I Really Want A Kitten But....

[budgzie]

hello everybody!
Well for about 6 months now i have REALLY wanted a new cat (the last one ran away) but our ohter cat is scared of going outside(must of moved 1 too many times!) and goes toilet inside (not in litter box) so Dad doesn't want one and we have a very unruley dog who killed my budgie so we don't know how he would go with a kitten and we have a budgie sooooooooooooo there are alot of resons why we shouldn't get a budgie but i RELLY WANT ONE!!
pleeeeease answer!

[sowilu]

I didn't understand you post: do you want a kitten or another budgie?

[my-africangrey-echo]

First if you bring in another cat when one is not using the litter box what do you expect a second one to do? Second that is very unsanitary for everyone in your home to have a cat going to the bathroom anywhere it wants to. Did it used to use the liter box? Have you had it at the vet? The first thing I would do is get rid of that cat.

"we have a very unruley dog who killed my budgie"


It sounds like all together not a safe place to have any birds let alone anything else..

[Valo's Moirana]

i don't know what to say - you point out in your post, that another cat is not a good idea nor would the kitten be safe.... but you want one.

i want a hyacinth macaw - but can't afford it, don't have the space nor time.... hence i don't have one

you can't have everything you want... better spend time with the cat you have and train her - getting another kitten is only a temporary joy if you're after the "kitten-time" - they all grow up as nature wanted them to

[budgzie]

ok.......thanks......but the other cat is really old and the dog is ok with him.....

[singlefeather]

hey, well I have 5 cockatiels and 2 budgies then 1 dog, 1 old cat (15 years approx), 1 cat (9 years) and 2 kittens (a couple of months old). They all get on perfectly well. I also have a rat which does attract interest from the kittens but you have to teach them not to go for her!

My older cats were NOT happy with a new kitten and the one cat which goes outside stayed out for a couple of days having a tantrum. However, now she just ignores them. So everything is good. My dog has become friends with the one kitten. They enjoy chasing in a plyaful way and my dog is not young and energetic shes over 10 years old! But there was an occasion where my dog sat on the kittens head.. not sure if she was trying to suffocate her or what! So I advise you supervise if you do get one.
Its advisable to keep the kitten away from the bird or the room it is in for a couple of days. If it jumps up the cage or something say "NO" in a forceful way and if necessary tap the kittens nose sharply. Not like a whack around the face! I mean so they know its wrong! This should work fine!!

So it is perfectly safe to get a kitten as long as you are prepared to supervise and train a little.

Plus you can get a kitten which is litter trained so it won't mess up your house!!

Hope this helps

GOOD LUCK!

[TikusMom]

Singlefeather, I know you mean well, but that's not necessarily true. I'm glad all your animals get along, but Budgzie's don't.

To bring a kitten into a household with an aggressive dog, supervised or not, is NOT a good idea. The fact that it killed the budgie is enough. It gets along with the older cat because it has accepted it, at least for now. There is no guarantee that it won't end up killing the older cat as well.

As far as the older cat goes: **Take her to the vet.** Most cats who start pottying outside the litter box have some sort of problem that a veterinarian can test for and diagnose like urinary tract infection. Easy to diagnose, easy to treat. Is she just urinating, or is she also defecating outside the box. Have you changed anything in her environment or routine? Are you using the same litter? Is it the same litter box and is it in the same place? Have you tried using 2 litter boxes instead of 1 to give her a choice? Rule of thumb is 1 more litter box than there are cats. Is she showing any other bizarre behavior? Have you ever had her teeth checked and cleaned? Yes this could be a cause of UTI, heart probs, liver probs, and kidney probs b/c the bacteria have direct access into her bloodstream through infected swollen gums! The other problem is that if you have done nothing about this problem, it could become ingrained behavior. BUT your cat still needs to go to the veterinarian!

My advice: Do not get a kitten. Take your current cat to the veterinarian asap.

[TikusMom]

Originally Posted by my-africangrey-echo

The first thing I would do is get rid of that cat.

Tsk! That's not fair to the cat, nor the family! It is more than likely something that can be easily treated and reversed provided they haven't let this go on for months and months.

[singlefeather]

Yes, I understand, not necessarily true.. but I know a number of people who have learnt this and if the dog is this agressive then definitely it is NOT advisable to get a kitten.

My dog ate my two hamsters but shes not agressive. Its like when a cat sees a moth it'll go for it.. so yes its not a bright idea..