I want a cat! What do I need to know?

[popsnsqeeze]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some friendly advice.
I've wanted a cat for ages, we're finally in a place where we can get one but I want to be sure I've considered everything.
I have 2 children, ages 5 and 2. They both love animals and play really nicely and respectfully with my aunts cat.
We would want the cat to be an indoor cat as there is no way we can have a cat flap.
We plan to rescue a kitten, at the local vets there is a pin board with advertisements for people giving away rescued kittens.
We have a room where a litter box can go without being smelly so that's not a problem.
I can afford insurance and to have the kitten neutered.

Are there any breeds I should be more wary of? Is there a difference in temperament of male and female cats?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Vaccination is stupidly expensive too. Also will need flea protection and wormers. I don't personally like the idea of indoor cats as cats like to go and be cats, not being able to have a cat flap shouldnt be a problem, but if you are by busy roads then probably best it doesn't go out. Thats my personal choice on that though.

As for breeds - you wont get a "breed" as a rescue anyway an most people just have a cat and the choice is then based on colour/sex/long or short hair. Short hair obviously as you don't want to have to bother about grooming and avoid tortoiseshell as they tend towards nervy (not all of them but many are).

Cats like to play with toys and will spend hours chasing a rolled up bit of paper on the end of a bit of string, some cats like to curl up on your lap, being "handled" by children, not so much so you will need to be pretty strict about your kids smothering the kitten or else you will end up with a cat that chooses not to be a lap cat, its very much a case of the cat having to go them rather than the other way around. Would you consider an older cat from the rescue? That way you can be surer of their personality as cats are so very independent and if you want a soppy old lap cat you'll have more chance of getting this if you go for an older cat i think. As fun and cute as kittens are, i don't thnk it works the same with dogs - with dogs and youngsters i say puppy all the time but with cats, not so much.

I am very jealous though, my DP is allergic to cats and we have two dogs that would think they were sport, or dinner

The cost of neutering a female an male differs quite a bit too, male is much cheaper - you get less flexibility on when you do this with a male as you really want as young as poss 6-9m with a male whereas if you want to wait longer with a female its not so important, especially if it is to be an indoor cat althogh definately get her speyed at some point in her first year. If you leave a male then he will get "tommy" and start to spray and unneutered males tend to be more aggressive and less loving.

Thanks LEM!
I hadn't really thought about an older cat, but I don't see why not really. It would reduce the risk of a cat that doesn't like children. I'll look into that.

Thanks!

I completely disagree with LEMisafucker. If you get a female she MUST be spayed at 5 months - 6 at the latest. Unspayed females become very desperate to get out and she will find any escape route - even flinging herself out of a tiny crack in a window 4 storeys up. And if you lose an unspayed female you will be creating a feral colony. Even if she doesn't escape she will be very unsettled if she's not spayed and many cats in this situation become, for want of a better word, psychotic - often manifesting itself in extreme aggression towards their owners.

I agree with LEMisafucker though in that If you want an indoor only cat you would probably be better to get an adult from a rescue that is suited to be indoor only. This would probably be an older cat, or one with bad eyesight or three legs or something similar.

It is going to be very, very difficult to keep any other sort of cat indoors, particularly in Summer. And you have children who may well leave doors open and cats can climb amazingly and escape through windows which you wouldn't think possible. However if the only reason you think they must be indoor only is because you can't put a flap in (really? It's very unusual for this to be completely out of the question? You can put a flap in double glazed doors, in walls .....) then if you lose the cat out of a door/wiindow it shouldn't be the end of the world and he/she will come back.

Finally, if you do get a kitten, and you want to keep it indoors, it would be much better to get a pair so that it will have a playmate to keep it entertained.

Oh yes, and if you get an older cat then the rescue will know the cat's temperament and will be able to assess whether it will be good with children. With kittens you don't know what you're getting.

Oh no I disagree about tortoiseshells - lovely cats and extremely beautiful. It's true cat breeds really aren't as varied as dog breeds though, unless you're going for a very expensive purebred cat like a Maine Coon or a Ragdoll. Most are just bogstandard British Shorthairs :)

If you get a rescue cat most rescues will cover the cost of neutering kittens, and adults will come neutered.

Ask around your local vets, most have schemes which cover the cost of vaccination, worming etc for a monthly fee.

I didn't have a cat flap in my last two houses, we would open the window or door to let the cat in and out. You don't need one and it saves hassle about shutting the cat in a room every time someone opens a door or window. Especially with young children who tend to dither at the door in my experience! Or you'd need to identify a "cat safe room" and be happy for them to be shut in there when you are out. But again if you open windows in summer then you'd have to trust two small children not to leave doors open between the cat and the window.

