into adoption last week (from another mother), one blue and one seal like I want, and they are about 11 weeks on the picture. They are simply adorable ! The pictures were sent to her by the new owner this morning:

Unfortunately the tree I wanted isn't available, but the woman told me she knows a woman who custom builds cat trees herself like we want them and she'll put me in contact with her ! Since she's local I'll save a lot on shipping and get a sturdy product for sure !

I told them that TCS said wet food is better for the cats, after she told me the kittens already start eating dry food at week 8. She was like - huh, what's TCS?

So talking cats huh? I have no problem with that, they can chat away all they want, it'll be my pleasure to comply !

Anyhow, I'll start saving for a big hunking tree, that nice little fountain I heard motivates the cats to drink more, a scratch pad and some cheap toys...

Do I need two separate liter boxes?

 

[tigerlord]

Oh and is it considered corny to get your pets named after mythology? I love Greek Mythology and if I get a brother and a sister I'd like to call them Appollo and Artemis, but I don't want my kittens to be the center of martyr jokes ...

 

[catsarebetter]

No, I don't think it's corny to name them for mythology. I do, at least, name mine from book characters, and have previously named them for gods and goddesses from mythology.. I've also named them after spices, and a whole host of other things. Currently they're getting named for holidays.. Anyway, I don't think it's an issue at all.

Those babies in the pictures are really adorable. Just love them!

I wouldn't worry about the food too much.. they start off with dry, but they're usually easy to change at a young age. It's when they've been on one diet for most of their lives that they get more difficult to switch. It's been my experience kittens will eat just about anything, so you probably won't have a problem with it. If they give you any trouble, make sure you're not leaving their dry down all the time, and then feed them at designated times throughout the day.. so that by the time you get ready to feed them again, they're actually hungry, and they'll be more inclined to eat wet food. (If they have dry food available all the time, they will graze or snack on it, so never get really hungry)

For the litter boxes, I'd advise one for every floor, if you have more than one floor... and/or one for each cat. So, I'd say two litter boxes would be fine.. and you might even get away with one litter box if you clean it diligently. I'd say at least once a day, for scooping litter. A lot of "potty" problems come from not keeping the litter boxes clean enough. If you have two boxes, and you scoop once a day, or once every two days.. that's probably enough but it will really depend on your cat (and how you feel about them using a less than spotless litter box). Mostly, it will depend on your cat.

 

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Now, my opinion on male/female versus any other pairing; female/female, or male/male.. is a little different, but only because I have an alpha female that has issues with male cats, but gets along great with the females. This has always been the case with her, she fights the males for dominance.. but it doesn't start until the male gets to be about two years. I'm not entirely sure that it makes a difference. I think it depends more on the personality of the cat, and not so much the gender. I've had the most success overall with the female/female pairings.

I agree - it really depends on the cats. If you get two males together they'll probably be just fine or for that matter any mix if they are brought home together should do well with no issues. The females, IMHO, are usually the ones with issues.

The only problem I could foresee would be having two intact males and then there would most likely be fighting.

Originally Posted by TigerLord

So talking cats huh? I have no problem with that, they can chat away all they want, it'll be my pleasure to comply

Anyhow, I'll start saving for a big hunking tree, that nice little fountain I heard motivates the cats to drink more, a scratch pad and some cheap toys...

Do I need two separate liter boxes?

Siamese tend to be very vocal, but not all of them are. Our Mika has a deformed voicebox and has little to no voice at all but is quite able to make herself understood through her little "huffing" noises. Bijou on the other hand has a loud Siamese yowl but rarely uses it unless he wants to get our attention so in that way we are fortunate.

The general rule on litter boxes is 1 per cat and 1 spare. We only use two boxes and have no problems. The important thing is to keep them clean - scooped daily and cleaned and washed out completely at LEAST once per month. Some folks do the whole cleaning more often but I find with using Worlds Best Cat Litter that just adding a couple cups every 5-6 days for a few weeks works well and we have no odour.

