# Looking For A New Kitten



## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

I am actively looking for a kitten and have contacted all the animal rescue people within my area, but nobody seems to have any!

I would like a kitten who is male and short haired.

He would come to a very loving, cat orientated home of just one other cat, a female of 13, my husband and self. We live in a safe no through road with a large woodland garden, backing onto woods and golf course. We are in Tadley, 7 miles north of Basingstoke.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

It's been over a month since I posted up. Two Rescue Centres in Southampton and Basingstoke took my phone number and said they would contact me ......... and I am still waiting. I just wonder what one has to do in order to find a new kitten.

I went onto Preloved and emailed 2 people wanting to rehome and neither of them bothered to respond. What is the matter with people?


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

It's not the kitten season. At some times of the year there are simply more people wanting kittens than there are kittens available. Unless you are prepared to pay for a pedigree kitten (these tend to be available all year round) you will have to wait until probably May to find one now.

Liz


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## fluffosaur (Dec 10, 2009)

If my foster kitty turns out to be pregnant it's likely she'll be producing some kittens within the next month & they'll be ready in 3. They'll likely be longhair chocolate/tabby though.

My local petshop has some kittens that cost £40 and are currently living in sawdust??  I'd love for them to go to a decent home but that's highly unlikely.


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## ellie8024 (May 4, 2009)

check out catchat.org there are a few rescues in the hampshire area that are advertising kittens


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks to all for helpful advice and information.

I realize that there are few kittens around within my area, but I saw two up on Preloved, ie older kittens and enquired about them. I would have appreciated a "no thank you" or being told that the animal had been rehomed, but no response to my emails.

With regard to the rescue centres I have come up against this type of behaviour before. The ones I mentioned said they would ring me back to take all the details, but never did. We would love to give a home to a less fortunate cat, but my past experiences have proved not good with these centres.


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## fluffosaur (Dec 10, 2009)

Rescue centres are inundated with people who want kittens. It would literally be impossible to call back everybody who called up requesting a kitten because it would take days every time they had a litter in!

Your best bet is to keep calling the rescue centres to make enquires as to whether they have kittens in. They literally don't know from one day to the next who they are going to have in as kittens get reserved very quickly.

If you would consider giving a home to an older cat (1 year or so) then I could put you in touch with a lot of shelters who have those. They are sadly overlooked because everybody wants a kitten & nobody wants the older cat (which the kitten will grow into anyway).


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

fluffosaur said:


> Rescue centres are inundated with people who want kittens. It would literally be impossible to call back everybody who called up requesting a kitten because it would take days every time they had a litter in!
> 
> Your best bet is to keep calling the rescue centres to make enquires as to whether they have kittens in. They literally don't know from one day to the next who they are going to have in as kittens get reserved very quickly.
> 
> If you would consider giving a home to an older cat (1 year or so) then I could put you in touch with a lot of shelters who have those. They are sadly overlooked because everybody wants a kitten & nobody wants the older cat (which the kitten will grow into anyway).


I can understand that they are inundated with enquiries regarding kittens. One Centre had already said that they had no kittens in, but would telephone "within the next couple of days" and take all my details. The other Centre emailed back and said they would contact me within a day or two.

We had not considered a cat of approx. one year only because we thought our cat might take to a kitten better. We are not adverse to an older animal, but would hate to rehome and find our current cat not accepting of it, as can happen, and then be faced with the prospect of having to return the cat which would not be fair on it at all. That would be heartbreaking for us I can assure you.


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## fluffosaur (Dec 10, 2009)

Honestly, the same can happen with a kitten. In some ways it can be much worse because a kitten is small & pretty defenceless and the other cat fighting for dominance has already been established in the house. I've always found it easier to introduce older cats as opposed to trying to introduce a young one and a much older one.

Example - I'm currently fostering a 12 year old male, a 1 year old pregnant female and I did have an 8 month old bengal kitten until last week. The two youngest took around a week to come to terms with the other being around (for the growling to stop) and to share food bowls and trays. The oldest one hates both of them being around & will actively seek to start fights with cats smaller than itself.

