# Buying a kitten, is 6 weeks too early? Help?



## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Hi everyone,

Never really on this bit but I wonder if someone could give me your opinion on this, Yesterday I went down to look at a kitten. I had a cat for 18 years and she sadly passed away two years ago. So I really miss having a cat in the house so I decided to go down when a family members neighbours cat had kittens. The cats are only 4 weeks old at the moment but I instantly knew which one was mine and reserved it but the women is giving them away in 2 weeks so they will be 6 weeks. I thought this was a little early ? Out last cat we didn't get till she was 12 weeks old. Another family member of mine got a cat at 6 weeks and if you walked in their house you would never know they had a cat, it always runs away, it's aggressive and not the type of animal you want as a family pet. So I was reading on the Internet about all this and people were saying that it will cause them to be shy and behaviour problems. Do you think I should still get it at 6 weeks? Any help would be great.

Thanks.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

6 weeks is definitely far too early. They need a lot more time with their mum and litter mates to learn how to behave. The cat I have at the moment came to me at about 8 weeks and is a biter, he's also very clingy. He's improved massively with work but it can easily be avoided just by leaving them a few extra weeks, even with work some cats just don't learn what's not ok to do or how to play without biting really hard.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Drayvan said:


> 6 weeks is definitely far too early. They need a lot more time with their mum and litter mates to learn how to behave. The cat I have at the moment came to me at about 8 weeks and is a biter, he's also very clingy. He's improved massively with work but it can easily be avoided just by leaving them a few extra weeks, even with work some cats just don't learn what's not ok to do or how to play without biting really hard.


Thanks I did think that. I definitely don't want It like that as It would be a family pet and not just mine. The thing is, it looks as if the women just wants to get rid of them quite quickly and I really want to give them a good home. I think if she doesn't want to keep them longer I will just have to leave it.


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## efcseany (Apr 9, 2013)

6 weeks is the bare MINIMUM amount of time before a kitten can be off-loaded. However, I'd wait nearly double that (as suggested) before you rehome them. They're still dependent on their mother and will remain that way for a few more weeks, before they move onto mush food.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

efcseany said:


> 6 weeks is the bare MINIMUM amount of time before a kitten can be off-loaded. However, I'd wait nearly double that (as suggested) before you rehome them. They're still dependent on their mother and will remain that way for a few more weeks, before they move onto mush food.


Thanks! I don't think I will bother getting it then. I don't want to have any problems with it.


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## efcseany (Apr 9, 2013)

Still, if you want it - I'd keep it reserved. Myself and my Fiancée went to buy one of her Auntie's kittens at 6 weeks, but they're still in a stage where they don't have the ability to cope for themselves, as such.

Best of luck


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## lisadew24 (Jul 31, 2010)

I would say if you have your heart set on that kitten could you ask if she could keep it until at least 9 weeks and you could offer to buy your cats food


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

efcseany said:


> Still, if you want it - I'd keep it reserved. Myself and my Fiancée went to buy one of her Auntie's kittens at 6 weeks, but they're still in a stage where they don't have the ability to cope for themselves, as such.
> 
> Best of luck


I know but I don't want it to be bloody wild! Lol, I also don't want the cat to go to a rubbish home because they are free! 2 of them are a 'birthday present' for his friends wife so I don't know how that will work out! Thanks alot!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

lisadew24 said:


> I would say if you have your heart set on that kitten could you ask if she could keep it until at least 9 weeks and you could offer to buy your cats food


I really do think I will be asking her to keep it for me until August.


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## efcseany (Apr 9, 2013)

Mcadam1222 said:


> I know but I don't want it to be bloody wild! Lol, I also don't want the cat to go to a rubbish home because they are free! 2 of them are a 'birthday present' for his friends wife so I don't know how that will work out! Thanks alot!


Well best of luck in your decision 

Just remember to think about what would be best for the kittens, as if you were one of them - you'd want someone to make the best decision for yourself.

Warm regards


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## akuma 天 (Apr 15, 2008)

Hi

As has been said already, 6 weeks is the bare minimum a kitten should be rehomed. The ideal sweat spot is between 8 and 12 weeks (more 8 TBH) to get the maximum socialisation and adjustment.


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## efcseany (Apr 9, 2013)

akuma 天;11321558 said:


> Hi
> 
> As has been said already, 6 weeks is the bare minimum a kitten should be rehomed. The ideal sweat spot is between 8 and 12 weeks (more 8 TBH) to get the maximum socialisation and adjustment.


