Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: NikNakNoo on April 17, 2016, 21:28:27 PM
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Hi all
I haven't posted on here for quite some time but we are considering getting a new addition to our gang of 3. I will post some pics shortly, obviously. I was wondering though is 4 too many? They are all indoor cats and we only have a 2 bedroom flat. It's an open plan spacious flat but still, 4 too many? Also, I'm very keen to turn our spare second bedroom which isn't really used into a cat room, any ideas or suggestions on how to do this?
Enough talking, i will try and post some photos but i think they are all too large (bigger than the 350kb allowed).
We are looking at getting amother little girl cat - good idea/bad idea to get a female???
Thanks for reading! :)
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Bebe
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/20160417_211211.jpg)
Bruno
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/20160323_123145.jpg)
Barnaby-Jones
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/20160308_124943.jpg)
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What lovely cats you have :Luv:, Turning your spare bedroom sounds like a great idea ;), sorry i cant help with ideas for for this - we are in a one bed bungalow, but i'm sure there will be lots on here with idea's ;D ;D
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Mine have always accepted new cats regardless of gender, as long as the males are neutered I don't think there would be a problem unless any are territorial? Maybe because I have always had a multi cat household, unfortunately every few years or so one passed away due to my habit of rehoming older cats, the others just accepted them, now I have a 6-ish year old and have been lucky enough to give three young cats a home, so hopefully have a stable household for many years to come.
I would love a cat room, I would have cat trees and tunnels, somewhat as I imagine The Hoolies flat must be ;D, and Andrews of course. :naughty:
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Our smallest spare bedroom is slowly turning into a cat room, after it became The Gurlies bedroom when they first came home with us. It now has cat trees, toys and beds, and is available to them whenever they want to use it. (Having said that, so is every room in the house. Our living room is gradually also becoming filled with far more stuff for the cats than it is for us. :evillaugh: )
It occurred to me that if ever we move, we're going to have to do some serious work to make the house presentable for ordinary viewings. :-[
I would say if you choose your new arrival with care, thinking about the personalities and temperaments of your existing family, then it stands a good chance of success.
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Thank you for your replies. We just aren't sure whether 4 is too many. We need to think sensibly. But then you start thinking well it's only one more than 3 so.... lol
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don't want to be a kill joy but what would you do if it didn't work out - I know in most cases it does but we took on a cat from a relative who was in hospital and eventually died - more than two years later she and one of mine hate each others guts and have to have a door between them at all times :(
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Aye well. We had one, then found two was more fun, went back down to one, fretted and huffed and went up to three, and I still keep eyeing up strays. :shify:
I reckon if you can have a cat per room, and one piece of neutral ground, then you're probably doing okay. Having said that, I know people living in a three bedroomed house who at the height of their cat fostering/rescuing/ownership had anything from 3 to 12, and harmony (for the most part) generally reigned.
I'd say the temperament of the cat you're looking to introduce is ore important than gender. We have two boys and a girl, and they get along well. Moray is around 18 months to 2 years old and male. Malt and Barley are girls of just 8 months old and bundles of adolescent mischief. We also have two visiting neutered male cats, both around 18 months to 2 years old, and they all get along very tolerably.
I'd make sure you have a variety of places for the cats to hang out, be it cat trees, hooman beds, chairs, tables, bookshelves or whatever. Something for everyone and a few spares. :shify:
Good point Dawn, hence my thoughts about picking the temperament of the new cat to try and work as much as possible with the existing cats' personalities. For example don't get a crazy, angst ridden neurotic feral, if yours are all laid back. Or Don't get a timid, quiet cat if yours are young hooligans. (Or old hooligans, come to that).
Dawn alas didn't have much choice with her adoptee - she has a big heart and couldn't say no to very difficult circumstances. Hopefully, you'll a have a lot more say and thought to contribute to enlarging your cat family.
When we got Moray, the cat we had then (beloved Tinks) was really upset. We'd lost his best buddy, Ross. He didn't understand why this little squirt that looked like Puss from Shrek had turned up and usurped his housemate. He made his feelings known in no uncertain terms, as he came to grips with his loss. Patience and the sweet temperament of Moray won him over, but I agree, it can be difficult transitioning new cats into the equation. (Don't even get me started about two semi-feral kittens with velociraptor tendencies.....)
