Thinking about a kitten.... good idea/bad idea?

[YummyMummy01]

The last few months I have been thinking about getting a kitten or a pair of as celia hammomd recommends.

My daugther is 14 months old..... Anyone introduced a kitten at this age?

We have enough space so kitten/s can be separate at times from my LO who I know would love them 24/7.

Just can't decide and don't want to get them & have to give them back.

[pommie]

maybe contact celia hammond and ask for advice. Personally I would wait until your lo is a bit older

[Mrs TP]

We got two from Celia Hammond almost 2yrs ago. Was reluctant to commit to two but I can really see why it is recommended, they play together, fight together, find each other if one is 'lost' outside and generally look after each other like I never would have believed. Our female goes out late at night to drag the male in from the 'cat pub' or wherever he has got to.

All good as long as you prepared for the expense of the food, litter, proper flea and worming treatment, insurance, neutering, think about holidays / weekends away - who will mind them etc. Much as they don't need walking or as much company as a dog they are still dependent on you for food, health, toilet facilities and their general well being.

My youngest was almost 2 when we got ours and probably a bit too rough with them, which we had to watch and a couple of days constantly warning her to keep out of the litter tray - she kept picking the kittens up and putting them in it and all but showing them what to do.

All good in the long run. Few bits of scratched furniture and two unexpected trips to the vet of just under ?50 for the male being attacked by another cat.

All that said they settled in really well (keep the mice at bay) and we can't remember not having them.

[shaunag]

We have been thinking about this too. Our main concern was too much love from our 22 month old (we receive endless cuddles and kisses, her doll (or "baby") as she calls it gets a lot more love (strapped in to baby buggy which can end up flying down the stairs as "I do it mummy"). Got talking to a lady at work re our concerns, she told me her mother was too loving to a kitten as a child, having cuddled it to death, literally ( kitty sleeping?,yes dear (no dear kitty suffocated)). So, given the love that goes on around here we are going to wait a year or so. Plenty of families with cats and toddlers living in harmony, but given my record with keeping goldfish alive,couldnt progress to a short-lived cat!

[oimissus]

we had our cats (from Celia Hammond) before Miss Oi was born, it's never been a problem but that's because our cats are so feral! I think it will be fine as long as you let them know you have a small child. My niece got her kitten (they already had a cat) at about that age and it's been absolutely fine.

The people from CH will come round to check out your house and then encourage you to rehome as many cats as possible (they wanted us to take more!), and they will instruct you in their care - they will have to remain in the house until they are neutered (CH are very strict about this) at about 6 months. Because our pair were semi-feral, CH provided a pen for them to live in in the corner of the lounge, and then we slowly let them out into the room, and then the rest of the house. I would not recommend you get semi-feral kittens! (but do get a pair - they will want you to take 2 kittens, or the mother and one kitten - they always ensure one kitten is left with the mother. They are a brilliant charity and do great work so do support them).

[Jo'sEnglish]

I have just adopted a cat from CH (to keep my exsisting cat company) and also have a 14 month old. I didn't want to get a kitten, partly because I was worried about it driving my cat mad but also because I they can be scratchy when they play. An older cat should have already learned to retract it's claws when playing, etc. It might be worth thinking about an older cat or cats? They are harder to rehome and you might find some that have been used to children already. Also, worth buying one of those toys on a stick (feather stick) etc so your daughter can play with them without getting to close and risking claws.

My new CH cat is lovely, the friendliest cat in the world! My son LOVES her (and my other cat) but she is still getting used to him. Shs will come and rub around him and let him pat and stroke her if I'm holding him but if he is running around she stays out the way. Cats are very good at finding a safe haven if they don't want to be bothered so just make sure there is somewhere for them to hide and you'll be fine.

Unlike some other rescues CH seem to be quite encouraging of homing cats with small children, they will be able to give you lots of advice. Good luck, I know they are over run with cats at the moment so you would be doing a good deed!

[Pickle]

We got a kitten when I was pregnant with my first child (so cat is now 6.5), and having grown up with pet cats myself I'm a huge advocate of bring up kids and pets alongside each other. Like anything, if you approach it sensibly it will be fine. 14 months is as good an age as any, just be firm with what's acceptable and what's not, and reinforce the "gentle" approach just like you would if your toddler was in a room with smaller babies.

