panther007
Member
I am looking at getting 2 kittens, and they come with nothing :-P
They havent gotten their shots yet and I was wondering, What shots do I need to have them get? And about how much it will cost?
I know about a 3-in-1 shot and thats it :-P
And yes, I do plan on getting them "fixed"
scubaguy (R.I.P.)
Member
panther007 - It sounds as if you already know where your getting them from,if not try calling local pet shelters,sometimes the shelter has already done this including the fixed part. You can also call your local vet and inquire as to cost.
I've always had a pet and have never bought at a pet store,have gone to a shelter or they seem to just show up at my doorstep with that look of...I'm free would you like to keep me?
This forum has a lot of cat lovers so give it a little more time and you should get a lot of helpful advice.Just so you know,if this is the first time with cats,you don't own them, they own you!
If you want more advice on them just ask and we will all be glad to share our experiences.
panther007
Member
this is time 2, my cat... Went to sleep Monday, due to Kidney failure (born with weak/bad kidneys, Vet said he should have lived around 5 years, but lived for 7 years and 20 days)
I tried to call some Vet offices, and they were closed, and all the ones I find are closed tomorrow.
scubaguy (R.I.P.)
Member
Sorry about your little one,and since you knew about his/her problem in the beginning and still gave it a home that makes you good person in my book.
Buckleysmom
Member
Panther007....best thing is to check with your local vet as Copmom & Scuba already said cause prices are different all over. Of course if they haven't had any shots yet it will cost more with the initial visit. The main thing you will have to get is distemper shots. I can't remember what kind of prices I paid for my cat but I know the cat was a lot cheaper than the dog. I paid $90.00 for his initial visit. You will also want them to be wormed and a decent vet will give them a good once-over. They should check for ear mites too. We paid about $45.00 to have the cat spayed and declawed when she was 6 months old (a lot of vets like to wait till their 6 months, but not all of them). With kittens if they're clean with no fleas and no earmites you can usually bet they're going to be healthy and not have problems, in which case they should only need the regular shots and stuff. Hope this helps at least a little.
panther007
Member
Ok, and yes it does help
And I actually found out about Pan Pan's condition on monday, the day he.... Went to sleep
copmom
Member
panther.. sorry to hear about your kitty. We've been adopted by a stray kitty, and he's allowed us to be his "people". Just got him a flea/tick collar since he does come indoors in the afternoon (when the dogs are out), and automatically goes to the bed for a 3 hour nap! He's got 3 other sisters/brothers but can't get near them with a 10 foot pole.
Here's a little something that's helped us whenever we've had to have one of our 'babies' put down. It's called Rainbow Bridge: http://www.petloss.com/poems/maingrp/rainbowb.htm
funkymom
Member
hey panther- i'm sorry for your loss. a lot of us have been through this before (and probably will again).
i will agree with the suggestion of adopting from the humane society or a shelter, if you don't already have the kitties picked out. when i've adopted from the humane society, the exams, shots and "fixing" were included in the original fee, which at the time (1992) was under $50.
good luck and meow.
:D
Face
Member
panther007
So sorry to hear of your loss - my white cat also went to sleep last week, with kidney failure - she was 20 years old, and her kidneys had been getting worse over the last year, I had her home on IV fluids (for dehydration) for the past 2 weeks, and she was getting around fairly well, but started having seizures late Thursday night, so there was nothing else to do. She was a really good kitty. I know how much you must be missing yours.
I got Petey from a local shelter, a year ago last Christmas - he was on sale for the holidays!! - neutered and all shots, plus a big bag of kitten chow for $26 (half price). You might want to keep your eyes open for sales at shelters - this is the beginning of the big summer rush for kittens - it seems most cats have litters between May and July and shelters get over-run with kittens - they may be marking them down to make room for new ones.
You should check with local vets and shelters about spay-and-neuter and vaccination clinics that may be held in your area. Also places like PetSmart - during the summer they usually have a good number of "events" where you can get the shots and the neutering at a significant savings - it's well worth searching out, especially with two.
You didn't say whether you had your new family already picked out, or you are just starting to look. If the latter, I also recommend checking out what is available at shelters. There should be a good selection to choose from and two from the same litter should grow up as best buds and be great company for each other.
copmom
Member
Face... so sorry to hear about your loss. You must have given your kitty a very good life for it to live so long! That's the hardest part of having pets.. having to let them go. Seems like the last few dogs we've had to part with ended up the same way, their kidney's shut down and that was it. If we had tried to prolong things, we would have just been doing it for ourselves, and that's not good. When they get to the point of suffering, and it's just a matter of time, the main thing we've had to deal with was if we loved them we had to let them go, instead of prolonging their suffering.
CreamyPretzel
Member
I think I'd like to have a giant tortoise or a Macaw. That way they will outlive me!
bluhoteyes
Member
heck you guys got me thinking i should invest in a pet again, but for now i think i will stick with the birds and squirrels they are easier to take care of ;)
EXPLOITSUSHI
Member
Hello guys; finely a topic I know a lot about:) Panther- the local humane society or town pound will give you a voucher if u ask for it. It will give you &15-$30 off the cost of spaying/neutering them. You can use it at any vet and on any cat even if u did not get the cat there. the first shots are the most important cause they help prevent some diseases that are very dangerous to the kitty..like lukemia. The shots are always under $20 each. it is the office visit itself that jacks the price up to $80 dollars or more. It is very rare, but sometimes u can find a vet who will let you pay instalments.