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Actually, we have two girls and a boy. I lied. (Sheesh - being old is hard at time!) :-[
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I Def think you are all correct, personality is the main thing but the kittens we are looking at are all 3 to 4 weeks old (obviously wouldn't be coming home for another 5 weeks) but at that age you can't really tell what they are going to be like. We have seen two sets of kittens. First kittens was from an experienced mum, mum was very laid back and friendly. She only had 3 kittens. The kittens are around 3 other adult cats and also pet rats, children and general noise.
The second kittens we saw this evening. Mum was only 9 months old, first kittens. Mum was very sweet, very friendly. She had 7 kittens. They were all up and moving etc. There were 3 left, two boys and a girl. All very lovely. They are in a home environment, people noises etc. Which is the better set up?? How do we know which to pick?
We liked the little girl from the first kittens we saw and we liked a little girl from the kittens we have seen this evening. The kittens we saw today seemed bigger to the ones previous, more developed but the same age.
Any suggestions??
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Trickier, as kittens can change so much as they grow and mature. What are your existing cats like, personality-wise?
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Well bebe likes to be left alone. She prefers her people. Bruno is the mad one who talks a lot and barnaby is very laid back and chilled out but doesn't like new things.
They are all friendly.
We are looking for a laid back chilled out cat. That's hard to find.
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I also have 3 now and two oldies.........WOT! The girl is tortie semi freal but now she likes strokes on her terms just so sweet. Misa the boy who came with her is feeling his age sadly although only 14 and has arthritus but is so gentle and sweet and sasas best friend.
Then......sigh............there is 5 year old Lupin who is a norty mad cat and so handsome you cant be angry for too long!
I had two birmans prior to Lupin and they 4 tollerated each other eventually after a rough start, and I am one whose new cats and old cats never really liked each other but over time it eventually worked out.
So do not worry it will work out eventually if not at the begining although for most others it seems to work out straight away!
Love your cats especially Barnaby. ;D ;D
Cant give advice on the room cos I have a spare bedroom that they are not allowed in and is filled with my junk..............well Lupin will rush in as soon as door is open..............sigh
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Thank you for your reply. Most people want you to put down a deposit but at 3 weeks old how can you tell what they eill be like?
Barnaby is the most gentle soft cat ever. He's a big wuss as well :)
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I must admit, at Westgate Ark where I volunteer at, we always ask for a deposit £5 is the minimum - you'll be surprised how many people who do put a deposit down then you can't get in touch with them when the cat/ kitten is ready!
As long as you tell the people your situation, we always give a few weeks trial - it doesn't always work out, but mostly with kittens there isn't a problem.
You're right though with kittens, their personalities aren't developed. We got Denzel and Dexter from the same litter, Denzel is a complete snuggle bug, Dexter doesn't really like attention unless there is food involved - that's a bit of a risk you take with any litter.
But I think as long as there is space for each cat its fine.
If not, you might need to put up more shelving, walkways, bridges, hidey holes like Sue's house! :evillaugh:
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I live in a 2bed flat and use the small bedroom as the Hoolies playroom. They have a kitty city to play and sleep on, boxes to play in, cat scratchers, toys and paper to play with. As to how many is too many, I would find it difficult with more than two especially if they're anything like the Hoolies ;D ;D
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Andrew's Hoolies are legendary! :evillaugh: ;D
All three of our cats have come from Westgate Ark. They do an amazing job. :Luv:
It seems like you have a mixture of personality types already, but I think I'd probably aim for a kitten who's a bit more laid back. How to tell can be hard when they're younger, as everything they encounter is formative, but you may find this helpful, and I'd suggest going back to see both sets of kittens again before you decide:
http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/cat-types
http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/adding-cats
Having said that, of our two Gurlcats, Malt has the face of an angel, and is the more wary of our two, yet she can be a full-on Hooliecat like Andrew's boys and Gill's Lupin when she wants to be. Barleygurlie has the more dominant personality, and is the more approachable of the two, but both of them are still learning to shed their semi-feral roots, and to trust. We find out new things about them each day, and they've changed tremendously in the almost 6 months we've had them.
