I want to get a cat. What do I need to know?

[whatnoww]

We have an 8 year old who is desperate for a pet, work 9-5 Monday to Friday so won't be in during the day but half term is coming up so could be in a lot more often then.

What do I need to know? I've never had a cat before or any pet for that matter. Will my house stink? is it cruel to own a cat and be out all day? Do I need a cat flap?

Any advice or things to think about would be great. Thanks

.

When you first bring the cat home, it will probably find somewhere to hide. Let it, don't try to coax it out. It will come out in it's own time.

*wormers. Not workers

Doubious - thanks for that. It's exactly what I was looking for. That is doable for sure.

I'm a bit excited, not making any rash decisions (DD has been pestering for at least 12 months) but I think a cat may be right for us.

I have 2 house cats, I work 13 hour shifts and they are fine on their own. They are Persians, so very docile, and lazy and not very bright) They only eat dry food and I have really good cat litter which doesn't smell at all. You will become totally enslaved to the cat but it is the best thing ever. Go for it.

I have become the slave of 2 rescue cats in the last 12 months. They were my first cats, both are rescues.

At the time I got some great advice. When I got the first one, everyone said "Are you sure you just want one? because if in a few months you want another, it's difficult to introduce cats to each other " Did I listen? No. Were they right? Yes.

I also have 2 house cats, Lulu was 4 when I adopted her and had never been outside and Honey was 2 and also had been a house cat. They have loads of toys & I play with them morning and night.

I use clumping litter, I have 3 trays (one each & they are very territorial about it) and a spare.

If you are getting cat because your DC wants a pet to cuddle, I would definitely take them along to centre to meet the cats. Lulu chose us immediately, after being warned she was stand offish - crawled onto our knees & started drooling in seconds!

Honey is not as cuddly, but full of head bumps. However she is also my 5am wake up call for food.

As Dubious says above re costs.
My two don't smell at all btw - both are girls.
I do have to groom them regularly & my sofa is knackered (thankfully it's old).
They do have scratching posts which they choose to ignore.

Oh and I paid £65 each of cats, they were already chipped & neutered!

I pay £40 for 12kg of Persian food which lasts 3 months +. £46 for 60kg of cat litter which lasts 2-3 months and £14 a month to insure them both.

When cats are happy and purring, their noses can drip. So don't panic if this happens.

If the cat rolls over, paws in the air, you may think this is an invitation to scrath their tummy. It's not, it's a trick. Don't fall for it! As soon as you touch their stomach, they will scratch and bite you I have no idea why they do this.

With insurance it is worth looking at a policy that covers you for life if the cat develops a long-term illness. Some will cover you for 12mths treatment and that's it.

Also you will need a cat carrier. They are about £15/20 I think. And a scratching post and some toys and bits and bobs. Our cat likes to play with foil balls and Lego though

You could also buy a special cat bed for your cat to ignore in favour of your actual bed. And if you want to keep it out of any particular room be prepared for ruined carpet and/or paintwork outside the closed door.

Cats are ace.

Obv she doesn't build things with Lego just flicks it around.

I have three cats - an older cat that I've had for ten years, and a brother/sister pair who I got as kittens four years ago.

The costs do mount up - the insurance for the young cats is about £14 per month each. The older cat costs £24 per month.

Cat food - I pay around £60 per month for food.

Vets for annual boosters etc - around £240 per annum for all three.

They have a cat flap - I wouldn't be without it. The younger two are in and out all day. They have no dedicated cat sleeping areas - they pick various parts of the house where they'll go and sleep at different times (two females generally sleep on my bed. The boy cat sleeps on the landing or on DD's bed). Similarly, they play with anything and everything, except dedicated cat toys. Current favourite play things include nail file and, small plastic balls (no idea where these came from - possibly boy cat found them outside and brought them home).

I'd also say getting a pair of cats might be a good idea, if they're already bonded and enjoy each other's company. It's entertaining to watch them race around with each other, groom each other etc.

Good luck!

Before we got our cats, I bought a book called "The Cat Expert" which is really interesting and useful. Lots of practical tips on choosing and looking after a cat, as well as fascinating info about them!

So my main tip is to buy that book
I also suggest:

• Get a cat from a reputable rescue. They should ensure the cat's in good health and will often pay for neutering if the cat hasn't been neutered already.
• Get a microchip cat flap. They're expensive but worth the money to ensure that other cats can't come in. You can also lock it if you want to keep the cat inside (at night for example).
• Get lifetime cat insurance. It's more expensive than the other kinds, but worth every penny if your cat develops a long-term or recurrent health condition. I got a good deal through "Bought By Many". The insurance is expensive but it's already paid for itself!

