cat or kitten

ben

My girlfriend and I are going to buy or adopt a cat or kitten. Any advice on things to consider? Any kittens that need adopting?

We have a garden, btw.

Thanks.

dorothy

Yes, if you get a kitten, make sure it's not too young. I bought one off Gum Tree last year, and really it was too little to leave it's mother, (weaning etc). It died not long after. Really tragic, still brings a tear to my eye.

I found it really hard to find a kitten that needed adopting, it was mainly older cats with special needs that needed homes. Also I didn't seem to be a candidate as an adopter, because I worked full-time. I went to that place on Blackstock Rd. There're two cat charity places, think it's the one on the left hand side, that have a contact for someone who seems to do the cat brokering round here.
Good luck with it.

Liz

I adopted an adult cat from Battersea about 8 years ago and would definitely recommend it. There are several north London cat rescue centres too if you are keen on this route. If I was adopting again, I would ask a local vet for advice - for example, I go to Abbeyvet on Blackstock Road and I know they support a local cat rescue centre. I think most cat rescue places ask to come and look at your home to make sure it is suitable for a cat, has outdoor access, etc. I don't think you'd need to get a cat flap fitted immediately, but you would need to have a plan for where one might go. Kittens apparently always go very quickly so you would have lots of options if you were prepared to go for an adult cat. I decided I was happy to adopt an older cat - mine was somewhere between 8 and 10 when I got him. Obviously you don't get all the fun kitten-y bits but I was worried that I might not be at home enough to properly look after and litter train kittens, so wanted an adult cat who would be fairly independent from the start. Battersea gave useful information about cats they thought would rehome easily e.g. cats which they knew had come from a home environment, and which they thought would be harder e.g. cats they had rescued from the street or were more feral in terms of behaviour. Whilst mine had been rescued so they didn't know anything about his history, he had clearly been a family pet beforehand and was very friendly. One note of caution on adopting an older cat - most pet insurance providers won't insure cats once they are over 8 or 10. I have used my pet insurance a lot and would definitely recommend it - lots of things to think about there but that's perhaps for another thread. Good luck with it - would be interested to hear how you get on!