Possibly getting a cat - what do I need to consider?

[33goingon64]

DS is desperate for a pet. He'd love a dog or a cat but there's no way DH or I would have a dog. We both had cats as youngsters so can imagine it at least. I quite like them and it's just the downsides I need to work through.

Who will feed it and clean the litter tray (how often do you do that?!). How smelly are they? Can you make a cat be an indoors cat? Will it fight with the neighbours cats who are always in our garden? Is it best to get a kitten or a rescue cat? Do you go to a shop? I have many questions!

Feeding when we're away isn't a problem as our neighbours will feed it.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

The first thing you need to know is that you will not be the cat's owner, you will be it's staff and you must remember your place.

The cat will expect to take priority over all over pets, family members, routines and plans that you have.

Every night, usually in the early hours of the morning, the cat will expect you to wake from your slumber to listen to it's performance of "Howling really loud and running really fast for no reason".

The cat will more than likely have unusual requests such as asking for more food immediately after being fed, asking to go outside when in actual fact they had no intention of leaving the house, and asking for belly rubs just to attack your hand.

The cat will most probably climb all over you, cuddle you and get in the way whenever humanly possible, however if you choose to even lightly stroke the cat when they do not want you to, prepare to get your hand massacred.

But in all seriousness, you've been given a lot of good advice on this thread already so all I really have to say is if you do choose to get a cat, enjoy! They're such good fun x

If you're certain the cat will be indoors only, you could ask a rescue of they have any cats with FIV. These need to be kept away from other cats, so as not to infect them; and it's probably harder to find homes for them.

kittens are in short supply there

Kittens are not in short supply in rescues!! We have literally hundred and there are hundreds more that we need to take in but haven't got space for. There aren't many kittens around between November and February, as that isn't kitten season, the rest of the time rescues are flooded with them.

Most will home to homes with children. Very young children and very small kittens aren't a good mix as children can easily kill small kittens.

Small kittens should always be adopted in pairs as otherwise they get distressed and bored.

Never buy, always rescue. Neuter at 3 to 4 months.

Why not ask @MNHQ to move this to The Litter Tray?

We have 2 cats, we had never had pets before but they are so easy to look after. We got them at 10 weeks old from a rescue (this is definitely the way to go IMO) their mum was a stray who just turned up at someones house ran in when the back door was opened and gave birth in their bathroom!

When we got them they were already litter trained, they have never had an accident in the 2 years we have had them, including when I shut them in a room by accident when they were a few months old for 5 hours when I went out.

They are indoor cats and have a run attached to the house so they can get out a bit. They have a hooded litter tray that they share, we had 2 but they will only use the same one (apparently you should have 3 for 2 cats). I scoop whenever I see they have poo'd, once a day at the minimum, I fully change litter once a week. You can get litter you flush so you don't change as regularly. Only smells when they have just had a poo but not other than that. My mum is mega weird when it comes to smells so she would definitely notice.

I only feed them dry food, it is high in protein which is better for them (poo doesn't smell as much as with the crap food such as Whiskers etc) and we have it on a timer so we don't even need to feed them as such. They have a water fountain with a filter than needs changing once a week and I also leave another bowl out for them that I change every day.

They have never scratched the furniture other than once tiny part of the carpet at the bottom of the stairs, I used a spray on that bit and they have never done it again. Only issue was that we had voiles when we got them, they attached themselves to them so we just took them down.

They really are the best thing ever, kittens are hectic for a few months and you do need to be around the first week you get them but after that they have been ok. We never leave them more than 1 night without getting someone to come in to see them. The rescue place flee'd, wormed, chipped them before we got them. We now have a vet plan for their flee treatments etc and vaccinations.

Cats live for anywhere up to 20 years so be sure that’s what you want before buying one for your son. Not all cats are cuddly. Kittens especially are not ones for cuddles when they can spend their day attacking your feet at every opportunity instead! I love my cat but 100% knew what I was getting into before getting him. His an indoor one and age 10 he has crazy moments where he races round the house, attacks my feet from under the bed, attacks shoe laces whilst your tying them up etc. Cats also get hair balls and tend to cough them up with food so if your looking for an indoor one you have that pleasure to look forward to. If they are outdoor some like to bring you gifts in the form of dead (or live) animals. Cats are predators and no amount of loving, feeding or petting will soften that instinct in them

My 2 are really happy indoors as far as I can tell, they never try to get out even if the door is open. Our road is mega busy and also we have had several nasty incidents (mutilations/violence) so not a chance I will be letting them out.

