Getting a Kitten!

Larianne · 20-06-2005 3:17pm #1

Awww, yes I'm getting a little kitten, maybe two! I can't wait. Our cat who was 15 years old died last year from old age. He was a badly treated as a kitten and didn't trust people very much. It was only in the later years did he trust me to come up and pet him etc.

Obviously not being trusted by him was due to his early days but when I get this kitten is there any particular way to help bond with it. I love animals and am always kind to them. I think with my last cat it was because of the cruelty before but are there any tips on bonding with your animals. Obviously I don't want to smother the poor thing when I get him/her!!

Sigma Force · 20-06-2005 6:13pm

Here's a list of rescues..they're are TONS of kittens..mixed and pure bred in rescue http://www.irishanimals.ie/cats/index.html

Kitten adoption are great for advice on cat/kitten behaviour

karlin · 06-07-2005 5:07pm

Hi Guineapigrescue! *waves*

I also have three kittens in Dublin looking for homes, preferably indoor homes or alternatively, well away from major roads.

You can see them here: http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=24290

PM me for further information if interested! All vet checked and have first vax, are box-trained, and wormed.

kittenkiller · 06-07-2005 5:13pm

Be sure not to yell at it or subject it to sudden loud noises n stuff.
As with people, they all have their own temprament so you can never be sure what it'll turn out like.
But as long as they feel safe & secure they should be fine.

I'm so jealous!
I want one!

I want to teach it to use a sling-shot & beat up dogs n stuff!

Arcadian · 07-07-2005 9:12pm

I'd recommend getting the two, they'll be great company for each other when your not there and two are really no more work than one, infact probably less !

Kare Bear · 07-07-2005 9:14pm

Get a puppy.:) Cats are awful pets tbh.

meepmeep · 08-07-2005 8:21am

Kare Bear wrote:

Get a puppy.:) Cats are awful pets tbh.

No they're not.

What makes you say that?

My 2 cats are lovely......just as affectionate towards me as the dog.

karlin · 08-07-2005 9:16am

Two are definitely easier than one alone -- also far less lonely for kittens in particular and also the adult cat. Two kittens burn off a lot of their energy playing together for example -- better for mental and physical health over the life of the cat.

angry_fox · 09-07-2005 5:03pm

Kare Bear wrote:

Get a puppy.:) Cats are awful pets tbh.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2937760.stm

Rantorama · 09-07-2005 5:34pm

Kare Bear wrote:

Get a puppy.:) Cats are awful pets tbh.

Cats make great pets their clean, easy to manage (give them a cat flap and a bit of food and they look after themselves) and once they have bonded with their owner are very affectionate.

BTW Karlin I would have loved to take one of the gorgeous kittens from you, but we adopted 2 strays last summer.

Larianne · 09-07-2005 5:42pm

karlin wrote:

Two are definitely easier than one alone -- also far less lonely for kittens in particular and also the adult cat. Two kittens burn off a lot of their energy playing together for example -- better for mental and physical health over the life of the cat.

We are actually getting two, I found out!!

OfflerCrocGod · 09-07-2005 6:28pm

karlin wrote:

You can see them here: http://petsireland.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=24290

AHHHHHHHH /melts into a puddle

They are SOOOO cute

KTRIC · 09-07-2005 6:39pm

I got 2 kittens (m & f) through boards.ie a couple of months ago and they have brought nothing but happiness to myself and my girlfriend. Looking after such cute helpless animals is really rewarding. And when they grow up they pay for themselves by keeping vermin and bloody birds out of my garden.

doctor evil · 09-07-2005 9:28pm

Nothing wrong with birds!, I don`t mind my cat killing mice or rats(which she never does) but I don`t like her killing birds esp songbirds!.
A lot of birds and animals like hedgehogs eat insects so they are helping your garden.

OfflerCrocGod · 09-07-2005 10:39pm

doctor evil wrote:

Nothing wrong with birds!, I don`t mind my cat killing mice or rats(which she never does) but I don`t like her killing birds esp songbirds!.
A lot of birds and animals like hedgehogs eat insects so they are helping your garden.

He's just expressing the cat owners axiom:

"Whatever my cat did/is doing IT'S NOT WRONG".

doctor evil · 09-07-2005 10:58pm

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

He's just expressing the cat owners axiom:

"Whatever my cat did/is doing IT'S NOT WRONG".

Don`t I know it!, esp from dog owners

[/I]excuse me are you the owner?, owner looks perplexed, its just that your dog has attached itself to my bag and is not letting go, owner answers with "oh hes just playing"

Yeh right the little bugger damaged my bag and was not playing but aggressive!.

doctor evil · 09-07-2005 10:58pm

I like the pissed off looking black kitten in the middle.

kittenkiller · 09-07-2005 11:08pm

I'm so jealous! *sniffle*

Kare Bear · 09-07-2005 11:13pm

Them kittens should be drowned.:p

Rantorama · 10-07-2005 8:33am

Kare Bear wrote:

Them kittens should be drowned.:p

Awwwwww,a real animal lover.

angry_fox · 10-07-2005 10:13am

Kare Bear wrote:

Them kittens should be drowned.:p

Trust a cork man to hate cats......

Cats can be very cruel, espically young cats. They will catch a bird and play with it. When they get bored with the poor bird, they will just walk away leaving the poor creature barley alive and bleeding to death.

Anyway dogs are friendly and loyal, cats are pure killing machines but still make good pets.

phelo05 · 10-07-2005 11:04am

drown the bastards and string em up by the tail

KTRIC · 10-07-2005 11:08am

phelo05 wrote:

drown the bastards and string em up by the tail

Are you really trying to get banned permanently from the entire site ?? Because you really started the day off on the right foot if you are..

Rantorama · 10-07-2005 11:44am

It's not that cats themselves that are cruel, it's that nature is cruel.
There are some birds that will murder the baby chicks of other birds while they are still in their nests.

Ronan|Raven · 11-07-2005 12:42pm

I have 9 delightful cats. It is easier to feed cattle than them! 3 kittens (all have homes waiting) Their mother, her brother and sister. The mother of all of them a magnificent fuzzball. And then a rather old tabby and her daughter.

Faction fighting has started as the mother and daughter are of a different clan to the other ones. Oh the hilarity.

karlin · 11-07-2005 3:53pm

As someone helping out some of the cat welfare groups; hope you are thinking about having the mum spayed if she hasn't been yet...

. There are always far more kittens (and puppies) than will ever have homes to go to and every little bit helps (and extends the life of your own cat -- as they are less likely to be exposed to feline leukemia/AIDS through bites and mating; because the females are not under assault by males when in heat; lower risk of mammary tumours; and bearing kittens itself always carries a risk of death to the mother)!

As for cats being 'cruel' -- well yes, nature is cruel... animal instincts may not always please us but morality doesn't really enter into it (and you can always keep cats as all-indoor pets -- which also gives a much longer life -- which means another songbird need never die at the claws of your own moggy...:) ). On the other hand, I can tell you from working in animal welfare, the things people do to cats and kittens, puppies and dogs qualifies as about the highest levels of cruelty you can get and can be truly nauseating. Depressingly, a lot of this done by children as well. For just a small example, see:

http://www.limerickanimalwelfare.com/law/crueltycases.htm

Getting a Kitten!

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