How you interact, and how the other cats interact will play a big part in how your new kitten shapes up, but there will be clues there as to their characteristics,
Looking forward to seeing how you get on. :)
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It's amazing how people can be so greedy. The two people I was talking to about the kittens are no longer replying. I'm assuming because we didn't choose right there and then and didn't hand over cash they are no longer interested in letting us rehome a kitten. People really are in it for the money. They'd rather give these precious animals to anyone who's willing to pay than to a home where the purchase of a pet is considered and thought about. Makes me angry.
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:hug: :hug: Sadly that's very often the case. A few of us have experienced that in the past.
I would persevere though - there's the right kitten out there for you, and of course kitten season will be getting into full swing very soon, so I suspect there will be many for you to choose from. Might be a good idea to register with some rescues now, in case they want to undertake a home check first. They should be willing to let you spend some time choosing a kitten, and spending time with them.
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Okay so eventually I heard back from both (so my bad for bad mouthing them, sorry!) And we have now seen both sets of kittens again.
I would be so grateful if you lovely people could offer some advice.
So kitten number one is a little girl. Only 3 and half weeks old. She is one of only three kittens. Mum is only a year old and it's her first litter. Mum is calm and friendly. Little kitten is the smallest and the last to be born. Seems scared and shy but I guess at 3 weeks old she would be. She's not really walking very well but again, is young. She squeaks a lot when being picked up.
Kitten number two and three come from a different litter and it's a litter of 7. Both boys. One which is black and white is a little smaller, he takes himself off and sometimes sits alone away from his litter mates but seems calm. The other one which is black with white socks is more confident and will mix with the others more. Their mum is only 9 months old herself and again, first litter.
All three kittens come from a home environment and will be used to home noises. All are being handled.
We just can't decide. We think we have and then we change our mind. We think maybe it's best not to get another boy and bruno and barnaby are best buds and we don't want to upset them but then would bebe like another girl in the house.
So would do you wise people think?
We need to decide this evening in the next hour!! HELP
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Black and white. ;D
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Black with white socks or black and white? The socks kitten is more confident. The black and white is the one who is a little more solitary
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Hmmmm.
I think I'd be leaning towards the first kitten you described. Even though she's younger, she sounds like a good match for your other cats. Quite a lot of kittens are wobbly on their legs even when they're ab it older. We got our beloved Paddy at 8 weeks old, and he used to keel over sometimes, or walk on tippy-toes. We worried there may have been something wrong with him. There wasn't, and he never had any bother walking once he got to about 12 weeks and - quite literally "found his feet."
Good luck! (By the way, what colour is the first one?)
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Hhhhreeyyy you just said that cos you have black and white!!!!
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Hmmmm.
I think I'd be leaning towards the first kitten you described. Even though she's younger, she sounds like a good match for your other cats. Quite a lot of kittens are wobbly on their legs even when they're ab it older. We got our beloved Paddy at 8 weeks old, and he used to keel over sometimes, or walk on tippy-toes. We worried there may have been something wrong with him. There wasn't, and he never had any bother walking once he got to about 12 weeks and - quite literally "found his feet."
Good luck! (By the way, what colour is the first one?)
She's completely black :)
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Andrew's biased. :evillaugh:
All black cats often finder it harder to get a home. People are often prejudiced against their colour (seriously). Not that I'm trying to influence your decision any more than Andrew is.... :rofl:
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Meant to say, Barnaby Jones is a right hansum lad, isn't he?
No more so than Bruno and Bebe of course who are equally lovely, but I've always had a soft spot for gingers. :Luv: (which is how I currently come to have 1 tabby and two tabby and whites. )
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Andrew's biased. :evillaugh:
All black cats often finder it harder to get a home. People are often prejudiced against their colour (seriously). Not that I'm trying to influence your decision any more than Andrew is.... :rofl:
Yes well we were purposely looking for a black cat for that very reason. We think they are beautiful. We were decided on the black girl kitten initially until we saw the others. But all kittens are cute. I just not sure if she is shy and that will lead to her being timid and aggressive. She is the smallest out of the 3 kittens and her two brothers boss her around.
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Meant to say, Barnaby Jones is a right hansum lad, isn't he?