They never bother us in the night for food, they are fed on the timer 3 times a day with the odd extra treat of fresh chicken, tuna and dreamies.

They do come upstairs at about 3am to cuddle up to go to sleep but don't disturb us most of the time. We waited till they were over one to let them upstairs at night, before that they were shut in a large room downstairs which we were recommended to do. Once they reached one they started to scratch at the door in the early hours so it was like they were telling us they needed more space. First few nights they climbed all over us but then settled after that. Loads of our friends don't let them upstairs and they are totally fine.

Totally agree re getting 2, I woudl never considered it but the local rescue only rehome in 2s or if there is another cat in the house. We are considering getting a 3rd cat in a few years as I just cannot bear the thought of one of mine being left without the other.

What you need to consider is that you are acquiring a family member, not a thing you can give up if you become pregnant and "can't go anywhere neat the litter tray" or your DS brings a puppy, or you can't cope with cat hair etc. It is a commitment. People who give up their pets when they move give me blood rage. Do you live one of your kids behind when you move? No. A pet is the same, it depends on you and came to love you.

Contrary to what people say, I'd suggest a cat from private seller, not a rescue one. A kitten from a family is more likely to be toilet trained and socialised than one living with 5 other siblings in a cage and pissing everywhere. "Private" kitten will be less hard work in your circumstances of busy family life, work and not being there during the day to train him. I don't mean pedigree one; there are ordinary moggy kittens for 50quid a pop on websites.

sorry, meant near the litter tray.

"DS is 8 so I guess we'll all share the chores - I'll tell him he has to take his turn or we're not getting a cat"

So he will agree then not stick to it. So you need to be prepared to look after the cat.

If you're going to rescue, think about a black cat. They are the least popular, because of superstition. But it's like owning a mini panther. Black cats wander further and tend to be the least problem.

The multi coloured ones (tortoiseshell) aren't called naughty torti for nothing, but they are very cuddly. They tend to be prolific hunters, though.

As for indoor cats. I doubt that your Son and any friends would remember to not have doors/windows open, for the next ten years. So think how that would work.

You may never be able to open windows again, unless the cat is in. I have been woken up on beautiful summer mornings by a half dead rat brought in via my window. My cat's attitude has been "what's your problem, I've brought you breakfast".

I generally have two cats. One brought in a rat. I thought I'd just shut them in a room and go out until the rat was dead (i couldn't catch it). I came back to find all three chilling together. I eventually shooed the rat out, who thought he was staying.

If they rat they have to be fleed and wormed more regularly. A flea comb is worth getting to check. There's just been a flea epidemic and it's expensive.

Hanging baskets/tubs, mine love to sit in them and eat my roses. I had one cat that ate all the tulips.

Mine scratch at the windows to go out and cone in, anytime within 24 hours.

Cats don't fight to the death, but it's very noisy until they sort out their differences.

Watch "the secret life of cats". Cats are fantastic animals. But they're not always easy.

Also, you'll spend around £150 to start off, neutering etc.

I have : a hooded litter tray £12 pets at home, it minimises smells and is cleaner. Tray cleaned in full every other day. I use wood pellet litter as it is easier to clean.
I have a scratch post tower, she uses it well and doesn't scratch the furniture
Flea and worm monthly
She has a pyramid cat bed which she likes but basically the spare room is hers! She has two blankets in there.
She has kitten food both wet and dry and we buy kitten milk. She has treats once a day.
She has an assortment of toys including a fish on a stick, a crackle tunnel and she loves her laser pointer.
She is a very good natured cat, she is loving, enjoys fuss and is playful.
Always neuter your cat regardless of sex. Some cats don't want to go out. Two of my old cats decided they didn't want to go out and never tried to despite us trying to get them to!

Jesus, the amount of people who say "get 2"... It's not radishes to buy by a bunch, you know! Cats are solitary, jealous and territorial creatures. Pile them up into a overcrowded household - and they'll move "to a single lady next door", at least some of them.
Some cats don't get on and hate their sibling. Try one cat first, don't create a high density concentration camp and naively hope they will be mates.
Our cats don't get on and Felliway is everything. I know when it runs out from their behaviour.

The problem with rescue centres is that they press you into getting two. "aww, he needs a mate", "oh no, she can't go without her sister". Which is all bollocks. A cat needs undivided attention. A centre needs to shift their stock. Be smart and have a cat on your terms, rather than be charitable and patable on the back. It is in your home the cat will live, so do what suits you best - that way there is more guarantee that the cat and you will coexist happily for many years.

