Cats as pets - what do you wish you'd known?

[KiplingAngelCake]

We're considering getting a pet cat or dog next year. DH and DCs are super keen, but I'm a bit lukewarm about the idea. I've never had or wanted a pet, so this is new territory for me.

We are erring towards a cat, as we don't have tons of space and I'd be worried about a dog getting enough exercise as DH and I work long hours and DCs are too little to take a dog out alone.

Anyway, just wondering what you wish you'd known before getting a pet cat? Thanks!

I have had cats for 35 years and they all have very different personalities. Some love you, some tolerate you and some act like teenagers. They sleep, expect to be feed and then bugger off to do god knows what outside!

Do not under estimate how much you will become smitten. When on holiday abroad this summer we fitted a camera in our kitchen so we could check on our cats whilst away. It broke my heart seeing them sitting in our kitchen crying, waiting for us to appear 😢

I wish I'd known just how much you worry about them. How you can't sleep at night if one is still outside because of the horrible neighbourhood cat who has cost you over £300 in fight wound abscesses. How you can't leave the bathroom door even slightly open if you go to the toilet unless you want a cat rubbing itself around your legs. How some nights you might have to tear your kitchen kickboards off to find the rat they are playing chase with. Only yesterday our eldest cat brought a live rat into the living room and then we spent half an hour tearing all furniture into the middle of the room until DP managed to catch it with a brush and a box. And how hard it can be to introduce a new kitten a year after getting your first one who turns your otherwise gentle cat into an absolute monster. And the smell in summer, dear god the smell of their food is something to behold.

But also how lovely it is when you're lying on the couch or in bed and they jump on you to 'make biscuits' and groom you, purring and vibrating more than the 3rd drawer down in your bedside table 😂 they're truly lovely animals whatever their personalities. They may seem like an easy option but there is still a lot of care involved in having a cat.

Way back in time,cats were worshipped as Gods.
Mine have never forgotten this.

Feeding solely dry food isn't 'fine for them'. You might get away with it for a few years, but it can lead to dental and kidney problems. Likewise with foods such as whiskers and other cheap brands. Dreamies can also affect the kidneys. 1 in 3 cats have a degree of kidney disease.

feline-nutrition.org/health/species-inappropriate-the-dangers-of-dry-food

Also, cheaper foods contain less nutrition than better quality foods, so you need to feed more. They're full of rusk fillers which can cause gastrointestinal upset, allergies and lead to diabetes.

Smelly cat breath can indicate digestive upset and dental disease.

You'll start to have conversations with your cats. They'll wander off to sleep in your bed and you'll still be talking to them yet this is perfectly normal.

You will worry when they are late home or go missing, and be aware of the UK Cat Killer, and reading about shooting of cats, dog baiting and many other nasty things you never knew about before and you will give up lilies and other poisonous plants.

You will either end up with a house full of cat beds because they are all used in rotation or you will have a cardboard box with a fleece in a corner because that is what is suitable for his/her Highness.

You will join cat forums and discuss cat litter and poo.

You will spray your house every 6 weeks with flea treatment and de-flea and de-worm cat regularly.

You will buy a rubber brush to use on soft furnishings to remove fur.

You will, if you are lucky, be unable to get up from the sofa at any time because you will have a little furry body on your lap, nudging your face and wanting love. When you remove little furry body and place it next to you, it will sneak back on before you have time to stand up.

You will panic and rush to the vets because something is wrong and spend a fortune.

One day you will feel as if your heart has been ripped out and will have to decide between burial or cremation.

6 months not 6 weeks

Dcat is 11 years old and has had no health problems (so far). I don't give her cheap dry food, she has James Wellbeloved or similar. The vet says it's fine as long as it's good quality, not full of rusk, and she has plenty of water. I suspect the idea that it's bad for them is mostly to sell more wet food.

Or to sell books

I have 5 cats. 4 brothers and their mum.

It is like living with a group of naughty permanently hungry toddlers.

We went away a couple of years ago and got a cat sitter to come in once per day and feed them.

Few days in the cat sitter rang us distraught. They had managed to open a window (old latch style) and escape.

I knew which window it was immediately because one of them (the brains) had been watching me open and close it over the summer.

Hahaha @Oliversmumsarmy that's so funny. I was cat sitting for a friend a while ago. All fine on day one. Cat there, fed him, went home. Day 2 a CF stranger cat was in the kitchen waiting by the food bowl and the resident cat was trapped in a bedroom upstairs.

How much love they give. How much fun they are. How much your heart will break when they die.

They will destroy something in your house and there's a good chance they will poo/wee where you don't want them too and it's a bugger to get rid of the smell.
If they're outdoor pets they will bring something dead or alive intobthe house. I'm always grateful when it's dead

The fucking mice. Alive, terrified, dazed but can still squeeze behind the bed/cabinet/washing machine in the middle of the night when the bastard cat brings in his latest catch. If he killed them it wouldn't be so bad but they're quick fuckers even when scared to death.