No more so than Bruno and Bebe of course who are equally lovely, but I've always had a soft spot for gingers. :Luv: (which is how I currently come to have 1 tabby and two tabby and whites. )
Aww thank you. He's a rather special boy. He's a big lad too. Over 5kg.
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I dont think so, because she squeaks a lot when she's picked up - that's her asserting her tiny authority. :evillaugh:
And yes, all kittens are cute. :Luv: As a second choice, I'd go for the more confident of the two black and white, who's more likely to be a good match for Bruno (but who Bebe might find a bit of a pest initially)
You're welcome. Hansum cats need to be complimented I find. As do the beautiful ones. (And what cat isn't both of those things?)
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Gotta go to bed now - early start in the morning, but hoping that by tomorrow, you'll have arrived at a decision you're all happy with. Cant wait to learn which one you pick. :) :hug:
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Full black and white. When I got the Hoolies Zoonie was very quiet and used to hide. Now he is full of confidence and has a huge personality
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Me, biased. Noooooooooooo. :naughty: :evillaugh:
I love all cats :Luv:
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Me, biased. Noooooooooooo. :naughty: :evillaugh:
I love all cats :Luv:
Haha
I have a pull towards the one with white socks but I'm not sure. We have actually already named the little girl kitten. So maybe that's a sign. Who knows
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You'll know which one is right. ;D
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You'll know which one is right. ;D
That's the thing...they are all lovely but at 3 weeks how do you know whether they are the right one. I think we will go with the female kitten. She seemed right initially so...here's a picture of her (http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/Snapchat-2200692888849376937_edit_1461099475470.jpg)
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She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.
Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one ;D
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She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.
Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one ;D
She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted
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quote author=NikNakNoo link=topic=46933.msg853889#msg853889 date=1461101944]
She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.
Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one ;D
She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted
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I have kitty city. I've had a couple of problems with it but they sorted it immediately. I think it's because the Hoolies are so big, 6kg each. They like it though, they play and sleep on it
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I am slave to an all black and a black + white . Black cats do get a bad rap,totally wrong IMHO ;D Your little girl is a sweetie - but I would have said that whichever you had chosen :briggin:
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quote author=NikNakNoo link=topic=46933.msg853889#msg853889 date=1461101944]
She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.
Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one ;D
She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted
I have kitty city. I've had a couple of problems with it but they sorted it immediately. I think it's because the Hoolies are so big, 6kg each. They like it though, they play and sleep on it
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What was wrong with it? I've been toying with the idea of getting one for a while but now we will have 4 cats, it might be nice for them. Lots of places to sleep and hide and play.
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I am slave to an all black and a black + white . Black cats do get a bad rap,totally wrong IMHO ;D Your little girl is a sweetie - but I would have said that whichever you had chosen :briggin:
The other two had moustaches. One had a black one and the other like a little milky white moustache.
The little girl kitten is totally black tho. We already decided on a name...she will be Bella.
So you'll have Bebe, bruno, Barnaby-Jones and Bella
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A couple of th stays on the corner beds broke., but you don't have to buy them if you don't want to. Probably over enthusiastic Hoolies jumping on them from a great height.
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:wow: :wow: :wow: You chose!!! She's lovely. I love the name Bella, and it works well with your others.
We've just acquired two large cat trees with plenty of comfy platforms, which has proved very popular so think a kitty city or something similar for your babies will go down very well. :Luv:
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So. :shify: Assuming it's Bella, (how could it not be Bella) I make that around 35 sleeps to go? ;D
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Haha yes we picked Bella. Deposit has been paid and we will be coming home Friday 20th may!!
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:narna dance: :yayyy: :cheer:
Grand news. And it'll give you a chance to make all good and ready for her arrival. :) :hug:
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Yeah...need to start planning the spare room. I don't want to spend loads on buying thing, want to hand make things. Any ideas? I love the kitty city but £80?? It's a lot of money.
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I'm pants at making stuff. Okay at painting and the like, but not creative, to my eternal shame..... :-[ My Mother could make doors out of windows, but I missed out on that gene. :evillaugh:
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What about old chests of drawers - take out the drawer, stick a carpet offcut to the bottom and it can serve as a cat scratcher?
