Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Warm Welcome to Purrs! => Welcome to Newbies :) => Topic started by: amber83 on July 16, 2013, 15:27:41 PM
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Hi!
I'm Amber, I have three cats. One is my husbands cat which he brought with him when he moved down here with me, her name is Frankie and she's about four years old I think. She's very clever and has an attitude on her. She enjoys climbing the curtains! My two are brothers, black and white boys which I adopted in September 2010, they're about 3-4 years old now. One is very nervous but prefers spending time with the kids we have, his brother is a bruiser, lovely boy and laid back.
Today we're being given a black female kitten, the owners don't want her and can't seem to find her a home so our neighbour asked us if we wanted her. We bought her some essentials earlier today and she should be with us in a couple of hours. Very excited!
Always loved cats, I find them therapeutic :D
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Always loved cats, I find them therapeutic :D
You're gonna fit right in here then Amber. :evillaugh: A very big warm Purrs Welcome to you, Frankie, the two little bruvvers and to your imminent arrival.
Piccies would be lovely if you have some? :wow: We love piccies of cats on here, we do. ;) And updates - updates on new kittens, on cats with cattitude, cats with a love of kids and cats with Big bruiser written on their T shirt. bet you can't wait for the time to fly past now. :welcome:
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Thank you for the warm welcome :D
I forgot to say the two brothers are called Mischka and Milan. Milan is the bruiser, he's my baby and always tried to climb on me whenever I sit down. Mischka is a lovely boy, so nervous but adores our kids. He had an accident a while ago and we were told he'd have to have his tail amputated because he had nerve damage in two places, but miraculously, he made a full recovery! His tail is now in full working order but he has to be careful with it.
Can't wait for the new arrival, haven't yet decided on a name. The kids have no idea, my eldest has been off school today because of nose bleeds and hubby brought all this stuff back for our new arrival, he still has no clue it's gone straight over his head haha!
I'll have to find some pics of them :D
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Hi Amber :welcome: to Purrs :) How exciting having a new fluffy ;D Looking forward to seeing some pics of them all.
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Thank you :)
I'm a little nervous as I've never had a kitten before! In fact, I've only ever held a kitten once, ever. Our old neighbours had beautiful kittens, one of them was this beautiful creamy/grey colour, absolute stunner! The others were all black and white.
I can't work out why on earth this one has had such a hard time finding a loving home. I read that in the US black cats are the most commonly euthanised because of their colour! I was shocked. Makes me sad. If I could, I'd give every cat a loving home. When I went to see the cats at the place I adopted my two from it was so tough to decide who to take home, I couldn't take them all, but my two just stood out. They'd been mistreated, and had been given a rather large dose of a dog flea treatment that caused them to lose most of their fur. They were very underfed as well. Milan was all over me and Mischka was hiding bless his heart. They both made a full recovery and regained all their fur after a short time of me bringing them home and they are such a comical pair. Love them <3
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Not just in America either Amber - unfortunately it's true of the UK too - it's generally harder to find a home for a black cat as they're not considered attractive (for some bizarre reason!)
You have some fun in store, if this is your first kitten, that's for sure. :evillaugh:
Some sensible tips are to make sure you can "kitten-proof" your home insofaras possible. Try to think like a tiny kitten - where would you go, what would make good hiding places or exciting places for exploration? Are they safe? What cables, wires etc could pose a hazard? Are there any gaps or holes through which a kitten could squeeze? :shify: If so, can you block them up albeit temporarily.
Never leave the loo seat up, or a bath unattended. :doh: Watch out for stairs (not our first kitten by any means but just two years ago when Mac was a young un he slipped through the banister rails and fell around 6 feet, only too have his fall broken by our sofa, but I can tell you my heart stopped) and tell everyone to keep an eye open for a lightning quick figure beneath your feet - kittens can get badly injured if they're trodden on.
Keep doors and windows closed when the kitten's about, or make sure you have mechanisms on windows to prevent a kitten squeezing through (they can access incredibly small spaces).
Make sure the other cats have a place they can retreat to, if kitten playtime gets too much. Introductions should be made carefully out of deference to your existing cats. Most of the time they'll administer swift discipline to any unruly youngster, but seldom inflict damage, but they will appreciate having a space they can relax into without being ambushed by the new kitten. :innocent:
Meals should be small and regular. Four to five small meals a day are about right, although some kittens will eat more, and some less. Keep an eye on your new arrival to make sure she's eating and drinking without assistance. Show her where the litter tray is and pop her on it after she's enjoyed a meal - it will encourage her to "go".