It really does depend on the temperament of your other cat but in my experience introducing 2 younger cats (both under the age of 1) is far easier than trying to introduce a kitten to a much older cat. They feel threatened & (in my experience) have been quicker to try and establish dominance through whatever means necessary.

However, introducing cats is always going to be hit & miss. You can't force these creatures to get along and it's likely that any cat suddenly appearing in your current cats established territory is going to make fur fly for a good long while anyway !! 

I've worked in an animal shelter before it's just simply a matter of having the time to call people back when they mean to. I guess it's like any job with demands, only the demands of animals are wide and varied & often very time consuming !! I'm sure they meant to call you back but figured if you were serious you'd phone back anyway.


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Liz Damaschka said:


> Thanks to all for helpful advice and information.
> 
> I realize that there are few kittens around within my area, but I saw two up on Preloved, ie older kittens and enquired about them. I would have appreciated a "no thank you" or being told that the animal had been rehomed, but no response to my emails.


Some preloved advertisers are incredibly rude about this, I've lost count of the number of advertisers I have mailed and never had a reply. What astounds me even more is the number who never bother to remove their ads but leave them up having reworded them to say the cat is sold - why not just take the ad down?

Liz


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## Maiisiku (Feb 20, 2009)

lizward said:


> Some preloved advertisers are incredibly rude about this, I've lost count of the number of advertisers I have mailed and never had a reply. What astounds me even more is the number who never bother to remove their ads but leave them up having reworded them to say the cat is sold - why not just take the ad down?
> 
> Liz


Because they are lazy? I don't know.

I rehomed a 'kitten' who was 6 months from a lady. If you look out on freeads and look for the current listings in your area they often are pretty good. Although you need to be fast. I called 3 hours after she put up the adverisment because we thought she'd go quick


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## fluffosaur (Dec 10, 2009)

Kittens go really quick. My local petshop had 4 in the other day and they sold in less than 24 hours. There really is a fast turnaround on them! If you see an ad and it's more than a few days old then chances are the kitten has already gone.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

lizward said:


> Some preloved advertisers are incredibly rude about this, I've lost count of the number of advertisers I have mailed and never had a reply. What astounds me even more is the number who never bother to remove their ads but leave them up having reworded them to say the cat is sold - why not just take the ad down?
> 
> Liz


Oh how I agree with you!! I had to e mail one person three times and felt I was being a bother and said so! Still did not hear so contacted Preloved only to enquire if my e mails were getting through. The response came back that everything was working their end and that I had my a/c set up correctly. Preloved said they would email the seller to see if the cat was still for sale and to contact me and also communicate with them. A day went past and nothing, by which time I had decided enough was enough. Preloved then got back to me and said that they had removed the ad. Soon after that I got a response, the contents of which suggested a lot of e mails had been received regarding the cat. Somebody was going to see the cat last night and if the cat was not rehomed she seller would contact me today. When I told my husband he said the ad should have been updated letting all interested parties know of the sheer volume of enquiries instead of people being left up in the air not knowing what was going on.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

I have taken on board the advice offered. Never heard back about the British Shorthair (and I have fallen in love with the breed!) on Preloved, but am open minded as to which cat(s) eventually come to live with us.


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## zacknzena (Jan 2, 2010)

Liz Damaschka said:


> Oh how I agree with you!! I had to e mail one person three times and felt I was being a bother and said so! Still did not hear so contacted Preloved only to enquire if my e mails were getting through. The response came back that everything was working their end and that I had my a/c set up correctly. Preloved said they would email the seller to see if the cat was still for sale and to contact me and also communicate with them. A day went past and nothing, by which time I had decided enough was enough. Preloved then got back to me and said that they had removed the ad. Soon after that I got a response, the contents of which suggested a lot of e mails had been received regarding the cat. Somebody was going to see the cat last night and if the cat was not rehomed she seller would contact me today. When I told my husband he said the ad should have been updated letting all interested parties know of the sheer volume of enquiries instead of people being left up in the air not knowing what was going on.


is this any good Preloved | kitten ready now - 12 weeks old for sale in Leicester, Leicestershire, UK


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

zacknzena said:


> is this any good Preloved | kitten ready now - 12 weeks old for sale in Leicester, Leicestershire, UK


Thanks, but just too far to travel.

