Practicalities of adopting a kitten

loveisdivine

My husband and I are considering adopting a deaf kitten.

I have 3 main concerns, I just want some opinions as to whether these are valid reasons to not go for it or whether they are thing that can be worked around.

I should probably say we currently live with my mother in law. She is fine with pets, we already have a rabbit and some guinea pigs.

1 - When no one is home the cat will be confined to our bedroom. My mother in law is very particular about the house alarm being set, so it wouldn't be practical to let her roam the house.
This would usually be for around 6 hours, but one day of the week it would be 8-5 and other days of the week we would be home all day.

2 - At night she would also be in our bedroom with us, is this entirely stupid?! Are we guaranteeing ourselves no sleep? Or does it depend on the cat. I should add our room has 1 window but its a sky light so not really practical for her to look out of.

3 - Our rabbit is a free ranger, I'm thinking that as the kitten is only tiny it will be easier to get them used to each other as the by the time the cat is larger they will both be used to each other. Am I being naive?

We are going to be with my mother in law for probably another 9 months or so. We had been renting for years but had to leave so they could sell and we are staying with her until we buy our own place in (hopefully) 6-9 months time. Then she would have free range of our new house.

Should we just wait? Or is this workable considering I have always wanted an indoor cat and as this cat is deaf she most definitely needs an indoor home. I also have no problem trying to get her used to a lead for walks and playing in the garden.

To be honest I have a soft spot for animals that have extra special needs.

Nody

loveisdivine wrote: »

1 - When no one is home the cat will be confined to our bedroom. My mother in law is very particular about the house alarm being set, so it wouldn't be practical to let her roam the house.
This would usually be for around 6 hours, but one day of the week it would be 8-5 and other days of the week we would be home all day.

Not a problem but you need to put a toilet in there for kitten to use. Ensure plenty of balls and other toys available but most likely snoozing through most of the time.

2 - At night she would also be in our bedroom with us, is this entirely stupid?! Are we guaranteeing ourselves no sleep? Or does it depend on the cat. I should add our room has 1 window but its a sky light so not really practical for her to look out of.

Kittens may play a bit or wake up early but there's no inherent problem with it. We have up to 4 adult cats in our bed at times and it's not an issue.

3 - Our rabbit is a free ranger, I'm thinking that as the kitten is only tiny it will be easier to get them used to each other as the by the time the cat is larger they will both be used to each other. Am I being naive?

Kitten will most likely try to play with the rabbit and possibly stalk it etc. No clue on how rabbits feel about cats though but I'd suspect it should not end up as a problem after a bit or two from the rabbit to teach it some respect.

We are going to be with my mother in law for probably another 9 months or so. We had been renting for years but had to leave so they could sell and we are staying with her until we buy our own place in (hopefully) 6-9 months time. Then she would have free range of our new house.

Be wary about renting with animals; it can be quite difficult to find a home as the default stance appears to be no pets. This may change if you don't mention pets directly and put some cash up front as additional deposit to the landlord but in no way guaranteed.

Narsil

I might not be answering all of your questions so hopefully others will help here ......but we have a deaf, 3 legged cat (and another 3 legged cat, regular 4 legged cat and a German Shepherd) all indoors!

I would firstly say that as the kitty is deaf, he/she should really have another kitty for company. Our Bowie follows the lead with the other cats as to whats happening in the house and when we first got him we tried to confine him in a room at night to get used to the house, but he got very lonely as he didn't know what was going on and he cried all night. Once let out he was very happy.
Having another kitty will also help with boredom if left all day.

loveisdivine

Thanks Nody, just to confirm we are actually purchasing our next house So no more renting!

The rabbit sometimes gets a fright if he's sat by the door and a cat appears at the window. But I think if they were introduced properly it would help and the fact that to begin with the kitten would be smaller than he is would help.

Thanks for the reassuring words though. We will keep mulling it over for now.

loveisdivine

Narsil wrote: »

I might not be answering all of your questions so hopefully others will help here ......but we have a deaf, 3 legged cat (and another 3 legged cat, regular 4 legged cat and a German Shepherd) all indoors!

I would firstly say that as the kitty is deaf, he/she should really have another kitty for company. Our Bowie follows the lead with the other cats as to whats happening in the house and when we first got him we tried to confine him in a room at night to get used to the house, but he got very lonely as he didn't know what was going on and he cried all night. Once let out he was very happy.
Having another kitty will also help with boredom if left all day.