Ross used to use his tray, then scrape litter over nothing at all, leaving his poos proudly displayed to the world. :evillaugh: We had to show him what to do the first few times, in terms of covering it over. He's still a bit hit and miss with this even as a fine young adult cat. :innocent:
A kitten check at your vet is a good idea - he can make sure she's in good overall health, and you can arrange for her vaccinations and discuss when best to book her in for neutering in the next few months.
Above all, enjoy the fun, laughter and tender cuddling moments which will present themselves. Having a kitten can be one of the best things in the world, especially as you watch her character develop and see the promise of the yong cat she'll become very quickly.
I think she sounds like she's fallen on her feet to get a home with you, and hope Frankie Mischka and Milan all find her as adorable as I'm sure you will. Have you thought of a name yet?
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:welcome: :welcome: :welcome: :welcome: :welcome: :welcome:
Ooooh how exciting a new baby :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
I would suggest checking out the following section ... it has loads of really useful guides: http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/board,43.0.html
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Thank you for the advice :D
I used to have a ferret some years ago and had to ferret-proof our home, and hide all our stuff as he would steal everything! I'm glad I've had to proof a house before otherwise I'd be totally clueless about that!
I don't understand why anyone would find them unattractive, I think they're beautiful. I think my favourite colour cat of all are black cats, I think they're stunning.
I've not chosen a name yet, I've had a few ideas but I'm always indecisive. Unfortunately it doesn't look like she'll be with us tonight as something has come up with one of their kids, so looking at tomorrow now. But that's ok, as I've got to get the kids settled now and there's no way they'd be settling down if a kitten arrived now!
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:welcome: to Purrs Amber and hope tittentat cat arrives safely today. How old is she?
We had 4 cats once upon a time too :shify: We have 8 now, all rescues, all neutered and ........... 4 of em black :innocent: All completely different though. Black iz gud :catluv:
Young & black iz also norty and loves to chew so Sue's advice re wires and stuff iz spot on. If you have chimneys, suggest you block em kwik :shify:
We have "coped with" 5 kittens over the past few years and they worry the hell out of you :shocked: and delight ;D in equal proportion. Our youngest couple were two years old last April so we are starting to relax a bit now :evillaugh:
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If you have any probs posting pics, feel free to email them to me and I'll post em for ya :)
RosellaMoggy@gmail.com
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Thanks :)
Thankfully, we don't have a chimney but I had that problem with the ferret I had in an old house. We moved and it didn't cross my mind, not being used to having a chimney I didn't think. That is, until the little rascal tried to climb up it! Luckily I managed to grab him before he escaped! There aren't many places in this house for a kitten to escape, but I keep looking to make sure I've not overlooked anything.
I think she's quite young, I will have to ask my neighbour again but I'm sure she said she's about eight weeks.
I've read you get them neutered at 4-6 months, is that right? Are you supposed to let them go into season once before you get them neutered? I'd heard that somewhere, but always having had adult cats already neutered I'm not too sure on that.
I'm on iPad right now and don't have my cat pics on here, so will have to wake up the laptop to upload some :)
Wow, eight cats, they must be a fun handful!
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Black kittens have a habit of 'disappearing' into nowhere if they are sitting in a dark spot, I must have spent hours searching for Noodle when he was a kitten only to find him sitting somewhere dark :doh:
No need to let a kitten have a season, quite the opposite spaying is best done before they start coming into season.
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Thanks! That's good to know, you read so much conflicting info on the net.
I can imagine they can be good at a disappearing act! Will have to keep eyes wide open.
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Ah yes, given that when Flynn was a youngster he disappeared up our chimney, I should've remembered that! :evillaugh:
Tumble dryers and washing machines too - always keep their doors closed when not in use. Move any breakable ornaments or pot plants. Beware lepaing kittens too - Ross nearly had Daddy P's nose off once when he attempted a leap that was a tad ambitious for his - then - little legs. :evillaugh:
I hope your little dark Goddess shows up today and you aren't kept hanging on. :hug: :hug: (Afraid I'd be round knocking on the door by now, demanding handover! :rofl:)
[Ferrets are fascinating creatures, aren't they? Like greased lightning too, so if you can cope with a ferret, you'll be pretty good with a kitten ;)]
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I am currently slave to a very handsome back chap, he's not quite 2 yet but has settled down tremendously in the 10 months we have had him. He has chewed through the lead for my laptop though - cost me about £60 to replace it! He's chewing less too now. He is my first all-black and I adore him, I really don't understand why people don't want them :'(
I do regret that I missed out on Alfie's baby days, I wish you loads of fun with your new kittin.