Different sized sturdy cardboard boxes glued or gaffa-taped together to form climbing cubes. Balls out of non-winning lottery tickets? (We have plenty of those and the Gurlcats love them :evillaugh:)
Check out Pinterest for some ideas and inspiration
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Woohoo! It won't be long until Bella is home with you :cheer: :dance:
I also missed out on the creativity gene - and the DIY gene - but, inspired by someone here, I did manage to put together a pyramid of loo roll insides. I hide dry food in there for Alfie. I actually have a box full of the things, not sure what else I can make with them!
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That's the trouble i like the idea of making things but actually when it comes to it, I'd much rather buy things. We only have one cat tree (large) and one huge scratching post but the kids (as we call them) are so good at sharing. I guess we will need to get more.
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Hiya guys.
I just wanted to check, you don't think getting another female will be a bad idea considering we already have a dominant female?! They are all indoor cats. I've just told a family member that we are getting another cat and they said they hoped it was a boy because getting another female cat was a really bad idea. Is that true?? I thought it was the personality of the cat, not the sex that made the difference?!
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I can't agree with your friend. I believe firmly it's about personalities, not gender. And I wouldn't have chosen two female cats, yet I wouldn't be parted from our girls now, and I'm sure Moray, our boy cat wouldn't be bothered - he just thinks the Curlies are "okay" and that's fine with us x
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Have a look at the thread "Sue' s cats" to see how our two semi feral girls have settled with our quiet, laid back boy cat.
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Remember, how you manage the introductions is key to everything x
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Remember, how you manage the introductions is key to everything x
Yes absolutely however when we introduced bruno and then barnaby after about an hour of door sniffing they just got along. I feel we may need to be more careful with Bella?! I just hope it doesn't put out our gang too much as they are so happy at the moment. I'm sure once Bella is here and settled it will all be fine. I just hope it doesn't upset the balance too much! Am worried now :'(
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Sometimes intros go brilliantly well from the first hour or so. Other times it can take a marathon rather than a sprint.
We were worried when we brought the Gurls home, but felt Moray's personality was such it stood a good chance of working, if we could get the Gurls to begin to trust their situation. Moray reacted a bit more unhappily than we thought he would, and I admit it gave us anxious times, but he was the absolute star we thought he would be, and came round to them within a fortnight.
You're naturally going to be concerned, but I think if you take it slowly, and follow the guidelines if first reactions are less than favourable, you'll stand a very good chance of integrating them all. I think it's reasonable to expect some hissing and raised hackles at first.
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Hello.
So we visited Bella today and she's now nearly 4 weeks old. She is so sweet but I was wondering whether she should be purring by now?
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Depends on the cat - most can purr from 3 - 4 weeks old but many don't. Why do you ask?
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Ah okay. I ask because I read somewhere that when kittens are cuddled or picked up they should instantly purr and not to pick the ones who don't. ???
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:evillaugh: Well, conversely, our two semi feral girls will purr like billy-o if you stroke them when they're on they're favourite chosen snuggy spots (my Onesie and OH has a fake fur jacket Malt uses) but try and pick one up? They'd have your hands off your wrists and bloody stumps in their place, so I dont think you can be too swayed by that.
Are you having second thoughts about Bella?
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Not second thoughts....we are just concerned about getting the right match for our cat family. She's a lovely girl and starting to explore. She seems quiet and chilled but it's scared of being picked up. She is very young tho. Her eyesight isn't quite there and they are still a little wobbly on their feet. They are 5 weeks on Sunday.
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Being scared of being picked up would, I admit, make me somewhat wary. The kittens should be being handled regularly and growing accustomed to that. Do you know if the woman who has the kittens is socialising them?
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Well I don't know. She lives with her kid who is probably 13/14 or so. There is another cat in the house and they have a parrot but I don't know if she's being socialised with people. They aren't scared as such but you can tell they are unsure. They don't purr.
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Can you visit to play with them daily? It's not too late to remedy. They really need to be handled. You can still turn it around later, but it could be more difficult. You seem to me to be unsure about your choice, and that may be instinct saying this isn't right for you. Only you can decide whether it's better to walk away now or keep going. :hug:
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We can't really keep going round, it's someone's house and you can't really intrude like that. I think we are just anxious to get it right for our gang. She seems like a really sweet kitten. When her mum came back they had milk and she was purring away then whilst having her milk. We are going to go see her in two weeks again and it's 4 weeks until we bring her home.