We got this idiot from Battersea. There are lots of cat rescues, I would definitely get a grown up cat rather than a kitten. Kittens are incredibly cute but are evil needle-toothed claw monsters.
We choose not to insure PicklePig but that's because we have decided that we will be able to afford any vets bills that come in. Also, he's 13 now and getting insurance for him would be more difficult.
He has a large cat tree, several baskets, many blankets, toys, scratching posts etc. He uses them very infrequently, preferring to sleep on our bed and chase hair ties around the floor.
He also has several costumes. This is his Christmas jumper (be aware than most cats won't let you dress them up, mine is a complete plonker)
Get a microchip cat flap, we had a magnetic one but the local bully cat used to bludgeon his way in and steal PicklePig's dinner. Obviously you need a microchipped cat to have the flap, you should definitely get they cat chipped if it isn't already.
Unfortunately he brings in the occasional 'gift', we had a mouse last week, I finally evicted it yesterday.
I adore my furry master, he makes me incredibly happy. Go for it, you won't regret it.

Be aware that cats vomit more often than you might think. And the staining qualities of it are quite amazing. .

Think about where you will site the litter tray.

We had a cat flap but shut it after food was given in the evening. This massively reduces the amount of birds/mice they catch and makes it much less likely they'll get run over.

They (often) live a long while! Ours went senile and yowled VERY loudly at night when she had done a poo.

But go for it if you've considered the major issues.

My cats destroy things.

My rug has been clawed to death. My shower curtain has been ran up so it bow has holes in it, this is the replacment for the last one they destroyed. Today my new lamp has been pushed off the table so that the shade is broken and wont sit straight. My living room blind has been chewed.

They are young though and Im hoping they will calm down.

cats are bastards.
but cute bastards.

WickedBastardCat in the middle of grooming herself. Cats are the best

Ah see my cat is very well behaved, he doesn't scratch furniture or vomit on the carpet. He is however still a bastard, just a polite-yet-miserable bastard!

The cuddly cat that would curl up on my lap of an evening whilst I watched TV that I imagined when I collected my little furry bundle was not to be. Any stroking, fussing etc is strictly on his terms, of course. He allows us our very limited petting time and then buggers off up high to supervise his human subjects. And don't even try and pick him up, the total monster! Oh, his favourite thing to do is antagonize the neighbours by letting himself in and eating their cats very expensive veterinary cat food.

He is absolutely completely awesome though!

Feliway plug in or spray will help settle the cat.

Get some cat nip spray and spray it on scratching posts to encourage scratching.

Our cat loves his cat tree, higher the better and place by the window so it can gaze and doze at the birds.

Pretty much agree with everything already here. Definitely go for an adult cat from a rescue (RSPCA would be great!), they will come neutered, microchipped and vaccinated and for very good reason you will pay more for a rescue cat than the adverts in the local paper

Anyway, do take the rescues advice on a cat to match your family. Certain breeds of cat do have very different needs, my angora for example requires regular grooming and has needed a lot of gentle treatment due to her past.

Finally, it is a lovely idea to get a pair of cats but just bear in mind that two unrelated cats are seldom 'friends'. There's a lot of research on cat behaviour around this. You're far better getting a mother and child pair (neutered!) or cats who come as an existing pair. We'd love another cat but ours just won't have it and was assessed as such by the rescue home.

Our cat thinks she is human....

Dubious you mean she hasn't built her own cat tree out of Lego

Look on this thread for some lovely pics ...

I would definitely get an older cat, doesn't have to be ancient, but any cat over 6 months will have been neutered by the rescue and have had first jabs, worming etc, so that's saving you a lot of money as well.

Google local cat rescues in your area, as well as Cats Protection, RSPCA as has already been mentioned.

Look forward to seeing pictures!

Cat's Protection are great.

Cat proof your garden, so the cat can't wander off (Google average life span of free roaming cats)

Wet food is best - avoid wheat and gluten and make sure you buy meat only

Give up on the idea of restricting access to parts of the house unless the doors are good and everyone in the family will be consistent.

Get a cat flat with a magnetic bit so only your cat can come in and out. We had a tom cat get in ours once and spray in the kitchen. Eugh.

Please make sure you get a rescue cat. There are enough cats out there that need a bit of love. The rescue centres will hopefully be able to tell you a bit about the cat's personality. I didn't have pets before then 'inherited' my DH's 2 cats and never knew or appreciated what different personalities they have. Some like cuddles and some don't. Our two - one was a lap cat, the other a 'sit next to you and look disapproving' cat.

They are a joy. Occassionally sicky and annoying but they do make a house a home.

Holidays etc - best thing is to pay local teen / pet sitter to come in. It's not expensive, and cats hate upheaval. That's probably cheaper and less upsetting for them than going to a cattery. We also used to do pet sitting swaps with people at work - you do ours for a week, we'll do yours - that sort of thing. That also keeps things manageable on the £ front.

Good idea about the cat swap viewofhedges! I know another couple who have 2 cats so could be an idea.

I don't have any grass or soil areas in my yard garden at the back. Just artificial grass which I imagine isn't very cat friendly. I could change that quite easily I suppose.

How on earth do I cat proof a garden? The local cat just jumps on the 6ft wall and comes to say hello when we are out there.

Just seen a beautiful 2 year old cat at a local ish rehoming place