7 month old kittens , essentials ?

ifconfig

My wife is picking up two 7 month old male kittens (spayed/de-wormed/de-flead) later this evening from a lady who reared them in another part of the county.

I am sure the lady will give her all the info as to what she needs to get.
However, I may get a chance to get to the pet store a bit earlier than my wife finishes work.
We will keep them indoors exclusively initially (we live in a rural area surrounded by farmland).
What are the essential items needed to begin with ?
Litter box(es)? feeding bowls ?

I am clueless but my wife is better informed and the current owner will definitely give her a lot of information.

angry kitten

A couple of nice snuggly beds and some toys. The toys are a great way of getting them to interact with you and will help them settle in. Once you have the food, litter trays, water bowl, beds and toys its just a matter of having lots of patience with each other and all of you getting to know each other. Enjoy them, it's great that 2 of them get to stay together.

anniehoo

For today definitely get:

• 1 litter tray and some cat litter like this one I use Lidls cat litter Otto, but theres loads out there. Keep it in an accessible area for them. They learn pretty quickly, you will probably just have to place them in it once or twice.
• Small feeding dish with separate water dish. Any shallow plastic dish will be fine though.
• Food-as they're 7 mths old have you researched any brands that you can afford? I feed royal canin male neutered or fit Any good petshop will advise you on a suitable feed though.
• Bed-again anything will do for the meantime

That will get you over the next few days,you will start adding cat boxes, more litter trays, different litter etc etc Good luck...kittens are sooooo much fun!

SpyderCats

HI Congratulation on your new kittens

I would recommend getting a Cat loo, they are a little bit more expensive then litter trays but as your kittens will be indoors it really helps reduce bad odour. I would also pick up a few toy's for them, at 7 months they will still be very playful and it will also help relax them as they get used to their new family and surroundings. Apart from that, just feeding bowels, food, and lots of TLC

That's all I can think of at the moment

Enjoy, and don't forget to post some pictures

portgirl123

congrats on your new additions, nothing i can really ad but myself i wouldnt waste money on beds. my 2 sleep where ever they feel like. could be anywhere top of presses, couch radiators. spent a fortune on beds and were never used

ifconfig

Many thanks for all the answers.

The kittens won't be arriving until Wed or Thurs now as the lady at the home they are coming from will bring them over and will be able to advise on outdoor shed suitability for their home once they are inside for a fortnight or so establishing their new home.

I brought my kids over to the pet store and we picked out the items.
We got beds alright which look like a luxury for them.
May post some photos once they are settled in

anniehoo

ifconfig wrote: »

May post some photos once they are settled in

May post some pics?!!Its compulsory in here...we'll be waiting

SingItOut

just to add if you want somewhere for them to sleep, aldi have dog crates in this week. There pretty big, I have my kitten, her bed and litter box in it at night time and she has loads of room to move around

zef

You can pick up 'cat lazers' pretty cheaply in bargain stores or online, my kitten is 8 months old & loves to play still.
I would recc. Royal Canin or Red Mills dry food, found the supermarket stuff to be rubbish.
It's great you are getting 2 at the same time, they will be great company for each other. Good luck with them!

Kablamo!

If you can, grab a scratching post- if you can convince them to use it your furniture will thank you!

Themadhouse

I would advise keeping them indoors for at least 6 weeks so they understand that your home is also their home.
2 litter trays, scratch post, a laser toy (brilliant fun for kitten and who ever controls it). Also carriers which can be left around the house with the door off and a blanket inside it, it makes a great bed, a hidey hole and they become comfortable with it. Also treats, treats are good.

angry kitten

Lidl have great offers on dog and cat carriers tomorrow. The ones you can fold down. I got a large dog sized one in Aldi years ago and my cats love it. Its big enough for them to stand up and walk around in, its also easier to get a nervous cat into an oversized carrier. They have front and top opening and a cushion. My once feral cat loves to sleep in it. I think the small ones are 20 something euro and the large ones 40 something. I'll be getting another one tomorrow.

ifconfig

Thanks for all the very useful answers and pointers.
Both have arrived this morning. Actually they are (male neutered) cats rather than kittens.
One is 8mths old and the other just over 18mths.

The Tabby (the older one) retreated immediately under a bed where there is a mattress stored. The owner who raised them has said that, if the older one doesn't settle then we have the option of taking a younger kitten and she will take the one who is slow to settle back. We are going to give it a day to see.
The black/white one (8mths) settled in fine.

I notice a kind of nervous croaky almost mechanical purring from the older one when he is under the bed. He has been there for about 20mins so far.
The owner said, of the two, he is less comfortable with the car journey and perhaps he just needs to wind down after the journey.

Any tips ?

=ifc

anniehoo

ifconfig wrote: »

Any tips ?

Id honestly leave him be for a good while to let him settle. You cant force cats to do anything to be honest with you, so let him hide out under the bed for a day or so. Id be surprised if after 48hrs the curiosity hasnt gotten the better of him.

Dont poke or force him out, let him take in his new environment at his pace and he'll come around. Check on him every now and again, talking to him in a gentle voice etc and he'll calm down. Even the most stubborn cat will get bored after a few days.

SingItOut

ifconfig wrote: »

Any tips ?=ifc

With nervous cats it will take way more than a day for them to settle down. When I got my cat Beau, he was 6 months old and had little human contact (he had been locked in a bathroom his whole life prior to that). He was terrified and freaked out by everything & everyone. The only way I could even get close to him was to let him live in my bedroom for nearly two months afterwards, after about two weeks of him hiding under my bed he finally came out to see what was going on when I got home from college. After a month he was sleeping on my pillow at night. So we then allowed him free reign of the house. He was a very curious kitten but very nervous so we allowed him to come to us rather than searching for him or trying to coax him out (cats are not as gullible as dogs so that rarely works anyway). He became really friendly towards me, my uncle and a select few friends. He is 3 years old next month but it's only since last summer thats he's finally becoming friendly towards strangers, whereas before he would run if they even looked at him. Little kids still terrify him though . . . Your cat is probably just freaked out with the change of home, new faces etc give her/him a few weeks and it will open up to you on its own time. It just needs a few days/weeks to settle down

ifconfig

SingItOut & annieHoo ... many thanks for the info.