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So we went to look at some other kittens today to make sure we had made the right choice. We ended up seeing Norwegian forest mix kittens. Beautiful little things but now qwe are torn. How can we possibly know which is the right one for our family?! We picked up and cuddled all 6 of these kittens and not one of them purred and they were 6 weeks old. So the fact Bella doesn't purr when picked up seems not to be a big deal. Oooooo it's so hard to know the 'one'
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Well, I think the obvious answer to your dilemma here is two kittens ;) :evillaugh:
Sorry, I didn't mean to be flippant, and I know you have two already, but I wasnt being altogether frivolous. If you adopted two kittens at the same time, they could play with each other for company, and would be less likely to annoy the older cats. It can sound like utter madness, but it can also work really well, if your budget allowed (and I realise it's not something everyone can accommodate)
NWF cats are absolutely adorable, (we believe Moray's ancestry definitely contains NWF in the mix, as he's NWF in miniature with a personality to boot) and they have a well deserved reputation for being laid back and companionable cats, so any cats with that in the mix stand a good chance of integrating well with other cats, but that is of course a generalisation, and Bella may adapt just as well.
I think you have to listen to both heart and head here, and if you aren't in a position to take on two kittens, then you need to think very carefully about what you do next. It can be easy to rush in to acquiring another cat (I know - bin there, done that, bought the Gurlie T shirt :innocent:) but you need to be certain that if things don't go well initially, you can work at it to get it to near where you want or need it to be, otherwise you could be setting yourself, Bruno, Bebe and Barnaby Jones up for a very rough ride.
I could be very wrong, but I think you're nervous about your choice of Bella. How does she interact with her littermates? Is the lady you're getting her from someone you can talk to about your concerns, or is she just in it for the cash? (Not being judgmental here, just trying to establish how approachable she is if you were to voice your thoughts to her).
I dont know if it will help you or not, but I can share our experience when we got the Gurls. It was just after we'd lost one of our beloved duo, and my OH needed to have something to focus on. We went to our preferred shelter, looking for a male cat, but they had none. What they had were two absolutely traumatised 8 week old kittens who'd been dumped in a lady's garden in a cardboard box. They were absolutely terrified, and semi-feral. Hadnt been handled much, if at all, and they were wild. Their eyes were huge and hunted, and they hid all the time. Thankfully, acquiring them coincided with me having just come out of hospital and needing a couple of weeks to recover from an illness, which we then spent just quietly sitting in a small room with them, reading talking, and letting them get accustomed to us. It has taken 6 slow and quite painful months to get them to where we are now, which is that they are much more confident, and will come for some cuddle time, but very much on their own terms. If we need to pick them up to put them in a cat carrier to go for vaccinations for example, it's a full-on military campaign. They scratch, bite, hiss and spit. They go bananas. They will like as not never lose that instinctive fight or flight reaction now. Notwithstanding, I still wouldnt part with them. They're funny and engaging, and considering what they've been through, they're coming along just fine.
It doesnt seem to me that Bella is as bad as that, and I doubt you'd need to spend as much time socialising Bella, but you may have to spend some time with her on her own, if your other three aren't struck on the cut of her cloth. That's true of the NWF Mix kittens too though.
I dont know if that will help much, but I really feel for your indecision at the moment, and hope that you can think things through and come to a decision you're happy with. :hug:
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Thank you for such a detailed reply :) Bella interacts fine with her two brothers. She was playing with our fingers and trying to climb. She was snuggling with her brothers as well. She just seemed, I don't know, under developed if that makes sense but then she is only 5 weeks old.
The NF kitten we saw yesterday was the only one left and she was the most nervous out of the lot. The rest of them were wrestling and playing but it took her a while to warm up. When we picked her up she did settle down and did fall asleep.
We have been doing research and it says that the breed is better suited to outdoors as they like to climb? Our cats are in door cats so we are unsure as to whether we would be the right home for her.
We just want the right kitten - Bella is lovely and maybe I'm just worrying too much.
