Should we get a cat??

[loveverona]

So, 2008 has arrived and I'm thinking I fancy getting a cat! DH mentioned it the other day when we went to a friend's house and our kids, DD 4.5yrs and DS 20months, loved it. But not just that - I really like the idea of having an animal in the house to cosy up to. I know it's a big commitment and not one that we'd take lightly (I had dogs from 5yrs old to when I left home at 18), but having never had a cat, could some of you experienced guys let me know if it's a good idea?! We have enough room and live in a quiet village, but are the kids too young? There's an animal shelter up the road so we'd probably get one from there...... Advice pleeease!

Yes yes and yes

My kids are 6, 4 and 2 and my cat is 13 so they have grown up with her. I have told hubby we always have to have a cat in the house. (next time I am getting 2!)

Yes! Get one. They're lovely, nice & companionable, but not too demanding. Make sure you get a child-friendly one though. I'm sure the shelter will be able to point you in the right direction, as some are more tolerant than others.

yes, I would ! I got a rescue cat when ds was about 2 - no problems at all, just bear in mind the vets fees that might come about.

yes

Cats are nice pets,they are fairly independent.

Don't fit a cat flap that all the neighbourhood cats can get through and then mark their territory around your house.

They can scratch furniture and pull material when making themselves comfortable.

Just somethings to be aware of.

And they like to eat grass which they will sick up in strange places.

yes, yes and yes again!!

We have had two for 7 years and the children love them, they are no trouble at all but teach some valuable life lessons!!

Like - don't fight with your siblings!!

Yeah definitely! Get two, they'll cosy up together and have hilarious playfights together and keep you laughing. Having two is no more bother than having one.

And they pretty much look after themselves, just provide food, catflap and worship them often and they'll be fine!

Cats are lovely, sadly our cat died last year. He was 11. We are thinking of getting another.
George died of cat aids which is common among male cats, they can scrap and fight leading to their blood transfering (NOT harmful to humans). So we will be considering a female cat next time I think as less common to contract cat aids.
We had a huge vet bill to pay when George got sick, so please consider some pet insurance.
Don't want to rain on your parade but theses are things you have to think of!
Have never had a problem with cat flaps, a good idea imo so that the cat can't wake you in the night to go out/come in and no litter tray needed.

I've just got a 8 mo cat and he's driving me nuts, he bounces from window to window, scratches up the carpet if a door is shut, has peed (NOT sprayed) on sofabed, in my dirty wash basket (twice) on my dressing gown and lots of places I'm sure I'm yet to discover

He's being neutered tomorrow and I'm washing down all his spots in the house throughly.

Love him to bits mind but he keeps us awake at night, he's worse that DS ever was!

Our girl cat was never this much hassle!

Definitely if you are getting a cat get a female - they are far more likely to want to cosy up with you.
A word of warning about getting 2 cats - we got our 2 (one male one female) and it went kind of like this-

Female - Small, fat, lazy, loves to be cuddled but mostly loves sleeping quietly by the radiator.

Male - Large, long, athletic cat who was a complete nutter and used to beat the other one up all the time. Friendly to us but not one for sitting on laps. I was demented with him and felt awful for the other one. Sadly he was run over but it was amazing to see how the female then came out of her shell once he was gone, she had a great personality we had never seen before! She is still with us and we love her dearly.

The shelter where we got them assured us they had been kept together previously, but it didn't look that way to me! Unless they are siblings and very young i would not get 2 again. But YES do get a cat!

my male cat is very loving, when he's not out beating up other cats.

get the cat a collar and have a magnetic cat flap so it'lll only open when your cat goes up to it

no, they drop hair everywhere and smell bad. they kill birds and shit on your neighbours gardens. there are too many domestic cats.

about time the dissenters turned up, Goat

i know i can't believe i am the first one. i grew up on a farm with loads of cats but cannot abide the things inside.

There are not 'too many domestic cats', just too many people who do not take responsibility for their cat and get it neutered leading to unwanted cats.
Cats who are not neutered tend to fight a lot more, especially male cats when fighting over females. This can lead to cat aids. This is how my cat died. The government should make it law for all cats and dogs who are not for breeding to be neutered.

there are too many! and don't get me started on things in little boxes, gerbils, rats etc.

My male cat is very loving too, though he does put the female in her place frequently. It totally depends on their personality, every cat is different, just like people.

if the op gets a rescue cat that will be one less 'too many'

There are too many people and not enough cats.

our rescue cat was male and incredibly loving and affectionate, never brought any dead critters in either.

There wouldn't be too many if people took responsibilty! Easier said than done though.

There are of course ferrel cats to consider and how do you think they got there?

My dad used to work in a factory selling pet foods. It was full of rats. They would use cats to kill the rats, they would live in the factory. Very wild cats, but they had their use.

I wouldn't get two. especially not if you're getting kittens. Two cats will play together/will scratch the furniture together/will chase one another up and down the curtains - can you tell I have two cats? .

Seriously though two kittens will wind each other up and cause twice the destruction.

Do bear in mind that there are no guarantees that your cats will want to cosy up with you. I have two, and although they're very affectionate and friendly, it's very much on their terms, especially one of them who will only come to you if she feels like it and never sits on laps at all.

they will scratch your furniture, if you get kittens they will climb your curtains, and if you have wallpaper they will climb that too. If you don't have a cat flap you will need a litter tray and they are horrible and need to be kept away from the baby.

also they will bring home birds/mice etc not all of which will be dead and you will have to either deal with releasing a bird/mouse back outside, or, worse case senario, have to put seriously injured prey out of their suffering .

On the plus side cats can be lovely companions, you don't have to take them for walks and they are largely self sufficient so as long as they are fed and stroked on demand you should all get along great.

do check with your local rescue though as many won't rehome cats to families with young children.

Yes, yes, yes. Cats are wonderful companions and family pets. We've got two, both of them rescue cats: one is hopelessly soft and affectionate and one is desperately loyal but a little more stroppy. DS (2) loves them both - the soft one is so sweet around him and even the stroppy one is remarkably tolerant. I think it's great for kids to get used to animals as early as possible and let how to treat them and be around them.

That being said, as other posters have noted, bear in mind vets fees, other cats in area, cat care whilst you're away, insurance etc.