Where do we start, would like a cat

[LittleBirdBlues]

Hi all

We are thinking of getting a cat, as both Dh and I like animals and we think it would be lovely for the kids to grow up around an animal they need to care for and respect.

The problem is that neither of us has ever owned a cat. So where do we start? My main questions are:

We have two kids aged 3 and 2. Our house has a small garden which is surrounded by more gardens. Would we be likely to be approved to receive a rescue cat?

We both work, although we are only out of the house all day two or three times a week. The rest of the time somebody is the home. Is this a problem?

How much does a cat cost in terms of food and vet bills (or insurance?)

What do people do when they go on holiday? We have a lot of family abroad so travel away three or four times a year.

Is a cat flap a good idea?

Sorry I know these are really basic questions, I just want to make sure we make the right decision and a cat would have a good home here.

Thanks for taking the time to read

It's unlikely that a reputable rescue would allow you to adopt kittens with your children that young, but you would probably be OK for an adult cat/cats.

You can get a garden cat proofed if you're worried about straying, other cats getting in etc, but a rescue would be more interested in nearby roads and how busy they are. There shouldn't be a problem about being out all day, though if you want an indoor only cat, getting 2 may be a better option. For holidays if you don't have a friendly neighbour/local relative that can visit twice a day, then you can either put the cat in a cattery while you're away or get a cat sitter in to visit to feed, water, do litter etc.

Costs are surprisingly high to keep a cat properly. They need their injections once a year (especially if you go down the cattery option for when you are away) and they need worming and de-flea-ing regularly with a good brand e.g. NOT Bob Martin! Insurance can vary but considering that if a cat gets hit by a car it can cost thousands in vet bills so you need a decent payout value, or if they get a long term condition only certain plans will cover the drugs on-going, you probably need to budget anything from £15-£20 per month per cat. Bear in mind that insurance doesn't cover routing stuff like checkups, worming etc and often doesn't cover dental.

Food is another variable. I use a comparatively cheap wet food and a good quality dry, and I reckon on probably £25-30 a month for my 2. Their Dreamies addiction is another thing!

Oops missed the cat flap question. Yes a very good idea, but preferably one that is microchip controlled so only your cat(s) can use it, otherwise you could find other local cats coming in. These can also be programmed, so you can restrict it to say, only let them in after a certain time so they don't go back out again at night.

I think Allergictoironing has about covered it. Any good rescue will talk through everything with you anyway and make recommendations.

You can find your nearest rescues on this website: www.catchat.org

Thanks allergic for taking the time to respond!

We would be happy with an adult cat, but I will have to think carefully about costings. Food sounds doable but I'm not sure wr could budget for the potential vet bills.

I think it's probably not viable for us based on that, so thank you for painting an honest picture!

thecat a fabulous user name

If you get an adult cat it should be fairly cheap to get insurance, so that any big vets bills will be more or less covered. I would look at rescues, they will be able to find a car to suit you, There are so many cars needing homes

If you can budget for the insurance, that would take care of any large vet bills. Surprisingly I couldn't find any insurers who would offer a reduction because mine are indoor only cats, but I do save a fair bit on worming & flea treatments as they only need doing once a year .

platy I know, that's why we wanted to look into it. I'm guessing that it is especially the adult cats that need homes too which is why we would like to take an older one.

Out of interest, why are adult cats cheaper to insure?

All sorts to think about. A pet seems small but in the long run can be very difficult. Our cat was fine and lived a long, happy life but developed diabetes which cost us nearly £5 PER FUCKING DAY!!!! for 2 years until she was put down. Just be careful, I wish you well Xx

I really wouldn't get a cat with children that young- adult or kitten. They need time, love and attention, and the sprogs could easily frighten or hurt him or her. Unless you rehomed the toddlers of course

mighty what do you think would be a good age?

We are experienced cat owners who just adopted from a rescue. They wouldn't rehome to any home with children under 5.

Many rescues will home to families with children that young. We do. But we wouldn't home small kittens as they can easily be killed by young children and we would only home very calm, placid adult cats.

And then of course you shouldn't leave cat and young children together unsupervised.

I spoke to the rspca today and they would home a cat with us, though not a kitten as mentioned above.

I actually prefer an adult cat so this is fine by me!

Maybe this will happen after all! It would be so exciting.

I am calculating around 50 pounds a month for food, flea treatment and pet insurance, does that sound reasonable? Would probably try to bulk buy food at Lidl or Aldi if that's that's any good?

