I want to adopt a kitten. Advice?

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spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
yeah, good point on not letting them bite.

They're just trying to play but its not something you want them to pickup/learn.

And yes, you can train cats to do all sorts of tricks/habits.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: spidey07
yeah, good point on not letting them bite.

They're just trying to play but its not something you want them to pickup/learn.

And yes, you can train cats to do all sorts of tricks/habits.

How would you train a cat? I've only had dogs all my life, but would it be the same way? They do something you like, and you start talking like a baby and going good boy, good boy and all petting it and stuff, maybe give it a snack or something.

EDIT: Oh yea. Do your cats sleep with you? Where do they sleep?
 

psydancerqt

Golden Member
Mar 31, 2003
1,110
0
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train a cat just like a dog. my bf's cat sleeps on the tarantula cage in the hallway.... he shuts the bedroom door... my friend's cat sleeps either in it's cage or in her bed...
 

techfuzz

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2001
3,107
0
76
My fiance and I got a kitten from the county animal control about a month ago. The adoption fee was $60 which covered the neutering and his first set of shots. Animal shots are kind of like regularly scheduled shots people get. You get a "booster" shot every year for your animal which protects against the typical diseases they might contract. We also had to pay I think $6-$10 for his electronic ID tag so if he ever gets lost and picked-up by animal control or taken to a shelter they can scan him to locate us, his owners, and call us to come get him. Some places also have a rabies/animal licensing fee, something small like $10 a year. This is typically something that larger cities charge you to keep the rabies population amongst city animals down to a minimum. I doubt smaller cities or rural counties would charge this type of fee.

Age/Sex - Anything younger than 6 months and you'll have to have him neuter/spayed when they get old enough. 6 months and older they will either require it to be spayed before you leave with it or you have to sign a contract to have it done by your personal vet within a week. If you don't have male cats neutered, they will spray their scent on everything. After fixing them, they'll sometimes still try to spray things, but of course nothing comes out.

Cats do fine if you leave them alone for extended periods of time. Studies show that cats won't even notice you've been gone any period of time unless the sun comes up and then goes down and then comes up again. As long as they have food and water, they can take care of themselves for days at a time and be just fine.

If you get a kitten, you'll probably want to get some small cheap toys for them to play with. We got a small foam ball and a ribbon on a stick for him. We can keep our kitten occupied for hours at a time with just the simplest of toys.

techfuzz
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
OK! The decision is made!

Watercooling will have to wait. I'm getting a cat right after work today. Or well, at least go look for one. :D
 

techfuzz

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2001
3,107
0
76
Oh, I forgot to mention... We taught our kitten how to play fetch with some of his toys. We'll throw it across the room and he chases after it, picks it up in his mouth, and drags it back to us to do over and over again... Yeah we got a weird cat!

techfuzz
 

psydancerqt

Golden Member
Mar 31, 2003
1,110
0
0
i just wanted to say my bf's kitten's favorite toys are plastic milk rings. she'll play with those for much longer than anything else! my friend's cat loves q-tips... you might not need to buy any toys!
 

techfuzz

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2001
3,107
0
76
Originally posted by: psydancerqt
i just wanted to say my bf's kitten's favorite toys are plastic milk rings. she'll play with those for much longer than anything else! my friend's cat loves q-tips... you might not need to buy any toys!
Q-Tips huh? We might have to try those with our cat :)

techfuzz
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
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Originally posted by: techfuzz
Originally posted by: psydancerqt
i just wanted to say my bf's kitten's favorite toys are plastic milk rings. she'll play with those for much longer than anything else! my friend's cat loves q-tips... you might not need to buy any toys!
Q-Tips huh? We might have to try those with our cat :)

techfuzz

ball of aluminum foil. best and cheapest cat toy ever made. especially if its on hard floor.
 
Feb 10, 2000
30,029
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IMO male cats are almost invariably better pets. They tend to be more playful and affectionate. YMMV, but I have had a number of cats. Playing with them a lot as kittens seems to make them more athletic and playful as adults.
 

WinkOsmosis

Banned
Sep 18, 2002
13,990
1
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: techfuzz
Originally posted by: psydancerqt
i just wanted to say my bf's kitten's favorite toys are plastic milk rings. she'll play with those for much longer than anything else! my friend's cat loves q-tips... you might not need to buy any toys!
Q-Tips huh? We might have to try those with our cat :)

techfuzz

ball of aluminum foil. best and cheapest cat toy ever made. especially if its on hard floor.

Until they eat the aluminum.
 

brigden

Diamond Member
Dec 22, 2002
8,702
2
81
Originally posted by: techfuzz
Oh, I forgot to mention... We taught our kitten how to play fetch with some of his toys. We'll throw it across the room and he chases after it, picks it up in his mouth, and drags it back to us to do over and over again... Yeah we got a weird cat!

techfuzz

My cat does that. He also flushes the toilet to watch the water drain.
 

beatle

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2001
5,661
5
81
Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
And never, ever allow it to bite your extremeties (hands and feet, keeep your mind out of the gutter). My sister always allowed her cat to do so. Now, whenever I go to visit her and stay the night, I get woken up by the cat biting my toes.

