TheHaitian
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Post by TheHaitian on Dec 16, 2015 14:17:16 GMT -5
Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it!
You are almost home free at this point. Going back in this late stage of the game is like my mom having another kid my senior year of high school!
You know she doesn't want to say it but you know she thinks about it: she would be an empty nester right now instead of having to tolerate a 12 year old diva and a 13 year year old that thinks he knows it all.
Don't do it!!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 14:22:01 GMT -5
Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it! You are almost home free at this point. Going back in this late stage of the game is like my home having another kid my senior year of high school! You know she doesn't want to say it but you know she thinks about it: she would be an empty nester right now instead of having to tolerate a 12 year old diva and a 13 year year old That thinks he knows it all. Don't do it!!! LOL I think that. But I don't think our cat is going to make it until my son moves out and he'll be miserable without a cat. Plus cats are a lot easier than kids.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 14:24:34 GMT -5
Crap. This one is cute.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Dec 16, 2015 14:28:18 GMT -5
Are kittens evil? Leroy is only my second cat besides barn cats. He was probably 8 months old when he got brought in the house and had two broken legs. I can't remember what the other one was like as that was like 23 years ago. No, they are psycho....not evil. Gizzy climbed my legs because he could. He liked to play while I slept. But he turned into a normal cat as an adult. I got Sheldon at 3 months and he is still a psycho kitten sometimes at a little over a year, even though he is mellowing out. He still tears through the house at warp speed and body slams into the wall when he can't make the turn. But when I go to bed, so does he at the foot. Sometime during the night, he crawls under the covers.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 14:36:25 GMT -5
I have two boys. I'm used to psycho.
I'm a little worried about claws though. Both of our house cats before were declawed and I never had issues with shredding furniture.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Dec 16, 2015 14:37:34 GMT -5
Kittens aren't evil. They do tend to want to play when you want to sleep.
The last one I adopted was 1 1/2 years old. She was full grown but still sort of playful & young enough to adapt into the household.
But kittens are so darn cute!
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 16, 2015 14:39:49 GMT -5
Are Kittens evil... no, not really. But they are still working on figuring out what to do with their claws and teeth and that they can't fly and that they can't stop on a dime and that stuff falls to the floor and makes a loud crashing sound. And that maybe yesterday they could safely climb the drapes/screen door - but today they weigh just a tiny bit too much and it's harder/ripping/disasterous. I'm horribly biased against kittens - I'd probably go for a $40 teenage/young adult cat (8 months or older). You'll still get to enjoy some months of 'crazy kitten' behavior but your 'kitten' will be too big to get behind your appliances or fall into the uncovered drain in the basement OR a floor airvent upstairs or squeeze into that small hole in the drywall you've been meaning to fix for years. A teenager cat - might even have enough brains to consider it bad idea to try to fit behind the appliances, or down the open drain, or into the air vent, or into that hole in the drywall. I like the alittle bit older cats because you have a better chance of seeing what their personality is like AND you have a better chance of avoiding giving the cat 'bad habits'.... like it's really cute when a tiny kitten attacks your stocking feet... not so cute when they are 4 pounds plus with all their teeth and claws... it's hard to break some of those habits that are cute when kittens and not so cute when they are adults. You can't always expect a cat to understand that the 'fun' stuff they did yesterday isn't considered 'fun' anymore.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Dec 16, 2015 14:47:26 GMT -5
Tiny!
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 16, 2015 14:56:15 GMT -5
I'm a little worried about claws though. Both of our house cats before were declawed and I never had issues with shredding furniture. Sometimes the shelters have declawed cats - usually adults and a few years old (or older). Boy Cat was declawed. Little Girl Cat is not. I was alittle apprehensive about Little Girl cat and her claws - but she's been great.
Boy Cat was 4 years old and Little Girl had just gotten to her full grown size (the shelter said she was 10 yo... NOT!) Little Girl cat loves the tall, carpeted cat tree (I had this before the cats arrivied) She beats the heck out it a couple times a day - before and after her naps in the 'nests'. She also likes to pull at the dining room rug (a cheap synthetic area rug). She's never clawed the furniture, the bed, or the wooden door jambs. She threatens to use the door jambs - when I miss 'dinner time' by more than hour... she makes sure I'm watching/paying attention and then she stretches up the door jamb and makes clawing motions - all the while transmitting telepathically "oooo how I'd love to sink my claws in to this wood! it would feel sooooo good - some dinner sure would distract me from doing this mmmm dinner... you know that thing you are suppose to provide?..." .
