# potential new cat owner



## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

hi, been thinking about getting a cat / kitten for a while and was wondering a few things.

Were going to get a young adult or a kitten from the rescue.

It will be getting left on its own for 8 -10 hours a day

1, If i get a kitten should i give it the run of the house while im out or should i keep it in a pen till its older?? (safety reasons for the cat and not trash the house)

2, If i buy a 2 year old cat should it have lost its naughty destructive tendencies by then???


never had a cat b4 and dont know what were letting ourselves in for, dont even know if its a good idea if were out at work most the day but most cat owners work so any advice for a new cat owner would be appreciated :w00t:

Thanks


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Hi and welcome to PF 
I would seriously consider getting two young cats if you are going to be at work all day. They will entertain each other - though cats do tend to sleep rather a lot 
Of course to start with, it's best to keep a cat or kitten confined to a safe room with food,water and a litter tray. As you say, both the kitten and your home will be safe.


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

I'm warming to the idea of 2 kittens but I only have a small 1 bedroom house.

If I have 2 kittens will I need 2 litter trays? Or will they share?


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

They may be happy to share a litter tray if it is big enough. Cats do very a great deal on their attitude towards litter trays - some even like separate trays for each function


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

lymorelynn said:


> some even like separate trays for each function


So if they had a problem about litter tray would the just tiddle on floor?


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

8-10 hours is an awfully long time for a kitten and even a young, still very playful, adult to be left alone. In your situation I think it might be best to opt for two cats as company for one another or perhaps one slightly older, more sedate cat. 

Whether kitten or adult, some minor damage to your soft furnishings (from scratching) is always a distinct possibility... not a foregone conclusion, but I think 'you' must enter into cat ownership half expecting that kind of thing and hopefully be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't happen! Providing scratching posts can prevent it but being away from home up to 10 hours a day isn't the best scenario for trying to train a cat to use a scratcher and not your furniture. 

Having a cat in your home will almost invariably mean some minor 'damage' at some point... scratched furniture, hair on furniture and clothing, a broken ornament, possibly a bit of a pong from the litter tray when you return from work... just the things most people accept and come with the territory. And definitely two trays required for two cats if you're away from home for 8-10 hours otherwise 'accidents' outside the tray are a possibility.


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## broccoli (Jul 1, 2011)

m4tth3w said:


> So if they had a problem about litter tray would the just tiddle on floor?


afraid so - i also work 8 -10 hrs weekdays, and got 2 for that reason

if larger rescues dont like you working that long , try little local rescues - many will have facebook pages 
( i was turned down by a national rescue for working full time!???, but some local branches are more...realistic!)


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

Meet Jenny my new 8 week old kitten, she really is a little darling. :001_wub:










We have organised a neighbour and retired relative to check in on her on the days we will be out for long time.


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## merlin12 (Jun 24, 2011)

she is lovely. Did you finally go to the rescue?


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## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

She is gorgeous.

Can i ask where you got her from? 8 weeks is a little too young to be taken away from Mummy. A lot of people do have kittens that young and do OK but it's not really recommended because Mummy cat uses this time to teach her 'cat ettiquette and behaviour'. Just so you aware she might need some additional 'training' and may have a few more 'incidents' (nibbling on you a little to hard as an example) than a slightly older cat.

Good luck with her though.


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## jenny armour (Feb 28, 2010)

love the name but then i would. she is gorgeous


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

Person I got her off was going to give her to the rescue so I took her as we fell in love with her. She didn't have a mummy as it hadn't come home.

I probably would have been better getting an older kitten from the rescue but as mentioned she was available and I fell in love with her and couldn't say no.

She is a lovely kitten and quite well behaved, apart from diving into the television wires, which I'm sure she does on purpose to annoy me as the more I remove her from the wire's the more she wants to be their. LOL


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## m4tth3w (Jan 12, 2012)

She is such a little sweetheart


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## Calinyx (Oct 14, 2011)

She is totally gorgeous. Congratulations on your new addition.


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