Kidney problems usualy happen in male cats. You can help prevent it by seeing they get lots of water. some cats will drink more often if the sink drips.
Even though walmart sells very cheap cat food, that is the same thing as eating only from the dollar store and it contributes to health probs. Try to get the most expensive food you are willing to pay for cause kitties grow up much smarter and hardier with better food. I buy IAMS when Ive got spare cash/ and Purina one when I am low on cash.
A bad food lists CORN as its first ingredient. (this aplyes 2 dogs also)
Hope this helped.
panther007
Member
Thanks everyone.
I found the Humane sociaty has where you can get your cat fixed for $40-50.
And there is this county that is about a hour away from me, and they sometimes have "Free Fix your pet day"
sukibabe
Games Junkie
So Sorry for your losses! I think of all my pets who have moved on and know they are far better off than I am, there is no more pain up there and they have new lives! They are just waiting for us to come over!
bluhoteyes: You forgot the chipmunks! The racoon's! The Turkeys! I bet if I figured out how much I spent on seed, suet cakes, corn, oranges, grape jelly etc.....it would far out way what I pay for Dog food and the yearly checkup, shots, Heartguard and Frontline Plus!
In my area, they recommend the heartworm for a year now and the tic I do for 7 months!
Heck, those 2 alone cost as much as the Vet and the shots! However I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!!
My little Beagle "Tai" is worth all that and more, even if I will only be taking care of him for his "way to short" life!
Think maybe next time I just might become a foster parent, there are allot of shelters in need of those too!
Suki
Buckleysmom
Member
Panther....I guess I was posting my first message the same time you and Scuba were posting your second ones, so I didn't see you lost your cat till now. I am so sorry to hear that. We had to put our Heidi down in April of 2004 and you know, some days I still miss her. Fortunately Buckley fills the void pretty well, but he's too big to curl up on my lap the way she did.
You didn't say where you'd be getting these kittes form and you've gotten some great advice here, but I wanted to mention that I just saw a show on TV about puppy mills and how that is where most pet stores get their puppy's. I figure if that's the case maybe it's better not to get kittens from them either. I've never heard of kitten mills, but why support the stores at all especially when you can always find kittens at shelters and/or in the free column in the local paper.
I've had a lot of female cats since I was in my mid teens and had lots of "litters", and people who got my kittens used to tell others and after a while I started getting phone calls wanting to know when I'd have more available. They liked my kittens because I played with them a lot so they were very people oriented. I trained them to eat from a bowl, and litter trained them and there were some I was able to teach tricks, though that was very seldom cause they were gone at 6-8 weeks and there just wasn't time to teach them much. Anyway.....I said all that to say this....I would never take a kitten that is afraid and hides when you come to see it. That's how Heidi was and though I was able to bring her out of some of that she never did get to being comfortable around visitors. If anyone came to our house she hid, even if they were there all day. I always fed my cats Purina brand dry food and they were always healthy and lived long. I did not give them milk accept when I was training them to eat, but I would get them off milk. The less milk they drink the more water they'll drink and in spite of what most people think cats do not NEED milk. In fact some people say it makes their "poop" more smelly.
Copmom.....corn should definately not be the first on the list for cats OR dogs. Buckley's a picky eater and when we found he liked the IAMS our friends were feeding their dog we switched to that brand. So far he's been doing great with it. Personally I don't believe the expensive brands (like the kind the vets sell) are worth the $$$. Years ago there was no such thing as packaged pet food. They ate what we ate, and it's not like the life expectancy has gone up since they've started making processed foods for them so why spend more than necessary?
sukibabe
Games Junkie
copmom
The Orioles eat the oranges and they luv's the grape jelly!!!! However, so does the screwiest red squirrel I have ever seen! It has to be a cross between a chipmunk and a squirrel! It was taking 3-4 seeds at a time(vs chipmunk mouthfuls)and burying it within about 2 feet of the feeder, lol, both can't figure out, lmao, that they grow!!!!!!!!
You can make your own suet cakes and treats, I just save the store bought plastic containers and reuse them. Also check out the food service isle for cayenne pepper cheap and add it to your good birdseed. The critters with lips(squirrels, chipmunks, coons etc...) can't take the heat! It doesn't hurt the birds. Most of that squirrel repel stuff contains it, then they charge a fortune!
Suki
P.S. I feed Iams also! Got "Little Big Foots" on weight control and he's only 4 years old! He only gets veggies and pup-corn for treats.
Boy do I like this Forum!!!! You can talk about most anything and not really be off topic! What a great bunch of people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ok Stop! Sorry, I like exclamation points!!!
scubaguy (R.I.P.)
Member
sukibabe or anyone could you please post instrutions and ingredients on how to make your own suet cakes.I would like to cut down on the cost of the store bought ones,even though I buy them on sale.
I go through 2 a week.
copmom
Member
scuba, I googled, here's some links:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2199119_make-homemade-suet.html
http://www.attractwildbirds.com/feedingbirds/how-to-make-suet.htm
http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bird/msg1116204722774.html
scubaguy (R.I.P.)
Member
Thanks copmom, Duhhh!! Why didn't I think of doing that???
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