Cat as a pet

[Momtoprincess]

Hi all, I wanted to get some advice from cat owners.
My daughter has always wanted to have a cat, but I did not until I knew I could look after 1 and give our love to it and also space.
My daughter really wants one now, and I think it is time to get one. A few questions I have are, how are the cats when you leave them home to go shops or school run. What do you do if you have to stay away a few nights?
Do you only keep them indoors or let them out?

There’s another thread at the moment started by someone who hasn’t got insurance for her cat, the cat’s injured & she’s trying to work out how to pay for treatment.

This is why insurance is so crucial. No cat owner ever wants to be in this situation. And it’s very, very, very unfair on the poor cat.

Yes pet insurance is a must.

The cattery I use don't take cats for less than two day stays. If it's just for a weekend away (leaving Saturday morning and coming back late Sunday), we leave dry food in a timer. We have a pond so that our cat has access to a lot of water. But otherwise, leave it plenty of water. We used to have a trusted cat sitter and she visited our cats twice a day when we were away for longer periods. But now our cat went to a cattery.

Our cats always come from a rescue as adults. Most rescue cats are outdoor cats so you'll need a catflap. We have a microchip activated one. Our cats don't have litter trays. They go outside.

They are all very independent and can keep themselves company if you are away for a whole day. They keep themselves clean and requires very little day to day care. It's very different from having a dog.

Yes, my cat knocked up an unexpected bill of £2.5K one summer's morning when he was 2. I thought he'd been run over. The vets thought he had a neurological condition. Turned out to be an unknown non-car accident with no lasting effects, an expensive morning luckily covered by insurance!

A five year old black girl is your best bet. Affectionate, beautiful, and clever.

Cats are great, wonderful pets and fairly low maintenance. You do have to accept that things may occasionally get clawed and litter tray maintenance is a bit of a hassle, but as others have said, you do get so much back from them.

RE cattery if you go away, cats are very scent and territory oriented so please only use a cattery as a last resort as it’s more distressing to take a cat out of its home environment and into a cattery, than it is to leave them at home alone for a few days, with someone popping in to check on them. We also often forget that cats are solitary by nature m, and can cope perfectly well on their own if needed.

I think it depends on the cat, regarding catteries. We visited a luxury cattery to check it out, all of the cats were extremely chilled and happy. Maybe it depends on the cattery as well, I would avoid those that have kennels as the constant barking must be stressful. This luxury cattery was very quiet and in the countryside, they had views outside and regular playtime with the owner.

Double post

Absolutely, one of my previous cats had a long term health condition and I was able to commit to giving him the longest life I could as the hugely expensive medication costs were totally covered.

I was able to give the cat an extra 2 years of (happy) life and not have to PTS earlier due to the high cost of the medication.

Cats are easy and very low maintenance. But can and will demand attention when you are around.
we have been out all day and just got in cat wanted feeding and a cuddle but he is fine. We can leave him overnight if needed with automatic feeder.
Holidays either cattery or someone to pop on and feed , change litter etc.
I have a Burmese who does go out and is a very happy and healthy cat. Very easy but very very affectionate and interactive. He also gets on very well with most dogs. He has some weird love thing going on with next doors spanial.
I'm not sure rag dolls would be the easiest cat to own as seems they can't go out and many have issues.
But yes cats are easyer than dogs.

This. And it all starts with the "kitten love spell".

We have 5.

Really easy pets. They can all go out if they like, apart from our new kitten.

My mum comes round to feed, do litter trays, let them in or out when we go away or on holiday

Cats are THE BEST and there are so many rescues in need of a home right now (lots of kittens too)

I personally think they are the perfect pet, affectionate and playful but not too demanding of your time (they sleep a lot) and no separation anxiety if you need to go out for the day.

I personally recommend not leaving them any longer than 4/5 hours and 2 hours when they are kittens.

Cats are always better in pairs as they keep each other company so consider bonded kittens of siblings maybe?

I wouldn't delay as I was the daughter who begged for a cat growing up and my mum finally caved aged 15 and before she knew it I was off to uni and couldn't really spend time with the cat like I would have as a little girl.

Get a neutered male who floofs onto the floor for a scratch when you see him. Miserable bitchy female cats give puss cats a bad name but ours is ridiculously patient and friendly toward our son.

world animal friends on Facebook are amazing. They rescue cats from all over the world and ship them here and are very good at gauging temperament.

Also please consider black or tuxedo cats as they are the least likely to be adopted and in my experience are amazing!

I’ve had/have tons of pets and cats are by far the easiest. Lots of love and playing but equally happy to be left to their own devices. I agree with a pp though, once you get one it’s very easy to get another (and another and another).

Make sure you get good insurance, don’t go cheap on the food. Be aware things like lilies are toxic and stay on top of flea/tick treatments and vaccinations.

Good luck!