Might be getting a kitten today...

[shewasmyshadow]

So, my parents always have all these feral cats at their place. They try to get them all spayed, but there's this one female that will NOT be caught. She had kittens already this spring. My mom caught one of the babies at 2 days old and then another one at 3 weeks. One is a chubby orange long-hair and the other is a vividly striped(looks like a real tiger's stripe pattern) med-hair brown tabby. The tabby is very wild since he was not caught early and is my favorite. I went over to my parent's house the day after he was caught. My mom said not to hold him since he was wild, but I brought him out to sit in my lap while I watch TV and he was great. He kept wanting to hiss at me, but when I petted or scratched his belly he would melt and start enjoying it. Anyways, my other cat is a feral too that I raised on the bottle, so I have a soft spot for wild babies. My mom already has her hands full bottle feeding the orange one, so I want to take this other one. She's bringing them over today and then I can play with him again and decide. I hate to take him away from his brother, but I also like it when you can get your kitten still on the bottle. There's some sort of special bond that you get from getting them very young. I also want my current cat to get to bond with him early. She's shown some slight signs of loneliness lately and I'm hoping the kitten will spark her interest.

Anyway, I'll let you know what happens. I'll get pictures too. :)

[WashingtonBay]

Monsters! Well, you could solve both problems and take both of 'em :D

[shewasmyshadow]

ROFL. I throught of that. My mom is thinking of keeping their original one-the orange kitten. He's so fat! I call him "the Fat".

[alittleoffkey]

Awe, very sweet... but you really need some pictures. Some... a lot of... whichever. :D

I hope you get your kitten. :) I love the name "The Fat".

[missyfritz]

Aw, kitties! Hope this works out. :)

[Gypsy Rose]

Awwwww! Hope it works out or you! Every kitten deserves a good home and a buddy. He sounds like he's a real cutie! Can hardly wait to see pics!

[carla]

Definitely take the non-orange one. Orange ferals are the debil. :D

Good luck! Can't wait to see pics!

[shewasmyshadow]

Drum roll please! I now have BOTH kittens. :D I can't decide which kitten to keep and my mom said she wasn't going to keep one of them, so I took both of them. Now I can observe both kittens and decide which one will fit into our household the best. They are both DARLING!!

Here's Ethan's expression when we got them out of the carry cage:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3600.jpg

Here's the little brown tabby kitten:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3604.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3605.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3602.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3609.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3616.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3620.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3619.jpg

Orange longhair with white paws/face:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3623.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3621.jpg

Side by side:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/JessicaBe/102_3624.jpg

[shewasmyshadow]

Which one do you like best??

[carla]

OMG- something tells me the tabby will be the best cat ever. I have two of them and have NEVER had better cats. My Billy (my BEST boy EVER) looks almost exactly like yours markings-wise and he is just amazing! (And he was a ferile, too! :D )


*ahem*

So yeah, I pick the brown tabby. :whistle:

edit: will you be getting these guys tested before being around your current cat? Just wondering.. it was something I had to deal with bring home our newest wild girl. Of course, I already knew my current boy has FIV, so it was more for the new girl's protection if she were to not have it (which she does).

[shewasmyshadow]

I kind of like the tabby better too, but my son and the orange one are already pals. :doh: I don't know what I'll decide. If I could afford to spay two, then I would keep both.

[carla]

Well, do they have any reduced-cost spay/neuter deals in your area? Around here, you can get a $40 neuter or a $60 spay, so two neuters would be about the price of one regular spay ($90 last I checked).

Here- try this:

http://neuterspay.org/

[shewasmyshadow]

Wow. That cheap? Last time we spayed it was like $160!! We also remove the front claws though. Our last cat REALLY scratched!! We had no choice since we were renters at the time.

Anyone had success with alternatives to declawing??

[Dandy21]

Just a note... they're both tabbies. I love "the Fat" though, she looks so... fluffy. Like a fluffy ghost.

[shewasmyshadow]

Just a note... they're both tabbies. I love "the Fat" though, she looks so... fluffy. Like a fluffy ghost.

Oh, yeah. Duh. I knew that. I guess that's been my defining line. Orange kitty and brown tabby kitty. The brown one sure has vivid stripes, huh? I want real names for both of them, so I started a name thread in General Discussion. I was thinking of Harmony for the brown one and Rhythm for the orange one.

[carla]

SWMS- yep, actually "last time i checked" was this morning. :p About to have to get one done here.

Did you check that site to see if there are any cheapies in your area? Around here they're reputable from what I hear; LOTS use them.

I have tried the "Soft Claws" covers, or whatever they're called. Had no luck. They're too much upkeep for me. So for now, they have the couch and the one spot on the carpet that they've claimed. Someday I'll have new stuff. :( LOL

[alittleoffkey]

They're both adorable! I'd keep them both. :D

<--is no help.

[shewasmyshadow]

Most the ones near us are for ferals only I think. The humane society only does spays on females that have had litters and you have to give them the litter.

I do know a vet down south of us who does feral baby fixing for cheap. He actually does them for free if their adult ferals. He knows us and might be the cheapest route. Otherwise, my neighbor recommended a local vet. He's kind of "old school", but I guess he knows all the tricks and can fix anything! He doesn't rely on x-rays and tests, but can usually eye ball problems. So, he can save you some money that way. They show Min Pins and he's the only vet they'll use. I guess he saved their show cat a few years back. I'll probably get some estimates before deciding.

[shewasmyshadow]

They're both adorable! I'd keep them both. :D

<--is no help.

Gee thanks. :rolleyes:

[Gypsy Rose]

They're both so adorable! My vote is to keep both. Then they can be buddies as they grow up.

[shewasmyshadow]

Yeah, I don't think my hubby will go for that.

[Piper522]

KEEP THEM BOTH!! They want to stay together!!!:)

[Mountain Creek]

They are both so cute I wouldn't be able to decide. Maybe you could find a low cost spay and neuter clinic and keep them both! We have one not too far from us that did the surgeries for $30 a piece of course we brought like 10 cats so we got a huge discount. :)

I have used those nail caps and I never had a problem with them but like others have said it can be time consuming. Before my cats were allowed to go outside I would just keep their nails short and give them lots of scratching posts. I don't like the whole declawing thing but I totally understand if you rent those are just some of the things you have to do. We rent and we had to buy our dog a bark collar because the neighbors were complaining when we weren't home about our girl barking. Thankfully I only have to put it on her once and awhile.

[jeezitsjacki]

awwwww they are so cute, especially the tabby. I have a tabby though who is my baby so I have a bias

[shewasmyshadow]

Wow, jeez that is probably what the one will look like as an adult! Very cool to see that. I'll have to show my mom.

Right now I like the tabby the best, but my son is totally smitten with the orange. Plus, the orange one likes him better. I am thinking the tabby will enjoy being an only cat in a quiet home. Like maybe a single lady or a couple that isn't planning to have kids. Even an empty nester home. I love Dakota (the tabby), but I think he would end up hiding under the bed all the time here. :( Pumpkin seems to be the best match for this noisy, active, young family.

[shewasmyshadow]

Check this out!

102_3628.flv video by JessicaBe - Photobucket

[JetLagaside]

I couldn't pick between them they are both to cute!
I just use clippers and trim off the tips of the claws, I give them cardboard and rope poles to scratch on and have never had an issue with furnature.

[carla]

LOL, I tried one of the corrugated (sp) board boxes once, with the catnip that you pour down into it.. The only cat who would pay ANY attention to it was the DECLAWED one! :doh: