Bringing home a kitten when you already have an adult cat
livvysmom
17 years ago
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labmomma
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Bringing New Puppy Home -- What Should We Have?
Comments (17)Thank you, cynthia and holligator for your reading tips! I appreciate those so very, very much. mazer, you continue to be a font of information! lily316, the way I found our breeder is by first visiting the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA site, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club site, and, to a lesser extent, the AKC site. I looked for breeders only listed on those sites. I did NOT use search engines to find breeders. There may absolutely be reputable, ethical breeders out there not associated with the above-mentioned organizations (although why they wouldn't be I don't know), but for me this was a "safety net." I then e-mailed to them a long list of questions, asking if they'd be willing to talk with me and answer these questions: 1) What are the registered names of the puppy's parents and may we have copies of the registration certificates for both parents? 2) What are the birth dates of the puppy's parents? 3) Have you complied with the MVD Breeding Protocol? 4) Have you complied with the SM Breeding Protocol? 5) Have both parents' hips been x-rayed after age two years, and have those x-rays been evaluated and cleared of HD by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA)? 6) Have both parents' patellas been examined and cleared by qualified veterinarians within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? 7) Have both parents' eyes been examined and cleared of serious genetic eye disorders by board certified veterinary ophthalmologists within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? 8) Have both parents' hearing been tested and cleared of hereditary hearing deficiencies, preferably by the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) test, no earlier than at age 2.5 years? 9) Has either parents exhibited the symptoms of episodic falling syndrome? 10) Have both parents' blood been tested and cleared for diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism within a year before the date of birth of the puppy we may adopt? (see here for information regarding the above diseases / syndromes) I was both surprised and disappointed at how many breeders did not want to answer these questions. They were immediately crossed off my list. To my absolute delight the breeder to whom our little girl was born answered every one of my questions at great length. They also had a long list of questions for me, which thrilled me. This led me to believe they don't let their puppies be adopted willy-nilly -- they wanted to check us out as well! Our breeders are in Wyoming, and they got started breeding Cavs because they'd each (they are two friends) had a heartbreak with a sick Cav. They vowed they would help "clean up" the system and they take fastidious care of their dogs and have all the paperwork / registrations for it. Anyway, this is how I found a reputable, ethical breeder in our part of the country (I'm in Colorado). I was heartsick reading about the Greyhounds dying of bone cancer -- I never knew about that! When I was a little girl living in England the caretaker of my parents' "farm" (more like a weekend house -- as if my parents farmed!) had a multitude of Greyhounds. I loved them. Beautiful, gentle creatures. Fast, and then a couch potato! This is a picture of our little girl from last Thursday, on her seven week birthday. We're naming her Genki-chan. "Genki" is Japanese for "healthy," "peppy," "lively" (although she is a mellow girl -- the breeders decided only two of their litters would be suitable for us [with such small children] -- gentle with their teeth, but still "sturdy" for play with toddlers), and "chan" is the feminine diminutive. My husband is Japanese and our children speak Japlish. Well, more English than Japanese at this point, but we keep it up. My 3.5 year-old refers to Genki-chan as Genki-grill; "grill" is how he says "girl." Our 19 month-old merely says "Genki." One of the breeders gave the laddies a little stuffed Cav doll whom the 3.5 year-old named CiCi-inu -- "inu" is dog in Japanese. I have no idea from where the "CiCi" came!...See Moretoo soon? cat passed away / want another already
