OT-- I has a new Kitteh -=- help?

I'd leave it with Mom for a minimum of 6 weeks. Gen

Mickie: I am NOT a cat owner, but have a suggestion. You might want to check the local ASPCA or Cat Shelter for a cat that is similar in age and size to your most recent QI. Remember, 12 weeks = 4 months ... a bit long to wait. Good luck. PAT

Hi Mickie You will LOVE having 2 kitties........ they entertain each other.

Please check in your area for local "cat rescue" groups - there are many, and they are constantly looking for good homes for cats. More often than not, they will already have their shots, be spayed/ neutered, free of fleas and socialized before they adopt them out. And you can find one close to your other cats age. I wouldn't wait too long - good luck!

Patti (formerly) in Seattle

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Our Sweet Pea was not 'mothered'. He came to us one night during a terrible storm. He had to be baby doll bottle fed and never learned lots of 'cat' things. Sweet Pea came when he was called because the dog did. He thought grooming was 'our' job. He stalked anyone with a brush or vacuum cleaner and wanted to be cleaned and brushed but it never crossed his mind that he might do it himself. He didn't quite get the 'hunting' thing. If a bug or critter managed to get in the house, Sweet Pea would come get a human with a 'you need to take care of that' sort of look on his face. We could never let him go outside unsupervised - he didn't have a clue how to defend himself; and was perfectly happy to come inside with us for his brushing when party time was over. I don't know, Mickie, if deliberately depriving a kitten of mothering is best. It can be survived. Polly

Please check in your area for local "cat rescue" groups - there are many, and they are constantly looking for good homes for cats. More often than not, they will already have their shots, be spayed/ neutered, free of fleas and socialized before they adopt them out. And you can find one close to your other cats age. I wouldn't wait too long - good luck!

Patti (formerly) in Seattle

The only kitty I ever had was the result of a f ew too many glasses of cheap Arkansas wine and a neighbor with a dead momma cat and a baby that was 4 weeks old. It was me or the bucket of water. I took the little guy, named him Wiederker after the winery that produced that delicious $2 a bottle red wine. (This was 1979) My poor little Weedy never really learned to be a cat. He was totally neurotic and had so many tics and quirks that you just had to laugh. He sucked his arm all the time. Comfort. And when he could get her to be still he sucked my Lhasa Apso's ear. Cute, cute, cute.

The story ends sort of sad. He was taken from his mother too early and developed kidney issues. The vet had me feed him ONLY boiled cow kidneys and livers. Cooking day was nasty. The apartment building sold and new owners said one pet per apartment only. Weedy went to live with a foot reflexologist who also ate boiled cow kidneys and livers. I have no idea why she ate that, but it worked out. He lived with her through a move to California but later succumbed to the kidney problems at the age of 5. Too young, but what a cat.

Long story short, leave the babies with Momma Cat until they are well trained. Little kitty bodies and souls are best formed by Mom.

Good luck, Sunny (will never have another kitty but still loves Weedy's memory)

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Hey Micki:

The kitten at 4 weeks is too young to leave its mother. Why, because it is not weaned yet. The mother has to teach it to eat on its own without added milk from her. The kitten at that young an age still doesn't know how to eat dry food and could smother itself if it dives into a plate of canned food. And at that young an age the cat you have now just might kill it. It could take 2 maybe 3 more weeks for it to eat on its own and please never feed it cows milk. Only use milk especially formulated for kittens and cats. It will make the kitten very sick and it could get dehydrated. At 4 weeks it hasn't learned to even drink water from a bowl yet. I'm not a vet just a cat lover. Five boys and one mama.

Kate T. South Mississippi

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Hi Mickie--congratulations -- I am jealous! All my QI's are senior citizens now. Your info. is correct about optimum weaning time being 12 weeks. However, sometimes that's just not possible, I have been on the "Board of Directors for the Humane Society here for 10 years and have taken on dozens of orphan kittens, some still had their umbilical cords, raised them on a bottle. I have a big old Siamese male cat who just loves babies, and he DID step in and become a surrogate mom -- even to the point he let them nurse him. The kittens didn't seem too "messed up" from that, as far as I could tell. Still though, I would sure leave Baby with Mamacat at *least* eight weeks -- Baby will still be receiving those wonderful antibodies from her milk that will make her immune system so much better. I did have problems with the orphans in that they were very susceptible to things like URI's. Two kittens in the house. You might as well get rid of your TV. You're gonna have all the entertainment you need! God love 'em. I am probably the original crazy cat lady with 5 in the house, but I don't know what I'd do without them. I am home alone most of the time and they are wonderful companions. Keeps us posted!! JPEGs! JPEGs!

The one thing about kittens is that they are remarkably resilient. All my babies turned out with impeccable litterbox habits from Frank the Siamese and me teaching them.