Well at night she would be confined to our room with us, so we would be there if she got really upset. Lets face it, she will probably end up sleeping on the bed so that may help with comforting her.

Once we are in our own place we plan on adopting at least 1 more cat so she would eventually have cat company.

Narsil

loveisdivine wrote: »

Well at night she would be confined to our room with us, so we would be there if she got really upset. Lets face it, she will probably end up sleeping on the bed so that may help with comforting her.

Once we are in our own place we plan on adopting at least 1 more cat so she would eventually have cat company.

It's great that you would consider having another cat for company later and that kitty will be sleeping with you (because that's totally going to happen ). I'd just be concerned that being in a room on her own all day could upset her a lot. Bowie was very distressed being on his own for the 1 day he was alone. Deaf cats rely a lot on other cats/animals for comfort and support

loveisdivine

Ok, the rabbit would be in the room with her but there is obviously no guarantee they would be super friendly with each other.
We wouldn't be in a position at the minute to get 2 cats so that might be an issue.

I don't want to take her if its not the right thing for her. But I also don't want an animal to miss out on a loving home because I'm being too worried.

Its tricky!

Nody

loveisdivine wrote: »

Ok, the rabbit would be in the room with her but there is obviously no guarantee they would be super friendly with each other.
We wouldn't be in a position at the minute to get 2 cats so that might be an issue.

I don't want to take her if its not the right thing for her. But I also don't want an animal to miss out on a loving home because I'm being too worried.

Its tricky!

Ask to speak with the foster family and get their input on how the kitten currently behaves. For example you might come to an agreement to try it for a weekend or a week etc. to see if it works out due to the special circumstances.

pawrick

1 - When no one is home the cat will be confined to our bedroom. My mother in law is very particular about the house alarm being set, so it wouldn't be practical to let her roam the house.
This would usually be for around 6 hours, but one day of the week it would be 8-5 and other days of the week we would be home all day.

2 - At night she would also be in our bedroom with us, is this entirely stupid?! Are we guaranteeing ourselves no sleep? Or does it depend on the cat. I should add our room has 1 window but its a sky light so not really practical for her to look out of.

3 - Our rabbit is a free ranger, I'm thinking that as the kitten is only tiny it will be easier to get them used to each other as the by the time the cat is larger they will both be used to each other. Am I being naive?

A lot of this depends on the temperament of the cat. Do what Nody suggest and find out as much as possible from the foster owners as that the best place to start.

My own experience - 2 cats, one will sleep all night happily in the room if let which was fine until I got another rescue cat who goes crazy once you are asleep and will not stop until you wake up. Now I confine them to my conservatory at night so I can sleep and looking out the windows at moths etc. keeps the night terrorist happy. They have no problem being confined but will let you know when they want to be let out again in the mornings.
Re introducing to a rabbit - my aunt had a cat and a rabbit, they got on fine together and both had free roam of the house and garden. I assume she introduced the cat when it was young as this seems to be the best time to do it so it's definitely workable but I would be very careful to keep a close eye in the early stages as a large rabbit can give a nasty bite or bully other animals.

boomerang

If the kitten is going to be confined to a bedroom on its own for a sizeable chunk of the week, and for nine months, then it would be disastrous for them, sorry. Presuming a kitten is eight weeks old now, that's going to be a cat in confinement at over a year old and it's just not feasible. When were you thinking of beginning to let them outside? I'd recommend waiting until *at least* six months. (Mine didn't go out until they were up on a year old.)

loveisdivine

boomerang wrote: »

If the kitten is going to be confined to a bedroom on its own for a sizeable chunk of the week, and for nine months, then it would be disastrous for them, sorry. Presuming a kitten is eight weeks old now, that's going to be a cat in confinement at over a year old and it's just not feasible. When were you thinking of beginning to let them outside? I'd recommend waiting until *at least* six months. (Mine didn't go out until they were up on a year old.)

Well she won't be allowed outside on her own ever because she's deaf. I would hope to take her at least into the garden on a lead as soon as is safe.

For 4 days of the week there will be someone home with her all day and night and she would have access to the whole house. She would have access to the whole house every evening.

2 days of the week she would be in the bedroom between the hours of 8am and 12ish, then one day of the week she would be there 9-5 (well I go home for lunch so she's be out for an hour then) then she would be in there at night with us.

the beer revolu

I don't believe a cat would trigger a domestic alarm.