I got 2 kittens from rescue. They gave me vouchers to and them neutered.
They were / are indoor cats and for 2 cats, I had 3 trays. I've tried a variety of litter. Cats Best (I think) from pets at home is brilliant - clumping but not clay so no dust. Only in the last 6 months or so has boy pooed outside the tray, but always on tiles, but this is due to illness.
At NO point have they scratched furniture or carpets. They have never destroyed a thing.
I cut their nails regularly. Easy now since they have / had it done regularly for 17 years. Also have a tall scratch post so he can stretch up it.
Dry food left out 24/7 with very occasional soft food which is usually left!
They come / came when called and as there is just me, they are definitely quite adorably clingy.
Pet insurance that covers for life is essential. Girl had her leg amputated due to cancer which would have cost a fortune. Unfortunately she developed aggressive secondary tumours that necessitated euthanasia.
Wouldn't be without cats - it's nice to have a grown up conversation with him!

Its always better to get a rescue if you can, but do meet the cat first to see if you get on. If you're set on having an indoor cat, look for rescues that have either been indoor cats before/are shy/have FIV (theres no treatment for FIV, you just keep them in to stop them getting unwell).

If you get an outdoor cat, yes it will probably fight the neighbours. I find larger males a bit less likely to instigate and smaller females a bit more scared of intruders, but you cant rule out the neighbours cat being the one to start the fight if yours doesnt. Females dont generally roam as far if that helps.

They can smell but probably wont. I've had 5 cats and only my current one smells a bit because of his bad breath (10 year old former feral so teeth arent great) and bad licking habits. He doesnt like being washed so I use pet wipes if he gets anything on his feet and a leave in cat shampoo (brand is pet head, same company as bed head).

You can get automatic feeders that dispense cat biscuits at a set time if you wont be home a lot of the day. Dont buy an expensive one as many cats are vandals and you might have to try more than one kind. Alternatively, some cats are happy to graze and moderate their own intake, so you could give wet food in the morning and biscuits to last through to another pouch of wet food in the evening.

There are a lot of litter tray options, if you really wanted you could get a fully self cleaning machine. If you just want the basic thing, I'd suggest wood pellet litter to keep the smell in. Catsan is a waste of money and they kick it everywhere. Generally scoop one poop a day. theres no pee clumps with wood pellets but if you use clumping litter you'll have to scoop the pee too. You can buy litter genie style bins to keep it separate from household waste if putting the poop in your outside bin is inconvenient every time. We use litter liners so its easier to bag up the full box, which I generally do every 3 to 4 days depending on how much pee is in there. A slightly more economical option is a sifting litter box which has two pans. You just give it a daily shake and empty the bottom one of used wood pellet litter when its filled. Theres honestly a lot of litter options, including covert items of furniture with a cat flap in the side to hide it in. You may even find if you have an outdoor cat that they prefer to hold it to go in a bush instead.

If your cats totally healthy then get it insurance. If your cat has a preexisting medical condition, including FIV then insurers can be bastards about blaming it on the condition (say if an FIV cat breaks a bone and needs a longer course of antibiotics because of the FIV, you may find they wont cover any of it). Put aside money to a pet fund in that case.

@BloodyDisgrace It's small kittens that are unhappy and distresssed as singles. If people want one they can adopt an older kitten or young adult that doesn't seem to be that bothered about feline company. It's not about 'shifting stock', it's about doing what's best for the cats.

And cats are not solitary animals. They live in colonies and form strong relationships. Some don't like other cats, particularly those that are brought up alone, but many do.

Rescues don't stop people adopting single cats. They just stop them adopting single small kittens.

We got a kitten from a rescue ( her mum was found living in a bush)
In our area cats are fostered at home, so thats where her mum have birth.
We visited from when she was a month old and got her at 8 weeks old.
She is now 6 and is a housemate . We have had her spayed, she gets all her vaccinations, is wormed, and for the past few years flead as we have her fleas ! ( Vet says not uncommon as we go out even if she doesn't ! )
She has 3 scratching posts, two are very large, which she can also climb. Lots of hidey places, umpteen beds, lots of toys, and is played with several times a day. I've had conversations with vets, and nurses of housecats are missing out on life and been told that they themselves have housecats !
Yes you have to clean out the litter tray and obviously keep very clean.
My cat does sometimes prefer the carpet to have a scratch at instead of her posts but they are certainly not ruined. We take her to the vets every 6 weeks or so to get her nails trimmed as she will not allow us to do them .

I was only talking about getting 2 small kittens, I have no experience of older cats yet. Mine are very close to each other and were from when they were born. They always cuddle together to go to sleep and from really tiny they groomed each other and played together. I can only talk from my experience and others around me.

