# New member - thinking about adopting a kitten



## BoRegard (May 4, 2015)

Hi,

My name is Bo. I'm 32 and live in Illinois. My wife and I are contemplating adopting a kitten that was found abandoned with a few of his/her siblings. We lost our DSH Bitty about a month ago to oral squamous cell carcinoma. He was only 6. Very sad. We said we would get another cat if we came across one that needed a home and when we felt ready. Two days ago a friend of mine found a littler of kittens that were apparently abandoned. That didn't take long. My guess for the black one is DLH. The tiger DSH has already been adopted and the other 3 kittens we don't have pictures of. We were told one of the other 3 is likely a black DSH. We are wondering about grooming and shedding with the black kitty. Any advice is helpful. We plan to go see him/her tomorrow evening and make a decision. I think if the kitty's personality seems friendly I can overlook grooming/shedding concerns. We never had a kitten or have done anything like this, so we are naturally excited and nervous.

Sorry for the long introduction!

Thanks,
Bo


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Welcome, Bo!

So sorry about Bitty. 

Cleo (my black dlh kitty) is my little heart kitty. She comforts me when I'm upset and is my only "talker." Her fur actually comes out in little tufts, so it's almost easier to control than the bratz. Also, my friends with short hair cats seem to shed even more than my girls. 

I would recommend the black kitten with no hesitation! (They're also the hardest ones to find homes for.)

I would add that, if you can afford it, I would definitely adopt *two* of the kittens. I'm not sure if you had Bitty as a kitten, but they're HARD, they have endless energy, and I can't imagine if I had adopted only one of the twinz!


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## Tsukiyomi (Nov 18, 2014)

Haha I second Maries advice completely having lived with both one kitten and two having two was far easier.

It is sad that black cats struggle so much I understand the photo thing from experience but the rest seems to be nonsense (I've seen many black cats and they look VERY different to me).


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## vlapinta (Apr 29, 2015)

Sorry about your loss. Sometimes they find you....if you know what I mean.
I am going to be a new kitten owner soon. I was looking for a short haired kitten but a long haired found me and stole my heart. I was told that the short hair sheds more in the breed I am getting. My daughter has a short haired Tabby and she dosn't stop shedding! II was told just brush or comb them 1-2 x a week. Good Luck!


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## BoRegard (May 4, 2015)

Bitty stumbled upon us when he was probably around 8 months old. Him and our dog Rockie became best friends and kept each other occupied. I don't think 2 kittens will be an option. To be honest I don't even know if 1 is a good idea. My wife and I both work full time and are gone all day. We will either have to take time off work or ask for help from friends/family to care for the kitty during the week. Not to mention we don't know how to care for a kitten that young. We have been told the black DLH is probably 4-6 weeks old. Seems pretty young to me. I am still doing some reading on that though. My wife has recommended we look for an older cat to adopt, which would probably be a better idea for our situation, but just looking at those pictures of that little fur ball I can't help but want him. Argh! Furthermore the guy I have been talking to hasn't yet captured the other kittens and for all I know they could be gone by now. They were under a big shed and wouldn't come out.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Sounds like an older cat would be perfect for you. Especially one advertised as "must be only cat." Single cats are very happy, very spoiled, and have their people all to themselves. :grin: My Cinderella was much happier before I added the other cats.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

with your time restrictions, I would agree on an older cat. Looking at those kittens, I can see the wildness. I am not so sure they are fully socialized and you would need a lot of physical contact and time to do that at their age. either that or they are scared to death! Which also means contact and time...

I agree it seems a shame black cats are the hardest to get adopted. I have no issues at all telling multiple black cats apart. When the lights are on:mrgreen:

Oh BTW.. WELCOME!!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

These kittens have their permanent eye color so are most likely well over 8 weeks old. They look about 3 months + to me. I concur with the suggesting of taking 2 kittens. They play together, keep each other company while you are gone all day and will learn important social lessons from each other hopefully sparing you your toes and fingers! As to hair length, I believe it makes no difference. I've had short haired cats that matted terribly and long that cats that didn't. That DLH black one is adorable and I'd snatch her up (with a sibling) in a NY second!!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I'm unable to tell a kitten's age, but if Marcia's right and these little ones are about 3 months, then I wouldn't hesitate. I live alone and work full time (and, given the nature of my profession, I commonly work 60+ hours a week). I adopted Muffs when she was 11 weeks and had no problems. I put her in a safe room at first, with a litter box, cat tree, toys, food, water fountain, etc., and let her out at night when I came home. I later adopted Abby. She was also a kitten when I adopted her.

Both of my girls are long haired, and I find long-haired cats easier than short-haired cats. You do notice the shedding a bit more, but it's so easy to clean up. I just take a damp cloth and wipe it along the couch, bed, etc., and the hair comes right up. My daughter has a DSH (Neko, who is the cat in my avatar). Neko has stayed with me from time to time and I have a devil of a time removing short hairs off furniture, bedding, etc.

The only thing I would caution is to see if the kitten enjoys being groomed, or really struggles. Abby loved being brushed from Day 1 and she's a joy to groom. Muffs struggled (literally screamed!) from Day 1. I've tried every trick in the book to get her to tolerate grooming. She's better than she was but she still refuses to let me groom her belly. As a result, I have to take her to the vet for grooming from time to time, which gets expensive. That said, I fondly refer to Muffs as my neurotic cat (as much as I love her) and I doubt too many cats are as difficult with grooming as she is! :wink:


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## BoRegard (May 4, 2015)

Guess what? Our fury little black friend Jeeves has a new home! The other names we came up with were Frankie (Italian family), Kingsford (he's charcoal colored and we love to grill), Tyrone or Jamal (use your imagination). LOL! The vet said he looks and sounds healthy, about 8 weeks old. He has been eating and playing very well! He even peed in his litter box this morning!!!:thumb The makeshift litter box made out of a USPS box and shredded paper towels ended up being a bed. Silly kitty. He has a real kitten litter box now though. As of now we don't have any of the other kittens. The guy who found the kittens hasn't been back to the shed where Jeeves was found and the Tiger one already has a home. I told him I would go with him and try to help get the others. Still waiting to hear back.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who took the time to provide help and insight. We really appreciate it!


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Jeeves is one good looking cat. Congratulations.


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## TranquilityBlue (Nov 13, 2014)

Aw, he's so cute! He looks like he has some Persian in him


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Sounds like a good start!


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## sasasola (Apr 5, 2013)

OMG he looks like an adorable little fluffball of mischief!


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Congratulations! I nearly screamed when I saw the first pic of him that you posted, but only a really loud squeak came out - he's ridiculously cute with those huge eyes and big fluffy coat! He looks like he has some Persian in him to me too.

Any news on the other kittens? I hope your friend managed to catch them and that they all find homes too. 

Who knows, maybe Jeeves will end up with a playmate?


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## BoRegard (May 4, 2015)

Thanks! I agree on the Persian. Unfortunately I never made it there to check out the others. I offered to help and go with but didn't receive a response from the guy that scooped up Jeeves. I hope they are Ok though.


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## kbear (May 12, 2013)

he's gorgeous!


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## Wish (May 14, 2015)

He's so handsome. Keep us updated!


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