My 10 month old is intrigued by our cat at the moment, but I need to watch her as she is at the grabbing stage, and our cat has long fur. I help her to pat him, and if she grabs I take her away immediately. This is what I did with my older children and they very quickly learned to be gentle.

Make sure the cats have a haven somewhere in the house that they can escape to - our cat has a little "nest" up in our loft bedroom, the children aren't allowed to go up there, and if he's had enough he goes up there to sleep in peace.

[pommie]

i agree its probably best to get an older cat i.e. a young adult rather than a small kitten

[veryseriousgirl]

Our childminder got a kitten recently and kept the kitten in its carrier when it needed rest / a break from the children. This seems to work really well, along with close supervision when kids play with the cat.

We have one cat at home (though she pre-dates the children by several years). In terms of homing two cats together, we found that our cats loved being together as kittens, but were quite unhappy once they reached maturity, although they were brother and sister. We ended up rehoming one of the cats as he developed behavioural problems and although we tried for months to resolved them with the help of the vet and (don't laugh!) a cat psychologist, it was clear that he really needed to be the only cat and that the best way to get him to quit spraying was to move home (!).

[YummyMummy01]

Thank you all for the advice.

We have a utility area at the back that's off limits so thought would be a good safe haven.

Might wait until just after christmas but good to know that its a disatrous idea x

[pommie]

veryseriousgirl

were either of your cats neutered?

[oimissus]

our brother and sister cat don't get on brilliantly (and they are neutered) but as one is almost completely feral and spends most of his time outside it's not too much of a problem! Maybe when they reach their dotage they'll be chums again.

[Pickle]

Years ago (in NZ) I had brother and sister cats who absolutely hated each other, it was horrible, the little girl was a total bully and spent most of her time terrorising her brother! They were both neutered.

[Mrs TP]

Ah yes my cats neutered and placid with us and each other.

[oimissus]

one other thing that occured to me, if you do get a kitten or kittens, get a cat flap installed (if you can) - then they can scarper if toddler attention is getting too much!

It's a slight change of mindset, having a cat. Partly because our cats were there before Miss Oi, in certain respects they are more important than her - she is not to disturb them, or jump on our bed if one is on there (we never contemplated co-sleeping, mainly because of the cat that sleeps on our bed - she was there first!), and keep out of the kitchen when they are eating - that kind of thing. I have no doubt that should one ever scratch her - unlikely, as they just leg it if she gets too near - it would be her fault and she wouldn't get a whole load of sympathy! Oh, and having a slack attitude to cleanliness and hygiene helps, our cats are everywhere, and it doesn't seem to have done her any harm.

Oh, and another thing (sorry, it's late and I'm slightly drunk) - I would take your daughter round to someone's house who has a cat to check out if she has an allergy - the last thing you want to do is have to rehome a rescue kitten because you find out your daughter has an allergy.

[pommie]

also when you get a new cat you need to keep them in for at least six weeks so they get used to where they live etc.

With regards to allergies there is a great product on the market that actually stops/reduces cat allergies too.

I had 7 cats at one stage (was fostering 4) and to be honest even when i have 5 cats in the end, a lot of the time my cats didnt really get on i.e. cuddle up together, they just tolerated each other.

[Gidget]

6 weeks sounds rather excessive to keep a cat in so they get used to where they live. Never, ever kept any of mine in that long. One very intelligent cat escaped out a window after being there only 2 days and he made his way back a few hours later.

[Jo'sEnglish]

I think 6 weeks is for kittens? I know my adult cat I just adopted from Celia Hammond they said 3-4weeks. I think though, in my experience, you know when they seem settled and to have accepted a new home and then it is ok to let them out, I think they just err on the side of caution in the guidelines and some cats will need that long.

[Gidget]

Never kept a kitten in for that long either. 3 weeks max was the rule, but never even kept them in that long.

[oimissus]

Celia Hammond are very strict about neuturing (not surprising, given the number of feral and semi-feral kittens they take in) and request that you keep your kitten in until they are neutured, which is around 6 months. We got our kittens at 3 months and it wasn't a problem, we were happy to take their advice. Female cats can breed from around 6 months, twice a year. Unneutered tomcats are, frankly, a pain in the arse.