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I have a black cat, Jonny who is very skilled at tripping me up :shocked: i do like black cats but my real faves are the black and white ones, again there tends to be alot of those left in rescues too :'( black cats are definately naughty :evillaugh:
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Oh my gosh ferrets are pure mischief! So much fun though. He dug a massive hole in the bottom of my sofa and then stole anything within his reach and hid it all there. He was very disappointed when I discovered his hiding place haha
Well, our little black beauty turned up yesterday early evening. She is gorgeous! So tiny, she's 12 weeks but her siblings wouldn't let her eat and bullied her, so she's quite skinny. She seems to have found her feet quickly, very affectionate too. She settled really well in her bed, hubby put a hot water bottle underneath for her and she just laid there purring away. She nipped my finger when I first held her lol I'm really surprised how comfortable she seems already, right at home :D
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So pleased your little girl is home with you now :wow: I suspect she may soon set about rectifying her small size with a good nosh. :Luv:
Hope the boys and frankie are impressed with their new sibling?
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12 weeks is a nice age for her to leave her mum. Mum will have had time to teach her how to behave. Hopefully she is litter trained OK and I think my next stop would be the vet for a check up altho you may want to give her a little more time to settle ..... if it's possible for her to settle any more than she already is :)
How reliable do you think her former "owners" were as regards flea treatment/worming? :shify:
I assume she is eating OK now that her siblings are not there to stop her? Little and often at that age. At least 4 smallish meals a day if possible.
Am so jealous :) Looking forward to pics of this little sweetie :)
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They've not been introduced yet, the other cats we have spend most of their time outdoors. We're going to introduce them this evening, I have my older brother visiting at the moment so once he and my mum have left I think that's when we'll try to round them all up.
She's really good with the litter tray, not one accident so far and she hasn't even spilled any litter from digging! She's eating well too, both dry and wet food she's enjoying and she drinks well too so that's good. I'm glad I saw her find her water bowl.
As far as I know, she's not been wormed or had any flea treatment. It completely slipped my mind to ask yesterday, I'll ask my neighbour though as she'll know or be able to ask for me. I'll have to book her an appointment soon, I'll give her a little more time to settle in, but she seems very at home already.
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:need pics: :need pics: :evillaugh:
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Hahaha sorry :P I need to wake the laptop up to upload, unless I can do it from this.. I'll see :D
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Argh! Files are too big. Not sure how to make them smaller
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I use photobucket and you can change the uploaded image size on that ;)
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:evillaugh: Sorry. You can use Tiny Pics too -
http://tinypic.com/
Really simple (it has to be for a thicko like me to use it successfully.... :shy:)
How are things going this morning? And where did she sleep......? :)
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I don't normally upload from iPad so have no clue, but pics of my other cats are on the laptop so will do it later. Thank you for the link :)
Things are fine this morning, we introduced her to the other three last night, one by one. My smaller boy wasn't bothered by her, she squared up to him though! She's got a lot of bottle. But she settled down ok. The other two weren't keen at all, lots of hissing from them and her, but I think they'll get used to each other.
She sleeps in her bed in our kitchen, because we have a budgie in the living room and there are wires and stuff in there that I can't keep an eye on her with if I'm in bed. The other cats always go outside in the summer, not through force, they prefer to be out and won't come in if we call them. They're very outdoorsy those three.
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:evillaugh: Bless her - pleased she's going to stick up for herself. (Dont let us bully you into posting pics, we're just really interested, and excited about your newest family member. Thought of a name yet?) :hug:
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Oh no, I want to, it's just forgetfulness on my part because I'm so used to using iPad instead of the laptop.
She's definitely one brave girl that's for sure! We decided to name her Nala. My husband suggested it, from the Lion King :) it means 'beloved'
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Nala's a lovely choice of name for her.
