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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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 Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:02 am Post subject: Having a cat in Korea |
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The time has come for me to seriously consider getting a cat or two. But I have no idea how to go about purchasing the cat and its required products.
First, where do you find a cat? Is it possible to get wee kittens, maybe 6-8 weeks old?
Next, where do you find cat litter? I have not seen it ever in any store. Cat food I've seen around, but not in quantity and priced individually at a high rate.
Any advice I'd appreciate.
Q. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:10 am Post subject: |
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I do know there is an animal shelter but not sure how to find it. You could also go to a pet store, although I recommend staying away from Dongdaemoon. There are also a few message boards on Daum for cat owners and there are always a ton of ads giving away cats. If a Korean is helping you you can find a huge listing online.
If you're not aware, expect to pay money no matter where you get your cat. The phrase "Free to a good home" does not exist in Korea, and responsible pet owners are strongly against the notion.
I get cat litter online. You might be able to find it at a good vet's office, but you might have to look around. Also, some of the pet stores in Chungmuro should stock it. |
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Oreovictim
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:27 am Post subject: |
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Man, I never see cat related-products around Korea. Wait, I think that I saw some cat food at one grocery store; that's about it. But I've never seen cat litter; you'd think that if they sold one, they'd sell the other. Weird.
If you get a cat, please don't get one that's 6-8 weeks old. Although they're cute at the age, it's best to wait until they're at least 12 weeks old. They need to have more bonding time with their moms. I've known two people who didn't listen to me and insisted on getting one as young as possible. Those cats were a complete pain for the owners.
But if those young kittens are in a pet store without their mom around, I'd just avoid the cat all together. I hope you have a huge apartment. My friend and I both have HUGE apartments (by Korean standards), and my friend's cat is going mad because of the small space.
Good luck. |
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Bramble
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Location: National treasures need homes
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Gatsby
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:05 am Post subject: |
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Qinella
| Quote: |
The time has come for me to seriously consider getting a cat or two. But I have no idea how to go about purchasing the cat and its required products.
First, where do you find a cat? Is it possible to get wee kittens, maybe 6-8 weeks old? |
I sure got a chuckle out of this post!
There is a saying: You don't find a cat; the cat finds you.
I had no intention of adopting a cat in Korea. Then one afternoon I step out on the front balcony and hear a cat crying loudly on the sidewalk out front.
I go downstairs and Koreans are just walking by the crying little kitten. I leaned down and put my hand out, and the kitten did not run away. I reached over and she let me pet her. So I picked her up and she started purring.
I had apparently seen this kitten being led by her parents a few weeks before. She was definitely feral. Now she was about 12 weeks old.
She let me carry her upstairs quite peacefully. She ate a meal every hour for five hours. She was quite gentle. She even let me give her a bath in the sink.
Then the next day she started biting me. She was still friendly, but thought every extremity was a wild critter to be attacked and eaten. I presume she had already done some hunting for food, and found it the highlight of her short life.
Nine days later, she is still biting. Yelling in pain and hitting her lightly did not work; it may have made her even more aggressive: she lunged and bit my face once.
The feral cats around here seem to have been here for decades; some of them are still quite distinctly Japanese bobtails. I suspect they have reverted to some less than fully domesticated American-style housecats. They are totally unafraid of people, but there are also geared toward hunting.
I finally seem to be getting through. Last night I put cinnamon on my fingers and let her bite them. That slowed her down fast. Today she is actually friendlier and letting her pet her more.
She is just a little kitten and allowances have to be made that it takes time for her to learn and adjust. But delilberately waiting till a kitten is 12 weeks old, assuming that she has been with her mother all that time in a domesticated setting getting lots of human touch and petting, is a big, big mistake, in Korea or anywhere. And you don't know how good the nutrition has been during that time. And allowing a kitten to nurse till 12 weeks old can create some bad habits that last a lifetime.
In the States kittens are often put up for adoption at 6 weeks. This is not ideal, 8 weeks is better. But I once had to give away kittens at 6 weeks and they all turned out just fine.
Heck a neighbor here found a kitten that was one or two weeks old abandoned in a field while walking their dog. The kitten is quite happy, and is being mothered and nursed by the dog.
On top of that, you can't tell a kittens age by its size. A well fed kitten from big parents will look like it is 10 or 12 weeks old when it is only 6-8 weeks old. And an underfed kitten who is 10 weeks old might only look six weeks old. So don't sweat the age equation; just look for a healthy, playful kitten. Also, once they pass 12 weeks and if they are fed well, they grow like weeds; that's what mine is doing. Start at 12 weeks and you will miss their kittenhood.
As to supplies, apparently a vet in the nearby city owns a pet store with cat supplies, so start by finding the vets.
The big Lotte in the city has recently added a small but nice cat section with about five types of dry food, toys, two types of litter and some good but expensive little cans of food. Canned mackeral works just fine as a supplement to dry food, and is cheaper than the canned cat food.
The cans of Whiskas are a joke. They are proof, in case you needed it, that pet food makers actually cater to humans. The ingredients are the sort of stuff Koreans eat for lunch, including calamari. I bought a can for the stray cats outside the apartment; they wouldn't eat it. I guess they are eating better from the garbage overflow.
Does every apartment have cats hanging around the garbage? If so, sooner or later, you will encounter kittens. If you had a trap, you could have all the kittens you wanted.
As to kitty litter, I sure would like to find some silica gel litter. It is by far the best.
