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I respectfully disagree, when I rescued Jasper, they wanted me to take his Mother and Sister, no. I wanted one cat, not three, not two, just one. The woman decided to let me have Jasper, he is perfectly happy as an only cat.
After all, did you spend your entire life living with your family? No. People and cats grow up, and move on.
Jasper was the best deal ever. A purebred Bengal, neutered and declawed, $20. He is about four or five years old now. He was two when I got him. Kittens are great if you want to take care of a baby cat. I would pick a grown cat any time over a kitten.
I abhor the practice of separating bonded pairs. This rescue did the right thing.
Anyone who adopts a single animal knowing the animal is being separated from another s/he is bonded to does not have the right feeling for animals, and the chance of that animal being returned because of lack of adjustment is much greater. Either take the pair or choose another pet that is NOT already bonded.
I adopted one of a set of siblings 20 years ago and I've regretted every since. The last adoption we made, we looked for a bonded pair. They aren't very much alike but that's okay with us also. And the amount of "work" it takes to take care of two is not much different than for one. From now on, we will always look for bonded pairs (or triplets even).
Grown cats are often already toilet trained and beyond behavior issues of a kitten, biting or scratching in play. Grown cats need homes and they make wonderful pets.
Grown cats are often already toilet trained and beyond behavior issues of a kitten, biting or scratching in play. Grown cats need homes and they make wonderful pets.
Hm.
Well yes, grown kitties need loving homes, and have a harder time getting them.
However, when it comes to toilet training, it's not like a puppy. Cats, even little kittens, as long as they are not helpless wobbly infants, do have that digging and burying instinct, so "training" as you say, is minimal. Every time I've had a kitten come into my life, all it took was to plop them in the box, do a little digging motion with their paw, and they were all set. Personally I think an adult cat is more likely to have issues from their past, as pottying outside the box tends to be the result of bad circumstances or poor health, or something. Like a cat whose owner won't keep the box clean enough has a cat start peeing outside of it, so surrenders at the shelter. Or a cat is living outside going anywhere it wants, and is caught and brought to the shelter. These cats are more likely to pee on stuff than a kitten is, IMO.
And frankly I like being there for all the kitteny silliness and mischief and shenanigans. But I will totally love my cat at all stages of his life.
I respectfully disagree, when I rescued Jasper, they wanted me to take his Mother and Sister, no. I wanted one cat, not three, not two, just one. The woman decided to let me have Jasper, he is perfectly happy as an only cat.
After all, did you spend your entire life living with your family? No. People and cats grow up, and move on.
Jasper was the best deal ever. A purebred Bengal, neutered and declawed, $20. He is about four or five years old now. He was two when I got him. Kittens are great if you want to take care of a baby cat. I would pick a grown cat any time over a kitten.
It's quite possible that Jasper wasn't bonded to either of the other cats. Not all cats bond. I am talking about bonded pairs.
Cats do not "move on" in the same was as people when they "grow up". Most cats suffer quite a lot when they lose their home, people, and/or a bonded companion. Especially adult cats. Most might recover, but not all do. I am happy for Jasper that he adjusted so well.
Unless you have his pedigree papers, there is no way to know if Jasper is purebred, and in fact would not be considered so in any Cat Fancy. The people who had his toes cut off just make me sick, please be prepared for the special care he will need as he gets older and the arthritis sets in. I hope the other cats got as lucky as he did ending up with you, being dumped on craigslist like that. I never would have been able to leave any of them there, but then I don't read craigslist ads where people dump their pets. I don't have the stomach for it.
Well yes, grown kitties need loving homes, and have a harder time getting them.
However, when it comes to toilet training, it's not like a puppy. Cats, even little kittens, as long as they are not helpless wobbly infants, do have that digging and burying instinct, so "training" as you say, is minimal. Every time I've had a kitten come into my life, all it took was to plop them in the box, do a little digging motion with their paw, and they were all set. Personally I think an adult cat is more likely to have issues from their past, as pottying outside the box tends to be the result of bad circumstances or poor health, or something. Like a cat whose owner won't keep the box clean enough has a cat start peeing outside of it, so surrenders at the shelter. Or a cat is living outside going anywhere it wants, and is caught and brought to the shelter. These cats are more likely to pee on stuff than a kitten is, IMO.
And frankly I like being there for all the kitteny silliness and mischief and shenanigans. But I will totally love my cat at all stages of his life.
I like kittens too, who doesn't. An animal at any age can have issues. I'm sorry you posted something that might discourage others from taking on a matured pet. That's sad becasue the alternative for many is death.
And frankly I like being there for all the kitteny silliness and mischief and shenanigans. But I will totally love my cat at all stages of his life.
I know what you mean. I'm still loving Callie's kitten silliness. I know it will end soon as she's now 8 months old. We will still love her when she's old and rickety. Callie and Zebulon (aka Rusty) in the RV last month.
I know what you mean. I'm still loving Callie's kitten silliness. I know it will end soon as she's now 8 months old.
Don't be too sure. My Little Cat is almost three, has been here since she was 8 weeks (though I've known her since she was 4 weeks, it took 4 weeks to get her out of the bad situation she was in) and has not lost any of her lively kitten ways yet. She still requires vast amounts of interactive play daily, to keep her safely out of mischief.
I wasn't planning on any more kittens, my last being 12 years previous to her coming, and subsequent adult adoptions/rescues, but like your Callie, when she was placed in my path there wasn't anything to do but succumb to what was meant to be.
I'm still loving Callie's kitten silliness. I know it will end soon as she's now 8 months old.
After watching my 7-year-old male leap, spin, jump and twirl around the room this morning as he hunted down one of my plastic headbands ... Does kittenhood ever go away completely?
I like kittens too, who doesn't. An animal at any age can have issues. I'm sorry you posted something that might discourage others from taking on a matured pet. That's sad becasue the alternative for many is death.
Come now, I doubt that my post is going to discourage anyone from adopting an older cat. People usually have an idea in mind of what they are after, or else they go and are "chosen" (fall in love with) an animal at a shelter or what have you. I don't see anybody in a situation where they're standing there trying to choose between kitten A or adult cat B and say to themselves, "Well this one poster on City Data said it might possibly pee on something, so I'm getting the kitten." I doubt that would happen.
Besides which, this issue is a POSSIBILITY with any pet. Just that. A possibility. By no means a certainty. And if an animal pottying on your floor or your stuff is an issue for ya, then you're better off with a cat than any dog in my opinion, too. But I wouldn't suggest that anyone NOT get a dog, and I'm sure no one will read my opinion and decide not to if they wanted to. We all choose our animal friends for our own reasons, and then deal with them in whatever ways we need to.
I'd suggest an older cat to someone who wanted a mellower animal (in theory) because I think that most kittens have a good long period ahead where they get the psycho friskies on a regular basis, and tear stuff up sometimes, and that sort of thing. If I were looking for a cat that would snuggle me more, sit and look out the window, and not act bonkers all the time, I would seek an older cat. Maybe even a senior cat (over 10, technically "senior" but still probably has a lot of good years left if healthy.)
But whatever people choose, a cat gets a home. So it's all good IMO.
EDIT: For what it's worth, my Mom recently adopted a senior cat for this reason. She wanted a mellow, snuggly sweet cat and that's what she got. Chantilly is (I think) around 11 years old.
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I know it will end soon as she's now 8 months old. We will still love her when she's old and rickety. Callie and Zebulon (aka Rusty) in the RV last month. 
