Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Original poster

Anyone regretted having a cat?

124 replies

MozzchopsThirty · 25/03/2016 20:38

I've never had one, would like one for me & dcs
Seen one we like and suitable for our home at local cats protection centre

I'm so nervous about it going wrong, worried that she'll scratch furniture, carpets etc
Worried about allergy
Worried I won't cope

Shock
OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
Bastardshittits · 25/03/2016 22:13

To be really honest, yes. I have a 13yr old female cat. She was a really feisty sassy kitten and I thought she would become a confident friendly cat. I don't know what changed or why but she's never once sat on your lap for a cuddle. She caught and killed the hamster when he escaped his cage. She has always been a puker and likes to crap and piss on beds. She lives in the bottom of my eldest sons divan bed. She didn't go outside for four whole years of her life, her choice. You can't stroke her for more than a couple seconds. Its a very one sided relationship. When she dies I'll be sad but I won't be getting a replacement.

Milzilla · 25/03/2016 22:14

Never regretted mine - they bring us so much joy - every day.

But - they leave fur everywhere, puke and poo on the carpets on occasions, scratch the sofa and carpets as well as their scratch posts.

It's part of owning them. You and them could end up pretty miserable if you're expecting them not to exhibit natural behaviours.

We didn't spend a fortune on our new carpets or sofa because we know they'll wear and tear more quickly.

Oh I have allergies too but just pop antihistamines. I never see any of the above as a burden, they're part of our family.

NothingButAHoundDog · 25/03/2016 22:18

Hmm well my cat is now an elderly, arthritic cat with a heart murmer, and has started occasionally pooing on the lounge carpet.... I honestly think she's a bit senile, she'll just stand in the middle of a room mewing really loudly at nothing!
i wouldn't say I regret having her, she was a rescue cat and she's had a really good life with us...however I cannot say I am delighted about the prospect of her becoming more incontinent/loopy. Obviously its our duty to look after her as she ages, I guess I just never thought about the practicalities of it.

ilovevegcrisps · 25/03/2016 22:21

She's gorgeous OP!

I moan about mine but in all honesty they are pretty no trouble pets. I have two long haired cats and they shed black fur terribly. It's annoying but not the end of the world.

She'll love living with you.

gamerchick · 25/03/2016 22:26

I'm planning on her sleeping in the utility room and her just being allowed in there and the two living rooms.

Personally I wouldn't just for that. Not unless you're willing to let the cat do a daily run of the house in every room just to check alls fine.

I got one by accident and she's a pain in the arse! However I watched a serious shitload of cats from hell and things are fine, we rub along OK as I can communicate with her in a middling ground sort of thing.

Roseberrry · 25/03/2016 22:26

Do think carefully op. If you are already thinking you might try it out for a month before rehoming that's not a good sign.

How worried are you about scratching? She might not like sleeping in the utility room, would she be allowed somewhere more comfortable if that was the case? Cats think very highly of themselves and like the best spot in the house.

Roseberrry · 25/03/2016 22:29

Also at a young age she will probably have a lot of mad half hours. They can be rather full on and annoying!
I don't mean to put you off, I just think you should go in to this with your eyes open.

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 25/03/2016 22:30

I'm not thinking of rehoming in a month! I was saying that's absolutely what I don't want to happen

She can sleep anywhere she likes but I don't want pooing on my carpets/sofa/bed, if that happens it's the utility

OP posts:
VilootShesCute · 25/03/2016 22:32

She looks a bit siamese like do you know what she has in her mix??

ilovevegcrisps · 25/03/2016 22:32

OP, honestly, go for it.

Mine are bloody annoying but it's just cats. They sometimes miaow for no reason, scratch a bit and moult.

They eat, need de fleaing, and you will learn never to leave clean washing around Grin other than that, you'll be grand.

That little girl isn't a kitten and kittens are beyond adorable but so annoying (!) but she's still young enough to be fun.

My oldest boy had been in a rescue centre 18 months and I got him and I'm so glad I did.mhe moults and he headbutts me for attention and snores but he's a lovely guy and I'm so pleased he'll live the rest of his days with me.

You can't leave her there now :) Go get her!

steppemum · 25/03/2016 22:33

I'm planning on her sleeping in the utility room and her just being allowed in there and the two living rooms.

This will be very very hard to stick to.
We lived in a cottage with the sort of stairs that go up between 2 walls and have a door at the bottom. We had a kitten and kept the door at the bottom of the stairs shut, as dh has a cat allergy.
He did get upstairs fairly often, and when he did, he knew we wanted him out, so he hid under the bed and was a pain.

When we moved to a house with normal stairs, he immediately went everywhere, and now, a few years down the line, sleeps on our bed.

Dh's allergy has, amazingly, not been a problem.

Cat's really are difficult to keep to one part of a house.
Having said that, this cat never ever goes on tables or worksurfaces, just never has, he has never been allowed, and he seems to have accepted it. He does like window sills.

gamerchick · 25/03/2016 22:34

But what makes you think she will? I hesitate to say but I've not had a pooing thing yet aside from the big pot plant I temporarily put on the floor. She's 2 now. Cats aren't dogs they like their environment kept clean and piss only when stressed out.

