Hi everyone!

In 5-6 weeks I will be getting two kittens and I have very little experience with cats, but I have done quite a bit of reading. The woman selling them to me has a litter of 4 (3 males and 1 female) and I was wondering if it's better to get two males or a male and a female? Also, is 8 weeks too young to leave their Mum? There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet.

I plan on getting them fixed as soon as they are old enough and they will be indoor cats (if that matters).

How exciting! Well done on doing the responsible thing and doing your homework and getting them fixed asap! I am not an expert, but I don't think it would really make a difference whether you gettng two females, two males or one male, 1 female. Purely from my own experience, I find neutered males are slightly friendlier and more loving than females, but it really varies from cat to cat. Perhaps when you visit them, you could let them "choose" you? I found that I went to the shelter with a preconceived idea of what kind of cat I wanted and ended up with something completely different (and never regretted it for a moment).
Indoor cats: (in my opinion only) good for you for keeping them safe!

personal experience says 2 boys is easier - others will argue

age wise - ideally the longer she can keep them the better - 13 weeks ideal 8 weeks *bare minimum* - more likely to have behaviour probs/slightly balanced out cos you're getting 2

We have two male kittens, Niko & Baloo, and we adopted them at 8weeks old (because the owner was moving home so we had to take them in as soon as possible) and they are already completely house trained indoor cats, who are very well behaved (although overly energetic)

I think, ideally, leaving the kitties with mother until about 12 weeks is best, but as long they are no younger than 8 weeks old you should be fine. If you'r worried about taking them away from their mum so early, why not leave them an extra two weeks?

It's fabulous that you have done your homework and are asking these questions - at least you will be better prepared And go you for keeping them as indoor cats!

Whatever you do - make sure to post pictures on here when you get them - Because we all want to see!!!

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I have only ever had males cats; a cat when I was younger, and now two male kittens. Although there are no hard and fast rules (as with all things feline), with most people I know who own cats;

* Male cats seem to be more affectionate and females a bit more snotty/choosy about giving affection.
* Male cats tend to favour their female owners and female cats favour the men

Other than that, and their weight, (boys are heavier) if they are being neutered then there really isn't much difference.

I got my kittens at 9 weeks from CPL, but they only give kittens away before 12 weeks if they are certain the kittens are healthy, confident and well socialised. My kittens littermates were being kept with their Mum for a further two weeks as they were not confident for their new home, even though they had been weaned and were healthy.

If you are unsure why not ask the woman to keep them for 2/3 more weeks to be on the safe side.

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AHEM MISSY!!! Where are YOUR pictures then?!!!

Just to put my two penneth in, in total my family have had 1 female cat and 4 male cats over the years.

The female would only sit on females and was very snuggly but afraid (fair enough she was abused in her previous home). The first boy sat on anyone but preferred my dad. Mine and hubby's last boy was playful and loving but wouldn't sit on anyone. My parents' previous boy loved to be carried around but hated laps and wouldn't sit on anyone. My parents' newest boy will sit on anyone and is MENTAL in terms of his energy levels.

Thanks so much for the replies!

I have considered asking the seller if she'll keep the cats for a week or two longer. I'm not in a huge rush. I just want healthy, well adjusted kitties. However, the seller made a comment which indicated she'd be prepared to part with the kittens at 6 weeks (which, by all accounts, really is too young) and I said to her that I would feel better if they were at least 8 weeks old before leaving Mum. She was fine with that but I sort of got the impression that she'd prefer sooner rather than later.

I was thinking of calling to see if she'll give me first choice on the litter so that, before making a choice, I could observe how they interact with one another and how they interact with me. Actually, I think I will. If she becomes 'off' with me about it, perhaps she's not someone I'd really want to get kittens from anyway.

With regards to male/female question, I have a -perhaps irrational- fear that two males together means that my house will inevitably smell of cat wee or that there will be issues over territory. I don't have the experience to pick up on such issues before the problem escalates nor would I know how to deal with them and the last thing that I'd want to have to do is get rid of them (I don't like the throw-away attitude that some people have with regards to animals). How likely is it that those sort of problems would arise in two neutered males?

I'd heard similar about males establishing separate territories in a house but fell in love with my boys and couldn't go home without them (I was meant to be visiting 5 week old baby girls!). At about 4 months or so one of mine started getting a bit aggressive towards the other which we discouraged by focusing his attention elsewhere. At 4.5 months they were both neutered and they are now best friends. They are literally inseparable and prefer to be with each other all the time. The one that spends more time awake will go check on his sleeping brother at least a few times an hour And they both like to cuddle up on me and bath each other.
I'm no expert but I think you would be fine with two boys

I agree with whats been said, basically the longer they can stay with mum, the better.

We have two cats a male and female, but we got them from the cp at different times, so cant really answer your other question, they get along pretty well tho x

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One day i'll learn where the spellcheck is on my phone, so sorry for any mistakes