In the meantime I looked on a local(ish) Animal Rescue Centre and they had 2 x 8month cats to be rehomed together as they were inseparable. Today they were in the Free Ads so I have telephoned them. One was hand reared from being a kitten and the other bought in with his mum when he was born under a caravan. Mum has since been rehomed.

One cat is extremely outgoing, the other quieter and led by the other and the lady at the Rescue Centre wonders whether the "naughty one" (her words not mine!) would be too much for my 13 year old cat. Anyhow we are going to see them both this Saturday and have a look at them.


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## zacknzena (Jan 2, 2010)

aww good luck


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Hope it goes well - they will at least be company for each other and not bother your older cat so much.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

spid said:


> Hope it goes well - they will at least be company for each other and not bother your older cat so much.


That's what we thought!

The tabby one sounds a right little tearaway, but lovable with it. They both love people apparently. Been only at the Rescue Centre throughout their short lives, know no different. I will report back once I have seen the two of them.


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## nessa (Jan 11, 2010)

Hiya,

Have you tried the Friday -ads online for your area, i found the kitten im getting in Ringwood by searching by area. The lady had also had a male tabby 8 weeks old.

nessa


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

nessa said:


> Hiya,
> 
> Have you tried the Friday -ads online for your area, i found the kitten im getting in Ringwood by searching by area. The lady had also had a male tabby 8 weeks old.
> 
> nessa


Thanks for the information and I will take a look!


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

I went to the Rescue Centre today and saw the two young cats and my husband and I spent some time with them, handled them. We thought they were very nice cats, genuine and fond of people. They were born in March last year.

I have let them know at the Rescue Centre that we would like to offer them a home with us and Tiggy, our remaining cat, subject to the satisfactory home visit.

I hope everything turns out well.


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## zacknzena (Jan 2, 2010)

Good luck


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

We followed up with a home visit today and did all the necessary paperwork.

The female is to be neutered this week and we will pick her up and bring her home to recover. After a few days we will return and pick up the other cat. Also that way our cat meets them one at a time, that bit I am dreading.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

The first of the two rescue cats arrived yesterday following her neutering operation that day.
She is 10 months old. I have placed her in a secure room with peace and quiet. She does not appear to have drunk any water and I am a bit worried about this because I do not want dehydration. She has been here almost 24 hours now. Is very quiet following the op which is understandable. Does not appear to want the food. Am I just a worry guts?


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Rehoming immediately after surgery wouldn't be my preference - far too much stress all at once!

liz


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

lizward said:


> Rehoming immediately after surgery wouldn't be my preference - far too much stress all at once!
> 
> liz


What a turnaround last night, chicken was offered and eaten and she came out of her safe haven and started exploring. She loves human contact and is so friendly.
I did say to the Animal Rescue Place that on reflection it would have been better had she had her op, returned to the Rescue Place and when stitches were taken out to be brought to us. However, that was discounted because the Rescue Place is being closed soon, is very spartan in my opinion and although in a purpose built building does not fully protect them from the elements and was told she would be much warmer in my home.

Ah well I can only do my best.


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

Well done - so glad you offered your home to 2 rescue cats that were slightly older than kittens.

Glad the female has lived upto all your expectations.


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## Liz Damaschka (Feb 11, 2009)

Janee said:


> Well done - so glad you offered your home to 2 rescue cats that were slightly older than kittens.
> 
> Glad the female has lived upto all your expectations.


All proceeds quite well. She has now ventured from the dining room through to the breakfast room which connects with the kitchen. Opened up the doors between the dining room where she is housed through to the lounge and she loved that room. Last night she was head butting my other half and appears to love him!

We have introduced Tiggy to her from a distance. I had to smile, the new little cat just stood her ground stood right close to my husband and looked at Tiggy. Tiggy just hissed.
Just taking one day at a time gradually integrating her into the household.

She is the most delightful cat and I made the right decision. Next weekend her companion arrives so she will be over the moon.


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