We're based in West London (Ealing / Acton borders) and have a 4-year-old son. We've been planning for ages to get a pet, and finally feel we're in a position to do something about it, but have waited till after Christmas so the cat can have quite a calm introduction to our household.
We've both had dogs in the past, but no experience with owning cats and feel a bit clueless. Where do we start? We'd really like to get a rescue one, but will rescues rehome to households with a small child? (My dog came from Battersea, who also rehome cats, but I don't think they're keen on families with small children.) If so, would you recommend / not recommend any in particular?
We have a house with a garden, down a quiet cul-de-sac, so the location is pretty suitable. The catch is that everyone else in the neighbourhood thinks so too, and so there are a lot of local cats prowling through our garden: is there anything we could / should do to give our poor moggy an easier start in claiming a bit of territory for itself?
There's a good local vet, and have thought about insurance / microchipping/ food / catflap etc. What else do I need to think about?