Sherry

No, new kitten is probably better off with littermates.... one of the big things new kitten needs to learn is bite inhibition, which is best learned from littermates.

Hang on till at least 6 weeks, if at all possible.

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No. It isn't her kitten and cats are not naturally very sociable. The kitten also needs to be fully weaned, which usually only happens between

8 and 12 weeks.

She will still be kitten enough to accept the new playmate if she's ever going to. With cats from different litters it's always a gamble.

When we got our Muffin, Marmalade was 6 years old. It took them a good few months to settle in together, and a cpuple of years before they would share a cat nest in cold weather.

Our present two are from the same litter and boy and girl rather than the same sex (even neutered that helps, by the way). Half the time they are snuggled up in a single furry heap and you have to trace arms and legs to source to find which cat they originate with. The other half they are squabbling like... welll... cats! It's like haveing two teenagers in the house niggling and sniping at each other, only furrier!

So may be the new kitty. Just don't expect them to be friends. Cats are people and like to choose their own friends with the same care we do. If she's happy as a single cat, and that's what she's used to, it can be very stressful to have to deal with an interloper.

Do you have pix? Me love kitties... :)

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Wait until the new babies are at least 8 weeks old. Kitties are not usually *fully* weaned until they are 8 weeks old and even then will still take every opportunity to nurse if allowed. This is a major reason for not taking a kitty until that time along with learning manners and other stuff that kitties are taught by their cat moms. Also, remember that first new kitty is still A BABY and doesn't know about being a mom cat. Fortunately, your cat baby is young enough that she should be able to easily adapt to having a "new" sibling introduced. Once they get acquainted, she will then teach hew new sibling all about being a proper QI, how to correctly beg for food, proper procedure for sleeping on mom's lap, tricks for stealing mom or dad's chair, etc.

-- all the really important kitty stuff. Now -- how about names, photos or a description at least, OK?

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

We started looking a couple weeks ago for a young kitty to adopt. I found one I really wanted, but by the time the lady from FosterCat.org got back to me a week later, Blossom had already found a forever home.

My daughter was also looking at the rescue websites and craiglist and freecycle. She found one that was a leftover from a litter of 4, nobody wanted her because she was an "ugly" tortise and was headed to the local cat rescue. (DD is a such sucker for the undercat!) She brought kitty home on Monday night, complete with carrier, litterbox, collar, toys. (We have never had a cat before). Kitty has had her shots and we will get her neutered asap. Kitty hasn't told us her name yet.

Here are some pix:

By the way, the three calicoe kittens will go to a shelter if not homed when ready. I would rather adopt direct from this owner and spare the kit from the rescue experience. Doing all the necessary veterinary things is not a problem. I wouldn't take a kitten before 6 weeks af age, but I really don't want to wait another month or two!

Thank you everybody for all your tips and advice.

Mickie

Sorry Polly - only repeating what I was told by breeders before I got my puppy years ago. Interestingly, though: I had to take the puppy back after not too long

- we just didn't make any progress together at all even in a couple of months. When I complained about various things, to the breeder, I found out that he had been taken from his mother at 5 weeks. I realised then, that most of the troubles with him ( apart from the fleas and ear mites, which were the breeder's fault) could be put down to that. I had read the library's shelf of appropriate books, I had consulted other owners, and I still made a wrong judgement. This was a woman who had won lots of certificates etc at Crufts (major British dog show) and lived in a wonderful home in the countryside. Obviously, I should have gone with the hobby breeder a mile away. Hindsight is so good. . In message , Polly Esther writes

Uh-Oh Mickie -- you're in for it now -- LOLOL! I bet you have no idea how crazy tortoiseshell kitties are (VBEG) :-)))). I've had several torties -- even had a tortie point himalayan -- and they are, one and all, the most lovable AND "squirrliest" cats I have ever been owned by! SMART does not even begin to describe the stuff torties can learn and teach themselves to do. Maybe having to wait 4 more weeks for the new baby to be old enough will give your "I hate cats" DH (yeah, sure, as if I believe *that* -- LOL) enough time to really begin to love the first new baby and anticipate having a second new baby. If he squaks, assure him that having two young cats is better than having one. One kitty will often take to terrorizing the entire house for fun. With a "sibling" the two will play together and only terrorize half the house :-))). And YES -- get a spray bottle of water and keep it handy for training purposes -- works great. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

She's adorable, Mickie! I know *nothing* about having cats, but this one is definitely not ugly!

Pretty kitty! :)

She is beautiful. Reminds me of our Tortie Burmese, Tippy (really Tippett because she had a white tip to her tail). She lived to 19 and came to us at 9 months with her 3 month old son, Frith. The breeder kept her until all the other kittens were rehomed at 3 months.

Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

Mickie Swall wrote:

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