That's correct. To raise improved chances of higher temperament, I'd take it at around 10 weeks to be safe. 

Cats, in general, are quite good at socialising. Before Lola died at 18, she was the queen of the house - she accepted everyone and wouldn't leave them alone. Now my two males are just the same, such sophisticated felines.


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## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

My cat was taken away at 6 weeks, she has behavioural problems. No bite inhibition, plays with her claws out, if you stop her from doing something she may attack you, quite shy. Saying that, she can be very friendly when she wants, but spends most of the time doing her own thing. Not human orientated at all. I would leave her with the parent/siblings for longer, it's not worth having a difficult pet for 10+ years for the sake of another month or so.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

I'm not 100% on this idea but if you're really set on that particular litter you could always take 2 of them? They will be able to learn from each other that way. Seems to be the best way of going about it short of going somewhere else.


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## Rogue665 (Mar 17, 2010)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Never really on this bit but I wonder if someone could give me your opinion on this, Yesterday I went down to look at a kitten. I had a cat for 18 years and she sadly passed away two years ago. So I really miss having a cat in the house so I decided to go down when a family members neighbours cat had kittens. The cats are only 4 weeks old at the moment but I instantly knew which one was mine and reserved it but the women is giving them away in 2 weeks so they will be 6 weeks. I thought this was a little early ? Out last cat we didn't get till she was 12 weeks old. Another family member of mine got a cat at 6 weeks and if you walked in their house you would never know they had a cat, it always runs away, it's aggressive and not the type of animal you want as a family pet. So I was reading on the Internet about all this and people were saying that it will cause them to be shy and behaviour problems. Do you think I should still get it at 6 weeks? Any help would be great.
> 
> Thanks.


Too they had kittens there are so many needing rescue because of the irresponsible owners who will not spay, have you consider adopting, 6 weeks is far to early and any owner/breeder that suggest anything under 8 weeks for a pup and 12 weeks for a kitten is disgusting and should stay away from animals period. Adopting a kitten (there are hundreds) you'd be assured it'll be neutered, health checked, and life long commitment to the rescue center for any health and aid with vet treatment and if anything goes wrong, they will have the kitten or cat back, and it will be well socialized and you will not be aiding in the irresponsible behaviour of other owners.
they get rid of one litter they think it'll be just as easy for another litter its disgusting.


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## Greenway (Oct 16, 2011)

Without looking for people to scream and yell at me, albeit by typing, I don't think 8 weeks is ridiculously too young for cats. I Certainly don't think it leads to behavioural problems. Kittens are eating from 3-4 weeks, and whilst I agree with EVERYONE on the fact it's not ideal, because their family environment teaches them about behavioural acceptability- but so does their new family environment. 

I wouldn't recommend it as the ideal, but I wouldn't say in a million years this leads to behavioural problems- such is my experience. Whilst I always kept my kittens until they were about 10-12 weeks, I'd say they, nor their new families would ever suffer detriment if they were to go at 6 weeks. Kittens develop SO fast. Everything a kitten learns (any animal, including humans) when presented with a new situation is all down to cause and effect. If a new kitten bites and hasnt had a negative reaction- of course it's going to bite. My guess is it was treated with kid gloves and learned to carry on getting it's own way at will. I've ''tamed'' feral cats (I hate the word 'tamed', but I'm stuck for other words- I've had wild and horrendously defensive cats that have become like wee lapdogs. With time and patience and the right reactions to their responses they can be fine, accepting and trusting. With a kitten you have basically a blank canvas. 

before anyone goes nuts on me, by negative reaction I mean placed firmly on the floor and walk away- no beating or animal cruelty in any way. A good old 'NO' doesn't go amiss. 

Best thing would be, OP, is to see how well developed and how well 'your' kitten is eating, drinking and interacting. See how confident it is. If, at 6 weeks, you feel this isn't adequate, then ask her to hold on to it for 2 weeks. I'd be more dubious about the owner wanting to be rid than the kitten being young. Ask the owner are they flead and wormed. 

I'm not suggesting to anyone to go out and get random kittens at 6 weeks. Just that it really isnt the end of the world and doesnt cause behavioural problems. Only humans cause behavioural problems.


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## Iulia (Mar 2, 2011)

IMO

its kinda young. but that said my first cat was a litter runt 'donated' to my mum at six weeks, and she was a top class pet her whole life.

Ideally a couple of weeks more would be better, but also - its a couple more weeks with someone who doesn't actually want it .....

its sad they are so desperate to get rid of it.

hope it works out ....


