Tell me the pros and cons to having a cat- or any tips.

[MunchBunchYoghurt]

I have never had a cat in all of my 35 years but we have been considering for some time now in getting one.

I will research thoroughly and as part of that research I thought, who better to ask than the people of Mumsnet.

Please tell me the best things about having a cat.
The worst.
Any tips or advice.

Thank you 😊

You must recognise it as a commitment and have someone who can feed your cat when you are away.

Worst is the anxiety when you haven’t seen them for a couple of hours and start imagining all sorts of death scenarios.

Don’t get a bengal. I love them and have had them for nearly 20 years, but they are high needs arseholes that need massive territories and will find something to argue with in an empty field. If you have neighbours they will hate you.

Siamese aren’t much better I saw an ad for a rescue siamese the other day.
Rural home, no roads, because it liked to sit in the middle and “challenge” approaching cars. The word challenge was used several times.😂. Siamese are ace as well though.

Dogs have masters
Cats have staff.

If you allow them out they murder wildlife & bring home the spoils, sometimes injured near death.
Or they roam, can disappear for days. Or get run over.
If you keep them as house cats to avoid all that litter trays stink & some cats( mine) sit dutifully in the tray but deposit their offerings on the floor at the side.
They are mostly loners except at meal times.
They mug my dogs.
Scratch & spit if you try to groom them. Vomit fur balls.
Hang round any garden bird feeders daring any little birds to come near.

Burmese are dig like very affectionate and will sit on you ( they don't leave you alone).
But they steal underwear !

My pair are so unbelievably friendly its unreal. I work from home and when they see my husband come home they run to the door to wait for him. You can see my girl is just desperate for hugs as soon as he walks in. As if she's not had any attention and been draped round my neck or in the crook of one arm all day meaning i need to work one handed!! Our boy comes for cuddles in between us every morning and makes himself comfy on the pillow.

Im under no illusion we are so fortunate to have such friendly cats as our old one most definitely wasn't! It was all on her terms. However I loved every bone of her.

Cats really enrich our lives and im so glad we've been able to have 3.

All 3 have/had such different personalities as well. Our boy is as daft as brush, while the our girl is so intelligent. Loves toys where she has to use her brain and plays fetch for hours.

The bad? Well their poops stink. And they love to jump on me (not my husband) at 2am. Thats really the only cons.
I love them both so much!

The worst thing about mine is how vocal he is - wakes me up from 3 floors away every morning miaowing for his breakfast.

He isn't a hunter though, he's brought in 2dead mice in the 5 years I've had him and I'm not entirely convinced he killed them himself, they looked like they died of natural causes!

Best thing is the cuddles and strokes sitting on my knee and in bed with me!

All of mine have been affectionate, the Burmese and the Abyssinian even passionate.

PRO: see above, plus they can be left alone for hours (unlike dogs); again unlike dogs they don't demand frequent attention, they are happily independent; they are beautiful, a feast for the eyes.
CON: pooing in neighbours' gardens (who then complain); they may spray around the house (if male); scratching carpets and soft furnishings; vet bills and difficulty getting them to the vet (ie getting them into a carrier).

I had a cat who was the most loving, affectionate cat you could ever wish to meet, so it's not true that they don't love you. I miss her every day. My current two are more 'aloof', but both characters in their very different ways. It's like having a good child and a naughty child!

If you want to 'guarantee' getting a friendlier cat you need to go to a rescue and get an adult rather than a kitten, so they can tell you about his/her character.

The utter hole they leave in your life when they go.

My girl was PTS 7 weeks ago, and I still think I see her out the corner of my eye.

My cat stopped bringing little gifts home when we gave her a collar with a very noisy bell on it. I know that doesn't always work, but it did for us. Now she's far too old to hunt and has a gammy back leg.
A lot of people misunderstand cat behaviour. They're not just smaller more aloof dogs. When a cat sits with its back to you it means it trusts you.
My cat is a cats protection league rescue. When we first got her she was timid, wouldn't sit on your lap and woe betide you if you tried to pick her up!
Now she's a soppy lap cat who lets me cuddle her and rewards me with a loud purr and a lot of dribble!
Pros - don't need walking every day. The purr. The fun you can have with just a length of string! Fluffy belly scritches. The toe beans. They're always up to something cute!
Cons - litter tray. Some furniture will get scratched. Cat fluff clogging the hoover. Random wildlife being brought in, though not all cats do this and the 5am yowl. Furrballs. Being told by your neighbor that your cat has sauntered in, taken some food from the bin and sauntered out again.

My two tabby's are very friendly to us. Scared of strangers but they are friendly to those that visit a lot.

Get a kitten or older car that's been very well socialised and it should be fine. Kittens need to be socialised by age 7 weeks or it's too late. My two grew in a home with dogs children horses. You name it.

And they are so 😍 pretty.

@MunchBunchYoghurt ha ha...unfortunately I don’t think my son would allow it! He’s an 18-month old rescue that we got from the RSPCA. He’s a massive pain, scrapes at the doors to go out...come in...go out...come in... he’s a skilled hunter (unfortunately 😩) and he teases our other old girl mercilessly. He’s the greediest cat ever, and likes to lay down behind your feet when you’re washing up and suchlike so you trip over him when you turn round 🙄 but he’s the most loving, friendliest cat in the world and he’s the apple of our eyes. We all absolutely ADORE him 🥰

The head boops and purring are nice, though I'm well aware that ours usually does it when he wants something (usually food).

Dead offerings are definitely a downside.

If you're lucky you get a cat who still likes to play as an adult. Our boy is 10 and still often chases and pounces on a toy mouse, and has hilarious mad zooms up the stairs.

@Crunchymum oh it’s heartbreaking isn’t it? We lost our 18 year old girl 4 years ago and I still miss her now...

Pros: lovely cuddles and just so beautiful. Our cat is very friendly and affectionate. I'd recommend getting a rescue cat rather than a kitten so you know what personality you're getting.

Cons: at one point he was bringing in dead animals in every day plus live ones he'd drop which then ran under the sofa. He seems to have calmed down a bit now though. I also didn't like dealing with the litter tray but he goes outside now so that's fine.

All in all I love having him and think it was a good decision.

Scratching things. Your carpets, your furniture.
Being woken up early because they want breakfast.. NOW.
Some cats are sick a lot. My present cat has never been sick and is the only cat I’ve ever had who uses a scratching post.
Some cats are very loving, some are extremely aloof. My cat only sits on my knee about once every six weeks.
Personally, I don’t see the need for litter trays once a kitten is old enough to go outside.

Oh and the dead things. Lots and lots of dead things. And things in the process of being deaded. Make sure your cat wears a bell.
Cats are much much easier than dogs.

The best things are the head rubs, jumping on me in the middle of the night, then purring loudly, always pleased to see you her adaptability to moving houses, dogs, kids.
The worst was the many occasions she disappeared for days on end then turned up disheveled or received phone calls from numerous locations to tell me she had gone for a trip in a lorry, van or husbands car across the country.

Never had a cat until she ‘adopted’ us 19 years ago, she was the most amazing friend. She was pts in July and still miss her terribly, we all do.

My cats are awesome. Affectionate, funny, noisy. And completely gorgeous. I don't mind scooping the the litter tray. And mine don't hunt either. They are definitely the best thing I have ever done.

Cons - dead or half dead creatures being brought as gifts and trying to stop them bringing them into the house.
Springtime killing of baby birds
Even though my cat has access to a litter tray and is able to get outside whenever he wants, he still likes to defecate wherever he chooses. The smell is vile and can be hard to get rid of.
Random arsey scratches when they decide they just don't like you.
The 1st time they have a hairball can be traumatic because you think your baby is choking.
Scratching at carpets and furniture instead of using the cat scratcher.
Mine do not catch spiders.
Cat fur. Everywhere.

Pros - kittens are bundles of fun.
Kitty snuggles are just amazing.
Listening to purring is very soothing.
They are brilliant listeners and sometimes talk back to you (well meow!)

I have two cats. One is just an arse at times and the other is just amazing all the time. I have previously had cats who made me feel hated and only came for cuddles once in a blue moon. I wish I could think of more pros because I do love my cats!

I agree with the pp's re Burmese. My old girl is 21 and is the most affectionate little thing, she's almost dog like in behaviour and such a little chatter box. So friendly and cuddly I adore the bones off her.

The cons would deffo be saying goodbye, I honestly will be beside myself when the time comes. Genuinly will be so heartbroken.

Definitely go to a rescue centre! Their cats are usually housed at foster homes and they can tell you all about their personalities. Our first cat adopted us and was the most lovely lap cat, we were heartbroken when she crossed rainbow bridge. After that we volunteered to foster, and approached our local rescue centre and were given a rather large kitten with rotten bowels. He spent the first six weeks hiding inside the sofa, only emerging fo stink out the house....but with patience (and gradually changing his diet) he emerged from the sofa and is now the most loveliest cheekiest 12lb floofball ever! He still farts, and he’s no lap cat, but follows me about like a faithful Labrador. He’s a Maine Coone cross (renowned for being sociable) and is the most friendly, chatty and loving boy.
Yes, some cats are aloof and anti social, but we got lucky when he chose us to be his slaves. Do it, you won’t regret it 😊

I've likened owning cats to having stockholm syndrome. I've had them before (and think they can be very beautiful!) but never again. Maybe we just got unlucky, but I couldn't put up with the crying at the crack of dawn to be fed. It honestly nearly drove me mad! I also felt like I didn't get any love back from them, not that I was expecting them to want to be cuddled and loved on, but it can feel hurtful when you are on egg shells in case you stroke them for too long for their liking and they strike out at you. Also, I felt bad for my neighbours are the cats kept shitting all over their gardens. They were trained to go in the trays, but they seemed to purposely hold it in and go outside elsewhere to shame me . They were nice, fun to play with when they were in the mood and the times they did give love back was rewarding, but nothing beats the reciprocation of living with a dog, for me.

Just looking at our chilled out cat relaxes me. My unrequited love is lost on her but she adores my DD and has been a great companion, following her round the house.
Unfortunately she likes to scratch the furniture as well as her post. It’s not worth buying new sofas now.

Pros - gorgeous fluffy feline balls of cuteness. Toebeans. Snuggles. Keep your lap warm on cold nights.

Cons - ours is very prone to fleas despite our best efforts to keep him free of them. Dead birds. Decapitated birds. Live mice brought into house, he lets them sun under dishwasher etc then loses interest. Dead mice left in house.