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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

dog person pondering cat..queue up to tell me to GET ANOTHER PET

51 replies

MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 09:13

I'm trying to be efficle about this- can anyone help

I'm thinking about: gumtree , indoor cats and also cats with dogs

be kind...Wink

me, OH and all the dcs (11-17) would like a cat.

I was thinking of either rescue OR gumtree- but only those cats who aren't for sale, just the Sad ones who say they have to give their kitties away for free because landlord/asthma/moving

...am thinking that, as with dogs, buying a kitten off gumtree is encouraging people to breed cats for ££s. With dogs this is a pretty horrid and desperate industry: I assume same for cats, too?

if I do a search on a rescue site, the minute I type 'have dogs' in the search box, all the potential matches go POUFF- another reason to ponder gumtree

another potential issue- I have always assumed that keeping cats indoors is cruel, without really thinking about it. Now am not so sure. I have busy roads, foxes, and notices for THREE missing cats (new ones) just between here and school. Also lots of wildlife- frogs, birds, squirrels- which I rather like and would rather not be party to murder of Wink nor do I want to be picking up parts of unidentifiable digestive systems off the hall carpet

So am thinking- how about indoor cats, from a rescue or gumtree- ie ones who have never been outdoors and so won't miss it, iykwim...

third issue- DOGS. I have two staffies. I know what you're thinking. But they are NICE staffies. And don't say 'oh, well, they all say that' -they are smashers...we would be very, very careful re introducing them. The idea would be that, when there's no one around, the dogs have the dining room and the cat/s everywhere else including upstairs, until all get used to each other.

Oh and there is normally someone in the house- the longest there are no humans around is about 3/4 hours- usually much less, so they would have a lot of company...

what do you think?

should we shelve the cat idea?

or is indoor/rescue/with dogs a goer?

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 13/03/2015 09:17

I think you need to stop looking on the internet and ring a few cat rescues and actually speak to them. Have a chat and see what they say.

The rescue places will want to come and do a home visit and meet the dogs and assess everything anyway.

tabulahrasa · 13/03/2015 09:21

The indoor thing can be a bit of an issue for some, though not all rescues and that will limit your choices straight away.

The dogs, have they met cats?

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 09:26

'met' in the sense that there are a couple on their evening walk who hiss at them from the comfort of their doorsteps

the dogs are wary, have to say

yy to ringing/visiting cat rescues- just checking they won't chase me out with a broom when I say we would like indoor AND have dogs

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 13/03/2015 09:30

I think just be up front and say what the situation is. They may say no, or they may have a cat that fits the bill (ie used to dogs and an indoor cat).

The dogs aside it may be the indoor cat bit that is the problem in getting a match.

tabulahrasa · 13/03/2015 09:34

Wary's not bad, it's better than some dogs. It might not be practical, but could they visit someone with cats?

Neither indoors or having dogs would be a complete deal breaker, but how your dogs react to cats could be.

BetweenDogandWolf · 13/03/2015 09:36

I'd speak to rescues too. My aunt lives in a flat with only a small front garden on a very busy road. A fab local rescue near her matched her with an indoor cat and they are both very happy. Smile Two out of my three cats would hate being indoor cats and I really don't think you could find a cat on gumtree and just hope it would be happy being indoors or with dogs.

I've got 3 cats and would really love a dog but am sadly ruling it out at the moment as I don't think my eldest cat could cope and my house isn't really big enough downstairs to give them separate areas. Sad

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 09:38

yy to indoor being more of a problem

mind you round here (inner London) there are a lot of people trying to rehome indoor cats that have been kept in flats all of their lives

OP posts:
Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 09:48

ok thanks all- that's given me more stuff to ponder

[ponder emoticon]

one last thing- is a Cat Proof Garden an urban myth? If not- how the hell do you do it?

recall desperate/sad friend trying to rehome her bengals when she emigrated and some talk of a cat proof electric fence- otoh that might have just been a weird dream

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 13/03/2015 09:55

You get cat proof (not electric) fencing...I have no idea how effective it is though.

My fence is only dog proof, the cats go out...dog proof is much simpler than cat proof, lol.

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 10:03

Dog proof I can manage but have never managed fox proof...they're like flaming monkeys round here

One of them bit off my SIL's cat's tail Sad

OP posts:
moonbells · 13/03/2015 10:06

Actually your idea to shelve a cat would be a good one.

Cats like places of safety which are high up, especially if they are indoor cats. Putting tiny cat-sized shelves up a wall, rather like steps, gives them places to escape to, and up which a dog couldn't follow. They are quite common in the US where indoor cats are the norm (due to all the predators they have).

Put cat shelves into Google - there's loads!

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 12:16

I have heard tell pf such things Grin

I'll have a look

That said our house is FULL of climbable stuff. Which could possibly prove more of a curse than a blessing...

Also dogs are not allowed upstairs-we'd have a stair gate so the cat/s could bugger off away from the dogs whenever the mood took them

DS has suggested we put litter trays etc in the spare room-and effectively hand it over to the cats would have to clear all the crap out first

OP posts:
sashh · 13/03/2015 14:34

Cats with FIV HAVE to be indoor cats, they are also difficult to rehome.

