Tell me the truth about getting a kitten....

[takeonboard]

I am really undecided, DS is absolutely desperate for a kitten but then he is desperate for everything until he gets it then he loses interest rapidly

I have always had pets, lots of cats and a couple of dogs both as a child and an adult. But haven't had a pet for the past 10 years which is basically all of DS's life. I really do miss having a pet, the cuddles, the playfulness, the curling up on your knee............but is our home/lifestyle fair on the cat?

Here are the cold hard facts:

We live in a large 2 bed flat in central london with a patio which is surrounded by high walls, so not much outside space and nowhere to roam. I work from home most of the time so the cat wouldn't be alone much. I am a little bit anal about mess/smells and my 6 month old sofa is very beautiful and I want it to stay that way! (I fear I am being too honest here!)

A cat would be essentially be an indoor cat with access to a patio for sun and fresh air but nowhere to roam, is this fair? If the kitten has never been out will it not know what it is missing? This is my main concern, I think I can live with a litter as they are very hygenic and odourless nowadays and I think you can get them with roofs on can't you?

Am I mad to consider it or will the pros outweigh the cons. I would love to hear some honest views and some opinions from people who have indoor cats (as all the cats I have previously owned have been real roamers).

Oh and are there health issues related to having an indoor cat?

TIA

A farm cat is not a breed, as such, but generally speaking a farm cat would be a moggy a bit more 'on the wild side'. Obviously, I can't speak for every farm cat out there, but I would say they would be outdoor cats, good mousers and they would not appreciate being cooped up as an indoor cat. The genetics will come out no matter what you do to raise them.

(having said that my friends got 2 ginger toms from a farm years ago, and they turned into the biggest wimps and lovely indoor cats that I've ever seen!!)

So there are no set rules, every cat is an individual. You don't know what you are going to get exactly when you get a kitten and you just have to love that little furry thing no matter how they turn out!

We just got 2 kittens, their litter tray has a roof and we use catsan in it and it STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They poo 3 times a day EACH! I clan it morning noon and night and I can still smell it every time i come through the door, there is always more wee and poo. I am getting a cat flap fitted and they are going to be outdoor toileting cats ASAP!

They wake me up at ungodley hours running over the bed and trying to get in my bed, tried shutting them out of the bedroom but pitiful mews then wake me up.

They run up my curtains, over the dining table, over the very expensive leather furniture, they have ripped the shower curtain, frayed the stair carpet, shredded a wicker basket, and are currently obsessed with stealing tissues from the bin and spreading them round the house before chewing them up into a thousand pieces.

They need feeding 4 timea a day and eat their ow bodyweight in cat food each day.

They are small Houdinis in disguise, ad despite the 25 degree heat last week we had to have every door and window tight shut to stop them escaping.

They have only 4 states, asleep, eating, pooing and complete state of madness.

All is forgiven though the minute they curl up on my lap in a purring ball or look at me with their cute kitten expressions.

Get one (or two)

Thanks issey and celeriac I understand what you mean about farm cats, I spoke to the owner yesterday and they are not on a farm just in a country village (I'm a city person who assumes everyone in the country lives on a farm!)

givetheanarchist I will consider an adult rescue cat and look at Blue Cross., thanks.

Isabelle just as I was looking at adult cats you got me back on kittens

Smiling at Isabelle's -'eat their own bodyweight in food every day'. That is so true! Where do they put it all?!!

Can you put a catflap through a wall instead of the door(s)? Ours is through the wall as an alternative to spending a small fortune reglazing one of the back patio doors.

I think in your shoes I would be looking at an adult cat who was used to being indoors-only. We have had ours from 8 weeks, they had not been outside when we got them, and we intended to have them as indoor cats. We conscientiously kept them in until they were fully vaxed, chipped and neutered, then spent a further two months trying to stop them (one in particular) escaping. Then we realised we'd never be able to have a door or window open in the warmer months, got the catflap, and let them out.

Isabelle.

I would recommend going for an adult cat. Rescue centers are full of them and will be able to point you in the direction of a cat that will happily stay indoors. Adult cats tend to get overlooked for cute little kittens. But kittens are far more likely to rip your house to shreds (not to mention your legs).
As long as you clean out the litter tray, I don't think smell will be a huge issue.
I got my cat from a "collector" mad cat lady with 30+ cats and 10 dogs. she would have been more of an outside cat, but since she's been with us (about 5 years) she has shown no interest in going out. So effectively she is an indoor cat by choice.

Own body weight definitely true..... Mine are making up for lost time and eating loads, catching up to where they should be weight wise and are nuts but so much fun....

Litter wise, I'm using clean n tidy kitten litter and it's good with smells apart from when the lazy one does a big steamy poo and doesn't bury it cos she needs to go and pounce on her sister and doesn't have time for social niceties