Re claws - you will find the front claws will need clipping approximately every 10 days to 2 weeks. The back claws seem to grow much slower and won't need to be clipped nearly as often. Clipping their claws is really easy once you've been shown how and takes just a few seconds to do (although with a cat that doesn't like it being done, it can seem like much more than seconds).

And the final remark - those kittens are absolutely adorable. I could seriously fall in love with them myself.

 

[tigerlord]

Aren't feline claws retractable ??? So how do you ''force'' them to let them out so you can clip them ?

I guess I'll touch their pawns often when they are young so they grow accustomed to have me hold their pawns in my hands so they get used to the clipping ...

 

[green bunny]

Yeah, I just meant that they like to talk a lot!

You should clip their front claws, that way when they play they won't accidentally hurt each other badly, and also kittens aren't as adept at knowing when to retract their claws like older cats are. Also, in my case, it seems to cut down on them trying to scratch anything but the acceptable scratching items. I'm not sure how pure Siameses' claws are but if they are a whitish color, then it's easier to tell where not to cut (i.e. the quick). If they are darker, then you just have to be more careful. I don't clip Loki and Possum's rear claws, but some people do for their own preference or the cats need it. My cats' back claws seem to be okay without clipping them.

Oh, and to bring their claws out, just press on their pads; it doesn't hurt them, and the claws come right out.

Some people prefer male/female pairings to female/female pairings because they get along better. Personally I prefer male cats because I like their personalities more, and I think they are sweeter. I've heard stories where many females do not tolerate other females, and that is what Yosemite was referring to.

I have a friend who has 2 females and a male (the male and the older female are littermates, and are probably over 10, and the other female was adopted a couple of years ago as a kitten), and they all get along. Now I could be wrong, but I would think it would probably okay to get two sisters who have been around each other and are accostomed to each other. Maybe you could ask the breeder if any of the girls seem particularly close.

I live in a small apartment, and I have one litterbox per cat. I also clean them out once every day. Since yours is bigger, maybe you can put them in more out of the way places than I can, and probably would do fine scooping them out every other day. Some people suggest one litterbox per cat plus one, so you might want to consider that, but I do fine with my two litterboxes. One is a regular sized box, and the other one is "extra large." I also find that covered boxes help with the smell.

Many people name their animals after mythological beings. Loki, after all, is named for the Trickster God in Norse mythology. I seriously doubt anyone would make fun of their names; animals are supposed to have goofy or unusual names!

Tricia

 

[tigerlord]

I don't know what is wrong with me, I am going through a phase... I have loved babies all my life, and when I was doing my clinical immersion in Pediatrics 2 months ago, I always started early in the morning (5h00 am) to either feed the babies that needed feeding and whoose mom needed rest, or bring the babies to their mothers, and of course change diapers and administrate medications for those who needed it. Truth it, I like to think of myself of a young viril and attractive man (pictures available on demand lol

) but when it comes to babies, I just crack... I have a very sweetspot for cuteness, and even nurses and doctors tell me - you should go into pediatrics for your residency (which I plan to do, or neo-natal surgery). As I said, I always loved babies, but it was over the top during my immersion ... I'd laugh all day long and enjoy myself making all babies laugh...

Same things for cats. I never loved them that much. But when I saw those Siamese kittens... on my god. I cracked again. I wanted to bring them all home. And now I simply can't wait to go get my two kittens.

I think I've been living too far away from home for too long, it got to me somehow.

It's not a bad thing at all, I've always been more sensitive and sensible than my other guy friends. Maybe it has to do with the fact I was raised by my mother alone too... hmmm ... textbook psychology (ZzZzZzZzZZZzzz....)

Anyway, I'll stop trying to find the source of my irrational love for babies and cats that seems to keep growing exponentially as I grow up and simply enjoy the moment

 

[carolpetunia]

There's nothing irrational about it! It's perfectly natural to love any small creature that needs you.

