Cats: what do I need to know?

[Bobbiepin]

DH and I are thinking about getting a cat. I know he will want a kitten but I will insist on a rescue, even if it means waiting longer, we're in no rush.

He grew up with a cat but I've never really had a pet. I've been doing some reading, mostly around finances but need it all in terms of knowledge and what to expect.

For now DH is working at home but may be back in the office a few days a week at some point, nothing immediate, and I am a teacher so will have summer holidays to look after a little kitten. How long will they need intense care for before becoming more independent?

How much (after initial outlay) does your cat cost? What does that include? Pet insurance, vaccinations, food etc.

What else do I need to know?

Costs of my cat:
Food £40 per month
Insurance £15 per month
Vaccinations £50 for kitten course, £35 per year for boosters
Flea treatment £10 per month
You will also need to factor in neutering if you get a kitten (if older than about 5 months they will probably neuter at the rescue centre before rehoming) - £100-150
Microchip - £10

You will also need to buy a cat carrier, litter tray, scratching post, some toys, a laser pen, and a brush. You could buy a bed, but being of a contrary nature, your cat will probably not sleep in it.

I think 6 weeks or so would be fine to settle a kitten in, you might want to ‘kitten proof’ your house a bit for when you leave it alone, as they love getting into mischief.

If going outside (usually this is after a few weeks of settling in, and after neutering) then a cat flap is a good idea, or a ‘catio’ if you don’t want them free ranging. If staying indoors, make sure you have some cat climbing frames and lots of toys for enrichment.

A good online resource for cat information is International Cat Care.

Thanks that's very helpful. The one off costs are less important, we're figuring out if we can afford one comfortably long term so things like yearly vaccinations etc are important to know.

We have a cat flap already, previous owners of our house installed it. When I viewed the house I told DH we had to buy it because there was already a cat flap! I'll definitely check out international cat care.

Yabu to consider 1 dkitten.
2 are twice as much fun and reduce soft furnishing /skin (yours) damage by 50 %.. ..

Any reason why 2 cats are beneficial rather than one? (Aside from the sofa!) Lots of local cats, including 2 next door for socialising once kitten is old enough to be out.

Cats don’t socialise with other cats outside of their home, they have their own patrol areas. There was a programme on a few years ago where they stuck tracking devices and gopros on cats and it was fascinating.

I'd get two too. It wouldn't really socialise with random neighbourhood cats. It's beautiful to see a kitten tumbling around with a pal. I find two together are braver and settle quicker than one, and they'll curl up with each other until old age.

We have always had pairs. Lost one last year (pts) and had to get a dkitten he was so stressed!! Dd has 2 db and they are immensely close...
Never had a pair that haven't been inseparable (homed at the same time).
Peak of dd's pair..

I wouldn’t ever get kittens again. They were hard work. Destroyed stuff and attacked all and sundry. We lost sleep and blood!
In future we would do what we did the first time and get a bonded adult pair. It’s much easier to see what the personality of an adult cat is than how a kitten may turn out.
We have two cats we got as kittens. They hate each other.

Definitely get two kittens or cats that are bonded

@Aprilshowersandhail they are adorable. I would be so happy with an adult cat, dh is set on a kitten. Maybe we can compromise on an older kitten... so much to think about. I hadn't even considered more than one.

This is a fair summary

We adopted two cats, brothers, eight months ago. They are three years old. They are very sweet together.

I'd recommend a good hoover for cat hair, especially for carpets. We got an attachment for the Dyson. It does make the job easier.

You will end up being woken up with magpies and the like in the kitchen, dead or alive.
Dead mice and rats.

But you could keep in over night.

Mine catches birds on our roof! Such a fuckwit!!

For kittens you should get 2. They need someone to play with and generally learn how to behave. Yes, they will play with you but without a playmate they will play with your sofa, your curtains, your shins and so on.

Older cats, you might find 2 that are bonded otherwise cats generally don't have friends so one cat is fine.

They definitely will not be socializing with neighbourhood cats. An absence of fighting and bullying is the best you can hope for.

