Having a cat

[Mrbrownstone]

Tell me everything about having a cat. Well a kitten to begin. We are considering getting one. Had cats as a child but honestly dont remember. I have 3 kids ranging from 20 months to 6. Main concerns being how much work are they? Do they wreck your house? How are they with young kids? Ok I know all cats will be different depending on their personality. But generally. Im really taken with persian kittens. Apparently they are indoor cats. With outdoor cats do you just let them off out & hope they come back? Can anyone tell me anything about persian cats? Oh and things like vaccinations vets visits etc. Thanks

It'll be one of the best things you ever do! Mine are incredibly well behaved and don't scratch where they shouldn't. They are no trouble. But are not very cat like!

Op you shouldn't get 'A' kitten at all.
You need 2. .
What you pay for the extra kitten saves on the cost of replacement curtains /sofa /soft furnishings /blinds....

So they are more destructive if alone?

I have had single cats and duos. . Double trouble really isn't the case I have found!! And so so much more fun to watch!!
Dcat +his twin bro entertained us one Xmas with a huge box with holes cut in. We actually switched the TV off and sat mesmerised!! They are 5 yo now and still close and very kitten minded!!

Hmm... hadn't bargained on 2 at all. Cat would have plenty of company with 3 kids & myself home all day. Oh by the way we have a hamster, would that be a problem?

Saves on a tin of food!!

We had a kitten and a guinea pig at the same time and a hamster later on. It wasn't a problem. Definitely get two cats though.

I got DCat aged 11 weeks as a single kitten and he was fine -it just meant we had to spend lots of time playing with him ourselves as he didn't have any other playmates. Great fun! We got a couple of scratching posts and used string toys to encourage him to claw and climb them when he was little - as a result he still doesn't scratch the furniture 3 years on.

Do they smell? Ill be honest Im a bit of a clean freak when it comes to my house. You know how some houses you walk into you know instantly theres a pet because you can smell it. I coudnt hack that. If I clean the litter tray every day will that be enough? As puppies chew everything would kittens be similar? Weve recently had building work done on house & put a lot of money into doing it all up. Would a kitten wreck the place?

i have 3 outdoor cats. we got them at separate times so only just tolerate each other. found the 2 females get jealous of each other and the male just goes with the flow. Different experiences with them all but i would recommend getting them spayed and neutered as soon as possible particularly if they are going to be outdoor cats. our youngest is female and we got her spayed before letting her out. down side to this is they are more likely to bring you presents. we get daily gifts of birds and mice. our other female had 2 litters before we re-homed her and she doesnt bring us any gifts.

Hamsters may be a problem. I know my kitten would love a pet hamster lol If you want an outdoor cat keep them in the house for at least 4 -6 months then gradually introduce them to outside. you find they are quite cautious at first and tend not to want to stray too far from the house.

Im sure persian cats aren't ment to be outdoor cats i think because they are more placid and find it difficult to fend for them selves (no personal experience have just been told). Also they are expensive and its not unusual for someone to steal them :(

not property had too much property destruction apart from the youngest who loves the sofa. have managed to deter her 90% of the time but the damage has been done. luckily the sofas old and we knew there was a risk of tht happening with getting a kitten.

also don't feed just dry, make sure plenty wet food to prevent urine infections and stones (personal experience) particularly if you get a male and have hime neutered as they are more prone to this.

i would say my first kitten never clawed the sofa at all, he was happy with his scrratching post

My baby catface was a rescue and was so scared of everything and everyone.

This is her now. She'll probably stay there lying over my leg until about 4am.

Having a cat is the best thing ever.

I don't think she smells/the house smells. We make sure to scoop her litter box twice a day (morning and night). She meows loudly when she's pooped in the day to let us know. She's just started coming up for cuddles and is super snuggly.