Ah the old "tablet" problem - I use Kindle and end up with atrocious typos (that's my excuse! :rofl:)
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Ah yes, silly predictive text makes me say silly things like 'gayfever' instead of hayfever, which I asked my brother if he had the other day hahaha
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I can't figure out how to make my photos smaller so I can upload. I'm new to Mac, only just got it, so I haven't found my way around it yet and have no idea how to make the file smaller. I tried cropping it, but it's saved somewhere and I can't find where. This is frustrating! If I upload to Photobucket first I'm not sure it'll make a difference?
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Hi Amber :)
I also have a young kitten, tippy is 13 weeks on Monday. Pets at home do a good deal on vacs, chipping and worm/flea treatment. I paid £48 and got a bag I science plan kitten kibble.
Looking forward to pics :)
Kittens are little monkeys, tippy has pretty much ruined my leather dining chairs luckily they can be recovered. If you need a tree I got mine off eBay for £40 and its brilliant
Hope Nala is settling in well
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Amber if you use tiny pic one of the options is uploading to a website - it resizes for you. No need to open an account or join up to anything or instal any new programme on your computer. :)
Would you and Lady MacTavish consider signing up to The Bristol Cat Project? It involves completing a questionnaire to help vets at the Veterinary School compile information on cat ownership from kittenhood and th e y need more participants. I can post a link if you'd be interested? Ross is a participant. :)
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I did it a few weeks ago sue :) pubs it very good, but some of the questions are confusing because it asks if your kitten is neutered and doesn't give an option of "I am planning on neutering" obv can't neuter until they are old enough. I did it web tippy was 9weeks old :)
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I wasn't aware Pets at Home did that, thanks :)
They are little monkeys! We have a scratch post with a little toy attached, now she's discovered that she seems to be leaving the furniture alone. But to be honest, it's pretty ruined anyway because some years back I rescued a green iguana who loved to claw the sofas! He's up in iggy heaven now, bless his heart.
I'm sure I could complete a questionnaire, where's the link? Will look at that tiny pic site tomorrow too :)
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Thanks Amber (and well done Lady McTavish :evillaugh: :hug:)
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2012/8476.html
Jane Murray is a member of Purrs and posts here asking if people would be willing to sign up.
And yes, they are little monkeys...... :innocent: We were talking elsewhere on the forum about cats that throw up in your handbags (there are a few of them out there) and how you know you're a crazy cat lady when you just kind of shrug your shoulders, fish everything salvageable out, spray it with some fabreze and then laugh abou it. ;)
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Tippy is a demon at times. Her new obsession is the laundry basket. It has holes in it and she likes to play "hook anything" by sticking her paws in and trying to drag items of clothing out. She was playing with my bikini top yesterday. I've resorted to lining it with the thick blue ikea bags to she doesn't ruin ALL of my clothes :D
The fish tank is also fascinating. I'm sure she's plotting their "great escape"...
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Ah yes, fish tanks are cat telly..... :evillaugh:
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She definitely finds it entertaining!
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Hahaha love their antics! Mine also likes the laundry basket, only yesterday she accidentally flipped it on top of her, no clothes in it but it was so funny. She also stares up at the budgie with hopeful eyes. He is on top of a tall bookcase, which we had to move because our other female (who is a lot more agile than my two clumsy boys) managed to jump up and knock the poor thing down, it landed on one of the kids heads too. I was out and got a call from a rather panicked husband, no one was hurt, not even the budgie. I think the only thing that got hurt was the cats ego when she didn't manage to catch him lol
I'll try to upload a pic of our newbie :)
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(http://i42.tinypic.com/52mazs.jpg)
This is Nala :)
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This one here is Milan. He's not usually one for kids, but he does like to curl up next to my youngest son occasionally.
(http://i40.tinypic.com/19kjt.jpg)
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And this is Mischka, the one who loves our kids, especially my youngest son. When he was born, Mischka would run around meowing whenever he cried as if trying to get him help.
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2h834u1.jpg)
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I don't have any of Frankie, she's about less than my two boys. She's a dirty stop out, I'll have to take some sneaky ones when she's in later :)
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how nice to see cats and kids together!
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He absolutely loves cats! He's usually very careful with them too, sometimes he gets over excited and a bit rough but I intervene and remind him to be gentle. He's only 15 months but has a good understanding, he's super gentle with his four month old sister too.
I hope no one minds me posting pics with my little one in them, my other photos are on the laptop so they were the only ones I could upload for now.
