Long time no post!!!

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

 

Grand news.  And it'll give you a chance to make all good and ready for her arrival.   

[NikNakNoo]

Haha yes we picked Bella. Deposit has been paid and we will be coming home Friday 20th may!!

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

So.      Assuming it's Bella, (how could it not be Bella) I make that around 35 sleeps to go?   

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    You chose!!!   She's lovely.  I love the name Bella, and it works well with your others.

We've just acquired two large cat trees with plenty of comfy platforms, which has proved very popular so think a kitty city or something similar for your babies will go down very well.   

[hollycat]

A couple of th stays on the corner beds broke., but you don't have to buy them if you don't want to. Probably over enthusiastic Hoolies jumping on them from a great height.

[NikNakNoo]

I am slave to an all black and a black + white . Black cats do get a bad rap,totally wrong IMHO  Your little girl is a sweetie - but I would have said that whichever you had chosen 

The other two had moustaches. One had a black one and the other like a little milky white moustache.

The little girl kitten is totally black tho. We already decided on a name...she will be Bella.

So you'll have Bebe, bruno, Barnaby-Jones and Bella

[NikNakNoo]

quote author=NikNakNoo link=topic=46933.msg853889#msg853889 date=1461101944]

She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.

Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one 

She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted

I have kitty city. I've had a couple of problems with it but they sorted it immediately. I think it's because the Hoolies are so big, 6kg each. They like it though, they play and sleep on it
[/quote]

What was wrong with it? I've been toying with the idea of getting one for a while but now we will have 4 cats, it might be nice for them. Lots of places to sleep and hide and play.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I am slave to an all black and a black + white . Black cats do get a bad rap,totally wrong IMHO  Your little girl is a sweetie - but I would have said that whichever you had chosen 

[hollycat]

quote author=NikNakNoo link=topic=46933.msg853889#msg853889 date=1461101944]

She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.

Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one 

She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted
[/quote]

I have kitty city. I've had a couple of problems with it but they sorted it immediately. I think it's because the Hoolies are so big, 6kg each. They like it though, they play and sleep on it

[NikNakNoo]

She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.

Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one 

She's is rather lovely but very small. We now have to wait 5 weeks until we can bring her home. Need to get a move on a sort out the second bedroom so it can be a kitty play centre. Anyone bought one of those kitty cities?? Am tempted

[hollycat]

She's gorgeous. I had a black one, Holly, she was 21 and a half when we lost her. Had her from 6 weeks old.

Go for her, you have your heart set on her. She's the one 

[NikNakNoo]

You'll know which one is right.   

That's the thing...they are all lovely but at 3 weeks how do you know whether they are the right one. I think we will go with the female kitten. She seemed right initially so...here's a picture of her

[hollycat]

You'll know which one is right.   

[NikNakNoo]

Me, biased. Noooooooooooo. 

I love all cats 

Haha

I have a pull towards the one with white socks but I'm not sure. We have actually already named the little girl kitten. So maybe that's a sign. Who knows

[hollycat]

Me, biased. Noooooooooooo. 

I love all cats 

[hollycat]

Full black and white. When I got the Hoolies Zoonie was very quiet and used to hide. Now he is full of confidence and has a huge personality

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Gotta go to bed now - early start in the morning, but hoping that by tomorrow, you'll have arrived at a decision you're all happy with.  Cant wait to learn which one you pick.   

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I dont think so, because she squeaks a lot when she's picked up - that's her asserting her tiny authority. 

And yes, all kittens are cute.    As a second choice, I'd go for the more confident of the two black and white, who's more likely to be a good match for Bruno (but who Bebe might find a bit of a pest initially)

You're welcome.  Hansum cats need to be complimented I find.  As do the beautiful ones.  (And what cat isn't both of those things?)

[NikNakNoo]

Meant to say, Barnaby Jones is a right hansum lad, isn't he? 

No more so than Bruno and Bebe of course who are equally lovely, but I've always had a soft spot for gingers.      (which is how I currently come to have 1 tabby and two tabby and whites. )

Aww thank you. He's a rather special boy. He's a big lad too. Over 5kg.

[NikNakNoo]

Andrew's biased.   

All black cats often finder it harder to get a home.  People are often prejudiced against their colour (seriously).  Not that I'm trying to influence your decision any more than Andrew is....   

Yes well we were purposely looking for a black cat for that very reason. We think they are beautiful. We were decided on the black girl kitten initially until we saw the others. But all kittens are cute. I just not sure if she is shy and that will lead to her being timid and aggressive. She is the smallest out of the 3 kittens and her two brothers boss her around.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Meant to say, Barnaby Jones is a right hansum lad, isn't he? 

No more so than Bruno and Bebe of course who are equally lovely, but I've always had a soft spot for gingers.      (which is how I currently come to have 1 tabby and two tabby and whites. )

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Andrew's biased.   