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## Esarosa (Jul 13, 2007)

I would say that is much to young to go home alone. It can and does cause behavioral problems. I have two examples of it at home and saw many more come through rescue where when you questioned previous owners it became apparent that this could have at least been a contributing factor. There is a reason gccf breeders hold onto their kittens untilafter their vvaccinations and it's not just for immunity.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Greenway said:


> Without looking for people to scream and yell at me, albeit by typing, I don't think 8 weeks is ridiculously too young for cats. I Certainly don't think it leads to behavioural problems. Kittens are eating from 3-4 weeks, and whilst I agree with EVERYONE on the fact it's not ideal, because their family environment teaches them about behavioural acceptability- but so does their new family environment.
> 
> I wouldn't recommend it as the ideal, but I wouldn't say in a million years this leads to behavioural problems- such is my experience. Whilst I always kept my kittens until they were about 10-12 weeks, I'd say they, nor their new families would ever suffer detriment if they were to go at 6 weeks. Kittens develop SO fast. Everything a kitten learns (any animal, including humans) when presented with a new situation is all down to cause and effect. If a new kitten bites and hasnt had a negative reaction- of course it's going to bite. My guess is it was treated with kid gloves and learned to carry on getting it's own way at will. I've ''tamed'' feral cats (I hate the word 'tamed', but I'm stuck for other words- I've had wild and horrendously defensive cats that have become like wee lapdogs. With time and patience and the right reactions to their responses they can be fine, accepting and trusting. With a kitten you have basically a blank canvas.
> 
> ...


I agree with you here


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## ChazzieJo (Jun 14, 2012)

I'd be concerned if somebody was selling animals that young, makes you wonder how much time and effort has initially been put into health checking the parents, etc. Seems they just want to flog them off to spare expense. 

It makes me feel queasy when I see people come into the pet store I work for clutching 6 week old puppies, too. 

:bash:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I wouldn't even entertain taking a 6 week old kitten away from its mother. Imao that's nothing short of cruelty to both the kitten and the mother. Even 8 weeks is too young, but 6 is appalling! There's a lot more to 'weaning' than a kitten eating solid food and at 6-8 weeks a kittens is not weaned from its mother and the mother is not weaned from the kitten. The kitten still has loads to learn and needs its mother to teach it - plain and simple

Just because one person successfully manages to teach a kitten they got at 6-8 weeks how to behave and be a well adjusted adult cat doesn't mean that would work for everyone. I would say that a larger proportion of kittens taken away from their mum too early end up with behavioural problems than don't and if you want a family pet, then I wouldn't take the risk to be honest.

I would ask the woman to keep the kitten with its mother and you will pay its expenses until its older and if that doesn't work, then sorry, I'd look for an older kitten or a young rescue cat.

All pedigree cat clubs have their own rescue scheme so you could look at the personalities and characteristics of a particular breed and look to rescuing one of those - then you'll know what you're getting.


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## Stephan Grundy (Jan 28, 2013)

I would definitely agree that, for the cat's sake, 6 weeks is *unquestionably* too young to be separated from mama. Very few breeders will let a kitten go as young as 8 weeks (and I'd have some serious doubts about one who would); most will not sell before 12. 6 weeks is cruel to both the kitten and (usually) to the mother; whereas by 12 weeks mama cat is starting to think, "how can I get rid of these little monsters so I can go down to the pub and find some more boyfriends?"

However, I don't think getting a kitten at 6 weeks is likely to be a problem for you in terms of future behaviour...as long as you have the time to spend with the kitten, and some experience in teaching basic kitty manners like "soft-paw" and "nuzzle and lick, do not bite". My wife and I have raised many, many cats from small kittens, and not a few of them were rescues 6 weeks or younger. In fact, we have one right now - found her wandering alone, frightened, hungry, ill, and slightly injured, in the *middle* of the freaking N7 while on my way to the dental surgeon last week (my best excuse ever for being late for a dental appointment - "had to rescue kitten from freeway"!), and if she was more than 5 weeks I'll eat something out of the catbox. She now lives on my wife's lap, with frequent excursions to mine, and is already incredibly tame and loving. 
*If* a family member is home most of the day and basically able to become mama cat to the kitten, *then* a kitten gotten early, even way too early, can become one of the sweetest, friendliest, and best-behaved cats you could ever hope to meet (the very tamest are hand-raised kittens, but that requires one of you getting up every four hours, every night, to feed those kittens with an eyedropper. Yes, we've done that too, more than once, when mama cat was milkless or there was a rescue litter that had lost their mama before weaning). If dealing with true ferals, in fact, younger is usually better for taming; though that is clearly not your situation here.
But if a kitten, for whatever reason, is parted from its mother too early - and 6 weeks is unquestionably too early - the crucial thing making the difference between a badly-adjusted, anxious, non-social adult cat and an absolutely precious little love is being able and willing to spend all that extra time with the kitten!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Just to let everyone who was concerned know that we got the kitten a few days ago. He's doing fine and I'm glad I took him as he was in a little cage. He is using his box and eating dry and wet good fine.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Well let's hope he's still fine when he grows up.

