JCC I got a cat

She'll probably get a shot or two depending on her age. Also if you're going to get her neutered (recommended) ask the vet's advice on age. I got both mine done at 6 months but that was years ago.

 

Something to keep in mind when having...I mean being owned by cats.

Having 1 cat is wonderful; having 2 cats is comedy; having more than 2 is chaos.

 

Case in point to my most recent post: Marbles chased Hobbes (our ginger), then Calvin (our tuxedo) chased Marbles almost immediately afterwards, as if to defend his brother.

 

More pics of the naughty little princess:



I'm going to have to put all my Lego models away, in case she swallows a piece. She has her vet appointment today, rescheduled to 2PM because one of the vets called out. GULP

 

So cute!

 

That’s such a beautiful kitten.

 

We just put our Christmas tree up, and Calvin and Hobbes wasted no time getting acquainted with it.

 

RGB's eyes are sooo cute!

 

Peak Diva

 

Our vet said kittens are spayable somewhere around four pounds or four months. Ours were more like six because the vet surgery was closed for everything but emergencies for a couple months around covid, and everybody rushed to get their cats fixed in summer/fall.

Also--a multiple cat household does not need to be chaos. Just don't introduce new adult cats to other adult cats. I mean, sometimes it does work, but just as often it doesn't. If you only bring in juvenile cats, you don't threaten the established hierarchy your grown cats have already hammered out. "Juvenile" doesn't have to mean teensy, cats are juveniles for a year, but the smaller they are when you introduce them, the more success you're likely to have. We have 4 cats that were introduced like this, and while the intro of an adult to an older adolescent was touch and go, it eventually worked out. The kittens we brought in as tiny bumblefluffs were more or less raised by one of our adult cats, and that worked out great. They frequently roam the house in a four-cat herd--first alpha cat shows up, then beta cat, then the kittens. I don't know where they think Vader (Mr. Big Shot Cat) is going, or why they think it will be so neat when they get there, but the other three are sure they want to come too.

We also have a cat who was brought in as an adult, and she wants nothing to do with these meatheads. It's sort of okay if beta cat and the kittens (emo band name!) are in the same room as her, but Vader sees her as a threat to his authoritay, and chases her around. So Solo Cat lives in a partitioned-off area of the upstairs with me.

Cat politics, man. "Game Of Couches."

 

Vet trip went well. I was in my car the whole time (it was roughly 90 minutes) and they took little RBG in the building for the examination and vaccines. They said that she was the cutest thing they've seen all day. They all loved the name too. She was actually in good spirits afterwards, periods of playfulness mixed with stoned over-tiredness.

 

My last two cats were litter mates. They had spats but no real fights. However I got them both at the same time.
https://www.battersea.org.uk/pet-advice/cat-care-advice/introducing-your-new-cat-your-resident-cat - Battersea is an organization here in the UK that rehomes cats and dogs. They have some advice on introducing a new cat to a home where one is already in residence.

 

Or just put them where she can't jump. She's teeny, probably can't jump that high. What a beautiful baby girl!

 

So it seems a field mouse has moved in. They are doing a lot of construction near us; tore up a meadow & a bunch of woodland; little guys need a new home. If they think they've found one, they need to think again. His Feline Majesty has taken up sentry duty by the refrigerator, where the noises were heard. The minute one shows a whisker, it's snacktime.

 

Mom is coming up on Wednesday (I have a 5 day weekend) to make the apartment safer for the little princess. One thing I've noticed is that Ruth will often times look at me while she's playing, which apparently, is a good sign for a strong bond between owner and pet. I'm obviously the pet. I'm still trying to fix her irritating biting habit. I'm worried about that. Otherwise, she's in great spirits and no health issues.

 

When Max was younger, he would often try to chew on my mom's hand. She would reassure him he had teeth, and then he would stop and then start licking her fingers. He just wanted to be reassured he had teeth and was therefore a ferocious beast.

 

So...my in-laws got me a cat for last night of Chanukah!

Ive never had a cat, i bred dogs for a lot of years with my parents so i think its sort of ok?

Idk how to post pics on the boards, but so far only 1 accident in over 24h.

Size wise definitely 4-5 months. Apparently the litter owner was holding her for a while for my MIL to bring to me at holidays.

I now am 3rd in pecking order in house. Wife,cat, self.

Really really intense eyes. Gorgeous blue though.

 

Congratulations, @ZanderSolo! Have you named her yet?

My pet-ownership history is the reverse of yours: had cats for a lot of years, and then finally adopted a dog. In the first few days, I kept expecting The Beast to sit down and bathe himself after a meal—never did happen.

 

We settled on Gracie.

I wanted Freya (currently reading norse myths and playing GoW PS4), my wife wanted Luna (same as our last dog). MIL said Gracie and its stuck. SIL got us a gigantic cat house thing thats 4 stories, has 9 scratching posts, 2 kitty house’s, some stairs and some danglies to bat. It almost touches the ceiling. And true to being a cat, she prefers a random spot on the floor to sleep every night and a random piece of string grandma gave her to play with. Not sure why i bought toys.

Apparently cats don’t care if you call them, but for the most part she is my shadow around the house. Just not if i call her, only when she wants. Really hates being alone though. Like we don't have to play with her or pet her for her to be happy, she just cries if she doesn't have a person near her in the room.

So uhhh... how do i get her to not see our hands and toes as toys. Because I'm out like a liter of blood and my arm looks like a junkies from the puncture wounds. And for some reason the skin around all the scratches and bites is drying out. Did my kitten kill me? And who is next on her hit list?

Edit: No amount of owning dogs amounts to diddlysquat with owning a cat. I feel like a first time pet owner/dad- mostly wandering around confused and asking everyone where the cat is if she isn’t following me.

 

You don't.

 

Is it possible to train a cat to not jump on our sofa/bed?

Im not opposed to it, but the litter wasn't kept in the best of care and we’re trying to rid her of fleas before we let her onto furniture.

 

Does have more than 2 cats qualify you as crazy cat person

 

It is possible. But it’s a matter of finding the right tactic.

One of mine used to get up on the kitchen counters as I fixed his meal. I’d step back from the counter then, raise my hand parallel to his position, snap my fingers, and point to the floor. “Jack. Down.” And he’d get down. Two or three tries, and he was trained. He was easy.

Of course, another cat just laughed at me when I tried that on him. So the trick was to distract his attention with something better: a crinkly paper on the floor, the opening of a closet door, etc. And he’d run to investigate.

But to keep my eldest off the furniture, once he became incontinent, I used to give his hindquarters a gentle—very gentle—shove. “Come on, sweetheart. Get down.” And then I’d guide him to his cat bed, and pet him there. And he got the gist.

With cats, it really is just trying a range of things. Talking to them. Seeing what works.

 

Our rule is that cats can't outnumber the humans in the house. Once that happens, there's no question of who runs the show.