Daughter wants a cat? Anything I should know

[Halftermisnearlyover]

Daughter wants a cat for her birthday this week. DH doesn’t want one but he hates pets anyway so I’m going behind his back 😩 we already have a hamster and a dog.

Is there anything I should know before I decide? Is it ok to purchase one on gumtree.

Is it better to get a boy or girl cat or does it not matter.

Be prepared to clean the litter tray regularly and constantly be cleaning up cat hair from everywhere.

And is it used to cats? I honestly think getting a cat on a whim when you have an elderly dog is incredibly cruel. This will end in tears.

Get your daughter a toy cat and wait a few years for a real one.

But if your mind is made up please do not get a cat from Gumtree. It won't be healthy. Either go to a rescue or a GCCF registered pedigree breeder. Not a cat from a free ad because that is a recipe for disaster.

Definitely rescue cause they already tell you if they can live with dogs/young kids etc

Yes. Plus it’s kinder to the cat because a) they won’t give you one unless they think you’re right for each other & b) they'll commit to taking the cat back if it doesn’t work out.

If DD is responsible and you’re both committed to it regardless of DH, then I would say to get an adult black cat. Adult as they’re much much easier than kittens who ideally should be homed with another so they can use energy up on each other and an adult you can already see its personality and as PP said may be some history if can or can’t get on with dogs. Also they’re little harder to home as everyone wants a kitten. Black becuase they’re traditionally the least popular colour. Mixture of superstition and social media where apparently they don’t photograph the best.

Be prepared for the cat to eat the hamster. Even if you think the cage is secure they will find a way to get in there, and the hamster will be terrified waiting for it to happen.

Please use a charity to find your cat 🙏 we used Battersea and for £70 everything was done (injection, neutering, 3 months insurance)
Cats are awesome, completely useless tho. My cat brings me the greatest joy, our first pet ever and every time I see her I am amazed to see this overgrown entitled whiny furry rat strolling in my living room judging me. No advice to give you as cats are very self reliant and just need about 15min a day of pets to be happy, very low maintenance.
Although if you will let it go outside, be ready for special gifts on hot day (one night this month she brought 3 mice😩)

Just no.

No advice to give you as cats are very self reliant and just need about 15min a day of pets to be happy, very low maintenance.

Some of them!

My girl might be ok with that sometimes but I’ve had previous fosters who expected a lot more.

You need to make sure you are aware of the cat's medical history. You won't get this off Gumtree, always best to adopt from a reputable re homing charity like cats protection. They get all their cats checked by a vet. Trust me, it could save you a lot of money and heartache. We had a cat with a heart murmur (common in cats). As it was pre existing existing we couldn't insure him for it and ended up costing a lot in medication a few years later. We have him a very good life though. Our latest cat is from cats protection and so we knew he had a clean bill of health upon adoption.
I also echo other posters, please make sure the whole family are on board and happy to have a cat. It's not fair on the cat.

Don't be daft. You don't get a pet because a child wants one. You already have two pets.

The cat will eat the hamster surely?

YABU to bring any animal into the house if both of you are not happy with the idea.
YABU not to teach the DC that animals are not toys and are therefore not presents.

I wouldn’t buy fro Gumtree these days, its long past the point where you could reliably find an owner whose young female “got out” before being speyed. Use a reputable rescue instead but only if you and DH are both on board with the cost and responsibility of another animal in the house.

I would be mightily pissed off with a spouse who thought it was ok to introduce pets into the house without general agreement.

Go to a rescue, there are so many cats and kittens looking for homes.
But I wouldn't do it. The cat will hunt the hamster if it can, and it will try to attack it in the cage as well through the bars, or sit on the cage or whatever. You probably will not be able to even let the cat into the same room.

Until they decide they want the attention at 1am, their breakfast at 4am and then the remaining cuddles at 6am 😂

When they’re younger they may also demand quite a bit of play time on top, even though mine is not an indoor cat he was very playful when younger (talking 4 years of age, not kitten) and needed the playtime or would go goofey.