Comments (14)Well...so far not one person has said that it's best to wait. I'm glad !! Kashka, I guess the "they" I was referring to was...I remembered reading an article a long time ago about losing a pet. And it spoke of what I'd said.....that often people rush in trying to 'replace' the pet they lost and they become disappointed. I didn't necessarily agree, but wondered if anyone else had experienced that. But so far, it sounds like everyone on here had a positive experience. So I say "poo poo" on that article...lol. And as many have said, I would never expect to replace Pinkey. When God made him, He broke the mold. As Ann said, every animal is special. Socks, I was actually giving thought to getting two kitties. I've never owned more than one, except when I took in a stray when I already had an older cat. She didn't like it at all...lol. But two at the same time would be a good thing. They could be buddies. I did at least make one decision for now. I have a terribly junky and messy spare room. It was Pinkey's litterbox room. It is piled with stuff and a lot of it is pretty precarious. Altho Pinkey never hung out in there, for a new cat it would be like a mysterious jungle to explore. And a good place to either hide in or get lost in or possibly even get hurt (falling boxes...lol). So I decided to get my house in order before I introduce a new cat into it. I want to be able to keep tabs on him/her and don't want a lot of places where he/she can hide while getting used to the new home. So getting a new kitty is my new motivation for getting my house straight. I think it's best. It's bad enough having to look under beds and in closets for where a cat can hide, much less having that junk room with it's many hiding places that I cannot reach. Thanks to everyone for all your loving support. And thanks for sharing all your touching stories about your own experiences with loss. It really meant a lot to me and truly helped me. GW is a wonderful community and has been a great source of comfort for me. Never did I know that my love of gardening and need to ask learn about my flowers would lead me to such a loving group of 'friends' :) And when I DO get my new baby, I will surely post a pic on here !! Oh, and thanks to everyone who said how handsome Pinkey was. It made me smile because my best guy friend always called him handsome. And I wanted to add, when I showed him the 2nd pic (him looking back over his shoulder), he remarked on his expression. He was not too happy with me at that moment. I had pulled on the covers he had underneath him so he was giving me a dirty look....lol. My best to you all, Bonnie...See Morestray cat had kittens in garage
Comments (13)newhomeseeker, I do not think the mom will keep the kittens in two separate places The first few days a mom cat wont leave her kids for long, but as they are growing, they take longer sleeping breaks during feedings, during which time the mom cat would walk away, looking for food I think the best thing you can do is provide, if possible, a nice waterproof shelter...Maybe since the hay is wet, make another box for her? Mom cats do not want the kittens to be touched much and to be disturbed either....They are protective and paranoid, and reasonably so... Try offering a different box... And feed her really well - she needs extra nutrition. Get some goat's milk (canned is fairly cheap) and offer it to her, and lots of wet food... Get her spayed please, once the kittens can eat on their own! See if any rescue groups in your area do TNR - and if they can let you borrow a trap. Once she is trapped, maybe there are low cost spay neuter clinics in the area? A LOT of vets will give a price break to S/N a feral cat in a trap We are very lucky in Hillsborough County (Tampa, FL) We have a feral cat program and two low cost S/N clinics...Feral cats can be fixed for 10-25 dollars, depending on whether there is a grant available (with grant money, a caregiver pays 10 dollars per cat)...See MoreHow to intro. new kitten to older cat
Comments (7)Ok.... got the kitten 2 days ago but went a different route. Called our vet to get some ideas on this also. The girl was very nice and at the end told me they had 5 female kittens waiting to be placed and that I was free to come see them. I told her my problem was with the older cat not accepting the kitten and I would need a trial period. They have given us a week (until next Fri). The kitten is a female, 4 wks. old! So incredibly cute and sweet and we're already attached and so is she. Our older cat you ask??? Wow, pissed off! I am getting the growling, hissing, spitting and even lunging! He tends to be bothered more by the 'meows" than the smell. We have her in my DD room and sleeping in a very cushy bathtub! She just figured out the litter box yesterday. She is still using a nursing bottle, too. Incredibly loveable. Our older cat seems to have his moments. Sometimes he will come and rub and let us pet him. He's not the friendliest and most affectionate cat so he's not overly loving right now (never is) but we can tell he's miffed! I pray that it works out. I don't have the heart to return this little lap cat esp. if her sisters are gone from the vet. She'd be so alone and already used to us. I'm faced with, 1.- do I return her now and give up on this situaion before her sisters are adopted and she's alone in the cage? 2.- do I wait until Friday (my deadline) and hope that if I have to return her, her sisters are there?? 3.- do I keep her and just tell my other cat to deal with it (which seems so unfair). What are the chances that after some time, he'll adapt or just tolerate?? Oh, I got him very young also... 5-6 wks and got him declawed and fixed at 6 months. He's a boy of 7 and the kitty is 4 wks. What do you all think?? What would you do? I've done all the above that everyone's suggested....See Morebeeanne
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