Re, a catflap. We're renting so can't put in a flap. With opening, closing doors and windows, what if I'm out and the cat wants to go in/out? Or in bed?
Also, how do you stop them scratching furniture?we just bought new couches and I really don't want them ripped at all. My understanding is that with indoor cats they are declawed? Is that cruel?

I think I'll definitely go the rescue route.

And thanks for all the responses so far. They're really helpful

Declawing is really cruel, yes. I have never heard of it being done in this country and think it may be illegal. If you value your sofas then maybe a cat is not the pet for you, as you can't predict what they will sharpen their claws on, until they are living with you. Even with a scratching post, some will still have a go at a sofa. You could ban the cat from that room, but that would mean no snuggled-up-on-the-sofa-with-cat nights which seems a shame. All pets trash your house to a greater or lesser degree. and much like having children, you just have to accept it! (aside from my pet toad, she is not very destructive..)

Pet toad?!
I do value my couches, but I still want a cat! I didn't know that declawing is so cruel (not in the UK so I've met a lot of people who have declawed house cats). I definitely won't do that.

I think it is fairly common in the States, but I am pretty sure it is banned here, along with ear trimming of dogs etc. Cats need their claws, if yours ever did escape it would be far less safe de-clawed. They grip with them if they fall etc.
Maybe put throws over the sofas? And then the cat gets that in its claws and it isn't very satisfying, so would probably not bother to try after a while, then the throws could come off.
My toad has a disability from injury (truly!) so she can't be re-released into the wild. She is very nice, but not cuddly. And she doesn't purr...

I'm sure we'll figure out the couch thing.

What about letting the cat in and out? Any insight into that? If I'm not home and the cat wants to leave or come in etc. or doesn't come home before I go to bed. And roughly how many hours a day do they go out?

Helly- can you tell me more about your toad?

I have three cats and have never had a cat flap. We let them out when they start playing up or scratching at the door and let them back in when we hear them scratching/miaowing to come back in. Two of our cats won't go out unless the door remains open so they are mainly house cats. The younger cat (male) is more adventurous and needs to go out otherwise he goes crazy. He likes to go out for two hours at night and knows to come in by 10pm or he stays out.

The only annoying issue with not having a cat flap happened when one of the house cats used to go out more and would miaow relentlessly until allowed back in. Often at 2am. Some cats are more vocal than others. But if you stick to a routine they will get used to it.

Maybe we cross posted? But anyway, toad was found as a tiny (fingernail sized) toadlet but she had only stumps where her back legs should be, something had eaten them while she was a toadpole we think. She was clearly managing to get about and find food at that stage, but we have kept her as the problem was (and is) that as she got larger she would be more hindered by her lack of limbs and if she went into the pond to breed she would drown. She is huge now, but does sometimes fall over in her water dish, she can't right herself because of the stumps, so she needs to be left with someone if we are away for the weekend or anything. They can live for over 40 years, but she doesn't hibernate as she is indoors so that may well shorten her lifespan.

I have three cats too. One of which is a disabled housecat. I do try to let her out in our enclosed harden every day for some fresh air.

I think it's questionable to impose a housecat like on a young kitten. Mine would go a bit off thw rails if he wasn't allowed out and I think it would make the cat more destructive - something to consider if you're worried about furniture.

I know you've said you won't declaw but plese don't, it really is cruel.

A lot of rescues rehome cats who have tested positive with FIV and they must be housecats so they don't pass on the virus to others or pick up infections. FIV cannot affect humans and most cats who suffer with it can live long and happy lives.

Harden = garden. Like = life. Sorry, typing on phone!

The thought of declawing makes me shudder.

If you're out, they just wait for you to come back. They will find shelter outside if it's raining etc. Hard to say how many hours a day they go out as all cats differ.

When they're little you want to call them in at night but as they get bigger sometimes they do stay out all night. There's not much you can do really. I ended up encouraging mine to go out at night or he'd wake me up at 4am scratching on my bedroom door to be let out because my neighbour would get home from work at that time and feed him!

You can discourage them from scratching furniture - they don't like citrus scents so spray citrus juice or some kind of cleaner/air freshener which contains citrus oils (too synthetic and it smells like ammonia which is a signal to wee!) on the area, or just clap/make another sudden noise whenever they do it. Or the throw idea is good. If they are allowed out, they can scratch trees, fence posts etc which is far more satisfying for them. You can get a scratching post for an indoor cat but they tend to be made of carpet which can encourage them to scratch the floors.

I concur with the carneuterer about females. Happy to stand corrected. Do not declaw. Discourage. No garuntees but whats a few cat scratches between friends. Is landlord amenable to cats? Do check this out. I so want a cat!!