Kittens for Sale in Indianapolis, Indiana - AdoptaPet.com (2024)

FAQs

How do I adopt the right kitten? ›

Adopting a stray cat can be an incredible act of kindness, but it's essential to approach the decision with care and consideration. Safety should be a top priority, including health checks, behavior assessments, and allergy testing if necessary.

Initially, confine your new cat to one room. Your bedroom or the living room often works well for this. Make sure that you provide your new cat with food, water, and a litter box — and that you regularly spend time in this room so the cat isn't alone. You'll also want to provide your cat with multiple hiding places.

This depends on their temperament, their age at the time you start socializing them, as well as the amount of time you put into socializing them. Fearful kittens can make wonderful companions provided you can give them the time and energy needed to teach them to trust.

Kittens should stay with their mothers for 12 to 13 weeks of age for them to be properly developed physically and behaviorally. Each kitten needs to be weaned before being placed in a new home because many necessary nutrients come from the mother cat's milk.

We have also had cats returned to us, often as young adults, that did not work out in their new homes. What we found repeatedly was that single kittens adopted into homes without other young cats frequently develop behavioral problems. Kittens have been returned because of litter box problems.

She will be VERY upset if you take her kittens and sadly, your effort to “save” them might actually be a death sentence as despite our best efforts there is usually a 15% to 20% loss of life in hand reared kittens.

The most vulnerable population is kittens, as only 25% of cats born outdoors survive past 6 months of age.

Living outside, often in groups with other feral cats, these cats have not had the human interaction that allows them to be considered as pets. Newborn kittens of feral cats might be o.k. to adopt, but even as young as 8 weeks old they are already much too independent to live indoors as pets.

Choosing a gender

Males, or toms, can be friendlier than females. Intact male cats "spray" to mark their territory and “howl” for females (this is usually not a problem if you get him neutered). Female cats tend to be more reserved than males but are far less likely to spray.

What is the 333 adoption rule cat? ›

While there are some cats that automatically adjust to a new home as soon as they get there, most do not. The general rule when adopting any animal is the rule of 3-3-3: three days to decompress, three weeks to learn your routine and three months to start to feel at home.

A safe place

Prepare a quiet room for the cat (ideal would be a little used room, like a guest bedroom) and put all its things there before it arrives: a feeder and a drinker, a sand tray, a scraper, various hideouts, a basket and some toys. Make sure certain objects are kept at distance from each other.

The proper way to handle a kitten or cat is to place one hand around the chest and front legs and the other under the hindquarters. If she starts squirming, or if she shows signs of fear (ears pressed flat and back against her head, pupils dilated, hissing, growling) put her down gently.

The process of taming kittens can take from 2 to 6 weeks (longer for some exceptionally skittish kittens) depending on their age and state of socialization. Individuals can differ greatly in temperament even within the same litter. Some may become tame immediately while others may take a longer time.

Make Sure Your Personalities Are Compatible

Sit on the floor, hold her and pick her up if she lets you. Ask the shelter or her previous pet parent questions about her temperament and how she gets along with other cats and people. Bring all of your family members to meet her, including other pets of yours, if possible.

Find out from the breeder or seller if the kitten has been vaccinated, neutered and microchipped. The kitten will need to be treated for worms and fleas. If this isn't the case, you'll need to ensure you do this yourself.

Kittens who are gently handled by people multiple times a day and who are exposed to many different people and other animals while they are 2-9 weeks of age, are more likely to be friendly and well-adjusted, and generally get along better with people and other animals.

To find out for yourself how the kitten reacts, sit on the floor and hold out your arm to get their attention. You'll soon find out if the kitten is affectionate, whether or not they like their head rubbed or if they like to sit on your lap. Don't force anything.