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 16, 2015 15:02:29 GMT -5
Tiny! Yeah, you laugh. one time having your tiny cute kitten get behind the fridge - where it can push past the 'cardboard' that covers up the nice warm motor -- and where there's just enough room for a kitten to fit --- NEAR where theres a unprotectd FAN (metal sharp edged blades!!!) that goes on and off as the fridge cycles is pretty much one time too many.
Yes, my kitten survived the back of the fridge - mostly because of dumb kitten luck. It did cause quite an upset though. Who knew tiny kittens were really THAT tiny....
(the events around vents/drain/and that hole in the drywall also worked out ok - for the cat... not so much for everyone/everything else.)
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Dec 16, 2015 15:18:14 GMT -5
Tiny! Yeah, you laugh. one time having your tiny cute kitten get behind the fridge - where it can push past the 'cardboard' that covers up the nice warm motor -- and where there's just enough room for a kitten to fit --- NEAR where theres a unprotectd FAN (metal sharp edged blades!!!) that goes on and off as the fridge cycles is pretty much one time too many.
Yes, my kitten survived the back of the fridge - mostly because of dumb kitten luck. It did cause quite an upset though. Who knew tiny kittens were really THAT tiny....
(the events around vents/drain/and that hole in the drywall also worked out ok - for the cat... not so much for everyone/everything else.)
I'm sorry but it was funny to read. I'm sure it was scary at the time & I'm glad the kitten survived.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 16, 2015 16:00:57 GMT -5
Yeah, you laugh. one time having your tiny cute kitten get behind the fridge - where it can push past the 'cardboard' that covers up the nice warm motor -- and where there's just enough room for a kitten to fit --- NEAR where theres a unprotectd FAN (metal sharp edged blades!!!) that goes on and off as the fridge cycles is pretty much one time too many.
Yes, my kitten survived the back of the fridge - mostly because of dumb kitten luck. It did cause quite an upset though. Who knew tiny kittens were really THAT tiny....
(the events around vents/drain/and that hole in the drywall also worked out ok - for the cat... not so much for everyone/everything else.)
I'm sorry but it was funny to read. I'm sure it was scary at the time & I'm glad the kitten survived. Yes was meant to be funny, but with a bit of "rue" on the side. Even my reply was a bit tongue in cheek... but little kittens are sooo very cute it's hard to remember they need supervision... until they get too big to get into trouble OR they come into their "adult cat" senses.
The 'fridge adventure is burned into my brain... it was scary and frightening... who knew kittens could go practically 'flat' The other cat adventures were tense - but the kitten/cat wasn't in too much danger...
A good funny story is when the same trouble maker kitten was just a bit past being an Adult Cat - I was helping my brother swap out the storm windows on the second floor of the house... I was on the inside and he was on the extension ladder outside. My cat, thought the open windows were GREAT fun. We didn't think he'd jump so we weren't upset that he was sitting in the open windows further down the house. My stupid Cat decided to 'hop' down to the bit of "decorative" eaves below the window - it had roofing on it and it was like a 15 degree angle slant and the concrete drive way is like 15 feet? below that... We're happily washing windows and hear a terrified cat shriek. I look in the house - and my brother outside the window sez some non printable words. My cat has gotten out onto the eave thing and has started heading the 15 feet or so towards my brother...when apparently he realized he couldn't keep himself on the slanted eave. The Cat isn't having much luck staying on the eave... he's kind a hopping/sliding/clinging to the eave. I've got my head out the window in shock. My brother's still cursing and leaning over to try the get the cat while coaxing the cat that "come on you SOB! you can do it!".... the cat's butt slips off the eaves... The ladder starts moving along and off the eaves... I'm sucking air and grabbing the top of the ladder trying to steady it (I don't want my brother or my cat to DIE!), my brother managed to lean over far enough to catch the falling cat and few seconds later my brother is grabbing the window sill with one hand/arm and frantically trying to get the cat off his other arm. The ladder staid in place but my brother opted to climb into the house rather than go down the ladder. We took a break and patched up the mauling the cat gave my brothers arm and then got back to work. And that's my brother's cat rescue story (he's a fireman).
The cat was totally unperturbed by all of this.. cause, you know, he meant that to happen.
Maybe, the moral of my stories is that MinnesotaPaintLady just needs to avoid the TroubleMaker Kitten at the Shelter
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Dec 16, 2015 16:22:23 GMT -5
OMG - the ladder story had me on the edge of my seat.