I'm also concerned about getting another female and not upsetting bebe. Maybe it would be better to get a male instead. It's just so tricky to know the right decision to make. How can you decide between a beautiful cute black tiny kitten with fluffy ears and a giant fluffy kitten with a beautiful face. Both are lovely!!!!
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P.S
This is the NWF kitten:
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_2100.jpg)
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:wow: :Luv2: :Luv2: She's beautiful too........ :doh: :doh:
I dont think I'd worry too much about gender. I admit we wondered about it too, with the girls, as Moray had only ever interacted with other boy-cats, but he doesnt mind them one bit. I think whether we'd brought home males or females, his chilled and laid-back personality would've treated them both the same.
Well, yes Wegies do like to be outdoors cats, but because the kittens you're looking at aren't full NWF's, the chances are they wont grow anywhere near as big, and could adapt just as happily to indoor living. They do like to climb though, so adding another cat tree might be a useful move if you did take that little one.
I think Bella's very sweet too, and I know how hard it would be to turn your back on her now. Of course if you ended up with 5 cats, that really would put you into "Mad Cat Lady" territory. ;)
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Exactly and I think, for the space we have, 5 is just too many! Otherwise we would take all the kittens in all the world haha!! The lady wants an answer re the NWF kitten as someone else is interested. It's just so hard to know. I also read they shed their coat ALOT. One concern we do have is that we didn't see the mother cat. She was out. Should this be a warning sign? Obviously she did have the mother as the whole litter was there so it's not someone who has bought a kitten and trying to sell it on. Oh God!!! Haha we just went looking to make sure Bella was the right one....Didn't think we'd find another sweet girl.
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:evillaugh: :hug: I know. I think I would take on another two if we had to, but that would be my lot. In order to ensure that they're all insured, fed, watered and looked after, 5 would be my definite limit.
Wegies have a double coat, and it does tend to shed quite a lot in spring and then again in Autumn. And we do find we have to cut the odd tat from Moray's coat, in spite of it being pretty low maintenance, so you'd have to factor grooming into the equation too.
Personally, I dont get too hung up on where kittens come from - not to encourage backyard breeders (which I abhore), but just because all kittens and cats once they're born need a home, so it's by that time a bit like closing the door when the horse has bolted. :doh:
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Just wondering why you aren't going to a rescue? They will give you more advice and if the worst came to the worst they will always take a cat back. Personally I would only get animals from a rescue as don't like the idea of encouraging breeding of animals. Is it because many shelters won't home to indoor only? I know this can be a problem as mine are indoor cats.
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Just wondering why you aren't going to a rescue? They will give you more advice and if the worst came to the worst they will always take a cat back. Personally I would only get animals from a rescue as don't like the idea of encouraging breeding of animals. Is it because many shelters won't home to indoor only? I know this can be a problem as mine are indoor cats.
Hi. We absolutely have looked at rescues but because we have 3 adult cats already it's very important to us we pick the right kitten to join our family. We are looking for very specific qualities. We have found not many rescues near us have kittens and those that do don't rehome if they are going to be house cats. We also don't like breeding for profit. But it's not the kittens fault that they are in that situation so we are considering all sorts of kittens.
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Well update time. So we just can't decide. Having both isn't an option. We just don't have the room once they are fully grown. We have asked if we can visit Bella again today and spend more time with her. That way we can be sure about how we feel. The lady who has the NWF kitten said that she is in no rush to find a home for her and is happy to keep her until 14 weeks if needs be. She isn't going to let anyone else view her until next weekend so I am hoping if we can see Bella again today or tomorrow and see how we feel. That way we can better make a decision. Right now for some reason I'm leaning towards the NWF kitten but we started off looking specifically for a black cat, that was the idea
Not a massive fluffy white and tortie cat haha best laid plans and all that.
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How are you feeling now you've had time for a re-visit and to sleep on things?
I'm a huge fan of ginger cats, but somehow I now have three assorted tabbies. Life does that sometimes. :evillaugh:
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How are you feeling now you've had time for a re-visit and to sleep on things?