I would be tempted to offer you my kitten, but she is settling down and is quite beautiful, playful and intelligent. Feral kittens can make wonderful pets once they adapt.
I have never had an all indoor cat before, but if you start them from kittens, they can get used to it. You can also train them to walk on a harness.
I am noticing stuff on Korean television about cats, so perhaps they are starting to gain acceptance.
Good luck. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:46 am Post subject: |
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I appreciate what you say, Gatsby, but the gorgeous specimen you see in my avatar was the result of me looking around for cats a few years ago. I got her and her brother at about 6 weeks old, and we bonded quite well. One of the hardest things in my life, perhaps the hardest, was giving them up when I moved to Korea. I cried uncontrollably leaving them. Now they are outside cats, and seem quite happy where they are.
Oreovictim, my apartment is of suitable size for a couple of cats. It's a bit bigger than my place in the US, and I also have a screened patio thing that runs around two sides of the apartment. You know the Korean style, somewhat narrow and essentially a waste of space. That would be kitty paradise when the sun's out.
Bramble, thanks for the link. I'll probably check out the KARMA place over near Uijeongbu. It says they get 100 cats a day. Damn.. seems like the best bet, huh?
Racetraitor, what web site is it you use for ordering supplies? Is it very expensive?
And I was reminded of another concern: is it hard to find a vet around the Itaewon area? I'll most likely administer the necessary shots myself, as I did with my previous cats, but of course the occasional emergency arises from time to time.
Thanks for the help, y'all. Here's to mutual love of the.. of cats. |
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Boodleheimer
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Location: working undercover for the Man
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| i had a good vet in my last small town -- Taebaek. he always stocked loads of cat supplies. now we're in Uljin and there's simply no cat stuff --litter or food -- to be seen. |
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JAZZYJJJ
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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To the OP, try koyangi.com for supplies.
To Gatsby, try a syrienge filled with water to deter bad behaviour.
J. |
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neandergirl
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Although I have always gone the adopt/rescue option, there is a pet store in downtown Daegu that appears to specialize in cats/kittens. I was in only once but they seemed to have everything you'd need. Starting from Daegu Dept store, turn so the Burger King/Bennigans/Mackers is behind you and just walk straight down; it's on the right just before the stationery store. Of course, that's a fair hop for cat litter but .... |
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normalcyispasse
Joined: 27 Oct 2006
Location: Yeosu until the end of February WOOOOOOOO
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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You can find cats and cat products here in Korea. I speak from experience (I have a cat).
The local E-mart (even here, living in a smaller town) carries cat food and litter. Cat food runs about 9,000 a bag (1.8kg) and litter is about 10,000 a bag (5kg, I think). |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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| As to the feral kitten. It will always be different but can become a first rate housecat. Clip the claws if you have to and just give it room when it wants and affection when it will let you. |
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canuckistan
Mod Team
Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Location: Training future GS competitors.....
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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Gatsby wrote:
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| There is a saying: You don't find a cat; the cat finds you. |
Ain't that the truth!!....that's how we ended up with our 3 cats.
Actually that's how I've always ended up with the cats I've had.
As for feral kitty, if he/she is getting too rough with biting/claws just say "No" loudly and stop playing with him/her immediately. Cats are very sensitive to tone of voice (as are dogs). Keep doing that each time and soon enough he/she will know there's a line with roughness/playing. Has always worked for me.
Our Korean street cat is the smartest one of our 3. LOVES rice...cooked, and uncooked if she can get into the bag. And bread. Starchy stuff. I always have to laugh about that.
She's probably got a lot of that Japanese Bobtail in her...she's got half a tail which is natural and not due to an accident. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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This cat was a stray rescued at a very young age by my friends. He was extremely tiny and they estimate no more than a week old, but he already had a strong survival instinct. However, he fit right in with a family of cats that had recently come from America, and became one of the most cuddly cats I know. You can still see some of that instinct from time to time, which is stronger than in domestic cats.
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:38 am Post subject: |
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That cat looks cool with the white diamond pattern on his face and chest.
| normalcyispasse wrote: |
You can find cats and cat products here in Korea. I speak from experience (I have a cat).
The local E-mart (even here, living in a smaller town) carries cat food and litter. Cat food runs about 9,000 a bag (1.8kg) and litter is about 10,000 a bag (5kg, I think). |
Oh for real? I've taken cursory glances at the pet aisles in the big box stores and never noticed litter. I'll probably end up ordering from that koyangi site JAZZYJJJ recommended. (Thanks, J.JJJ!) |
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maeil
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Location: Haebangchon
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| Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:05 am Post subject: |
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There is also www.catvil.co.kr and www.catsnara.co.kr. The former has free shipping if you spend over 30,000 won, and they always include quite a few free samples. Both sites offer good deals on ordering food and litter in bulk, especially the canned food. (Judging by the layouts of the websites, however, I suspect that they are run by the same company.)
As to the vet near Itaewon - if you walk down the hill from Noksapyong station, across the street from the base, you will find a somewhat large animal hospital. I haven't gone there yet for my cats (just moved to the area) but friends have, and when I went in to pick up a friend's cat one time they were very kind and everything seemed in order. Large staff.
I adopted two cats nearly a year ago. Their mother was a street cat taken off the street while pregnant by someone who then posted them up for adoption on Dave's. Excellent creatures, and very adaptable... they've moved around with me several times. |
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