All black cats often finder it harder to get a home.  People are often prejudiced against their colour (seriously).  Not that I'm trying to influence your decision any more than Andrew is....   

[NikNakNoo]

Hmmmm. 

I think I'd be leaning towards the first kitten you described.  Even though she's younger, she sounds like a good match for your other cats.  Quite a lot of kittens are wobbly on their legs even when they're ab it older.  We got our beloved Paddy at 8 weeks old, and he used to keel over sometimes, or walk on tippy-toes.  We worried there may have been something wrong with him.  There wasn't, and he never had any bother walking once he got to about 12 weeks and - quite literally "found his feet." 

Good luck!  (By the way, what colour is the first one?)

She's completely black

[NikNakNoo]

Hhhhreeyyy you just said that cos you have black and white!!!!

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Hmmmm. 

I think I'd be leaning towards the first kitten you described.  Even though she's younger, she sounds like a good match for your other cats.  Quite a lot of kittens are wobbly on their legs even when they're ab it older.  We got our beloved Paddy at 8 weeks old, and he used to keel over sometimes, or walk on tippy-toes.  We worried there may have been something wrong with him.  There wasn't, and he never had any bother walking once he got to about 12 weeks and - quite literally "found his feet." 

Good luck!  (By the way, what colour is the first one?)

[NikNakNoo]

Black with white socks or black and white? The socks kitten is more confident. The black and white is the one who is a little more solitary

[hollycat]

Black and white. 

[NikNakNoo]

Okay so eventually I heard back from both (so my bad for bad mouthing them, sorry!) And we have now seen both sets of kittens again.

I would be so grateful if you lovely people could offer some advice.

So kitten number one is a little girl. Only 3 and half weeks old. She is one of only three kittens. Mum is only a year old and it's her first litter. Mum is calm and friendly. Little kitten is the smallest and the last to be born. Seems scared and shy but I guess at 3 weeks old she would be. She's not really walking very well but again, is young. She squeaks a lot when being picked up.

Kitten number two and three come from a different litter and it's a litter of 7. Both boys. One which is black and white is a little smaller, he takes himself off and sometimes sits alone away from his litter mates but seems calm. The other one which is black with white socks is more confident and will mix with the others more. Their mum is only 9 months old herself and again, first litter.

All three kittens come from a home environment and will be used to home noises. All are being handled.

We just can't decide. We think we have and then we change our mind. We think maybe it's best not to get another boy and bruno and barnaby are best buds and we don't want to upset them but then would bebe like another girl in the house.

So would do you wise people think?

We need to decide this evening in the next hour!! HELP

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    Sadly that's very often the case.  A few of us have experienced that in the past.

I would persevere though - there's the right kitten out there for you, and of course kitten season will be getting into full swing very soon, so I suspect there will be many for you to choose from.  Might be a good idea to register with some rescues now, in case they want to undertake a home check first.  They should be willing to let you spend some time choosing a kitten, and spending time with them.

[NikNakNoo]

It's amazing how people can be so greedy. The two people I was talking to about the kittens are no longer replying. I'm assuming because we didn't choose right there and then and didn't hand over cash they are no longer interested in letting us rehome a kitten. People really are in it for the money. They'd rather give these precious animals to anyone who's willing to pay than to a home where the purchase of a pet is considered and thought about. Makes me angry.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Andrew's Hoolies are legendary! 

All three of our cats have come from Westgate Ark.  They do an amazing job.   

It seems like you have a mixture of personality types already, but I think I'd probably aim for a kitten who's a bit more laid back.  How to tell can be hard when they're younger, as everything they encounter is formative, but you may find this helpful, and I'd suggest going back to see both sets of kittens again before you decide:

http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/cat-types

http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/adding-cats

Having said that, of our two Gurlcats, Malt has the face of an angel, and is the more wary of our two, yet she can be a full-on Hooliecat like Andrew's boys and Gill's Lupin when she wants to be.  Barleygurlie has the more dominant personality, and is the more approachable of the two, but both of them are still learning to shed their semi-feral roots, and to trust.  We find out new things about them each day, and they've changed tremendously in the almost 6 months we've had them.   

How you interact, and how the other cats interact will play a big part in how your new kitten shapes up, but there will be clues there as to their characteristics,

Looking forward to seeing how you get on.   

[hollycat]

I live in a 2bed flat and use the small bedroom as the Hoolies playroom. They have a kitty city to play and sleep on, boxes to play in, cat scratchers, toys and paper to play with. As to how many is too many, I would find it difficult with more than two especially if they're anything like the Hoolies

[emmmy_lou]

I must admit, at Westgate Ark where I volunteer at, we always ask for a deposit £5 is the minimum - you'll be surprised how many people who do put a deposit down then you can't get in touch with them when the cat/ kitten is ready!