My worst kitten story was when Onyx was little she'd get a wild hair & just start running all around the house. Just tearing a streak. She ran full steam into the wrought iron railing head first & just dropped flat on her side rigid. I thought she had broken her neck & was dead. She laid there for a few minutes & I was feeling for a pulse & she just popped back up & took off running. She was a little wobbly but otherwise fine. It gave me a good scare though.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Dec 16, 2015 16:29:16 GMT -5
Crap. This one is cute. OMG- I'd get her if I was closer. Cute! We've never had declawed cats- even with our strictly indoor cats. Just have that scout of yours build something useful! A 4x4x2 attached to some plywood and covered with a scrap of carpets makes a nice cat scratch.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Dec 16, 2015 16:46:50 GMT -5
I like the alittle bit older cats because you have a better chance of seeing what their personality is like AND you have a better chance of avoiding giving the cat 'bad habits'.... like it's really cute when a tiny kitten attacks your stocking feet... not so cute when they are 4 pounds plus with all their teeth and claws... it's hard to break some of those habits that are cute when kittens and not so cute when they are adults. You can't always expect a cat to understand that the 'fun' stuff they did yesterday isn't considered 'fun' anymore. Urgh my DH is the worst with this! Only cat toys are toys. Quit trying to make the cat play with random household objects. The string on your pjs is not a toy. Your hand under the blanket is not a toy. Do you want the cat to attack your feet under the covers at night? Intentionally startling the kitten is not funny. Holding the cat against it's will is not cute. Argh, seriously? do you want a psycho cat?
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 16, 2015 17:49:22 GMT -5
I'm sorry but it was funny to read. I'm sure it was scary at the time & I'm glad the kitten survived. Yes was meant to be funny, but with a bit of "rue" on the side. Even my reply was a bit tongue in cheek... but little kittens are sooo very cute it's hard to remember they need supervision... until they get too big to get into trouble OR they come into their "adult cat" senses.
The 'fridge adventure is burned into my brain... it was scary and frightening... who knew kittens could go practically 'flat' The other cat adventures were tense - but the kitten/cat wasn't in too much danger...
A good funny story is when the same trouble maker kitten was just a bit past being an Adult Cat - I was helping my brother swap out the storm windows on the second floor of the house... I was on the inside and he was on the extension ladder outside. My cat, thought the open windows were GREAT fun. We didn't think he'd jump so we weren't upset that he was sitting in the open windows further down the house. My stupid Cat decided to 'hop' down to the bit of "decorative" eaves below the window - it had roofing on it and it was like a 15 degree angle slant and the concrete drive way is like 15 feet? below that... We're happily washing windows and hear a terrified cat shriek. I look in the house - and my brother outside the window sez some non printable words. My cat has gotten out onto the eave thing and has started heading the 15 feet or so towards my brother...when apparently he realized he couldn't keep himself on the slanted eave. The Cat isn't having much luck staying on the eave... he's kind a hopping/sliding/clinging to the eave. I've got my head out the window in shock. My brother's still cursing and leaning over to try the get the cat while coaxing the cat that "come on you SOB! you can do it!".... the cat's butt slips off the eaves... The ladder starts moving along and off the eaves... I'm sucking air and grabbing the top of the ladder trying to steady it (I don't want my brother or my cat to DIE!), my brother managed to lean over far enough to catch the falling cat and few seconds later my brother is grabbing the window sill with one hand/arm and frantically trying to get the cat off his other arm. The ladder staid in place but my brother opted to climb into the house rather than go down the ladder. We took a break and patched up the mauling the cat gave my brothers arm and then got back to work. And that's my brother's cat rescue story (he's a fireman).
The cat was totally unperturbed by all of this.. cause, you know, he meant that to happen.
Maybe, the moral of my stories is that MinnesotaPaintLady just needs to avoid the TroubleMaker Kitten at the Shelter
Where's a video when you need it?
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Dec 16, 2015 18:02:16 GMT -5
Are kittens evil? Leroy is only my second cat besides barn cats. He was probably 8 months old when he got brought in the house and had two broken legs. I can't remember what the other one was like as that was like 23 years ago. I don't think kittens are evil, but older cats are way easier (and cheaper). My older cat was probably around 5 or 6 when I got him, and he has been the easiest pet ever.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2015 18:16:06 GMT -5
I stopped down there after dropping DS off at swimming to ask about what the adoption includes. It's all shots and spay or neuter. If the kitten is under 4 pounds you get a voucher to have it done later (and are required to).
Those two kittens I posted were spoken for...actually all but one or two on display were but they said people sometimes don't follow through with picking them up and they had more in foster care.
