Seriously considering a rescue - any advice would be great.l

[Ratbagcatbag]

Can we talk about cats before I potentially take my five year old to see one I've seen at the cats protection league. I've been debating one for a while now. I miss my old cat, and I went to the cats protection league yesterday to have a look (big mistake).
Really liked two there.
Felix - 13 years old. (Black and white!) Left there after a separation and the guy said they belonged to his ex wife and he'd always hated them. Black and white. Meows a lot. Pretty friendly but can be grumpy old man.
Stella - 2.5 years old. (Stunning midnight black) Was a stray, says timid but she loved me. Meows a lot and headbumps a lot. Definitely will need brushing a lot too. They think she will be a perfect family cat (and I really liked her!).

My only hesitation. My old cat that my ex kept has never scratched any furniture, messed in the house etc. Do all cats scratch and ruin stuff and be crazy or are some reasonably normal and don't.

I work full time, and can be in and out in the evenings (so no way a kitten works!), however I'd say I'm home in the evenings for around 5 out of 7 nights. And the nights I'm in and out its things like an exercise class. I just think I could offer a cosy quietish home to one in rescue.

I can have a cat flap fitted later on, but the option are access to the whole downstairs or just the small bathroom and passageway. (So if I get a destructive cat I'll be having to limit where they go).

Am I crazy thinking my set up works? I'm responsible enough to understand it doesn't for a kitten but an older cat I'm hoping would be fine.

I'd obviously buy toys/scratch posts, bedding, enrichment toys etc etc.

There's really no way of knowing about furniture scratching until you get them home unfortunately. My current cats did destroy two armchairs which we've replaced with Ikea chairs that they can't scratch, they also have a huge scratching post and two horizontal cardboard scratching things so they have plenty of opportunities to leave the furniture alone! It is a way of marking their territory but some are worse than others.
The rescue will tell you if they use the litter tray reliably, you are supposed to have two and keep them away from food.
I think Stella sounds like a perfect cat for your set up, cats are generally fine being left alone in the day as long as they have some fuss and cuddles at some point. They'll get used to your routines.
Good luck whatever you decide!

Your home environment sounds perfect for rescue cats.

Most cats scratch stuff. It's rare for cats to not use litter trays reliably.

Get a throw for the sofa? Try to relax about furniture? Realistically, unless you're very, very lucky, any cats will damage something in your home. But it's only stuff and the benefits of having them should outweigh the drawbacks. But only you can decide if that is true for you.

If you get several inviting scratching posts (proper tall ones, like the barrel type) and a couple of those cardboard scratch boxes/pads, they will be less likely to use your furniture. Limiting them to a bathroom and corridor would seem wrong though so it all depends on how much you care about having perfect furniture I guess.

Yes I agree with viccat. Limiting access does sound wrong. So where would a 'destructive' cat have access?

If you give a cat lots of things it is allowed to scratch they tend to stick to them in my experience. So lots of scratching posts and toys. Make sure the post is big and sturdy enough as they don’t tend to like the smaller ones. Zooplus is a good website to buy these off.

But really you just don’t know what you will get and you have to be prepared for that.

Our 2 year old rescue is an absolute dream

He does have a scratch now and then but more so before he was let out. Now he uses trees etc in garden.

He goes in kitchen of a night time but allowed around house during day.

Good as gold and such a delight.

Good luck with your rescue it sounds like a wonderful home.

I'd never dream of limiting access all the time. Just if I wasn't in. And to be fair that isn't something I want to do at all.

I'll be investing in scratching mats, posts, towers and throws for areas they may want to attack. As well as toys to play with.
I want to be a really decent owner and make a cat very happy, not give them a rubbish life. I adore them and miss my old one so much.

Before we had kids both DH and I worked full time. We knew a kitten would be the wrong decision. We took on a young bonded pair. Mum and son. Not destructive at all. Never made a mess. Very affectionate.
Then we got kittens. A handful to say the least.
Sounds like you would provide a great home. Good luck.

I've always had cats and I've never had a furniture scratcher. Not that it doesn't happen but it's not a guarantee. A good scratching post and plenty of toys should reduce the risks though.
We have a rescue kitty who has just turned a year old. She is a curtain climber! Thankfully they were cheap curtains so I've just resigned myself to replacing them once she grows out of it.
Both kitties sound like a good fit - I would be tempted to go for the older one though, older cats and especially black and whites for some reason seem to get overlooked :( also if he is a bit less affectionate he will probably cope with being alone better.
Our little girlie is very fussy and will be meowing like crazy by the time we get home as if she has missed us.