My mum's cat never brought a thing in. Just this one. He is very cute though and the kids love him...

That they're arseholes but you can't help falling in love.

They are fairly easy to look after in terms of food, water, litter tray and leaving them alone for periods of time, but they can actually be really needy. My girl loves people and waits for us to get home for cuddles. She thinks my husband is the best thing since tins of tuna were invented.

Dogs are simply the best. Mine literally fills my heart full of love. After a long hard day when you come home to your fluffy pup and they’re over the knot to see you, there’s literally no better feeling other than the morning kisses and cuddles and the fact that you know they would probably risk there life for you and their family. Got attacked by a friends cat just two weeks ago I love all animals, but I’m a dog girl x

My cat is the best. Best ever cat.

Furry. Fluffy. Relatively friendly. Interesting personality.

Scratches his scratch pads and tree. Not the sofa or anything else.

Wee and poo always in his litter tray (or outside) except one time he had a bad tummy and got some on the floor near the litter tray.

Playful with toys. Doesn’t attack you.

Doesn’t bring home dead animals.

Beautiful. Really beautiful. Love him.

Get a cat.

It's been mentioned but finding out how many mice you have, 2 times i had to finish them off, or search for missing bits, or worse the bringing them to you in bed.
I love Aggie but eurgh x 10000

You'll buy them the expensive cat food to spoil them and they wolf it down.

You then buy 40 odd cans of it from zooplus and the furry overlords won't touch a fecking bite.
And if you've got long hair, forget about lying on the sofa with it down. Cats pull hair. Never has a pair of catskin slippers ever been so attractive.

Long hair cats are a pain to maintain. Need lots of brushing.

Personally I'd think twice before getting a cat with small children as they may hurt it. That breeds a retailing or defensive cat.

We've had two cats and neither of them have been mousers. Although current cat did manage to catch a fledgling last summer but I rescued it before any harm was done.

Litter trays smell and they also have a habit of kicking the litter out as they like to cover up after themselves so you find you are constantly sweeping up after them.

Current cat is vocal - so if you choose to get a cat think about how loud they are and how annoying you are going to find that when they are demanding something at 5 in the morning.

Think about how your home is laid out - we can keep our cat shut downstairs at night with access to her food and the catflap. So she is not trying to wake us up when she wants to play in the middle of the night. Current cat scratches a lot more than previous cat but then previous cat was a Siamese and had some strange habits. She'd complain very loudly if we weren't sat on the right chair or if we were in the garden and she was in the house. So think about what your limits are - cats on the bed/in the bed/on the sofas. Start with those and stick with them so that the cat knows.

Current cat was a rescue and shows no interest in fresh meat or fish. Only interested in food from packets. But won't eat it if it has been out for more than a couple of hours. (Or would rather not eat it but I am not giving fresh food just to please madam). She sits by the bowl and complains. Think about how tolerant you are for this kind of behaviour.

Cats definitely love you on their terms. Dogs are more affectionate but obviously need a lot more training and daily care. It's pouring with rain here this morning. If we had a dog I'd have had to get up and walk it, then clean and dry it off afterwards. Only thing I have to do is try and catch the cat as she comes back through the cat flap and dry off her paws. Not always successful at that so think about how tolerant you are about paw prints on the floor.

I think one thing I wish I had known before was how important getting an insurance is.
I remember having to take our cat to the vet clinic for monthly flea treatment, it would cost quite a lot and the insurance would have easily covered that.
(I am currently looking for an insurance for our puppy so very happu to get recommendations on that)

Now looking at getting a cat in general, I would look at breeds that don't cause any types of allergies, especially for your kids! They're gonna love having a cat around, it's gonna bring them a lot of joy, so make sure they can enjoy the cat's company as much as possible! I was allergic to my first cat so that's one thing I'd be careful with :-)

Most people are quite lukewarm to the idea of getting a pet, but it's a beautiful expeirence and it might bring you a lot of happiness.

Let us know how it goes!!

Kate

Don’t just feed them dry food - as PPs have said it can have terrible results. I give mostly wet food but do give a bit of dry to help maintain the teeth.
Also they definitely will need a litter box! Even with outside access, if for some reason they didn’t want to go outside (weather, threatened by another cat) it would be incredibly stressful for them to not have a litter box in the house to use.

But my main point on here would be that I actually don’t think they are less stressful than dogs. I agree 100% that they are easier to manage, you can leave them alone all day, don’t have to walk them etc. But I find cats much more sickly than dogs. I have always had to take mine to the vets much more than I have my dogs, the same goes for cat owning family members. I think they make it much less obvious when they feel unwell compared to a dog. It makes me anxious at the slightest sign they are unwell as you are usually completely clueless as to what’s wrong with them.

Some are very weird!
Mine doesn't like other cats, adores being bear hugged and would rather sit inside and stare adoringly at me than anything else