Good luck and don't forget to post photos. :2thumb:


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> Well let's hope he's still fine when he grows up.
> 
> Good luck and don't forget to post photos. :2thumb:


Yeah thanks a lot. He's fine and I'm sure he will be fine when he grows up and oh two secs, I will add some to an album and reply in 5 mins.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> Well let's hope he's still fine when he grows up.
> 
> Good luck and don't forget to post photos. :2thumb:


Go into my profile then go into the album new kitten and one picture is there. It won't let me upload anymore so I will try later !


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## lisadew24 (Jul 31, 2010)

Lovely looking kitten but I double check that it's male from the colours they are usually always female


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

lisadew24 said:


> Lovely looking kitten but I double check that it's male from the colours they are usually always female


Thanks a lot! And he's a boy, the vet told me that he was a male! He's a tortoise shell by the looks of the colours.


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## lisadew24 (Jul 31, 2010)

That's what I thought he was and mostly all tortoiseshell cats are female so you have a rare boy


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

lisadew24 said:


> That's what I thought he was and mostly all tortoiseshell cats are female so you have a rare boy


Really, the other guy that was buying one took the women's cats to the vets and 4 were girls and 2 were boys?!


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## lisadew24 (Jul 31, 2010)

Yeah it's all to do with genetics females have two chromosome xx and males have one so they are xy and male torties have two so they are xxy and because they have this extra chromosome they can be sterile. Feorag is online she might be better at telling you because she has bred cats


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

lisadew24 said:


> Yeah it's all to do with genetics females usally have two chromosome xx and males have one so they are xy and male torties have are xxy and because they have this extra chromosome they can be sterile. Feorag is online she might be better at telling you because she has bred cats


Thanks for that but that is already to much for me lol! My eyes are nearly popping out my head with studying leopard gecko breeding never mind anything else lol!


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## spottymint (Oct 3, 2010)

A few weeks ago, a male torti made it into the national papers.

As stated, male tortoiseshells are rare due to the chromosome inheritance.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

spottymint said:


> A few weeks ago, a male torti made it into the national papers.
> 
> As stated, male tortoiseshells are rare due to the chromosome inheritance.


Really? Didn't even know that! I doubt the vet is wrong as well. So you guys think two males in one litter is pretty rare?


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## clark60 (Mar 18, 2013)

*xxy*

they are often sterile but not always some famous show cats have been male torties


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

clark60 said:


> they are often sterile but not always some famous show cats have been male torties


Yeah he's just a pet. Don't have any plans for him, he was free not an expensive show cat or anything !


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## spottymint (Oct 3, 2010)

If both tortoiseshells, then, Yes.

Scarcey cat: Jake is Britain's rarest moggy as a male tortoiseshell - Mirror Online

Cats Protection - News : Rare Male Tortoiseshell Found

Eddie the male tortoiseshell kitten who is Britain's rarest cat | Mail Online


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

spottymint said:


> If both tortoiseshells, then, Yes.
> 
> Scarcey cat: Jake is Britain's rarest moggy as a male tortoiseshell - Mirror Online
> 
> ...


That's really cool, I check the links out, I was wondering if mine wasn't a true tortoise shell as it had white in it but two of those cats had white.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

clark60 said:


> they are often sterile but not always some famous show cats have been male torties


Very true. My Siamese's father had a male tortie brother who bred 2 litters before his breeder neutered him. 

You can't register them at GCCF now because everything is computerised and as a tortie male is an anomaly, there is no scope for registering them. So my friend had to register her boy as a cream, whereas there was no doubt he was a blue tortie.



Mcadam1222 said:


> That's really cool, I check the links out, I was wondering if mine wasn't a true tortoise shell as it had white in it but two of those cats had white.


It'll be a tortie and white.

I would, however, check that it is a male, because honestly the vet wouldn't be the first one to get it wrong - if they don't actually breed cats themselves they can be very fallible at sexing kittens.

