Not a huge cat fan myself, they seem pointless as they just sleep and then spend most of the time outdoors (also biased as grown up with dogs and used to have one myself!) but my children love animals and are used to being around them at their Nan's, so Nan suggested rehoming an older cat for them.
I def don't want a kitten that will need training, etc. enough responsibilities already with two young children.
I'd like to know how much they cost to keep though, ie vet bills and weekly food bil before I make a decision.
My sister lives in the next street and adores cats so there will be no problems with care if we go away.
Also, male or female, do you think, or any particular types to avoid, ie Siamese. I think we just need Bagpuss really, a big lump of a cat that will be cuddly as my kids like to manhandle the big ginger Tom that lives on our road.
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The litter tray
Kids want a cat, I'm not a cat lover, what to do...and how much to keep them?
Flyingtree · 01/07/2013 15:45
My lovely neighbour has 4 cats. 3 females and one male. Two females never go further than the garden, and the male goes into a few other gardens-they are just very homely cats. The other female is 9 weeks old so it will be interesting to see what she does eventually.
Sparkling Cat patrols the road, about 5 houses in each direction, but is mainly found asleep on the garden bench in this weather. 
OP, I was always in the no pets camp, particularly a cat, but when a family member needed to home her cat I thought I'd give it a bash - obviously with quite a lot a thought
Wouldn't be without her now. She's 1yo and is the most placid, loving, cuddly cat ever. She is playful which the kids love and also chilled out a lot of the time. She's brilliant.
Cost wise: maybe one box of biscuits a month (she doesn't eat massive amounts) @ £2 and 12 tins a month (doesn't eat wet food at every meal) @ £6.
Flea and worm stuff @ ~£20 a month.
few toys (mostly homemade from pipe cleaners and tin foil)
annual boosters.
lots of cuddles
As a lone parent with two under six, not returning to work until this Autumn (hopefully) , that's a massive outlay.
I would seriously consider whether or not getting a cat 'for the children' is the right reason to have one. Pets take up an awful lot of time, money and work (think of the extra cleaning/cat hair etc etc) and whatever children say it will be you looking after it. Vet fees can be enormous too.
My son would like a dog, I just said 'no' .
but I am not an animal lover
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Having said all of which, Flyingtree, having a cat is not a free ride. Food can be relatively inexpensive if you shop around and toys/beds etc can be only pennies if you use 'found' things - which cats usually like as much as expensive cat toys.
There's no NHS for pets though so you would likely either have to get pet insurance or face the cost (could be hundreds or even more) of treating an unexpected road accident (if they are to go out) or an unexpected illness. The latter of which could occur in a cat of any age even if they were a housecat. Plus standard flea and worm control/annual checkups or a vet plan.
Most of us will pay these costs (which could easily be £20-30 per month in total) because we recognize the joy and love that a cat brings to us - and they're family. If money is really tight with you, though, maybe it would be a good idea to hold off for a little until you're more financially stable?
It doesn't mean that your DCs could never have a cat - just maybe not at the moment. The last thing you need is to acquire a cat and not be able to treat it properly.
Good luck whatever you decide.
Get a cat
My girl is a rescue and she does have a few ishoos but nothing awful. She can be a bit vocal, but you just have to figure out why she's yowling. Normally it's because she wants to go out or she's run out of biscuits.
Cost -
£9 a month insurance
Approximately £3 a month cat biscuits
£12 every 48 days for a daily wet food pouch
£6 every six months for worming tablet - she's only little at 3ish kg so half a worming tablet every three months.
£21 every three months for a three pack of flea treatment, but in reality, my vet practice often do deals. This month I got a free extra pipette for both the cat and the dog.
Thankyou for all your views, I'm happy to read some unbiased ones too :)
When I say my children love animals, that's an understatement. My daughter particularly goes ga-ga even over snails, slugs and creepy crawlies, never mind the big ginger tom a few houses down - it takes a whole 5 minutes to even walk past their house because she stops and cuddles him, with that catnip look onher face!
I first looked into hamsters/gerbils/rats but they seem a lot more high maintenance plus I don't like the idea of caged animals.
One of my Mum's cats is a proper homebody and although I don't have huge experience of pet cats, I think it's unusual, in that the grandchildren over the years have pulled her tail, squashed her, taunted her, etc and she just never reacts, so I'm hoping to find one like that, as it's going to be cuddled to near-death I'm sure.
In which case, would a rescue cat find it harder to bond with children unlike a kitten that's grown up with them? Hmm...
There's still the flea issue I need to research more before I make a final decision, as fleas love me and my legs are pockmarked with old scars :(
Do flea treatments really work?
Oh, and will male cats spray everywhere when first getting used to their new home?
Thankyou 
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