Do it. My two shredded my ikea sofa but never touched my new leather one, or scratched the carpet. My new girl dies scratch the carpet a little. But nothing else.

Glad you are considering an older cat. You sound like a wonderful cat Slave!

So Stella is still lovely but my daughter wasn’t impressed. Stella kept creeping out and bopping me with her head but constantly watching where DD was, and if she moved at all, Stella disappeared. We waited around 10 mins and finally she said a very tentative hello to her.
I’m so ish, as I do love Stella, but it’s got to be right for both of us.
Felix was a fuss monster, but you could see him getting quite bitey whilst doing it, maybe over excitement but not sure.
We looked around. Dd wanted to go meet Eggy. So we did. A three legged pretend lion. 7 years old. Owner moved house and left him behind. Apparently shy!! He practically fell over himself fussing DD. Very friendly cat. However apparently quite lazy with no desire to play. And they said his leg has been amputated leaving a stump. It doesn’t cause him issues now, but he does lean on it a lot, obviously if he were to get an injury on that area insurance wouldn’t cover it.
So DD is voting for Eggy, I want Stella, and as gutted as I am, I’m not sure either are the right fit.

Although a lazy three cat could have a very nice and cosy life here.

I vote Eggy 😍😍

You could always put aside an extra few quid a month to cover any surprise vets bills if he does injure his little stump.

Eggy sounds lovely! Three legged cats should be indoor cats or to have secure (escape proof) outdoor space however as they will not be able to get away quickly or jump fences if they are being chased or otherwise in danger.

I don't think a 5yo has the emotional maturity to understand that some cats are nervous and need time to get used to people. That said, 10 mins isn't actually that long to come and say hello.

Eggy apparently is a very outdoor cat when not sleeping viccat, ☺️ and is a bit of a bruiser by all accounts. I have a big garden with high fences though so he would be fine anyway to roam around. But I’d have no problem him staying indoors if he preferred.

Broken - I agree, but when I went in born today and yesterday Stella was lovely with me, she was so so so wary of DD. I don’t mind DD not being interacted with, but DD is a dancing, singing whirlwind and I wouldn’t want to bring in a cat who hated that too. It wouldn’t be fair.

Argh!!!

I think Stella would be stressed out if she is already so wary of your daughter. I wonder if she last lives with kids before, Albeit maybe the not so friendly kind.

I think you've been to the cats protection league near me- I'm sure I've seen eggy on the website!
We've recently adopted a three year old white tabby girl from a different rescue place. She is a bit scratchy and the carpet has taken a bit of a hammering but she is desperate to be out ( just starting to let her out) so I think she's been a bit frustrated inside and hoping she'll be less destructive when she's able to be out as much as she likes- she is super friendly not much of a lap cat but loves strokes and pretty good with the kids give or take the odd scratch when they won't stop fussing her - I'm so pleased we've got her she's well worth a bit of wear and tear and she's brilliant with her litter tray
We keep bedroom doors shut at night but otherwise she had the run of the house (watch out for open windows in the early weeks our cat found one early oh)

Notts way thirtyrock.

I’m unsure if I reserve Eggy or go to some other rescues.

Why don't you go back and see Eggy again and spend a bit more time getting to know him?

Sounds like he took a shining to your DD!

I'm in Nottingham too. Eggy looks lovely! As does Stella. Would they go together?

I knew this thread was a bad idea. Am now on cats protection website looking for a cat friend for our little one!

My husband is gonna be soooo impressed. 😂

Oops sorry cricketmum. I’m stikl debating Eggy. He’s rather cute.

ohhh Eggy sounds fab..please give him a home OP..he's probably been passed over several times for not being 'perfect', and you sound like a lovely cat person.

We have Rosie who we adopted just over a year ago. She was a bit scratchy and bites having been mistreated and re-homed as a result several times. A year on however she is a lovely chilled out moggy who loves her home/us and we love her. She does have a go at our old sofa and carpet, but to be honest both are a bit worn now anyway!

Re-homing cats is a fantastic thing to do.

Pic of Rosie