Never had a cat before and DCs really want one - advice please

[BicycleBelle]

I've never had a cat and have no experience of them. DCs, especially youngest DD (8)is desperate for one. We are all out at work or school all day - can we still have a cat? I like the idea, but am worried it may not be fair on the cat, or on me. How hard are they to look after? Will they really bring half dead mice and slow worms into the house? Will they scratch the furniture or shit on the floor? Will they allow an 8 year old to cuddle them, or stalk off in to the garden to kill things? Should we buy one or go to a rescue home? Cat or kitten? Really need advice from experienced cat owners. TIA

Rescue cat from a reputable organisation every time. Not only are they in most need of homes or risk being PTS, many come from family environments and so you will have a friend which matches your needs and is suited to your lifestyle, DCs ages and so on.

Cats are pretty independent and lots of working people have them so I don't see an issue there but maybe a pair would be kinder, to keep each other company. Rescue often finds it hard to rehome a pair of animals and would be grateful to you as some pets will suffer a tremendous sense of loss at being seperated from the friend or sibling they have grown up with.

An older cat is far less likely to damage furniture than a kitten, especially if you have a scratching post, though I'm sad to say that most of the buggers will bring you presents of dissmembered birds and mice! (2 out of my 3 do anyway!). Rescue will be able to find you a cat which is used to being cuddled and happy with it - you may think that a kitten will enjoy cuddles if with you from an early age but that's not always the case. One of mine was the result of me rescuing his pregnant mum so I've had him since day one and he HATES being picked up.

Just as a kitten will, an adult/adolescent cat MAY shit on the floor in the early days, due usually to stress, but provided you have a litter tray which is regularly cleaned and he can in time go outside, this should be easily cured IF it happens, with patience, tlc and a little time.

Things to consider:

1. Do you ALL want a cat?

1. Will you be willing to take responsibility for him when/if the DC get bored, feed him, clean litter trays, make time for him etc?

1. Are your DC responsible enough to give him his space and not to pull him around?

1. Can you afford/are you willing to pay for insurance, vet bills/excess fees, jabs, food, litter, accessories such as litter tray and bed, neutering (although this should be done by the rescue before you adopt - if not and there is no good reason for it, avoid that rescue)?

1. Who will care for him if you go away?

1. Are you near a busy road/railway or other danger?

1. Are you willing to accept that any cat OR kitten might/will initially wee on your floor, claw your furniture etc? Are you very houseproud? Cats don't "get" instructions not to go into bedrooms or sit on clean laundry/kitchen surfaces, unlike dogs.

1. Who the heck is going to remove a dead mouse from the kitchen floor when you've just woken up!

Buy pet insurance. My DDs cat was hit by a car last week. He is on the mend but vet bill was £800.

Cats protection league are fab for rescue cats and kittens and have a really good policy about veterinary care in their rescue shelters so you should be able to get a cat that has been checked over and is fit to home, that is also vaccinated (the CPL may ask you to get the second vaccine done but they usually pay for this) and neutered (or with a voucher to get it done when old enough if a kitten).

The better hunters tend to be the females and the more lap type cats tend to be the boys, but there is a huge overlap too and many will be the opposite of that. If you get a rescue young adult cat you will have a far better idea of the personality of the cat when you meet it in the shelter. Kittens can not be so easily predicted for personality.

I am going to go against Valhalla a little bit (sorry V!) and say that there is no need to get two. Cats are naturally solitary animals. Those that have lived together for a while can get along and yes from time to time they do get stressed when parted, but there are also plenty of cats that are rescued alone and are very happy to live alone - indeed some will be stressed out having to adapt to company. I do agree with V though, these shelter are desperate for homes for cats and if you have the room and inclination to two then a known pairing could be good for all involved.

Pretty much most of the rest is covered by the previous posts.

Cats are a doddle compared to most other pets. They won't mind you being out all day, and they usually only sulk a bit when you go on holiday and leave them to be fed by a neighbour.

I second the pet insurance though if you don't fancy hefty surprise vet bills. Ours is accident prone and has cost us a lot.

If there is nobody at home most of the day, I would recommend adopting a pair of kittens or bonded adult cats. (reason being, two strange cats that haven't grown up together sometimes don't become very close friends unlike siblings)

They are easy to look after. They are easy to housetrain since cats automatically look for somewhere they can dig to do their business in (i.e. the litter tray) mine have never brought dead things into the house but I understand some cats do, but nothing that can't be remedied with a dustpan and brush!