Maybe that's why Doc turned out the way he did. As a baby (12 weeks) he would nibble at my finger, almost as if he were teething. A month later he was attacking you as you walked by and clawing, though he was awfully nice at other times... I had to give him away. :(
 

Horus

Platinum Member
Dec 27, 2003
2,838
1
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I don't think I'll ever get anything other than blue-point siameese ever again...I have one, a 5yo male named Lester...he's very, very affectionate, and highly intelligent...He'll try to trick me into feeding him twice, and it works sometimes.

One word about males though...once they're fixed, they have a habit of getting really fat. Lester started out as a tiny white ball of pure motion...now he's about 25lbs.
 

Shortcut

Golden Member
Jul 24, 2003
1,107
0
0
Originally posted by: psydancerqt
i just wanted to say my bf's kitten's favorite toys are plastic milk rings. she'll play with those for much longer than anything else! my friend's cat loves q-tips... you might not need to buy any toys!

Some kittens like playing with the cardboard tube from toilet paper, too! =)
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: Horus
I don't think I'll ever get anything other than blue-point siameese ever again...I have one, a 5yo male named Lester...he's very, very affectionate, and highly intelligent...He'll try to trick me into feeding him twice, and it works sometimes.

One word about males though...once they're fixed, they have a habit of getting really fat. Lester started out as a tiny white ball of pure motion...now he's about 25lbs.

Really? Maybe thats why I need a female then. Don't want to fat cats.
 

beatle

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2001
5,661
5
81
None of the male cats I had (4) were fat. One was alone for about 3-4 years before my family adopted a stray. Keep track of how much you feed themm don't just fill up their bowl when it gets low.
 

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
Originally posted by: beatle
None of the male cats I had (4) were fat. One was alone for about 3-4 years before my family adopted a stray. Keep track of how much you feed themm don't just fill up their bowl when it gets low.

So did they get any lazier or anything after you neuter/spay them? Or is there no difference?

My dog (not living with me anymore, brother) still dry humps this biggo 4 foot teddy's leg but is otherwise the same.
 

TheNinja

Lifer
Jan 22, 2003
12,207
1
0
Originally posted by: brigden
Originally posted by: techfuzz
Oh, I forgot to mention... We taught our kitten how to play fetch with some of his toys. We'll throw it across the room and he chases after it, picks it up in his mouth, and drags it back to us to do over and over again... Yeah we got a weird cat!

techfuzz

My cat does that. He also flushes the toilet to watch the water drain.

Mr. Jinx?
 

Pheran

Diamond Member
Apr 26, 2001
5,740
35
91
Note that the folks claiming you have to wait 6 months for neutering are incorrect. Studies have shown that there is no harm in neutering kittens as early as seven weeks. I got my cat (Londo) at 10 weeks and he had already been neutered. He's now over 5 years old and is still as happy and playful as ever.
 

techfuzz

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2001
3,107
0
76
Originally posted by: spidey07
ball of aluminum foil. best and cheapest cat toy ever made. especially if its on hard floor.
Yeah, we've done the aluminum foil ball before, but he prefers the sponge foam ball we bought for a $1 at Petsmart. He can carry it around with him which is why I think he likes it better.

techfuzz
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,405
8,584
126
Originally posted by: Pheran
Note that the folks claiming you have to wait 6 months for neutering are incorrect. Studies have shown that there is no harm in neutering kittens as early as seven weeks. I got my cat (Londo) at 10 weeks and he had already been neutered. He's now over 5 years old and is still as happy and playful as ever.

that is all well and good but if your vet doesn't think anything of the study you're still SOL... like you're gonna neuter the cat yourself...


anyway, a spray bottle of water is good for correcting any behavior (biting, scratchin, caterwauling)
 

techfuzz

Diamond Member
Feb 11, 2001
3,107
0
76
Originally posted by: ElFenix
anyway, a spray bottle of water is good for correcting any behavior (biting, scratchin, caterwauling)
It works... some of the time. We have a problem with our cat trying to get behind the entertainment center in the living room. I can't go spraying the cat while he's back behind there, unless I want a fried cat and electronics. We're trying to break him of the habit of bear-trapping our hands sometimes when we pet his belly. He's finally starting to not use his claws to grab hold of us, but he will still try to softly fang your fingers or hand.

techfuzz
 

beatle

Diamond Member
Apr 2, 2001
5,661
5
81
I used the spray bottle at the start of any bad behavior, but after 2 months there was no improvement. It was actually getting worse. You can use moth balls to keep the cat out of areas he shouldn't be in (Doc loved getting behind my entertainment center also).

I had Doc neutered at 4 months. He never sprayed, but it didn't calm him down or make him lazier, that's for sure. He was a little slow for a few days while he healed, but he was back in action after a week. I never saw him "in action" with anything before or after his operation.