I'm a huge fan of ginger cats, but somehow I now have three assorted tabbies. Life does that sometimes. :evillaugh:
Well I had a message from the lady who has Bella and she said yesterday wasn't convenient but today would be. So I replied asking what time we could go round and I've recd no reply. I don't know if that should be a warning sign or whether I'm intruding by asking to go round so often, saw Bella Friday evening for half hour.
So nope, things are no clearer sadly. :(
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Hello all :) another post I'm afraid. We have seen Bella again this evening and she's so small. Only 5 weeks yesterday but just small even compared to her two brothers. She seems quiet but certainty playful with her brothers. Obviously not sure about being picked up and handled but I think that's age. I just can't decide... she's lovely but I just can't say no to the NWF kitten yet but I have to decide today. My other half piped up and said maybe we should get a boy as she wants a cuddly lap cat and we've been told females tend to be more independent than males. I don't know how true that is but I guess it's again dependent on the individual cat. I wish so much that we could take both but we just can't. So what on earth do I decide? Why is it that I'm not 100% sure about Bella? There's nothing I can put my finger on. It's so frustrating and I just don't want to make the wrong decision. Sorry to keep going over the same thing!!
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I think, given how undecided you feel, it may be better to bide your time and look around for a male cat, one that's about 8 - 10 weeks or even little older so you can get an idea of the characteristic of the cat, or find one that immediately speaks to your heart. To take on a cat you're not sure about is a big thing if you get it wrong - not great for you and your OH but even worse for the cat.
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If Bella wasn't in the picture I would have the NWF kitten straightaway.
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If Bella wasn't in the picture I would have the NWF kitten straightaway.
In that case take Bella out of the picture. To take on a cat that you're not sure about just because you've said you will does nobody any favours.
I can't help wondering whether what you're not sure about is really the advisability of getting another cat at all. Yes you know you want one but I think what is worrying you is whether it's the right thing to do. iYou say it must be the right cat but in truth there are no guarantees that there is such a thing as the right cat. You have to be prepared to put the time and effort in to make things as good as they can be, and to accept the consequences if things just don't work out as you had hoped despite your best efforts. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, and if if I've got wrong then please forgive me. Perhaps taking a step back and rethinking the decision to increase your feline family will help you to decide one way or the other. If after doing that you still think the NWF is for you (and your existing furries) then go for it and good luck. :hug:
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If Bella wasn't in the picture I would have the NWF kitten straightaway.
In that case take Bella out of the picture. To take on a cat that you're not sure about just because you've said you will does nobody any favours.
I can't help wondering whether what you're not sure about is really the advisability of getting another cat at all. Yes you know you want one but I think what is worrying you is whether it's the right thing to do. iYou say it must be the right cat but in truth there are no guarantees that there is such a thing as the right cat. You have to be prepared to put the time and effort in to make things as good as they can be, and to accept the consequences if things just don't work out as you had hoped despite your best efforts. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, and if if I've got wrong then please forgive me. Perhaps taking a step back and rethinking the decision to increase your feline family will help you to decide one way or the other. If after doing that you still think the NWF is for you (and your existing furries) then go for it and good luck. :hug:
Hello :) you have a very valid point. I think we are very aware about the possible impact adding another cat to our household may have. We just feel we have the room and capacity for one more and our three have always been so good accepting new additions. I do see what you mean though...our concerns at adding a further cat is causing us to be wary of all the kittens we are seeing so none 'feel right'.... point taken :)
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Hi all
Well I took notice of the advice given here and after careful thought and consideration we have decided that we do want to take on kitty number 4 but that sadly Bella wasn't going to be it. We saw her again on Monday and I still had the same concerns. We decided to withdraw our interest in taking her on.
We considered further about the NFC mix kitten and the more we thought about it the more we know she's the right one so finally please meet Bonnie (unless anyone else has a suggestion for a name but it must start with a B - feel free to suggest any):
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20160503-WA0002.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20160503-WA0000.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a246/CharliesAngel1985/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20160503-WA0001.jpg)
We bring her home on 15th. So not long to sort out the cat room!!
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Am glad you were able to make a decision that felt right for you. Now you can look forward to bringing Bonnie home, and settling her in with Bebe, Bruno and Barnaby.
I think she's aptly named, as she's a little beauty.
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I'm glad you have been able to make a decision that feels right for you. It won't be long before Bonnie is part of your family ;D