Honestly do a search for Jackson galaxy cats from hell. If i can learn the language, a very reluctant cat owner then anyone can.

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 25/03/2016 22:36

I like the idea of my cat on the windowsill Smile

Thank you all for posting so honestly, I really want to do this but want to be making the right decision for us and for the cat

My dcs are already pining for her asking why we can't go and get her tomorrow

OP posts:
exWifebeginsat40 · 25/03/2016 22:38

I don't regret getting a cat. I sometimes regret getting a second cat!

NameChange30 · 25/03/2016 22:40

No, never. Ours are a joy.

If you've not owned a cat before I strongly recommend this book: The Cat Expert. It's full of very useful info and advice about how to keep your cat happy and healthy, and how to avoid/manage any behavioural problems.

Re scratching, we have a scratch post and scratch board - it's good to have vertical and horizontal options - and our cats use both. The scratch boards are made of cardboard and they like curling up to sleep on them as well. Tbh it's reasonably easy to train a cat to use a scratch post/board instead of carpets or furniture.. If they scratch something forbidden you just say "no" calmly but firmly, then put the cat by the post/board and put its paws on it. They soon get the message!

RedOnHerHedd · 25/03/2016 22:40

When we got ours, DH said "he's not coming upstairs. Then the first night he came upstairs but was closed in the bathroom (only for about 10 minutes, because his kitten miows were too cute to ignore).

DH said ok, but he's not coming in the bedrooms.

So after a few minutes of door scratching, DH said ok but he's not getting on the beds.

And about 2 minutes later I had a sleeping kitten on my pillow, and DH completely fell in love with him. He's always on our bed now at nighttime.

Cats have this way of manipulating you to do whatever they want.

gamerchick · 25/03/2016 22:41

I've learned that jumping on the table, across the telly and on the windowsill means one thing. If I ignore that need she'll click hell out of the rug. If she jumps on the foot stool she wants food and if she jumps on the freezer she wants treats. She puts me to bed (sits on the sink until I've brushed my teeth) and gets me up on a morning with a shove of the arse..Escorts me with a heavy sigh if I need the bathroom in the night because apparently I need help taking a whizz.

They're strange creatures but when you understand their language it's fine.

bibbitybobbityyhat · 25/03/2016 22:42

Downsides of cats are

  1. they kill and bring in mice, rats and (heartbreakingly imo) birds
  2. they might poo on your garden, not just the neighbours gardens
  3. they need to be taken care of when you go away
  4. wet cat food smells horrible
  5. when they get old they become very needy and yowl a lot when they are lonely

However, I completely love and adore my cat in every way. He is sitting about 6 inches away from me at the moment (as usual). He has been here for 16 years and is a complete joy in my life and I wouldn't be without him for one second.

NameChange30 · 25/03/2016 22:46

Oh and unless the cat is very stressed or ill, it's very very unlikely that she will poo anywhere other than the litter tray. Just make sure it's clean and she has access to it at all time.

I must confess that our cat pooed on the bed once (which was horrible!) but in his defence he was very stressed out because we'd kept him shut in all day (for good reason) and we'd also moved his litter tray.. Obviously we learned our lesson and would be much more careful if we had to shut him in for the day again! (NB we keep them in at night but they're fine with that, they know the drill!)

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 25/03/2016 22:47

Thank you for the book recommendation I'll check that out.

She's using a horizontal scratch board at the moment so I'll get one of those

OP posts:
afterthegoldrush · 25/03/2016 22:47

I have a twenty year old puss and I have never regretted getting her from the cats protection league all those years ago.

She has given my family nothing but love and fun for all those years. She is my 24 yr old DDs best friend - DD has autism and global delay so making proper friends is difficult.

Cat is partially sighted, arthritic and probably senile. We have adapted our home to give her a good quality of life - litter tray next to where she sleeps, footstool next to DDs bed so she can get up without hurting herself, really nice soft food which costs a bit more but worth it ( she only has. A couple of teeth now)

I cannot imagine life without her

Original poster
MozzchopsThirty · 25/03/2016 22:48

Do you clean the litter tray every time they use it?
#catnovice

OP posts:
afterthegoldrush · 25/03/2016 22:50

We 'de poo' after every poo ( get a special scoop from pets store and we use doggy poo bags to take the poo to the bin) we change the litter every couple of days but this is because she uses the tray exclusively now and the tray is in DDs room.

afterthegoldrush · 25/03/2016 22:51

Actually I do have a regret

She won't last forever

Mumelie · 25/03/2016 22:51

Sadly you just can't tell what you are getting with cats. We had 2 farm moggies who pee'd and poo'd over the house despite having access to a huge garden and litter trays for 17 years. We had to keep all doors shut - the last few years were the worst - I still loved them though.
We left it 6 months and I missed a cat so much we rescued a Bengal kitten house cat. She is a crazy darling - not one accident ever but claws all the furniture.
A pet makes a home, not new carpets or immaculate upholstery. We also have a spaniel and a pony so I've given up!