Some cats love attention, other don't. I'm sure the rescue will match you up with a nice attention loving cat suitable for children, but any cat will dislike being cuddled/played with all the time, they do need their own time and space as well as they do like to sleep/snooze a lot.

My cat is from a rescue, RSPCA, and I love him dearly. I would definitely recommend this approach as it was excellent for me and you don't have to worry that you are funding irresponsible back-yard cat breeding. I was worried about getting only one cat but it has not been a problem at all, he is very happy in his territory and has actually made 'friends' with some local cats, there are 4 of them, all black and white, that go around together - very strange. There are many cats that come in pairs at the rescue I noticed, so if you really want two it is possible. Remember though - twice the food/vets/cattery bills. You can also get rescue kittens but they are more work and the rescue will insist that you are home all day. Also, you can't judge the personalities as kittens.

I got my cat as a young adult - as above you will be able to judge their personalities very easily by meeting them at the rescue, not the case with kittens. Make sure your DCs meet cat in advance. He did scratch at the furniture a little but it has calmed down a lot since he has been allowed outside, no damage done. He hasn't soiled the house as was already using a litter tray at the RSPCA, normally their mums teach them to use it as kittens so they already know. He has only killed once, a baby bird - very upsetting but high chance that the bird fell from the nest. The adult birds around here are very wise to the cats.

Overall, he is a great companion, very affectionate and gives me a lot of happy times. Very easy to care for but bear in mind the cost of food, vets, insurance etc. Think about it carefully, it is probably more than a decade long commitment. I definitely recommend rescuing an adult cat above the other options as my experience has been so good. I would go on the personality of the cat rather than colour/what it looks like etc. I thought I wanted a tabby but my boy is black and white and it is his special character that matters most.

PS, I found all of the cat litters to be awful apart from wood-pellet (haven't tried paper). Took me ages to find one I was happy with so thought I would share, my bin was so heavy with the soiled clumping litter, I thought maybe they wouldn't empty it or I'd get investigated for some sort of bin contravention. Wood and paper also best for the environment.

Thank you all very much.

I think I will go and have a chat with my location cat protection league. I had thought about a young adult cat, as the kittens seem too tiny to be left alone at all. From what you all say, it sounds like that would be best for judging character too. I'm hoping that the cattery will be able to match us with a friendly animal who won't mind children too much.

Can anyone tell me how much cat insurance costs each month? Are there any other costs? How much does food and litter cost you each month?

Thanks again.

Initial costs:

15 for cat carrier
around 75 for cat with vacc's/vet check/microchip already done

You also need litter, tray, scoop, bedding, scratching post if you want but has to be a tall one (cats like to stretch up tall on back legs to scratch, think of tiger in the zoo), toys - ping pong balls and feather on a stick, laser pen type thing were the best. Catflap.

I use a food high in meat content from pets at home and can recommend. There is also a fish one. A box lasts a week so 18.36 per 4 weeks. I also feed a 90% meat content dry food from pets at home for a small meal per day. A box lasts over 2 months so far.

I use this cat litter - 5.29 per bag, lasts more than a month.

You also need to do worms 37.14 per year and fleas 52 per year.

Other people may know cheaper places to get the worm and flea stuff. hth

We got two kittens, sisters, 3 years ago and have never regretted the decision. They are lovely, very self sufficient, but loving and playful with the DC. We have had phases of them weeing and pooing in the house, but they have been, touch wood, shortlived.
They have enhanced all our lives!

We have had our two cats for nearly a year now - my first pets, except for rubbish goldfish when I was a kid! The house is empty from 9am when DH returns from the school run and then goes out to work, until 1500 when I return briefly before going to pick up DD. We go out again two days a week for DD's activities, and spend quite a bit of time out of the house at weekends. The cats don't seem in the least bit put out by this, even when we got them at eight weeks old they were fine. They were already incredibly independent at that age. I think the key thing with this is that there are two of them, and more recently that they're let out.

They haven't brought anything dead (or worse - alive) into the house, although they have managed to kill a frog and a moth in the garden. They frequently kill and eat (ew) flies in the house, which is great!