I know Cats Protection cover all vet's fees if they home an FIV cat so that is another bonus. They can live as long as any other cat, but if they are showing signs of illness you have to get them to a vet whereas with a non HIV cat you might choose to wait.

Dogs are also not a problem with Cats' Protection, you would be ideal for a cat that has come from a home with dogs.

In fact - follow the link, click the appropriate buttons, put in your post code and Viola

www.cats.org.uk/adopt-a-cat?pc=&lca=0&ldo=1&lch=0&lma=0&lin=1

Fluffycloudland77 · 13/03/2015 14:50

Tbh a third dog might prove easier than a cat.

Cats can be hard work.

BagelwithButter · 13/03/2015 18:13

I know the reputation Gumtree has, and would normally agree not to touch anything there with a bargepole, but I looked at it recently (big mistake, of course).

It is very sad to see the number of cats needing new homes. So many people saying allergies/asthma/landlords, as you said. Even some numpties saying they were going on holiday so had to sell the cats!

But some seem genuine and I'm sure I saw a couple of ads which had dog-friendly cats, although it depends if ad is truthful... You wouldn't have any help/backup, which you have with a good rescue.

Lonecatwithkitten · 13/03/2015 18:30

Cats protection as others have said. Also if your dogs have not come across cats before you probably need a super assertive cat who needs to put the dogs right in their place from the start.

Fluffycloudland77 · 13/03/2015 19:03

Like the idiot I am I clicked the link.

Now I need to adopt 80 cats all of whom can live with other cats.

GatoradeMeBitch · 13/03/2015 19:08

I'm currently fostering a cat who would tick your boxes (except for area), so it's definitely doable!

If you ring your local CP chapter and explain your needs they might be able to help, depending on which cats they currently have.

GatoradeMeBitch · 13/03/2015 19:10

Actually that CP search isn't perfect because my foster cat does not come up, and he should! So it's a good idea to ring.

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 20:05

Thankyou everyone Flowers

You've given us a lot to ponder over the weekend- CP def the way to go

And the pp who recommended another dog-OH has just been dragged round the park by our two. If we had a third he'd be on his back-it'd look like a one man three dog bobsleigh Grin

OP posts:
Haffdonga · 13/03/2015 20:44

We've just adopted a CP cat with a dog already at home. TBH CP weren't at all bothered about us having a dog. We asked for a fairly confident cat/kitten due to dog but actually ended up with a very timid but sweet little boy. Weirdly our new boy has shown absolutely no fear of dog and far more of humans, to the point of taking his life in his hands and wandering up to the dog's bowl while she's eating.

Thankfully our dog has just about resigned herself to tolerating another cat, having grown up under the control of a bossy cat, and we've now got to the stage of feline/canine harmony. But even after just a month of living on tenterhooks supervising and controlling them both, I know I couldn't have tolerated a life of keeping them apart.

I'd ask yourself the following:

  • how obedient and receptive to training are your dogs? Can you get them to the stage of doing something utterly unnatural to them ( i.e. not chasing a small furry)?
  • As you have two dogs, is there risk that they'll excite each other and 'gang up' together to bother the cat?
  • How practical would it be living permanently with a system of keeping the animals separate and the cat indoors? Always having to keep doors closed, never being able to keep a door or window open in summer?
  • Would you really want to live with a litter tray in a permanently closed up room? (to be really gross, we hadn't realised our dog would want to 'clean' our cat's litter tray) . Bleughh.
  • Would you actually enjoy an animal that can only be with you when the others are shut away?

As for cat proof gardens, good luck with that. Wink

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 21:33

oh nonononono

I mean they'd be separate when we weren't around to police supervise- especially while they're getting used to each other

so- bedtime, and when there's no one in, the dogs would be in the dining room with the door shut (as they always are- otherwise hedog tries out every bed, and sometimes pisses on them, like a filthy Goldilocks- and I don't trust shedog with the hamster- ooh, did I not mention the hamster??) and the cat would be everywhere else

probably pissing on all the beds, like a filthy Goldilocks...

OP posts:
Haffdonga · 13/03/2015 21:51

Yeah, but what if your dogs can't be in the same room as a cat even with you there?

My cousin's staffie-type dog came to stay for a week and she had to be on the lead all the time or cat would have been eaten in a single gulp.

MyCatLovesMeSometimes · 13/03/2015 22:00

The cat would love the hamster. Our cat would think a hamster was an extra special treat for her and enjoy trying to terrify it.

I also clicked on the link and have been admiring all those cats who need homes. Though our cat prefers a one cat household with her being boss and supreme ruler.

Original poster
MuddhaOfSuburbia · 13/03/2015 22:12

if I'm there, the dogs have a strong moral code

they know that going upstairs is Wrong. They know that eating the hamster is Wrong. they don't however seem to realise that trying to hump your sister/brother is also Wrong

it's when I'm not there I worry

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