Thinking, JUST thinking, that is vaguely considering the notion of the possibility of maybe purchasing a kitten and needing some info please

[Rhubarb]

I'm not really a cat person. That is, they're ok and everything, but I was brought up with dogs.
I've always had animals around me but since Max, my parrot was nicked 4 years ago, we've had nothing.

Now the kids have been mithering for a couple of years for a pet. A cat seems ok. But I need to know from cat people if my ideas are complete and utter tosh or not.

You can go away and ask the neighbour to feed the cat, so you don't have to pay for kennels.
You can put a bell on it's collar so it doesn't catch birds and stuff.
You don't need a cat flap.

But what I'm worried about is cat piss - how come some cat owner's houses smell of cat piss? What are they doing wrong?

How much do you spend on cat food?

Just tell me everything I need to know before I start to even consider getting a cat.

But if I do get one, it'll be a rescue one that will already be neutered.

The very thought of having a pet though. Well isn't it one more chore to do? One more thing to consider?

Have to say that if it rips the sofa, I may be giving it back!

Rhubarb - if you've read all these posts and you're still considering it then I'm afraid you're getting a cat . Good luck!

re. access, we have a back window (first floor) that they go out of as they just make their way across a terrace/roof but we don't leave it open all the time as then we have problems with stray cats coming in and eating all their food. If they are out and don't come when called, we shut the window when we go out, then we open up when we come home, call them, give them some time, if they don't show up, we close again. Otherwise they miaow to come in.

My parents (they of the long lived cats) didn't have a cat flap and the cats just miaowed to come in/go out, the more athletic male got up on the fence then onto the roof and used to go in through their bedroom window (1st floor) but the female used to just have to wait to get let in, and most of the time spent the night outside.

Cats scratch wherever they want and sleep wherever they want. You can't really train cats so if you don't want them to go in children's rooms, for example, you have to keep the door shut.

My vet said he would never put a collar on a cat as it is too dangerous- he has seen loads of collar-related injuries. Our neighbours cat has a bell on his collar and always catches birds etc.

We go away for holidays and our neighbour feeds our cat but we do have a cat flap. He ends up living with them and their cat and their german shepherd dog! until we return

We don't have a litter tray- yuck. He trained himself, as a kitten he used the litter tray immediately and as soon as he was allowed out he peed outside and never used the litter tray again. On car journeys he sleeps on my knee.

Cost- they are fussy and he won't eat anything except Felix as good as it looks ocean feasts and IAMS biscuits. Probably costs about £25 a month. He certainly won't eat left overs apart from mayonaise!

So I guess it depends on the luck of the draw as to what cat you end up with.

The killing of wildlife really puts me off though. Some birds are endangered, as are frogs, toads and so on, whereas the cat is now found in almost 1 in 3 homes. If each cat kills 3 birds a week, that's a hell of a lot of wildlife wiped out.

So on an environmentalist argument, cats are not the greatest of creatures to have around.

Perhaps I should rethink?

I think you are clutching at straws

I am really not sure 3 birds a week is a realistic average..

Don't get one because of the goddamn hair, or because they are so bloody minded, or because they scratch your stuff to death or the responsibility but not because they kill wildlife, I might be biased by having the wettest lettuces in the bunch but I've really never found it a big peril of cat ownership.

Although there was the live mouse one cat released in my mum's bedroom one night.

Yes but when I've spoken to other cat owners they have horrible stories of injured wildlife being left on the doorstep, dead fieldmice etc. My heart lies with the wildlife more than with the domestic cat.

One other question - how do you keep them off your kitchen worktops?

I've left a message on the Cat's Action Trust phone asking to speak to someone. I'll get some more advice from them first.

Still dithering. Having lived for so long without a pet, I now wonder if we really want to have that additional responsibility once more.

um....

... by screaming like a banshee and running at them waving my arms and throwing whatever I can get my hands on at them???

they don't get up on the worktops generally but if something tempting is left out nothing will stop them.

I nearly had a breakdown at the thought my cat was going to sleep in my newborn's cot and could not dissuade him. Eventually someone recommended tin foil all over the cot (sans baby obv.) to deter him as apparently they don't like walking on tin foil. Only came home to find him sleeping under the tin foil cosy as a bug.

Draw your own conclusions..

my SIL says, if her cat does something it shouldn't she tells him off. Not sure saying 'no' works with all cats though!! In fact I cant see it somehow!

Dogs seem simpler somehow. They don't get up on worktops. They don't need a cat flap. They don't generally kill wildlife and present it to you.

You are only seeing the tiny amount of wildlife your cat has killed when it brings it to you, how much more has it killed that it's eaten or just left behind?

I like dogs as well as cats but as far as I can see the big advantage of cats is that, if they have indoor/outdoor access, you quite likely never have to deal with shit. Dog owners walk around with little plastic bags and gloves and scoops. Urgh. Cat owners don't need anything like that. Cats are much cleaner, less hair left around. and they don't need exercising.

Thanks all, will let you know what we decide to do.

6 weeks is common, 8 weeks is better, 9 weeks should be fine

Kittens can leave their mothers from 8 weeks old, but some rescue centres will only rehome them from 12 weeks.

It isn't advisable to feed cats leftovers, potentially too much salt content. They can't cope with a vegetarian diet either, it must be meat based.

I'm so much better at cats than children

If in doubt, get a cat.

That's my motto anyway

How can you tell if a kitten/cat will be friendly and not scratch children.

You can tell a lot about a cat and its friendliness and easygoingness from the first meeting.

We recently got two kittens from a refuge, the dds were already used to old cats. It was quite clear which kittens and cats liked children and wanted to play with them, and which spat or scratched them. We didn't adopt the scratchers or snarlers - lots of cats aren't happy in refuges and some of the scratchers or snarlers will be fine in a home, we had one like that once, he was awful in the refuge, utterly unmanageable, but adorable at home. but we didn't risk it this time with small children. the ones we chose were very affectionate with the dds from the first time they met them, and have stayed so.

Well, the lady phoned back and told me that they don't usually rehouse kittens or cats with people that have no catflap fitted.

Which I thought was a bit precious. I have no desire to tear a hole in my door for the sake of a cat. I mean, what did people do before the advent of catflaps? I thought the creatures were meant to be intelligent, surely they can figure another way in?

It's pretty obvious, I think, that the refuge only want to rehouse their cats with people who will then regard that cat as their own child and will not spare any expense as to the cat's general happiness. So if I just want a pet, that I shall treat as a pet, then I have to look elsewhere.

ours-2 kittens-cost a fortune to feed.(and yes we knew 2 x cats equals 2 x bills)

Cats Protection don't have that policy.

Frankly a little disappointed you haven't got one yet.

Get a wiggle on, Rhubarb

Ah well she said not to before Chrimbo because the precious cat would tear down the tree and get all stressed - bless!

We'll either wait until the Christmas present ones have lost their novelty and been thrown out, or we just won't bother. Dh doesn't like the idea of a cat in a rented house as we're not exactly stable.