Alun

the beer revolu wrote: »

I don't believe a cat would trigger a domestic alarm.

Ours did once ... repeatedly, all day, one Sunday when we were out all day, cue lots of rude anonymous letters through the letterbox

Having said that it was an oldish alarm system, and I understand that you can now get sensors that are "pet safe" and won't trigger (theoretically at least) for small animals.

boomerang

loveisdivine wrote: »

Well she won't be allowed outside on her own ever because she's deaf. I would hope to take her at least into the garden on a lead as soon as is safe.

Oops sorry, missed that when I read your post the first time! Would recommend Mywood Cat Jackets from UK, they will post to Ireland.

on_my_oe

When was the alarm installed? Our alarm sensors only picks up warm bodies above 18kgs, so a small toddler or cat will go by unnoticed

loveisdivine

I'm not sure how old it is, I'd have to find out. My mother in law also insists on locking all the doors downstairs so Ben of we did let her out at night, she would only have the landing and hall.

We are just thinking about the window in the room, at night when it's warm we like to keep it slightly open, anybody have any ideas as to how to keep it open a little but safe so she can't climb up and fall out?

I've attached a rather crappy photo!

URL=http://s341.photobucket.com/user/loveisdivine_photos/media/Mobile Uploads/image_zpsfx04hw9n.jpg.html][/URL]

Nody

Mosquito net on a frame set inside the window (basically you need something that'll hold up to the kitten jumping on it and holding on, i.e. not the cheap ebay stuff) and make sure there's nothing close by (such as your bed frame) that she can use to jump up to it (I'd aim for at least 1.5m clear around it). This is an example of what you can install.

loveisdivine

Thanks, it looks like we should be able to get something sorted. To be honest its only the last few nights we've had it open more than a crack, so it won't usually be an issue.

Going to see her at the foster house tonight

kathleen37

Good for you! We have a couple of deaf cats that roam outside during the day, but are kept in at night. Always a risk with the road - but we are quite rural and they've reached into their late teens so far...

We also have a tripod that lives in the living room - she only goes into the kitchen at night - when none of the other cats are about. She has the option to go outside, but chooses not too. She'll get as far as sitting on the back step, but that's it. Comes in again then. Having said that, she has her various cat gym's in the living room, and it's a pretty big room so she has lots to occupy her. Her favourite spot is on top of one of her climbers, looking out the window.

Re keeping her in the bedroom - if the room isn't big - there may be issues - and I think you'll defo need to make sure she has lots to do, so lots of different levels for her to climb and hide, and lots of toys - so she doesn't start hanging off the TV cable etc. You'll also have to make sure there isn't anything of yours she can smash up, or harm herself on. (I'm sure you find out how much cats enjoy pushing stuff off shelves/tables/whatever...)

She may turn out to be a sleeper, in which case you'll prob be ok. What happens though if it doesn't work out just keeping her in the bedroom? If the plan then is to keep the alarm off and she has more space to roam, then you should be ok.

Good luck and again, good for you for taking a special needs kitty. So many people are put off by them, but usually, there are only small adjustments that are needed.

loveisdivine

Thanks Kathleen. I've put together a few ideas of things to try if she's not settling well at night. I'm hoping that once she's old enough we can start walking her in the evenings before bed which might help if she's struggling.

The foster has her set up in a crate at night time and said that once the lights are off she barely makes a sound. So I think we will carry on with the crate at least while she settles in, then we can experiment with keeping her out at night.

And I have to remember that the current set up is only temporary.

We went to visit her last night at the fosters and she's adroable, a right handful of crazy! We talked our issues over with them and they agreed that everything should be fine with the neccesary precautions.

So all being well we will collect her tomorrow The rescue already knew us a little anyway.

loveisdivine

Meet Ripley! She's half crazy ball of claws and half sleepy cuddly kitten.

So far rabbit doesn't seem too scared. If she goes right up to his bars he sometimes gives a thump of the leg, but if I distract him with treats or rubs he does't seem to mind her much at all.

Its only been 24 hours though so I'm optimistic that things will improve more in time.

You can't see too well in the photo but she has one really bright blue eye and one really bright green

Narsil

Aww! She's like a baby Bowie!!! So cute, congrats

chanelfreak

OMG she is adorable!! Such a little dotie