As long as you tell the people your situation, we always give a few weeks trial - it doesn't always work out, but mostly with kittens there isn't a problem.

You're right though with kittens, their personalities aren't developed. We got Denzel and Dexter from the same litter, Denzel is a complete snuggle bug, Dexter doesn't really like attention unless there is food involved - that's a bit of a risk you take with any litter.

But I think as long as there is space for each cat its fine.

If not, you might need to put up more shelving, walkways, bridges, hidey holes like Sue's house! 

[NikNakNoo]

Thank you for your reply. Most people want you to put down a deposit but at 3 weeks old how can you tell what they eill be like?

Barnaby is the most gentle soft cat ever. He's a big wuss as well

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I also have 3 now and two oldies.........WOT!  The girl is tortie semi freal but now she likes strokes on her terms just so sweet. Misa the boy who came with her is feeling his age sadly although only 14 and has arthritus but is so gentle and sweet and sasas best friend.

Then......sigh............there is 5 year old Lupin who is a norty mad cat and so handsome you cant be angry for too long!

I had two birmans prior to Lupin and they 4 tollerated each other eventually after a rough start, and I am one whose new cats and old cats never really liked each other but over time it eventually worked out.

So do not worry it will work out eventually if not at the begining although for most others it seems to work out straight away!

Love your cats especially Barnaby. 

Cant give advice on the room cos I have a spare bedroom that they are not allowed in and is filled with my junk..............well Lupin will rush in as soon as door is open..............sigh

[NikNakNoo]

Well bebe likes to be left alone. She prefers her people. Bruno is the mad one who talks a lot and barnaby is very laid back and chilled out but doesn't like new things.

They are all friendly.

We are looking for a laid back chilled out cat. That's hard to find.

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Trickier, as kittens can change so much as they grow and mature.  What are your existing cats like, personality-wise?

[NikNakNoo]

I Def think you are all correct, personality is the main thing but the kittens we are looking at are all 3 to 4 weeks old (obviously wouldn't be coming home for another 5 weeks) but at that age you can't really tell what they are going to be like. We have seen two sets of kittens. First kittens was from an experienced mum, mum was very laid back and friendly. She only had 3 kittens. The kittens are around 3 other adult cats and also pet rats, children and general noise.

The second kittens we saw this evening. Mum was only 9 months old, first kittens. Mum was very sweet, very friendly. She had 7 kittens. They were all up and moving etc. There were 3 left, two boys and a girl. All very lovely. They are in a home environment, people noises etc. Which is the better set up?? How do we know which to pick?

We liked the little girl from the first kittens we saw and we liked a little girl from the kittens we have seen this evening. The kittens we saw today seemed bigger to the ones previous, more developed but the same age.

Any suggestions??

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Actually, we have two girls and a boy.  I lied.  (Sheesh - being old is hard at time!) 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Aye well.  We had one, then found two was more fun, went back down to one, fretted and huffed and went up to three, and I still keep eyeing up strays.   

I reckon if you can have a cat per room, and one piece of neutral ground, then you're probably doing okay.  Having said that, I know people living in a three bedroomed house who at the height of their cat fostering/rescuing/ownership had anything from 3 to 12, and harmony (for the most part) generally reigned.

I'd say the temperament of the cat you're looking to introduce is ore important than gender.  We have two boys and a girl, and they get along well.  Moray is around 18 months to 2 years old and male.  Malt and Barley are girls of just 8 months old and bundles of adolescent mischief.   We also have two visiting neutered male cats, both around 18 months to 2 years old, and they all get along very tolerably. 

I'd make sure you have a variety of places for the cats to hang out, be it cat trees, hooman beds, chairs, tables, bookshelves or whatever.  Something for everyone and a few spares.   

Good point Dawn, hence my thoughts about picking the temperament of the new cat to try and work as much as possible with the existing cats' personalities.  For example don't get a crazy, angst ridden neurotic feral, if yours are all laid back.  Or Don't get a timid, quiet cat if yours are young hooligans.  (Or old hooligans, come to that).

Dawn alas didn't have much choice with her adoptee - she has a big heart and couldn't say no to very difficult circumstances.  Hopefully, you'll a have a lot more say and thought to contribute to enlarging your cat family.

When we got Moray, the cat we had then (beloved Tinks) was really upset.  We'd lost his best buddy, Ross.  He didn't understand why this little squirt that looked like Puss from Shrek had turned up and usurped his housemate.  He made his feelings known in no uncertain terms, as he came to grips with his loss.  Patience and the sweet temperament of Moray won him over, but I agree, it can be difficult transitioning new cats into the equation.  (Don't even get me started about two semi-feral kittens with velociraptor tendencies.....)