Tell me about cats...

[gigi556]

Always been a dog person tbh and never had a cat.

Current situation is no pets. My 14 year old dog died two years ago right before my son was born (so we have a toddler in the house).

I'm considering adopting an adult cat to keep mice at bay since I've just spotted a mouse in the kitchen. We seem to have a recurring mouse problem. Is this a crazy reason to get a cat?

Extra bonus would be that my son loves cats. Obviously, I had a dog all my adult life and grew up with dogs so understand the responsibility of pets... which maybe is actually putting me off...

Opinions??

[gigi556]

Bumping... 👍🏻

[Ellabella989]

I’ve always had cats and they can be such fantastic company. Great for things like keeping the mice at bay but also great for cuddles. The only potential downside with adopting an adult cat could be that it already has behavioural issues/is unaffectionate etc and cats can be notoriously difficult to train. Some adoption places sometimes have kittens/younger cats which might be easier to mould into your family life better. Definitely worth still looking at the older cats too though as they deserve a chance at being rehomed too. Hope it all works out well for you

[lunababoona]

My husband was like you until he spent some time with my parents cats.. now he's totally a cat man. They're easy, don't need walking, if they're outdoor they'll generally bury their poo so no need to clean up after them!
They can give you so much love back (of course you get crazy ones too) and are hilarious at times.
Female cats tend to be better hunters from my experience.
I think you should rescue one and give her a chance!

[Tavannach]

Cats are brilliant. Unless they've been raised with them they're not massively fond of small children. Best to get a kitten or a cat that's used to being around toddlers.

[AloneLonelyLoner]

We got our cat as a mouser (old house with a serious mouse problem). He was just a kitten when we got him and he caught a mouse almost as big as him within the first week. It didn't take long for the mice to clear out, never to be seen of again. My cat has 'moused' my friends' houses too. Cats are great.

[LittleWalnutTree]

I've seen a cat of mine idly sit there and watch a mouse walk past.

I'd get the council pest control people in instead. It will work out way cheaper than getting a cat

[iklboo]

I'd get the council pest control people in instead. It will work out way cheaper than getting a cat

Yeah but a pest control bloke won't sit on your knee drooling while padding your boobs. Well you'd hope not anyway 😄

[Toddlerteaplease]

I'd also hope that the council pest control wouldn't leave dismembered rodents on your pillows, or in the exact place you put your first foot out of bed!

[Fucksandflowers]

I have a cat.

Plus sides

• super cute
  
• cheap to feed
  
• tolerant with kids
  
• not a terribly good hunter though that would be a bad side for you
  

Bad sides

• terrible food thief, you can't leave any food unattended at all
  
• likes to piss on rugs
  
• not interested in scratch posts, wants to destroy the furniture instead
  
• has scratched the shit out of my back door from hanging off under the windowed bit trying to be seen to be let in
  
• not affectionate, she is tolerant of kids and will come and say hello to you if she sees you outside but almost never wants stroking or affection

[littlebitstressed]

Cats are amazing, I've always had cats and currently have two, Simba and Nala (yes we're big Lion King fans). They're great with the kids and can be very comforting. They also teach responsibility through having to feed it without the sometimes stressfulness of having a dog and taking it for walks when your busy enough as it is (we also have dogs). I would really recommend getting a cat - or two.

[SabineSchmetterling]

Positives
Mine is affectionate, loves a cuddle.
She’s never gone outside her litter tray. She’s not remotely interested in human food so don’t have to worry about food stealing. She’s super gentle and happy to be groomed and handled.
She kills all the big spiders for me.
She’s not very territorial and will happily come on holiday with us.
Downsides-
She’s long haired and, my god, the fluff gets everywhere.
She sometimes gets poo stuck in her fluffy bloomers. It’s gross! I then have to cut it out and wash her rear end. If it happens while we’re out then we come home to the poopocalypse.
She likes to scratch furniture.
She’s quite a needy, indoor cat and doesn’t like to be left home alone for too long. I worry about going on holiday without her because she gets lonely.

[gigi556]

Hmmm... what's with the scratching? I told you I don't know anything about cats 😬

[Shockers]

My cat:

Loves me more than the rest of the family put together.
Follows me to the shop and waits outside.
Sleeps cuddled against me.
Has comforted me through the worst of times.
Is just ace.
Has never made a mess, or damaged anything.


Punches me in the face to wake me up .

[Fucksandflowers]

Hmmm... what's with the scratching? I told you I don't know anything about cats 😬

Cats need to scratch stuff regularly in order to keep the claws sharp, the outer skin of the claws sloughs off with the scratching revealing the new sharp claw underneath.

So, when you get a cat you need a scratch post or activity centre for them to scratch so they don't destroy your house.

