New Kitten Dilemma

[Katethespy]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here and I have a dilemma that I would like advice on:

A bit of background - one of my two cats had to sadly be put down at the beginning of August and having wanted a sphynx for a very long time I now have one reserved. Originally the kittens were going to be ready to go on 15th December at 15.5 weeks, but due to circumstances outwith anyone's control (the breeders daughter is in hospital) the vaccinations and neutering have all been pushed back a week so the kittens aren't ready to go until a week later, 22nd December (16.5 weeks).

The issue is that I was originally planning on taking the kitten to my parents for christmas, a three hour drive away, depending on how he had settled. We would be leaving home on 24th and returning on 26th (away for less than 48hrs). My parents do have cats, but also have a very big house and there are rooms they don't go in which the kitten would be restricted to while we visited, there would be no interaction between them.

The question: do you think it would be way too stressful on the kitten to have only had him for 2 days before we go on this trip? My mum is very disappointed at the prospect of the kitten not coming with us, and would be even more disappointed if my husband and I didn't go at all. I haven't yet asked the breeder if they could keep him until 26th/27th due to language barriers, I need to wait until her daughter is well enough to translate. I am aware that leaving the kitten for that length of time alone would be completely unreasonable and is not an option I am considering.

 

[MollysMom]

The factors I would consider are:

Will you have time to take the kitten to your own vet for a standard wellness check up prior to leaving to parents?

Will the vaccines all be effective by the time you go to your parents house? Are their cats all up to date on vaccines (even though they will not meet)

Are you travelling with someone else to help tend to the kitten on the journey? Not sure where you are located, but we get pretty severe snow and ice that time of year. Just in case you get stuck/ slide off the road.

I would take all the comforts of home with you - blankets, same litter and litterbox, food dishes, etc. so that the kitten will have as much of its normal routine as possible

 

[Annejo12]

I agree with Mollysmom that you should take all of the comforts of home with you.

My two cents: it's Christmas, it's family.....don't miss that for a pet. Your kitty might get stressed but will settle into life with you when you are home. It is impossible to remove all of the stress out of our kitty's lives so we need to enjoy our lives with them.

Or ask the breeder to keep him for a few extra days if you don't want your kitty travelling.

 

[Anansi]

I think I would probably request they keep the kitten an extra few days if possible just as I would want to keep unnecessary stress to a minimum and you'll have all the time with your kitten after Christmas but family not as often.
If they are unable or unwilling to hold him/her for that time I would take as many of their personal items like blankets/toys/litter box etc with you so it feels as much like home as possible.

 

[Katethespy]

Thanks for the input everyone. My first choice will be to ask the breeder to hold on to him for another couple of days if possible.

I would be getting him vet checked probably the day after we get him home, luckily our vet is open on a Saturday!
My parents cats are indoor cats, and up to date with vaccinations.
If we do have to travel with him, I had already planned to take all the stuff I will already have set up for him at home.
My husband would be travelling in the back of the car with him.
The weather doesn't usually get bad, if at all, until Jan/Feb round these parts, only once in my lifetime (more than 30 years) have I seen the main road north completely blocked by snow and it wasn't until Jan.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Hope the breeder is willing to keep your baby a few days longer!

Welcome to sphynxlair btw.

 

[Katethespy]

Hi, an update for you all.
He isn't going to be castrated until December 22nd which is way too close to a long car ride on the 24th for me to be comfortable taking him with me. Plus it would mean he would be in four different places within 48 hours - the breeders, the vets, my flat, my parents house.
I am now picking him up on December 26th.

I've shared a photo with you so you can see his gorgeous face and hopefully understand how hard the next 9 days wait is going to be!

 

[Toa and Ross]

What a gorgeous boy! Only 5 days to go now. What a wonderful christmas present will it be to take him home.

 

[Anita Eccleston]

Hi there , wow how fortunate are you to be getting such a stunning little fella !! Totally to die for !
I am no athority still learning daily myself
I feel it’s good you’ve put his needs first as hard as it’s going to be for you , and disappointing to your parents
You have a life time with him , so plenty of time for the expectant grandparents to coo over him at a later date
I felt my first few days with Cleo were our bonding days
You wouldn’t like to have to keep slipping off to see him and your parents feel a little neglected lol
Have QUALITY TIME with your parents then pick the little fella up and the rest of the holidays you can devote to him and get your bond started
Have you chosen a name yet ? Sorry if I missed it ( I did look back lol )
Have a great Christmas
And picture over load of him would be great he is stunning
Hugs
Anita & Cleo xxx❤️❤️❤️

 

[Katethespy]

Morning Anita,

His name is Cassidy.

My husband's going to be in charge next Wednesday/Thursday as I have to work those two days!
He's going to have lots of fun keeping the two separated. Our ragdoll has attachment issues and doesn't like not being with you if you're in the house, so when he's with the kitten, the other cat will be tearing the door down, and when he's with the other cat, he's going to have to listen to Cassidy crying on his own!

Everything will be fine overnight though as I'm planning on abandoning husband and ragdoll and sleeping in the spare room with Cassidy (which is the room I've set up for him anyway).

I'm hoping the two of them will settle together quite quickly. Our ragdoll is used to another cat and has definitely been pining since our moggie died in August. They didn't have a great relationship but that was mainly down to the cat who sadly passed away - he was taken from his mother at only 6 weeks old and hadn't been taught a lot of cat social etiquette. The ragdoll always wanted to be friends but moggie didn't know how to handle it. Although I know they snuggled when we weren't in the house by the size of the warm spots on the bed!