Put into the simplest terms, by using the word 'colour' instead of chromasomes the orange gene in cat genetics is called red and is known as the sex linked gene because it's a colour that cannot be carried. One parent must be that colour to produce it.

So, male kittens take their colour from their mother and female kittens take one colour from their father and one colour from their mother. So if you mate a red male to a non-red female (in this example let's say she's black), all the females born in that litter will be torties, because the female kittens take one colour from their father (red) and one colour from their mother (black) and so are born black and red. The males will all be black like their mother.

To get a red female you have to mate a tortie or red female to a red male. In other words both parents have to have red colour. So the resulting female kittens take one colour from their father (red) and one colour from their mother (either red or black) and are born either red *or* tortie. If the mother was a red female, the males will be red, but if she was a tortie female, the males will be either red or black.

The male tortie is an anomaly, because genetically males take their colour from the mother, so would be either red or black, not both and according to Roy Robinson (an acknowledged cat genetecist) occur at the rate of about 1 in every 3000 male births).


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## Stephan Grundy (Jan 28, 2013)

Glad to hear the cat's doing so well, that's fantastic! I'm sure he'll make a great pet for you - and if the vet's right and he's really a male, and a tortie, that's something really special!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> Very true. My Siamese's father had a male tortie brother who bred 2 litters before his breeder neutered him.
> 
> You can't register them at GCCF now because everything is computerised and as a tortie male is an anomaly, there is no scope for registering them. So my friend had to register her boy as a cream, whereas there was no doubt he was a blue tortie.
> 
> ...


Great info and well the mother was black and had small white bits and the dad was ginger but I didn't see him? He was ment to be mostly or all ginger and this one I have is black with ginger on he back and head etc then white back legs with little orangish pads it looks like lol! Well the vet that sex him was out local one so what I done today when I was taking my dog for his annual jags is I booked him( the kitten) an appointment there(this vet is different and a a bit further away from me)! So he is going there in less than two weeks. I will ask this vet what he thinks of the sex and that's me having two vets opinions then. I also thought it was a boy because him and the other boy were both a little bigger than the rest of the litter(the females).


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Stephan Grundy said:


> Glad to hear the cat's doing so well, that's fantastic! I'm sure he'll make a great pet for you - and if the vet's right and he's really a male, and a tortie, that's something really special!


It is great Stephan. He's a cracker! Hopefully he lives 18 years like my last cat! Or longer!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Mcadam1222 said:


> I also thought it was a boy because him and the other boy were both a little bigger than the rest of the litter(the females).


That's not really a good guide, especially when they are kittens. I've had big females and small males.

I'll be interested to hear what your vet makes of the sex. Have you checked him out and do you agree it's a female?


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> That's not really a good guide, especially when they are kittens. I've had big females and small males.
> 
> I'll be interested to hear what your vet makes of the sex. Have you checked him out and do you agree it's a female?


I'm saying he's a male because the vet said he's definetly a male? But I will let you know what this second vet says. That's me got two vets opininions.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

By this age it's usually more obvious, but some females do have a swelling on either side of the vulva that some inexperience people think is a scrotum.


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> By this age it's usually more obvious, but some females do have a swelling on either side of the vulva that some inexperience people think is a scrotum.


Thanks so if this guy turns out to be a male, should I not let him outside(I don't mean now, when he is old enough and has all his jags) or is it not that rare for someone to take him? It might turn out to be female but just the fact the vet saying male you know?


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Mcadam1222 said:


> Thanks so if this guy turns out to be a male, should I not let him outside(I don't mean now, when he is old enough and has all his jags) or is it not that rare for someone to take him? It might turn out to be female but just the fact the vet saying male you know?


Like I said in my earlier post, whether you decide to let him free roam or be a housecat is entirely up to you.

Me, I wouldn't. I cat proofed my garden so the cats can go outside and sunbathe but be kept safe. None of them have ever made any attempt to climb out. :2thumb:


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> Like I said in my earlier post, whether you decide to let him free roam or be a housecat is entirely up to you.
> 
> Me, I wouldn't. I cat proofed my garden so the cats can go outside and sunbathe but be kept safe. None of them have ever made any attempt to climb out. :2thumb:


That's good then. I like a cat to be out as we don't really have any busy roads round here and my last cats have roamed and roamed so of they like it then I'll just let him do that !


