Advice for first time cat owners

[Twizbe]

DH and I are in the early stages of planning for our first cat. In our house already we have us and 2 kids (4 and 2 when cat is likely to arrive) we live in quite an open plan home down a very quiet lane with a big playing field next door.

We've both had pets before but never cats so this is very new to us.

At this stage in our planning we have some questions which I hope MN can help with.

1. how do we find reputable breeders and what should we look for in a breeder
2. what breeds are 'best' for a family. Our son is quite sensitive and would do best with a quiet friendly cat.
3. what books / websites do you recommend for learning about kitten/cat care
4. general advice for first time cat owners.

We aren't in any rush to get the cat so plenty of time to research / ensure we make the right choice for us and the cat.

Thanks in advance.

PLEASE go to a rescue centre! You kay have a little wait until spring if you want kittens but I'm really begging you to put in a bit of extra time and effort to rescue rather than encourage breeding.
Xxxx

Lots of good advice here. I’ll add, don’t bother buying a cat bed. They’ll sleep in cardboard boxes, in drawers, open bags, or on anything you really don’t want them to. Same for toys. The only one that was ever a real hit with any of my cats is the laser pointer type. Our current cat actually sprints into the room when she hears it being removed from the drawer 😂

Please don’t encourage breeding. Many breeders out there are not very responsible, and the decent ones are booked out for several seasons. Special breed cats often have a higher risk of genetic issues than moggies, due to the shrunken gene pool. They are more expensive to buy, more vets bills, and you often can’t let them out as they will get stolen and sold on, despite chipping. It is rotten.
Also please don’t go to a pet shop (I can’t believe these places still exist and sell kittens but another post on the board states that they sell kittens, very young and grotty).

When we went to the rescue, even though they had over 50 cats and kittens they said they had only two that would be suitable for a family with small kids. You can trust their experience and thorough checking of the cats, for a massive range of illnesses, which just aren’t checked elsewhere.
Kittens aren’t advisable if you have small kids, for the safety of the kitten, and if you do want a kitten, get an older pair, ie 6 months old rather than 3.
You are signing up to (wishfully) 20 years of love and vets bills, and heartbreak one day, but you won’t regret it.

I'll add to Fluffy's comment about kittens and 2 year olds. In fact, not only do rescues tend to only rehome kittens in pairs, but very few indeed will rehome kittens when there's very small children about. As Fluffy said, kittens are very fragile & even something as small as a quick grab from a small child can cause untold harm to them, let alone the kitten scratching the child & the child throwing the kitten away from them - a case I heard about at my vets.

In honesty, I would go to a rescue every time. There are too many cats in the world as it is so for every cat you adopt out of rescue, you're actually saving two - the one you adopt, and the next one that the rescue then has space for.

If you talk to a rescue, they will be able to match a calm, friendly cat to you. If you definitely want a calm friendly cat, I would go for an adult aged 2 or over. It can be hard with kittens to tell what personality they will develop. If you want kittens, rescues also have plenty, but get two, they are company for each other and will play together meaning less behaviour issues for you to deal with if they need entertainment.

We actually got a calm, friendly mother from a rescue and one of her kittens which was a good mix. The kitten is 5 now and still slightly bonkers haha, very playful, a sweet personality but not as calm as her mum.

I also think with a two year old child, you are better with an adult cat ideally.

Other top tips - get insurance, have more than one litter tray, get some decent vertical scratching posts. Make sure you get them neutered/chipped/vaccinated. If you decide they are going to be indoor/outdoor cats, keep them in for at least 6 weeks before letting them out, and do it slowly and gradually at first. Always get them in overnight as night is when accidents are more likely to happen, and it reduces the amount of 'presents' you will get too. Look at cat proof fencing as a possible option (we have got this and it's fabulous - they can go outside but are safe).

Good luck and enjoy, we wouldn't be without ours :-)

The only one that was ever a real hit with any of my cats is the laser pointer type

I've had a cat that was scared of the laser pointer. Is it me?

I grew up with cats and an older cat will easily tell a toddler who the boss is the cat Kittens very tiny and no brain for a long time.

Rescue! It doesn't mean an older cat there are usually kittens available too. I had no intention of getting a cat but on a random visit to the local rescue saw my boy frightened and alone and our fate was sealed seeing the change from that terrified snarly kitty to the relaxed softy he is now is one of the most worthwhile things I've done.

@ipswichwitch

Lots of good advice here. I’ll add, don’t bother buying a cat bed. They’ll sleep in cardboard boxes, in drawers, open bags, or on anything you really don’t want them to. Same for toys. The only one that was ever a real hit with any of my cats is the laser pointer type. Our current cat actually sprints into the room when she hears it being removed from the drawer 😂

Both mine sleep in / on cat beds and both hated the laser pointer 😂 the cat nip mouse is their favourite Cars are fickle beasts

rescue every time. however. the kitten i got before my current boy was from a home ‘breeder’ - i went to see the kitten to find a very skinny unwell mama and two tiny kittens with blue eyes. lady said one was reserved but they were going on holiday the next day and cattery wouldn’t take kittens.

i had no choice. i ended up with a very funny looking tortie, about 5 weeks old. i had to teach her everything and she would fall asleep in my arms like a baby every night .

she is now a far-ranging expert killer of Small Things. never known a cat like her. she’s awesome.

my rescue boy is a whole different cat but such a loving boy and makes me laugh every day. it’s just me and him now (split with ex and moved to flat with no outdoor space so couldn’t bring any of the others) and he keeps me going. i got him at 6 months. he’ll be four in feb and he’s the sweetest cat i’ve ever known. i’m so glad we found each other.