Still undecided. I checked out that older cat that looks like ours. She is 9 and was in a separate cage in the bay. They said she's been having diarrhea problems and they don't know why so she was on a special diet.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Dec 16, 2015 18:34:10 GMT -5
You will know the right cat when you find him/her, or you could let your son help out picking the cat. (Or you could just not get your son a cat for Christmas, but I don't think anyone would recommend that. )
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Dec 16, 2015 20:38:15 GMT -5
Sheldon went on a tear right before we left and went over the railing. He normally jumps up onto it easily but missed and wend over onto the carpeted stairs. It was about a 12' drop, I looked over the edge of the railing to see if he was ok, and he was just lying there not moving. I think he was more surprised that he totally missed the ledge than anything else. Next thing I knew, he was tearing up the stairs to try it again.
This cat has 2 speeds, warp and dead.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Dec 16, 2015 21:29:44 GMT -5
Crap. This one is cute. I love her!!!!!!!! Rescue her and please don't be one of those assholes who declaws a cat. It's barbaric.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Dec 16, 2015 21:39:55 GMT -5
I love her!!!!!!!! Rescue her and please don't be one of those assholes who declaws a cat. It's barbaric. Most rescues these days do not allow cats to be declawed. It's usually right in the adoption contract.
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Cookies Galore
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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
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Post by Cookies Galore on Dec 16, 2015 21:46:03 GMT -5
I love her!!!!!!!! Rescue her and please don't be one of those assholes who declaws a cat. It's barbaric. Most rescues these days do not allow cats to be declawed. It's usually right in the adoption contract.
As it should be!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 8:25:13 GMT -5
Crap. This one is cute. I love her!!!!!!!! Rescue her and please don't be one of those assholes who declaws a cat. It's barbaric. She's already spoken for. Most were. This guy was still available. He has a mustache. LOL
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cael
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Post by cael on Dec 17, 2015 8:28:12 GMT -5
Besides being vehemently against declawing myself (our rescue has no declawing in our contract and I'm very wary to adopt to someone who even mentions it, even if they then say they won't do it), be aware that some declawed kitties have behavioral and/or litter box problems. It can be pain related in some instances from shoddy surgery... my parents declawed the kittens we got when I was a kid, and thankfully neither of them had any problems, but it does happen. That poor muffin's diarrhea could be stress related though. I feel so sad for older adult kitties, they sit in the shelters for so long. DH wants a kitten when we get a house and I'd like him to have the kitten experience at least once (I think everyone should!) but overall I want our adopted kitties to be older. (edit to add... oh god that teeny white mustache! )
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Dec 17, 2015 8:54:19 GMT -5
I love her!!!!!!!! Rescue her and please don't be one of those assholes who declaws a cat. It's barbaric. She's already spoken for. Most were. This guy was still available. He has a mustache. LOL HE'S SO HANDSOME!!!!!!! I have a tuxedo with a soul patch. Such a handsome devil.
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swamp
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THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
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Post by swamp on Dec 17, 2015 9:02:17 GMT -5
My cat is part Maine Coon cat. Any other cat I get will be that breed. They're awesome.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 9:03:13 GMT -5
My cat is part Maine Coon cat. Any other cat I get will be that breed. They're awesome. That's what my brother has...he's like 30 pounds or something crazy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 9:17:15 GMT -5
I did have my first two cats declawed. It was a long time ago 23 and 15 years ago and I didn't really know much about it. I wasn't a cat person and grew up with only barn cats. The two I did have that I brought into the house were kind of "accidents". I found a dying kitten in the winter on my aunt's farm for the first one and one of our barn cats got run over and needed to be kept inside for several months for the second. I remember with the first one. I brought her home and named her Stinky because her infections were so bad she stunk. It was nasty. I told her "Ok, you can live here, but you're staying on the back porch." Two weeks later she was in the house and my boyfriend (now Ex 1.0) had dubbed her "Princess". I continued to call her Stinky until the day we took her in to be euthanized bawling our eyes out.
Anyhow, no plans to declaw again, but not going to lie that it makes me nervous.
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cael
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Post by cael on Dec 17, 2015 9:28:02 GMT -5
Kittens can obvs be rough on furniture/curtains/everything, but if you provide them enough safe places to scratch (toys, scratching posts etc), play with them enough to get their energy/aggression out and get them used to claw clipping VERY early on, you can manage it pretty well. Another reason sometimes an older, more mellow cat can be good.. they've "grown up" more than a kitten and may not be as scratchy as kittens can be with their tiny needles of fury Ugh, I keep forgetting/being too lazy to clip my cat's claws... she kneads on my head/neck at night and yowzers, this morning she was really stabbing me.
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