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Vaccinations are given at 9 & 12 weeks and if you're going to let him out you'll need to include FeLV, but bear in mind you can't vaccinate against FIV or FIP, both of which can kill. And don't underestimate how far a cat will travel when it's out.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you - just being nosy cos I love Scotland!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

feorag said:


> Vaccinations are given at 9 & 12 weeks and if you're going to let him out you'll need to include FeLV, but bear in mind you can't vaccinate against FIV or FIP, both of which can kill. And don't underestimate how far a cat will travel when it's out.
> 
> Whereabouts in Scotland are you - just being nosy cos I love Scotland!


Yeah my last cat didn't have any jags at all the last 8 years of her live and she was out every day and lasted 18 years! I personally think when you get the first few done, anything else is a wate of time! I won't be letting this guy out until he's a least 6 months old. But our garden is pretty escape proof with the dog etc anyway for when he's little right now and right out side Glasgow! Not too bad a place lol


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## ButterflyLordette (May 17, 2013)

Wait 'till at least 8 weeks! But good luck on your new kitten


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## Stephan Grundy (Jan 28, 2013)

I'd think he was a bit young to be going out on his own. But...

What we do with our non-breeders is, we take them out on harnesses until they're big enough to be let out on their own recognisance. This gets them comfortable with the great outside and gives them a bit of a sense of territory (doesn't mean as much to cats as dogs, but does mean something) with minimal risk. If they're kept completely in too long, they can freak and run when they finally do get out; but it's awfully risky to let a very young kitten out on its own.

At his age, he should adapt nicely to the harness. He won't actually walk on it - more likely, roll over and play with the lead - but you can sit out, enjoy the nice weather, and let wee puss do his thing and get a sense of the outdoors without worrying about something awful happening to him. Our Wednesday (the off-the-N7 adoptee who's about the same age as your fella) is doing beautifully on her harness and lead. This is also good because you never know when it will be convenient to be able to harness your cat, and they usually never take as well to it if they're introduced to it later. One of the few advantages to getting a very, very young kitten in a rescue situation like yours!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

ButterflyLordette said:


> Wait 'till at least 8 weeks! But good luck on your new kitten


Already got him. Thanks!


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## Mcadam1222 (May 17, 2012)

Stephan Grundy said:


> I'd think he was a bit young to be going out on his own. But...
> 
> What we do with our non-breeders is, we take them out on harnesses until they're big enough to be let out on their own recognisance. This gets them comfortable with the great outside and gives them a bit of a sense of territory (doesn't mean as much to cats as dogs, but does mean something) with minimal risk. If they're kept completely in too long, they can freak and run when they finally do get out; but it's awfully risky to let a very young kitten out on its own.
> 
> At his age, he should adapt nicely to the harness. He won't actually walk on it - more likely, roll over and play with the lead - but you can sit out, enjoy the nice weather, and let wee puss do his thing and get a sense of the outdoors without worrying about something awful happening to him. Our Wednesday (the off-the-N7 adoptee who's about the same age as your fella) is doing beautifully on her harness and lead. This is also good because you never know when it will be convenient to be able to harness your cat, and they usually never take as well to it if they're introduced to it later. One of the few advantages to getting a very, very young kitten in a rescue situation like yours!


That sounds good. I will just do what I done with the last cats. Just kept and eye on them. Sit with them and just sit out in the garden with them until I will let him go out himself !


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Stephan Grundy said:


> I'd think he was a bit young to be going out on his own. But...
> 
> What we do with our non-breeders is, we take them out on harnesses until they're big enough to be let out on their own recognisance. This gets them comfortable with the great outside and gives them a bit of a sense of territory (doesn't mean as much to cats as dogs, but does mean something) with minimal risk. If they're kept completely in too long, they can freak and run when they finally do get out; but it's awfully risky to let a very young kitten out on its own.


Going a bit off topic here, but I have to ask, as you are obviously breeding cats, do you allow your free roaming cats to mix with your breeding cats and does cross infection not bother you!



Mcadam1222 said:


> Yeah my last cat didn't have any jags at all the last 8 years of her live and she was out every day and lasted 18 years! I personally think when you get the first few done, anything else is a wate of time! I won't be letting this guy out until he's a least 6 months old. But our garden is pretty escape proof with the dog etc anyway for when he's little right now and right out side Glasgow! Not too bad a place lol


Vaccination of cats has been extensively studied in Americal and their advice for cats is primary vaccinations, first annual booster and then 3 yearly boosters thereafter for flu and enteritis. For FeLV it is different and when I last studied this a few years ago FeLV boosters were still being advised as needing to be given every year, but it very well may be that further study into this means that they've discovered it isn't the case, but I couldn't swear on that.


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