The rescue I got them from is a very reputable one and have rehomed successfully hundreds of kittens just this year alone, I believe they know what they are talking about and definitely don't just want to get rid of more kittens by saying to take 2. They are often trying to rehome just 1 older cat or a cat that specifically needs no other cats or children in the house, they are very specific who they adopt to.

Clean litter tray once a day. You might prefer to immediately scoop poop if it's a smelly one. Feed twice a day. Adults should expect to be responsible for this, for the 14-16 years a cat will live. You will also need to consider the cat's needs ie if you are likely to move house within the cat's lifetime, move somewhere which is suitable, if you want to go away for longer than a week or so, ensure the cat is adequately cared for during that time. An animal is a long term responsibility.

Get a girl as they are less fighty and territorial, but if you get a kitten be prepared for absolute madness during the period approaching their first heat if you haven't got them spayed already. They become desperate to escape and find the boy cats.

If you get a rescue, consider a black cat as they are hard to rehome, because people think they are unlucky/aren't pretty.

Vets often run subscription plans for defleaing, worming, vaccinations and check ups, these are worth doing. Pet insurance possibly worth doing in case they develop any illness or get a bad injury. But another option is just to start a savings account for vets' bills. If by the time the cat passes away you have not spent this, just keep it.

Bloody well, the rescue I got my kittens from (and who I think thecatneuterer works for) would disagree with you and have been running this rescue for many years now. They will always rehome kittens in pairs and will ensure that the mother keeps one kitten with her. I mean, yes, my two don't actually get on and we found out subsequently that boy/girl sibs tend not to (so that's something they should have known - but maybe couldn't do anything about) but they only started not getting on when they were much older - as kittens they were snuggled up to each other all the time. And as we have a good sized house and good sized garden it doesn't really matter that much that they don't get on as they can avoid each other perfectly well.

We will be heading back there to get kittens for DD in a couple of months.

Have you actually ever owned a cat?

Yes, many cats (not all at the same time) rescue cats, stray cats and kittens.... what was wrong with what I said?

My Sons are 7 and 9 and we adopted a 3 year old female cat in the springtime. I think adopting an adult cat can work well as we spoke to rescues about the sort of personality we were looking for. It has worked out great for us. She is a friendly cat who always prefers to be around people and is very tolerant of the boys' noise and sometimes over-exuberant attention. But she loves to chase toys and pounce, so will play with them, and has just slotted into our daily lives. She was also fully litter trained and has never toileted anywhere other than the litter tray or the flower beds now that she goes outside. We have the litter tray out at night (we keep her in overnight) but put it away during the daytime (unless it's very wet out), which means that generally we just have 1 overnight wee to deal with which doesn't smell at all with the clumping litter.

thecatneuterer

You very well can have a good experience of cats getting on (especially small kittens) but I've see the opposite too. Kittens, of course, get on wonderfully, and my point exactly was - as mentioned by CassianAndor, but to prove hers - that when they grow up they often don't. And cats who don't get on stress each other. This is the concern. And stressed cat manifests problematic bahavior (pissing, scratching, being a pain). So my point is: have fewer cats; if you happen to have two, don't add more; if you have one - resist the temptation. Parcelling kittens together as rehoming centres do, and not giving a toss if they will still get on when older, is a problem. (Of course, plentitude of unwanted cats in shelters is a bigger problem) But the centres should not press people in getting 2 kittens if a person only wants one.

And no, I never met a kitten who was bored alone. Mine pedigree one def. wasn't. And even bored cat is a lesser problem for the owner (just play with and cuddle them) than a stressed one.

When I wanted to have a cat, I decided to get a kitten I would "bring up" so to speak, but that would be a single kitten, not two (for a one bed flat with no garden). And I wouldn't have people telling me they cant give me one, or I need to take one adult, or 2 kittens; that's why private seller was ideal for me. That's me, mind, other people can be happy owners of rescue cats on the rescue centre's terms.

CassianAndor - sorry, will just add this. It' s a pity your cats don't get on, I sympathise. We don't let our two out, so they can only have a big house. One is pedigree, you just don't let these out and in any case I'd worry sick if they were run over or some cunt who hates cats (cos they "feed birds", I'm talking about those dipsticks) does them any harm. I think people who let their cats out are very brave and I wish their cats good, long and healthy lives. Their lives are definitely more interesting and stimulating ones than those of the indoors, but we all make our choices.

Yes - you have chosen to buy a cat from a breeder when there are loads of cats in rescues, and to keep it indoors, which is, frankly, cruel.