 

[noludoru]

Welcome to TCS! I'm new, too.

I've got five (

) kitties at the moment. They're not all mine--I'm doing in-house kitty-sitting (but I don't think I'm giving the 'kitten,' Winslow, back!

). I know how the kitten-loving goes, I was planning on fostering kittens this summer until things happened. You're lucky.

As for talking.. if you have talkers, watch out! Never a dull moment. I have three--none of which are Siamese--who won't shut up. If they think I have food, think it's time for food, want to go out, want a door opened, want attention, want to hear themselves.. you get the idea. It's nice, though. We yowl and "mrrt!" back at each other. I do want to add, though.. if you reward them for "talking"... by giving them food/attention/whatever, you are reinforcing the behavior and they will only do it more often. We've had some problems with this at my house, with opening doors and such.

I also have had an awesome experience with two females. They get along very well with each other, and are best friends. It really depends upon the two cats themselves, although if you only have two and they are raised together you're stacking the odds in your favor. Call the vets in your area, and see what age they do speutering (spay/neuter). If it's younger than six months, I would feel safe getting a male and a female. It's something to consider, though, because dealing with a queen in heat isn't very fun, and it's even less fun when you have a tom who's interested. They'll wake up the block, and you'll probably have spraying.

Name your cats whatever you feel fits them. If anyone ridicules you, ask them how many people they know who have their name.

We all get to go a little crazy with names.. don't let anyone tell you that you can't name your cats something.

The reason you need to clip claws is because they get as long and sharp as your average pin. I haven't clipped Chili's claws in 3 weeks or so, and she was kneading my leg today.. the end result was me jumping out of my seat with a yell, her giving me a hurt look and hopping onto the desk. Poor kitty, it's not her fault mom hasn't brought out the claw-clippers lately. The claws not only hurt, but also get stuck in things around the house, and this can be hurtful to your clothes/pillows/fabric as well as frustrating and/or painful to the cat.

Get special treats that they love that are only doled out at paw-touching time. First start with touching their legs, and give them treats for gentle little strokes. Then start rewarding them only when they hold their legs still for the strokes.. then move down the leg slowly, praising and treating the whole way. Over a few days (depends upon you & the kitty and the frequency of short sessions) you'll move down the leg to the paws and get them used to holding paws, then holding claws, then start gently scratching their nails. From there you go on to scratching their nails with the clipper, then getting teensie tiny bits off the ends, and then clipping more and more. This is just a rough guide... someone else who has done this many times can refine it for you, or you can adjust as you go along. You just have to make claw-clipping fun for both of you, don't end things on a bad note.. stop while you're ahead is my rule for myself.

And now, someone mentioned pictures.. LOL kidding!

Sorry for writing you a whole book, here. I'll stop while I'm ahead.

 

[marie-p]

Welcome aboard!

I don't have any advice on siamese kitties, but I just wanted to say hi. It's nice to have another Quebecer here. (I'm in Montreal)

 

[tigerlord]

Thank you all so much for your input !

Look at what I'm getting for my two kittens:
http://www.crazycatcondos.com/CRAZYCATCONDO.html

I think they'll love it ! I just can't wait to have them... when I ''babysitted' my friend's Siamese and her kittens for a week-end when she needed to leave for a 2 days, I simply enjoyed the whole week-end just playing whem

The big baby that I am, I'd place two on my stomach and the mom and the other three on the bed and they'd play some sort of 'kill of the hill' game

Beginning of October seems so far away

 

[catloverin_ks]

Welcome to TCS!!! I really dont have any experience with siamese, but wanted to welcome you here!!!

 

[tigerlord]

Thanks!!!

 

[tigerlord]

Here are pictures of the mother, Noisette (first two pictures), and the daddy, Bali (last two)...

Noisette is expecting August 12th !