Actually these cats came from a very friendly home so I suspect it is just the strangeness of the journey (West Mayo to South Mayo .. slightly under an hour) and the new environment.

The one which seemed to settle well initially is now with the less settled one under the bed.

The only thing I am concerned about is food and toilet needs while they are there.
One one hand I wanted to establish our porch as the place where they would be fed/watered/bed/loo'ed.
I would worry that, if I bring food, etc to them under the bed it would spoil them and they would not learn where their real place was in the house for those activities

Any more advice ?
Keep it up.. it is great !

-ifc

anniehoo

ifconfig wrote: »

The only thing I am concerned about is food and toilet needs while they are there.

I would worry that, if I bring food, etc to them under the bed it would spoil them and they would not learn where their real place was in the house for those activities

For these initial few days i wouldnt worry about instilling one location for these things yet. Place a small litter tray just near your bed and a food dish a little bit away from it. If he's really digging his heels in (cats will really test your patience) he might take a few days to come around, but at least he wont have to go far to go to the toilet.

When hes relaxed and has established that you and your house is a safe zone then you can look into relocating it. Cats are super smart, and will hone in on exactly where their tray is no matter how many times you've changed it. Ive recently had to move my cats tray from the bedroom to the sitting room. Without even showing him he was in it 2 minutes later with no issue since.

You may find he'll have a scout around when its dark and everyones gone to bed!

angry kitten

I'm delighted they've arrived to you. It'll take a bit of time for them to adjust. Apart from the fact that most cats hate travelling, everything and everyone in your house is strange for them. They'll probably have a good snoop around when its quiet. I'd keep the tv off or on a low volume and try to leave them to come out when they want to.

As tempting as it is to try to coax a cat from under a bed, they can panic. I've found it best to let them come out in their own time. They just need to get their bearings and establish that nobody will hurt them. Best of luck with it, patience pays off with cats.

ifconfig

Photos of the two.
One is 8mths old (Monster/Male neutered)
Second is 18mths old or so (Felix also MN).

Apologies for the low-exposure/motion blur.
They have sought sanctuary under the bed and I didn't want to use flash or illuminate that area in case I frightened them !

-ifc

orchidsrpretty

Lovely cats! I got a rescue cat in November who was sooo scared. He spent the first 2 days hiding behind a chair in the kitchen. He came out in his own time and it took over two months to venture outside. I never thought he would settle but he has adjusted so well. Now he loves human affection and is always looking for kisses and cuddles.

Give the nervous cat s few weeks before you decide to give him back. A day is definitely not long enough

the_syco

anniehoo wrote: »

Dont poke or force him out, let him take in his new environment at his pace and he'll come around. Check on him every now and again, talking to him in a gentle voice etc and he'll calm down. Even the most stubborn cat will get bored after a few days.

All else fails, get a red laser pen. Get the ones that need AAA batteries as they're the cheapest to run.

This picture explains most cats reaction to red laser, but I've found outdoor cats who hunt generally ignore the laser dot (the laser dot activates their will to hunt, so have a treat at the end of the playtime, or they'll be disappointed that they had no "succcess" at the end of their "hunt").

Please note that these lasers are not toys, and thus should not be given to children.

=-=

Some cats feel safe in high places. You can get scratching posts with a "perch" (for lack of a better word) on the top of it. Some are open (cat can just rest on top) and some have a small entrance hole (so the cat can "hide" in it). If you notice the cats sleeping in high areas in the future, it may be an idea, but you should be grand with what you have for the time being.

angry kitten

They are gorgeous cats and look happy where they are. I've found things like long boot laces and dangler toys very handy with nervous cats. It lets them play with you from a distance that makes them feel safe. Cats can surprise you, they can be coy for a while then just switch in a heartbeat, as if they've known you all of their lives.

ifconfig

Update on the 2 cats :

(I may not have mentioned age before but they are approx 8mths & 18months respectively so a bit out of the kitten stage).

The tabby cat (18mths) who was very quick to want to retreat and find sanctuary seems to be establishing himself a good bit more now.
He has never gone back to under the bed and he has gone into the cat beds we've provided downstairs and he is eating well now.
Of the two cats, though, he is the one who is more likely to retreat a bit when you walk past him. Also it seems like as if the younger cat (which has a much more playful/hunting personality) is a bit dominant or maybe took advantage of his braveness and outgoing personality once they were introduced to our house.
They seem to get on well but on the odd occasion the young one picks a minor scrap with the older one (usually sorted out very quickly).

In terms of eating - we were told to give them dry food (GoCat) as that was what they were used to. However, we have found that the older one does like some wet food mixed in with dry food.
The original owner who reared them had said it was fine to allow them share a single bowl for eating (dry food). However, I think I will buy a second separate food bowl (metallic with rubber non-slip base).

I read various things about those pouches (eg, Felix cat food) being a bit like fast food and not good for regular feeding.
Our own diet at home here doesn't use a lot of meat (we are not veggies but we wouldn't be eating lots of roasts or steak, etc).
I suspect these cats were getting more scraps from table in addition to the dry food and I will check this again with the original owner.
I think the cats are no longer hungry but I am concerned that we don't give them rubbishy food either.

Again ... any tips are very welcome.
Photos again soon.

-ifc