Some cat questions

[wheelybug]

I would love a pet. My first choice would be a dog but I don't want to walk it so my second choice is a cat.

DH has always been adamantly anti-pet. However, a bit of a rodent problem has made him think about getting a cat. Now, I suspect the cat wouldn't be much good at sorting out the rodent problem but might be a bit of a deterrant ? That aside, I might use it as an opportunity to catch dh at a weak moment so I have said I will do research.

I grew up with a cat but my parents were more used to dogs so trained it as such so no cat flap, no litter tray but not sure whether this is normal.

My questions:

1. Can we get away without a catflap ?
2. Can we get away without a litter tray after initial training ?
3. What do you do when you go away ?

Erm.. will think of some more questions ...

thanks.

If you don't want a cat flap you will have to constantly open the door to let the cat in and out and if s/he needs the loo while you are out there will be a puddle. Or else you will have to have a litter tray permanently.

Our cat got her own key when we moved house and it is so much better.

When we go away our in laws take her to their house and she has her own holiday!

I've had my cat for a year and a half and have no cat flap, I just let her out throughout the day- during the day my back door is pretty much left ajar whilst I'm home so she tends to come and go as she pleases

If I had a cat flap, I would have dispensed with the litter tray by now, but as it is she rarely uses it. I use litter freshener and wood pellet litter which means the tray doesn't smell

She's fine if I go away for 24 hours, I just leave enough food and water down for her. Longer than that I ask a neighbour to pop in and replenish food/water and give her a bit of attention. Any longer than a weekend I use a fabulous local cattery which costs me £7 a day.

Ive said it before and I';; say it again, cats are lovely but my god cat wee stinks and is nigh on impossible to get rid of.
If you are unlucky to get a cat that 10 years down the line when you cant bring yourself to rehome, give up etc starts pi**ing all over your carpets, sofas, baby chair!!! what the hell do you do
I speak from bitter bitter exp.

you can easily get by without a cat flap. Just them out and in of a morning and evening and as needed when you are around. Our cat tends to be in at night and out all day. He hides in the greenhouse or under the shed if no one is home and he wants shelter. We did used to have a cat flap but replaced the door and actually found our cat seemed much more chilled out as other cats were regularly in and out of our house before and now they can't.

If you get a cat from somewhere like Battersea Dogs Home you might be able to get one that has a confirmed rodent catching skill

We got our first cat from the RSPCA and had to have the cat flap put in, or they wouldn't let us have him.

We've since got a second cat (dsd's neighbours moved and left it behind and it was left to wander her estate ).

Both cats needed the litter tray for no longer than a fortnight.

We have a cat loving neighbour who feeds them when we are away, or we pay one of the local boys to do it.

They're fab pets. Dd and dsd love them to bits.

Would advise getting a catflap, having had them for 10 years now it is a shock to be in a rental house with no catflap! I seem to spend all day letting the cats in and out again - can't leave doors or windows open as (a) it is too cold and (b) my 15month DD would be through them in a flash. Moving in April, first job in new house involves DH, a jigsaw and a catflap.

We don't bother with a litter tray at all unless we are going away for a night or so. And if we had a cat flap we wouldn't even bother then. Anything more than 48 hours (neighbours pop in and feed them then) and we use a local cattery at £8 a day for both of the cats

For rodents, depends on the cat. One of ours is useless, the other has caught, killed and eaten rabbits, moles, mice, pigeons, voles, shrews etc. So, pick carefully!

I adopted my cat from the RSPCA and they didn't care less whether I had a cta flap or not They are very honest about a cat's temperament so you tend to know exactly what kind of a cat you're getting which is good!

They did do a home visit to check we could provide a suitable home, and to make sure we weren't near a main/busy road etc!

I have to say adopting her is one of the best things I have ever done- she's so much fun and lovely to have around!

You can only have no cat flap/open window and no litter tray if you are never out for very long and put your cat out at night. Otherwise you will have accidents. We have a cat flap because having a window open all the time is a bit cold! When we are away for more than 48 hours our neighbour comes in and feeds/loves him twice a day (it's a reciprocal arrangements).

1. yes if you don't mind opening door alot
2. yes if you dont mind opening the door alot!
3. My neighbours (who weren't cat people but who have been slightly reformed) look after them

I have 3 cats and wouldnt be without the cat flap, however do be prepared if they are hunters to find dead bodies they have brought in or the bits they didnt eat!

I have one cat who hadnt been outside until i got her at 5 months. As a result she is very reliant on the litter tray she does go out but usually comes back in to use it. if it wasnt for her i wouldnt have a litter tray.

for all their bad points I love my cats, wouldnt be without them and they are very good at keeping our rodent population under control.

I'm used to not having a cat flap because we used to be in a pub and we couldn't have the cats in and out all night walking through the beams of the alarms! Now we are in a rented house and not allowed a flap but tbh I don't think I would have one now if I could. Friends of mine have had awful problems with strange cats getting in their houses making a mess and terrorising their own cats. Plus, I don't want my cat thinking he can go out at night because there are a lot of foxes round here.
In the summer he doesn't need the litter tray at all because he doesn't have to come in until very late but when it gets dark earlier he has one just in case. He rarely has to use it and it doesn't smell so I'm not bothered about that. He didn't go out at all until he was six months old because that was a condition of adopting him but he realised straight away that the tray was for emergency use only. He's very clever!

1. Can we get away without a catflap ?

Yes. Cat would get into a routine. We keep our cat in during the day when we are working, it goes out evening/night. Doesn't use litter tray at all unless we are away could of days.

1. Can we get away without a litter tray after initial training ?

Yes, if you can stick to reliable routine. But you'll need one if you're away for a weekend or whatever.

1. What do you do when you go away ?

Neighbours deal with our cat, we do theirs for them. If we're away for a full week or more, we put it in a cattery. Reckon cat hates it.

Thanks all - seems to be a bit of consensus that lack of cat flap ok (We have just had a load of work done so really wouldn't want to have one put in... in fact, the work included getting rid of the one we'd inherited ), lack of litter tray possible (I am SAHM so whilst out and about a lot am around quite a bit and I could have one to put down if we were out for a long stretch) and I need to find a friendly neighbour !! Actually have found a couple of cat-sitting services where they pop by and feed/visit the cat when away.

Right, now to convince DH once and for all !