But my cat doesn't use them.
She likes to claw the carpet, stairs, wooden furniture...

TBH, I know all animals are different and there are certainly dogs that are chewy, scratchy, diggy destructive nightmares and cats that are very placid and calm and non destructive but honestly, my cat has really put me off cats.

She's a sweet little soul but I honestly can't imagine ever wanting another cat.
My dog causes me very little stress in comparison.

[Toddlerteaplease]

My cats are very well behaved. Though I have doubts that they are cats. They use their scratch post and sleep in their baskets. They are incredibly well behaved. They are a joy to be owned by.

[GuacamoleWithNoHesitation]

My husband always hated cats until a friend came to stay for a weekend with her kitten, we got our own cat 4 months later 😻
He’s gorgeous and very low maintenance, just needs fed (a lot), let in and out, and tummy rubs. When we come home he puts on a performance and rolls over and over and squirms about on his back looking super cute for more tummy rubs. He’s a great killer but very discrete, I just find body parts in the bushes when I’m gardening. He prefers birds to mice though.

[TheLongRider]

Get to know your local cat rescue. Tell them what you're looking for and if they're good they should be able to match you with a cat.

Go and visit the cats, if you get The Paw laid upon you, you are the chosen one. Some cats are hunters, some will only catch leaves. Most cats are clowns, this is why the internet is full of cat videos.

Cats can be just as bonded to their person as any dog. Take a look at cat behaviour videos, Jackson Galaxy is usually recommended. Cats talk with the position of their tail, ears and whiskers. If a cat's tail is wagging it's not happy.

I've been owned by cats all.my life and it is a very rewarding relationship.

[UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername]

One of ours has only ever caught birds. The other only ever had one catch, a mouse, which she brought home, placed carefully on the kitchen floor and then looked at, confusedly. It was in perfect shape so we just put it back outside and let it run away.

Cats are not all natural mousers.

Both of them love cuddles more than anything in the world, though, and will make up for the lack of mouse mass slaughter by drooling on us lovingly at every opportunity including at 4am. DH was always a devoted dog person till he moved in with me and I insisted on kittenifying the house. Now he constantly has one attached to him at all times. We would both highly recommend them as furry overlords.

[cubesofjelly]

Like some others have said, a good rescue will be able to tell you about the personality of the cat and whether they’re suited to your home. We adopted from Cats Protection and they spend time with the cats with various volunteers and activities to get an idea of what they’re likely suited to, if they can they’ll have history on the cats (but depends on how they come to the rescue).

With ours we adopted young adults (just over 1yo), they had come from a home with children, and were very relaxed and friendly with all volunteers including child/family volunteers. Quite playful too. So CP felt that our home, which has plenty of space for cats, outdoor space, with young children, was plenty suitable for them. They settled very quickly, bonus selling point for DH was to have hunters and they’re both hunters (one more so than the other), which isn’t super easy to know beforehand but the playfulness/play pouncing etc can be a rough indicator. So we feel protected against mice! Our main intruders are flies which they chase and catch

As long as you look for a relaxed, family friendly cat they’re quite easy to have (IMO). They pretty much look after themselves in terms of not needing to be watched constantly. Good scratching posts and/or activity centre, places to snooze (some out of the way, eg we have raised cat bed which they love, plus a cat bed under the stairs which is very out of the way if they want quiet), litter trays, and put food and water down of course. They will come to you when they want attention, which is usually just lying on your lap being cute and purring.

Other stuff - pet insurance always good, plus flea treatment monthly (usually a liquid you squeeze onto the back of their neck), and worming tablets (ours are once every 3 months). We have an annual vet check with vaccination boosters - if you think you’ll ever use a cattery they usually only take cats that have up to date vaccinations.

Cost-wise, I’ve done a rough tally of everything (comprehensive lifetime cover insurance, vet visit/treatments, food, litter, toys etc) and my rough calculation is £60/month per cat (I’ve taken annual and quarterly costs and broken that down across as monthly).

I know other people who do it much cheaper, eg no insurance, don’t do regular flea treatments etc, but I think £60/month for an animal to keep them well, fed, litter, fully covered in case of illness or accident, and in beds and toys etc is really not too bad!

The adoption cost at the time was £75/cat at our local rescue, which included ensuring they were microchipped and registered to us, full vet check, flea treatment and worming, and a bit of food to get them started. We had the one off cost of buying cat carriers but they’re not too expensive (many places have them for about £15/20 per carrier).

[Jsmith99]

Some cats are friendly, domestic, sociable, affectionate and cuddly.

Others are independent, aloof, solitary, territorial predators.

The important thing is to choose the right cat to fit in with your life and your family.