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not at all, like I say its good to see, often people think that having kids means you can't have cats, its good to see the evidence that cats aren't likely to kill the babies by suffocating or filling them with germs!
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Plus one, from me too Dawn.
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My son is 4 and asthmatic. No problems At ALL. He loves Tippy and she craves his attention. He was sat kissing and stroking her last night when she was snoozing on the sofa. See pics below. Her favourite game with him is chase. She has a long feather teaser and he runs round with it and she either chases him or hides and jumps out on him. I love to see them play. And she doesn't effect his asthma at all!
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Lovely photos, thank you ;D
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LadyMcTavish lovely photos :) no they don't always adversely affect asthmatics. My four year old step son is asthmatic and while we keep the one that molts loads away from him, the others are fine. We only keep the other one away as a precaution, and you can't really get away from all cat hair but he seems fine. His mum tried to make us get rid of our cats when my husband took her to court for access to his son, she claimed his asthma was always worse when he came home from our house and it must be the cats. But she has a cat herself who spends far more time indoors than our cats do. So when they dismissed that claim she then attacked our budgie saying it was his fault, the judge just told her he thought it was a ridiculous claim. And lo and behold what does she have also? A budgie. Hmm...
My brother is severely asthmatic, worse as a kid and we had cats. He'd not have them sat right on top of him or anything, but he could happily be around them in the same house. I believe my mum also had birds too at some point, they didn't hurt him either.
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There are fewer things more heartwarming than seeing children in a loving and respectful relationship with a cat or dog. Fabulous piccies. ;D A bond like these little 'uns have gives so much, each to the other. :Luv:
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Questionnaire done :)
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Questionnaire done :)
:hug: :) excellent!
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Sue p - have posted some pics on Tippys "puma cat" feed.
I love seeing her and My son together :)
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My black cat Bully was with me from a tiny kitten. I have no problems with that colour cat. She and her tabby tom kitten mate were dreadful for years. They used to be up to all sorts of mischief and gave us hours of fun, trying to keep them from accidentally injuring themselves. I now have Billy. He is trying to find me a new cat owner. He was always snapping off telescopic radio aerials and mains leads were chewed through. They weren't plugged into the mains at the time :rofl: You just have to put things out their way until they mature. When they get older and settled like Billy is now, you don't really mind what they did as kittens because you would never want to let them go , unless there is no choice.
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You would never want to let them go , unless there is no choice.
Spot on, Greenlaner.
Lady M - have seen those piccies and they're wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. When I grew up, most of my school friends loved coming to our house, because we had a dog, tortoises, I kept pigeons, stick insects and white rats, not to mention guinea pigs and two budgies at one point. I was very lucky because my parents both loved animals and saw the value of teaching us the joy there was to be had from simple pleasures. We always had to do the hard work, mucking out etc, so we learned about responsibility for pets from an early age. Many of my friends did not. Mind you, I came later to cat companionship, and after that, there was absolutely no going back :evillaugh:
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:Crazy: Wow those pics are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Errrm, hi everypawdy I'm new on here don't really understand how this works but I'm looking to connect with cat people and made new friends.
I'm Catleesi, 27, recently got a beautiful red Maine Coon hes only 10 weeks old and adorable! I'm attaching a pic of him on here: meet Jay Catsby :) :Crazy:
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What a beautiful little kitten! Brilliant pic :)
Sorry I've not posted in a while, we've had a lot to deal with this last weeks and a bit. Hope everyone and their companions are well :)
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:Crazy: Wow those pics are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Errrm, hi everypawdy I'm new on here don't really understand how this works but I'm looking to connect with cat people and made new friends.
I'm Catleesi, 27, recently got a beautiful red Maine Coon hes only 10 weeks old and adorable! I'm attaching a pic of him on here: meet Jay Catsby :) :Crazy:
OMG he's GORGEOUS :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :welcome: to Purrs, tou're gonna love it here. It won't take long to fit in and you'll soon get the hang of how it all works.
We are a very friendly bunch so feel free to ask any questions xxx
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:Crazy: Wow those pics are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Errrm, hi everypawdy I'm new on here don't really understand how this works but I'm looking to connect with cat people and made new friends.
I'm Catleesi, 27, recently got a beautiful red Maine Coon hes only 10 weeks old and adorable! I'm attaching a pic of him on here: meet Jay Catsby :) :Crazy:
Gorgeous boy!! :Luv2: Look at those paws - and the ear tufts!! :wow: