to even THINK about getting a dog or cat?

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

Hello,

I live alone in a fairly spacious 2 bed flat in a quiet cul-de-sac with a shared garden.

I work long hours - typically out of the house 11+ hrs 5 days a week. I stay in most of the time evenings and weekends and don't travel much. I am not in the market for a DP or DCs!

Am I bonkers for thinking I could have a cat or small dog? I just want something to love and the goldfish aren't cutting it! (Neither did my hamster or guinea pigs quite fill the gap as they're not very responsive - they don't "love you back").

I don't want to be unfair to an animal but OTOH surely there must be some rescue cat which would be a good fit for me? I have a craving for a small dog but work won't let me bring it in so I think that might be out of the question....

My DM says I'm bonkers but MN jury - your collective wisdom please...?

Thank you.

I actually own my flat - freehold style (its slightly different in Scotland - we don't have leaseholds) but thanks for the heads up! I'm the boss of this flat - til the cats arrive!!

When you go out in the morning would the cat be in or out?

Rescue cats are great. Make sure you get pet insurance, though. Ours has saved us 1000s in vet's fees!

You've got that right 'I'm the boss of this flat - till the cats arrive!'

Re the cats being in\out when I go to work I guess it wld depend on advice of rehoming centre and what the weather was like. Haven't decided re a catflap either yet.

For indoor you need serious scratchposts. Will link to mine later but I have 3 big indoor cats and minimal damage and these are the key. But the sort of piddly ones sold in pets at home don't cut it - in the wild they'd be scratching a tree trunk!

You will have to keep them in for at least 3 weeks to start with anyway, so you won't need to worry til after that. It's just a long day to be outside if the weather isn't great. A cat flap is the ideal really.

A cat for sure. A rescue one please and perhaps, just perhaps, one that might be older etc and is simply looking for a loving retirement home (will sleep all day and might be an indoor only cat). There are many older cats who end up in rescue centres that are there because their owners died, heartbreaking Or, get two, they are the best company for each other, you might even (wait for it) be able to adopt an abandoned mummy and her kitten which is an incredible experience. If I could be so bold, can I also suggest you look at smaller animal charities too as most people (understandbly) always google the larger well known ones and approach them but the smaller ones also have animals who need homes.

Classic example below....
sunnyharbour.org.uk/category/cats-for-adoption/criteria/indoor-only

dog an absolute no for obvious reasons.

cat - the only person who might suffer is you, as long as the cat has access to the outdoors with a flap. Cat will probably think it great to have staff, and may well set up with several other local 'owners'. You may get a CBA cat that just comes in for food, you may get one that gives back, you may get one that just wrecks woodwork for fun.

I like cats but you have to remember who is boss.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice! This is the biggest commitment I have ever taken on in my life (and I'm 32!)

I will post a pic of my cat/s on this thread when they arrive!

:-)

Here's my older rescue cat curled up next to me on the sofa.

YAY you will soon be a cat slave.
On scratching, my Madame 80% uses her scratching cat sofa and wall sheets, not the sofa. She ignored scratching posts. So while you may have to experiment, it is possible to avoid the carpet and furniture being destroyed

Op, pictures asap please
You won't regret it, I am on holiday at the moment and missing my 9 month old kitten like crazy. She really is like another child to me.

Thank you Mama and Battleship

And thank you Dopey

How will you manage with vet appointments?
Older cats might develop ongoing health issues. Some cats of any age do. Or if there's an emergency, it can't necessarily wait until the next available evening/weekend appointment. Do you have flexitime or self-employment that would make it possible to get to vets at short notice? Or how does your employer react to other people taking time off to take pets to vets? Is there someone who could take a cat to the vets for you if it became ill / injured on a day you had an important meeting?

If you're lucky this may never be relevant, but if you find you've a pet with a lot of health issues, it can get tricky to manage around a demanding job.

Thanks Marwoods. That is something I've considered. I have a very good vet near me who is open Saturdays and I have used emergency out of hours vets before so the problem is fixed there and then without taking time off work if it can't wait. Cost is no object when it comes to my pets! I suppose I would just have a "dental emergency" or something similar if push came to shove.

In terms of something more long-term though, Hmmmm I think I need to make friends with my neighbours so they can be vet-taxis if required....

Just a wee update...

I've had a few issues to sort in the flat but now it's time to start visiting shelters...

Thanks to all for advice. Will keep you posted.

UPDATE:
Today I adopted Kenzo, a 9yr old female. She has had a sniff round the flat and is now purring on blanket next to me on the sofa like she has lived here for years!

Thanks again to all who gave advice and shared their stories.

Oh, she is gorgeous! Congratulations, Mommy! (All my cats call me mommy, in their various accents that I do for them when I verbalise their facial expressions on their behalf. You can see you've joined a rare a special club).

Oh she's a brindle tortie (sort of), one of my favourites. Thank you for adopting her and I say that from a Cat Charity Rescue person who knows that older cats are sometimes really difficult to rehome - she will reward you for your kindness in many many ways - welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a cat.

Thank you guys! Oh, I have a wee tear in my eye!
This is very special!
She has been giving me wee kisses already!

Oh she is a real beauty. Same colours as the 2nd one I got - really striking.

I hope you have many happy years together.

She's very beautiful! She'll be so happy with you, OP. You done a good fing.

I love your username, BTW.

Grapefruit, you and your ginger cat have made me cry. What a lovely way for him to end his long life.