Opinions-kittens or young cats?

[Velocivixen]

When I married 5 years ago my DH had 2 cats and I had 2 cats. I had to euthanize my 17 year old cat last week due to illness. Currently we have no cats (died of old age). My DH works full time and I'm a "domestic diva", however am active and busy (my own choice). We would like to adopt two kittens or young cats likely in the Autumn or Winter. I am still grieving the loss of Theodore and imagine that I will for awhile.
When I adopted my kittens years ago they were kittens - like 10 and 15 weeks old. I worked at the time so they were home alone with no issues. When my DH adopted his cats, one was a kitten from his family's home and the other was a 1 year old from the shelter. We are definitely adopting from a shelter and would like two short hair cats. The question is do we adopt kittens (cute packaging but you don't know about what their personality will be as they mature) or a "young cat" (maybe a year old or so where you know the final size, personality, etc.)?
If we adopted little kittens I'd just make sure to limit their access to various parts of the house when I'm gone. I'd make sure to be around more, at least initially, so I could supervise and play with them. We're open to either. Kittens can be more expensive with additional series of vaccinations, etc. I know from volunteering at my local animal shelter that older cats are harder to adopt out than kittens. Kittens are so cute and funny though....

So any thoughts? Opinions? Horror stories?

Thanks.

[Reesha]

I'm sorry about your Theodora!

That said, I would spring for a young cat. My kitty was a very, very cute kitten, but I think there's significant value in being familiar with their personality traits.

I adopted a 3-4 year old dog on the flipside and have zero regrets.

[Veronica]

Get whichever tugs at your heart strings when you go to the shelter.

Veronica

[Becky]

We've done one of each. The young cat was ~6 months old, and we knew exactly what we were getting with her. She really hasn't changed much, except to get bigger and older, and I like predictable. The 8-week kitten looked so calm and even-tempered in his cage, and has turned out to be hell on paws! The one advantage to the kitten is that we had the opportunity to shape his behavior and tolerance for being handled more so than we did with the young cat. She (the young cat), to this day, is aloof and all about human contact on her terms, which makes grooming and vetting interesting.

IMO, there's few pros or cons to one or the other, so do what V says....

[Reesha]

Ooo I would agree with what becky said. the younger you can get a kitten, the more you can train them to accept nail trimmings and extra hugs

[indysteel]

Ooo I would agree with what becky said. the younger you can get a kitten, the more you can train them to accept nail trimmings and extra hugs

I think it still depends on the cat. I've raised three cats from kittenhood and, trust me, they've all been cuddled to death and have been lavished with attention. One is a total lap cat. He hates to travel and to move into a new environment. He loves to cuddle, but hates to be picked up. If I'm on the couch, he's in my lap. Period. One was totally mellow about everything. She didn't mind car rides or moves. She loved to be brushed, petted, and held. She wasn't necessarily one to demand much attention though. She was a real sweetie. The third and youngest (she's one now) has gotten more cuddles and kisses than you can imagine from me and my husband. We ooh and ahh over year 50 times a day. She's totally playful and engaged with us....but she WILL NOT cuddle unless I take her upstairs for a nap with me. As frustrating as she is when it comes to cuddling, her personality is otherwise so cute and entertaining that I can't really quibble with it.

So, who knows. Cats are funny little creatures. In that sense, I agree with Veronica. There are so many different cat personalities. Short of an ill-tempered or really aloof cat, I think they each have their charms. You gotta go with a cat that just speaks to you in some fashion.