Cats are arrogant sods and must be born with the skill of looking at you like you are a piece of crap.

Cats are cool.

We pay into a scheme for our cats- £10 a month each and that their monthly flea treatments, 3 monthly working treatment, all booster vaccinations, a health check once a year, 20% off any additional appointments and 10% off medication. Really worth it!
I buy 10kg bags of IAMS off Amazon for £25 every 2 months (I have 3 cats) and they share 1 pouch of food between them. I’d recommend a water fountain as they can be picky (£25 Amazon) and a car flap thay can be scheduled with their microchip and you can set the opening and closing times. Don’t let you cats out after dusk as they hunt more and are more likely to get into scrapes/ accidents. Be prepared to pick random cat poo off tour crazy neighbours garden (even when there are another 11 cats on the close!) just to keep everyone happy!!

Kittens will curl up with each other til old age

ha ha ha

None of my sets of kittens have done this. They reach the age of 2-3 and fall out with each other. One set found each other bearable. The other, who had loved each other as kittens, turned into psycho bully and miserable victim.

You get 2-3 years of unbelieavable cuteness so you won't part with them as adults. But whether they will like each other is luck of the draw.

I adopted 2 kittens from a rescue. Best thing I ever did! They were inseparable at first but as they've grown they just now tolerate each other. They do groom each other but it always ends in them slapping each other. I've got an hilarious video on my phone of them sat staring at each other just patiently taking it in turns to slap each other's chests.

There's some free-standing corner protectors on ebay - invest in a few and put wherever you have corners! My walls were scratched down to the plaster when they were younger and the main bannister post is beyond repair. And all this was despite me buying cute scratching posts in advance. Still wouldn't change them for the world. They are 5 years old now, are fully fledged furry members of our family.

I got 2 covered litter boxes once they were a bit bigger as they just kicked the litter out of the trays. Place the 2 litter boxes/trays far away from each other (you need 1 per cat) and don't place them near their food bowls.

Food bowls should be placed away from water bowls - cats don't like drinking water that is near food. My cats used to nudge the water bowl with their paw before drinking it - it baffled me, so read up on it - they prefer to drink moving water so I got them a water fountain. Search 'cat fountain' on ebay.

Have fun, give them time to settle in, lots of interaction and toys on sticks to play with them and they will love you for ever!

Defo get a decent hoover - I got a Harry hoover and wish I'd got it years ago. Cats shed a lot of hair. If you wear black a lot, don't get a white cat and visa versa, you'll regret it.

We've always got them in pairs.

I love cats but they do like to hide and give you a little swipe as you go past. 🏃🏻‍♀️ 🐈.

@ItsNotLoveActually

Defo get a decent hoover - I got a Harry hoover and wish I'd got it years ago. Cats shed a lot of hair. If you wear black a lot, don't get a white cat and visa versa, you'll regret it.

One of our cats is mostly white with black. Lovely fellow, but he seems to be shedding since he got here

Ours about 8 weeks..

And at 8 years..
Sadly lost the one on the left.. But thick as thieves their whole lives..

Two definitely better.

If you get a cat with long hair you have to brush them regularly and keep their bottom hair in check otherwise they get matting which can be painful for them and also poo dags which then drop off around the house, so you have a lovely present waiting for you to stand on in the morning. Plus more hairballs and vomiting.

So wish DH hadn't overuled me and we had got short haired cats even though mine are fluffy and lovely.

Also be prepared for your soft furnishings to get scratched, so have lots of cat tree and scratch post opportunities for them. Play with them to tire them out to keep destruction to a minimum. Da Bird is the best toy we have had yet along with the cheap ball of foil which never fails to amuse.

Hair and the hoover won't be a problem, already have a pet hair hoover because I shed like a long haired cat and dd has long hair so there's hair everywhere!

Do bells on collars make any difference to the presents being brought in? Lots of little facts here, so useful. Loving the pictures too.

Honestly lovable arse is what I'm looking for. Something that might want to cuddle and be stroked but generally can do without constant attention. I know it will be some time before a cat wants to cuddle bit it would be nice!