They have scratched the sofas to buggery, which is especially annoying as they have a very nice cat tree in the living room. Trying to stop that now (for the future, when we get better sofas, rather than for the present) with Sticky Paws tape, which is really pissing them off! I didn't think they'd climbed the curtains as kittens, until I noticed one day that the blackout lining of our bedroom curtains was letting through little pinholes of light - they'd climbed the INSIDE of the curtains while no one was looking.

Neither has shat on the floor, in fact one of them always made it into his litter box even when he was eight weeks old and had diarrhoea, poor little might. One of them ONE weed on the dining room floor, and one of them weed on a paper bag (random).

I do agree that young rescue cats are the most sensible option - fortunately we got lucky (so far) with our kittens. They will JUST about be picked up for a cuddle (one more than the other) and like to rub up against us. One is particularly chatty, chirrups all the time, while the other comes into the room and shouts at us. They often like to cuddle up with us on the bed at night (not allowed to sleep there though) but sadly have gone off the idea of kipping on laps in the evening (boo).

As others have said an older cat from a rescue is definitely the way to go as you'll know more about their nature, whether they are suited to being at home on their own, and whether they're good with kids.

If you are going to get a cat I think you do have to prepare yourself for them scratching, bringing dead things in, making a mess and occasional night time yowling. I'm not trying to put you off, but it's worth considering whether you'll be able to put up with these things if/ when they happen! In my experience, cats are not particularly trainable the way dogs are, and if they do have a trait you don't like, not much can be done about it.

My insurance costs £18 a month, however that's more expensive than normal cos she's 12 years old, and it gets more expensive the older they get.

One more thing, is that ime a neutered male cat might be easier than a female for first time cat owner. Females tend to be more highly strung and nervy, whereas as neutered males are often more chilled out, that's just in my experience though!

Thank you all very much. Young adult neutered male from a rescue centre sounds best. I could cope with the pooing and peeing on the floor (kids have done it often enough in the past)but I would hate to have the furniture ruined - I work too hard to pay for it to cope with feline vandals! Hopefully the rescue centre would know a scratchy cat from a non-scratchy?

Yes, they should be able to advise, all cats will do some scratching to keep their claws in order, but some will be happy to do it in one particular area you provide, and some will happily scrath a tree in the garden

I wouldn't advise getting one of those free standing scrtahcing posts, as they are don't hold the cats weight. (The cat needs to be able to get a good purchase on it, which is why they often go for the sofa!)You can get sractch pads which fit to the wall, which is often a good option. Anyhow, you may well find it's not really a problem.

On another note, Might be worth getting a book for your DD on looking after cats, their behaviour etc? I remember I had one when I was about her age, I loved it and it meant I was really keen to help look after the cat as I felt like I had some special knowledge on it!

Good luck with the resuce centre, and if do get a kitty and need any advise settling him/ her in- happy to help-let us know how you get on!

Just to say - you can get rescue pedigree cats ffrom the breed rescue organisations too. Burmese cats are incredibly children friendly - and I recommend them hugelyt for families. I breed siamese (which are also lovely but tend to pick a particular person as their favourite, whereas burmese just love everyone.) Burmese and siamese cats do need to be kept in pairs as they do get lonely, it's why they are so affectionate. I also have a lovely mog, and I recommend these too - I'm just making the point that if you want a particular breed you can get a rescue one- just look up burmese rescue in google.

we have a nine year old cat

i agree when he was a kitten he needed someone around, he became a real baby though.

we have never ever had mess on the floor or scratching of the furniture. He goes outside to do both.

He is sick occasionally, normally when he goes visiting thorugh other peoples cat flaps for his dinner!

We dont get many "presents" brought in now, but he used to bring in live frogs when he was younger!

The main downsides to owning him are

1. He shouts, like really really loud, in the night and whenever he enters the house. When I am on the phone to someone they can hear him and think dd is crying it is so loud.
2. Fleas - treatment is expensive and treating the cat isnt the end of it as once they bring them inot the house they are a pain in the neck to get rid of. However, we found a spray you can do once a year and also he has regularly changed flea collars, as we find these effective and far less expensive thatn front line too.

Don't get a long haired one for your first cat. Especially if its an older cat. Unless it is very used to grooming. They may look lovely but I had 2 long haired rescues who were lovely cats but had not been brushed regularly and it was a nighmare to groom them.