Hi Gang

Long time, me no here! Well, I'm still alive. I want to buy a kitten and wanted to know where the best place would be to buy one and any tips on looking after it, etc. I haven't had a cat since about 1983 and I'm certainly rusty.

Welcome back Miss Fussy.

Do you have a local branch of Cats Protection or CLAWS near you? If so I'm sure they would be delighted to help and would also give you tips on the best way of looking after it - I assume you want a moggie, not a pedigree? It would need to be vaccinated when it's 12 weeks old with a follow up 3 weeks later - it's also a good idea to have it microchipped in case it goes walkabout! Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Thanks for that. I contacted the RSPCA yesterday and spoke to a very rude lady (which I was very surprised about - considering they're all supposed to be lovey dovey). I asked them if they had any kittens available and she gave a stern 'no'. I asked, "When are you likely to be getting some?" She said, "When they're born!" And she slammed the phone down. Imagine? I'm not putting up with that cock and bull. I'll get one from my local pet shop. I appreciate your help and reply.

Sorry to hear that the RSPCA lady was so rude to you. I think most of the animal rescue centres have a lot of older cats to rehome, but not many kittens...I know that they always say that people prefer to adopt kittens rather than older cats. But that is no excuse for that lady to be so rude to you on the phone.
If getting one from your local pet shop doesn't work out, have you checked your local newspaper's adverts for 'Homes Wanted' for kittens, as now is the time of the year when a lot of kittens are just being born.

If you go to a pet shop or answer an advertisement, do make sure the kitten is at least 8 weeks old, the minimum age they should leave their mother. When I was about 14 I fell for a tiny bundle of ginger fluff in the local pet shop and bought him, but looking back I'm sure he was no more than about 5-6 weeks old as he couldn't eat solid food and we had to get special milk for him from the vet. He survived and eventually grew to be enormous!

Try your local vets, there are often cards up on the notice board.

Talking of storms, Jennyanydots, did anyone get a torrential downpour today? Here in Oxfordshire the sky went black at about 3pm and it was like a monsoon. It was raining so hard it was bouncing off the roads and you couldn't see anything. Then it started to hail. When it was over, the piles of hailstones looked like a snowdrift, they were several inches thick in places! Needless to say, the kids walking home from school got drenched, poor lambs!

Buy one from a pet shop or animal rescue centre, and feed it with cat food. Felix is a popular brand, as is Whiskas and both are available in a lot of different flavours.

I have had rescue cats kitten and adult and the adult one being about 12-18months old and he settled no problem and was litter trained,ate whatever cat food he got,i think he was glad to be out of the rehoming shelter!!good luck with whatever pussycat you get

Thanks all.

We started our cat off on the cheapest food because we heard that if you start on the expensive stuff you can't get them to eat cheaper food. But he just got fussier and fussier and in the end was turning his nose up at whiskas. I got fed up with the smelly cat food in his bowl all day stinking out the house and attracting flies, so now he gets a complete cat biscuit (IAMS or similar) and if he doesn't eat it, it doesn't bother me. Needless to say, he gobbles it down no problems.

I got one of my cats at at rescue centre about 20 miles from where i live. Have a look on 'Google' for cat rescue centres in your area.

Have you found a kitten/cat yet Miss Fussy?

O got a lovely cat from a local cat rescue, run by a lady who does it all on a voluntary basis and pays all the vets bills herself. Try phoning around local vets to see if they know of anyone who does this, or if they know of any kittens needing a home. If someone has already suggested this, oops!!... in a wee bit of a hurry so didn't read all the replies properly.

Good Luck,

FrogLady

That should read I got a lovely cat.... not O got a lovely cat..(sounds like a bizarre serenade)

FrogLady

Thanks for all your super tips. I haven't as yet bought a kitten. I've got problems with my little Nissan Micra at the mo, so all my earnings are going in to that. Bless it. I rang one pet shop a few weeks ago and when I asked her how much the kittens were, she said she didn't know! I'm not having much luck at the moment in that area. Maybe they've all phone phobic.

so now he gets a complete cat biscuit (IAMS or similar) and if he doesn't eat it, it doesn't bother me. Needless to say, he gobbles it down no problems.[/QUOTE]

Before any of you pet ownere choose IAMS READ THIS PLEASE GUYS...Iams... the suffering behind the 'science'

LATEST NEWS:

ASA whitewashes IAMS in perverse ruling

IAMS in shock pull-out from Cat Show

Kick cruelty out of Crufts

IAMS' cruel chick tests

Scientist criticises killing of hundreds of animals

Cruel mice tests revealed

IAMS helps mush sled dogs to death!


2003 EXPOSÉ:

Damning and shocking evidence reveals "research policy to be a sham"


UNCAGED EXPOSÉ:

Harmful, invasive and lethal experiments conducted on previously healthy cats, dogs and other animals - read our report including full references to scientific journals


PET FOOD INFO:

Click here for our 'pet' food information sheet, with best buys and brands to boycott


"10 out of 10 cats prefer not to be vivisected by IAMS / Eukanuba"
http://www.iamscruelty.com/


The IAMS Company have funded and participated in laboratory experiments on hundreds of animals that caused kidney failure, obesity, malnutrition, liver damage, severe allergic reactions, stomach inflammation, diarrhoea, severe skin disorders, lesions, skin wounds and other painful illnesses, and animals have been kept in barren dungeon-like conditions.

Dogs have been force-fed vegetable oil, had chunks of muscle removed from their thighs, and been 'de-barked' by having their voice-boxes cut out in a painful and bloody procedure.

Blimey, that's an eye opener. I don't have a cat at the moment but when I do I shan't be buying any more of that.