We got our cat as a kitten from Battersea 7 years ago when our DC were 4 & 7. This was an ideal age I'd say.

Never buy cat food in bulk. The little sods will go off anything if you buy it in bulk. Usually the day after they've carried on as if it's just the bestest thing everrrrrr.

Bitter experience!

Yes. Don't buy in bulk. And not all food suits all cats. Ours can't have certain foods or it upsets their tums. Keep them on what the rescue uses to start with then get the best you can afford (and they can eat!)
If money is an issue definitely get insurance. You want life cover. Look carefully at exclusions. And maximum payout.
We don't have a catflap. Cats should be in at night. I'm here to let them out. And they can't come in if they have brought a kill (well they generally bring them home alive) with them.
We use a cattery when we go away.
An adult will be neutered already.
I wouldn't want to settle a new cat with toddlers. You want quiet and calm. You need the kids to know not to bother a sleeping cat or pick it up or let it out (needs to be kept in a minimum of two weeks.)
If you're worried about roads or live in an area where there have been incidents with cats you can cat proof your garden.

wolfie but if I let them out in the morning would that mean the had to stay out lał day until km home?

Someone also mentioned that you can programme cat flaps so that they can only be opened during certain times (ie stay closed at night).

You can. Microchip cat flaps are supposed to be good. Our first cats were a 2 year old mum and her 18 month old son. They went out after I finished work. I started early!

The advice to keep them in for two weeks has been extended (the rescues now advise at least three weeks). I have a microchip cat flap which is amazing for stopping unwanted feline intruders; it's not programmable for specific times but I just unlatch it in the morning before work and latch it when I get home. They come in to get their food so they know the routine and are happy staying put after dinner when the flap is shut.

Adult rescue cats are brilliant.

@Briette thanks for the more recent info. We got our rescues about 20 years ago! Lost old girl at 19. We then took two rescue kittens not neutered and vey small so they were shut in for weeks and weeks. (Until they grew, were neutered and then recovered!)

My only advice would be to supervise cats and kids. Kids don't know their own strength and whilst they might not harm the cat, they might get a scratch or a bite. It won't do them long term harm but might damage their relationship with the cat. We had a cat since before my DD was born and I kept them apart until she was about 2yo. She still sometimes stoked the cat too vigorously sometimes but they were best buddies after a few years. Don't just assume kids know how to behave is what I'm trying to articulate

We adopted a three year old female a few months ago - she and I are currently at war over my heated fleecy throw, but otherwise she's amazing! We adopted her direct from a family with a young child and another baby on the way who couldn't give her the attention she needed, so she came with a lot of her own things and settled in very quickly.

I insured her through John Lewis on a colleague's recommendation, which is about £6 per month. She doesn't go beyond our garden and our neighbour's, but we had her chipped anyway. Food-wise she is a bit of a diva in that we were told which brand of food she likes (mix of wet and dry) but that she won't eat one of the flavours the wet food comes in - which is a nuisance cost-wise. If anyone would like a zillion yellow Felix in Gravy pouches, do shout! (We are saving them and will bring them to the CPL at Christmas.) She has two litter trays in different places, but after we started letting her out she pretty much always goes in the garden, so we're currently not spending on that at all, although that may change as the weather gets worse. We got her quite a few toys, which she will indulge us with, but her favourite is the laser pointer thing on my "clicker" I use for presentations st work.

We don't have a cat flap - she goes out first thing before work but will come in when called, then again at teatime. She likes to sit and watch the birds. We have a utility room between the kitchen and back door, so we shut the kitchen door and she has access to that with a dish of biscuits/water and a fleecy bed if she wants in and we are elsewhere in the house. She is so loud we can hear her from any room, tbh.

I was always a dog person - my partner always had cats - but I am totally smitten.

Never buy cat food in bulk. The little sods will go off anything if you buy it in bulk.

Oh yes. Everytime we got excited that the sods really liked a certain food, by the 3rd week they changed the recipe and the cats got suspicious and would not eat it.

I cannot have pets in my place now so I just read about everyone else's. How sad is that|!!!!

LittleBird, I recommend a cat flap, especially if you are out all day. Then the cat can choose to have its freedom or to come in. We have a Sureflap one which is brilliant as it excludes other cats. It's triggered by your cat's microchip. Also, you can set it to "in only" in the evenings so the cat will come in and stay in.

We have chosen not to have insurance, as the premiums were so high we reckoned we were better off putting the money into a savings account. We've done that for 10 years now and overall we are better off, although obviously it's a gamble.