Also time to catch the various wildlife. Birds suddenly flying around your head during Teams calls are great. Mice running around the bedroom and the cat chasing when you’re trying to sleep are, too. Or try to work out what to do with a bat… I love my furry boy to bits, but cats can take up more than 15 minutes a day.

They have a dog? Anyway, I'd be careful about introducing a cat to a household with a dog and a hamster, especially if you let the hamster out of its cage regularly. A kitten could get used to a dog - we've done it, but two kittens gave each other confidence and they loved the golden retrievers.
Just make sure that if your going behind your husbands back doesn't result in you having to rehome the poor cat/kitten two days later.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a pet because a child wants one. As long as an adult is happy to have that pet to and to be responsible for it if the child doesn’t step up.

I also don’t see anything wrong with buying pets either. I got my latest two cats via gumtree. You do have to do your due diligence, but lots of genuine, non farming people, sell pets that way. And the rescues seem to have ridiculous rules that don’t allow anyone to actually adopt a pet. We tried multiple rescues before buying, but apparently we weren’t good enough, so had no choice but to purchase. I’ve owned cats my whole life and have a large house and garden, but because I basically wasn’t home 24/7 we apparently couldn’t possibly cope!

Just to add I would be more concerned about introducing a cat to house with a dog. That can go really well, or really badly. You have to carefully manage the introduction and even then they might not gel. My neighbours where I used to live introduced a very barky puppy to their house with a cat and they had to separate the house into two - cat had upstairs and dog had downstairs and the cat was scared to use the cat flap. Felt very sorry for the poor cat.

I love my furry boy to bits, but cats can take up more than 15 minutes a day.

Also, why get a pet at all if you’re only planning to give them 15 minutes of attention a day?

Yes it's wrong to purchase an animal. Go to an adoption place. They have young cats.

People sell them on gumtree not caring who gets them, and people buy them for bait for fighting dogs.

Similarly animals who are sold by private breeders can breed the mum to death.

I think Gumtree stopped selling them anyway.

Just go to an adoption place and pay them to help take care of more animals?

My cat got severe diarrhoea at age 14 and also perhaps dementia and began pooing liquid piles all over my house multiple times a day. You need to be okay with cleaning that up if that happens.

Vet bills can be hundreds just for tests to see what's wrong, let alone treatment.

You need to get them fed when you go away.

You need to be on top of fleas and treat them every single month and perhaps even deal with an outbreak. My other cat was resistant to flea treatment. I had to bathe him and we got bitten by the fleas until I was able to eradicate the infestation.

Yes it's wrong to purchase an animal. Go to an adoption place. They have young cats.

People sell them on gumtree not caring who gets them, and people buy them for bait for fighting dogs.

Similarly animals who are sold by private breeders can breed the mum to death.

I think Gumtree stopped selling them anyway.

Just go to an adoption place and pay them to help take care of more animals?

My cat got severe diarrhoea at age 14 and also perhaps dementia and began pooing liquid piles all over my house multiple times a day. You need to be okay with cleaning that up if that happens.

Vet bills can be hundreds just for tests to see what's wrong, let alone treatment.

You need to get them fed when you go away.

You need to be on top of fleas and treat them every single month and perhaps even deal with an outbreak. My other cat was resistant to flea treatment. I had to bathe him and we got bitten by the fleas until I was able to eradicate the infestation.

Boy cats are soooooo much nicer in my experience! I’ve 3 boys and they’re lovely! Females are spicy 😅

I hope you like mice! I'd never have a cat again, I like cats, hate mice and every one ive had have been prolific hunters. I was told the cat we currently have wouldn't catch mice 😂

I've had 4 cats, 2 males and 2 females, all spicy 😂. Dogs all the way now, you can cuddle them without getting scared 😂

I love cats, have three of my own - all ex rescue.
But if you're not ALL onboard with the idea of getting a cat then please don't.
Because once the initial novelty of the everyday caring for the cat has worn off for your daughter then it'll be you and your husband that will be dealing with the litter tray, the feeding, the entertaining.
And if your heart - or your husband's - isn't really in it, then you're going to be posting here a year or two down the line asking about rehoming.