DCat destroyed a couple of net/voile curtains by climbing them as a kitten, and also once tried to run up the stair banister then slipped down it, leaving some scratches in the paintwork was bloody hilarious though. That's all I can think of in terms of destruction though!
Agree with pp that there's going to be some litter tray smell to contend with until they are old enough to start going outside.

Ok so when they start going outside they do their business in our garden? And no more litter tray? But if we had an indoor cat, eg persian, then we would always have the litter tray. By the way do cats sleep at night? Will I be up all night with a kitten? Do you put a kitten in a crate to sleep at night like you would a puppy? So many questions keep coming to me!

I have one cat, an indoor cat. He was taken into the shelter because he terrorised other cats, so it was either a one cat home for him, or good night forever.

He's lovely but likes things on his terms, he will only tolerate me picking him up, but if he chooses, he will happily sit beside anyone. What I've learnt in the seven years we've had him, is:

If a cat is content, he will sleep.
He needs a high/hidden place he can go to where no one can reach/bother him.
He doesn't smell, at all.
He needs various places to scratch - like mats and posts.
He likes his food dish in a different place to his water dish.
His fur gets EVERYWHERE!
He likes to get in between my feet.
He hates kids chasing him around the house.
The only way he knows how to tell you 'no' is by nipping/biting you, the whole family needs to accept this because he can't speak.
He likes multiple cat beds in different parts of the house.

You are going to get the inevitable vet bills, but you can learn to clip claws yourself.

It's hard work, but worth it.

If you are very houseproud and a clean freak, I'm not sure that having a pet like a cat (or a dog) would really suit you. I'm looking round my house at the drifts of soft grey fluff that my 2 short haired indoor cats have produced - I'm picking up handfuls every day at the mo but they are STILL shedding their undercoats! There's also fluff & hairs on my bed, as Girlcat loves sleeping on it during the day, and it sticks to clothes like nobody's business.

As slightly shy adults, mine are very good at (mostly) just using the posts on the cat tree to scratch, but I still have gouges in the wallpaper & scrapes on the windowsill where Boycat, who is thick & clumsy, has made a mess of jumping on or off the windowsill.

My windows aren't looking terribly attractive at present. It being a warm summer so far, I like to have windows open for a breeze which you can't do with indoor cats or they will inevitably get out. So I have Flatcats screens on the windows in the living room & my bedroom so I can get the breeze & they can't get out.

If you have ornaments, better get them in a cabinet of some form. If there's a shelf then the majority of cats will want to explore & likely knock down something breakable.

All that said, I wouldn't be without my furballs now. But I'm not at all house proud & am quite happy to reorganise my house round them.

No they don't smell. My friend it as total clean freak and he has no problem. Though I'd never allow their cat litter to be spread all over the floor as he does.

My long haired girls don't shed in the same way as short haired cats do. It doesn't stick you things.

We had our lovely cat from 10 weeks old. We've even moved hundreds of miles with her and she's been fine. She likes to scratch the carpet but that's the only naughty thing and she just gets a firm telling off. She seems quite happy on her own and my bff who has a degree in animal behaviour says it's not more beneficial to have two anyway. I really didn't like cats at all before so I think it's worth getting one.

I have a new kitten! He's nearly 10 weeks, we haven't had him for long but he's soooo lovely.
He has been left alone for a few hours at a time, I've been doing shifts and it's been the weekend but he was absolutely fine. Came home and he was snoozing in the sun.
No mess, no destruction.
The only problem I have atm is getting him to drink. He may be drinking and I just haven't seen him but we're taking a trip to the vets soon 🙂 Doooo it! I haven't regretted it at all

Def get two.I have 2 kittens at mo,and my older boy (who still not sure about them so in separate rooms)one will end up "playing "with you- nips and lots scratches its hysterical watch them running up and downstairs chasing each other (less so at 4am mind,when they are awake and waiting fir me to get up at 5 to feed them wet meat, as obvs the kibble just WONT do as a snack while they are waiting. Even at 13weeks they know I am a total pushover slave)