Another one here saying get a rescue adult.
I've had two - one a younger female who had been unadopted for ten months, and an older male (age 12 / 13 estimated when he came to me).
Both lived out their years with me.
They both had their quirks - one liked to get in cupboards, and was scared of brooms, the other hated plastic bags.
An adult will be reserved for a while, but will be very much 'what you see is what you'll get'.
I spent some time getting to know both of mine at the rescue centre (sitting with them in their area and making friends) before I adopted them. It was worth it - I'd recommend it.
Allow for the fact that it will be much better for any new cat to have you around for the time period that they are inside. Most centres recommend a month if you can do it. (Mine were desperate to go out after a couple of weeks so I let them, but made sure they went out hungry and I kept an eye on them and brought them back inside after half an hour max.)
Set aside a room for them when they first come home (I used my kitchen which was big enough to accommodate a bed, food bowls and litter tray) for the first couple of weeks at least.
With young children, use a stair gate to keep them out (but a cat can get through if they want).

I got my little gorgeous girl at 5 months old from a local rescue - it was a great age as she was already litter trained and socialised etc but still playful and great fun (still is now at 18 months!). Got another boy a few months later who’s somehow simultaneously really gentle and totally mad. Rescue all the way

Evidence

Could I recommend a little-known rescue which has a lot of youngish friendly cats available? It’s called Ra-na.com and specialises in cats (and dogs) from North Africa, mostly Tunisia.

Definitely get a rescue!

I have had 3 Persians from a specialist breed rescue. There are several around.
Though I seriously have my doubts about wether mine are actually cats. But they are very gentle and docile, and super cute! (Though opinions differ on this!)

@AnnaMagnani thank you for this. My husband has pretty much always had dogs and a mix of rescues and puppies. We were aware for dogs about kennel club breeders etc and wondered if there was a cat equivalent. Good to know there isn't really.

We'd never use a gumtree / pets for home type site.

Thank you all so much. Sounds like an adult rescue is the way to go for us for sure. I will start stalking battersea and cats protection.

Our 2 year old is quite .... cuddly with animals, nothing like our calm 4 year old lol. I hear loud and clear about the kitten. Our number 1 priority with this is to make sure that any cat we own has a good life and is well taken care of.

We can't start the process yet as our house is a building site so that work needs to finish first.

A further question about indoor / outdoor cats. This might be a totally obvious question, but how does that change the care for them? Is one better?

We live in London but down a private lane next to a school playing field. Lots of local cats around as well.

Indoor vs outdoor - indoor cats do need more stimulation / an enriched environment to keep them entertained. Some cats are fine with it, one of ours would have been OK indoors but the other needs constant stimulation and was itching to go out from the day we got her as a tiny kitten.

So we compromise and keep them in at nighttime when they're more susceptible to fights or getting hit by a car in the dark. We have a Sureflap microchip cat flap which is 100% necessary for keeping other cats out (some are quite aggressive in trying to get in) and we can set a curfew for it so after a certain time it will let them in again but not out, until the morning.

If you have an outdoor cat, you have to accept that 1) they may bring you presents 2) they may get lost 3) they may get run over

I live on a quiet street in the countryside and still lost a cat on the road - we think it was the first time she'd been on it as her territory was in the other direction.

However I've also lived in a city and had cats happy with territory of my back garden and the sense never to go near the road - you take your chances.

An older indoor cat may be quite happy. However a younger one will need a lot of stimulation not to go nuts.

A friend got two older rescues and was told they were totally happy indoors - she let them out - one wasn't interested and the other wondered what he'd been missing all his life so you never know.

I keep mine in at night - they sometimes whinge but I have powerful ignoring skills.

A third option is having a catio, or cat proofing your garden. That way they get the benefits of outdoors, without the majority of the risks. Can be expensive though (which is why I don't have a catio for my indoor kitties).

Just to clear up some misconceptions on this thread - YOU CAN GET KITTENS FROM RESCUES! It's not a binary choice between private sale kittens or adult cats from rescues. Rescues have tons of kittens. However we are not in kitten season (between April and October), so there aren't that many kittens anywhere at the moment. Our rescue still has plenty though.

I agree though, that with young children, you would be better off with an adult/s that have been judged to be good with children.

As for outdoor/indoor - most cats prefer outdoor access (a cat flap is advisable). Unless you live somewhere with access to dangerous roads then you wouldn't have an indoor only cat. If you do live somewhere with easy access to dangerous roads then you shouldn't have a cat at all unless you can put cat proofing in the garden/build a catio so they can't get out of it. This is because, if you live in a house, particularly with children, it's just about impossible to keep cats inside. All windows would need to be cat proofed and you would never be able to leave back doors open. With young children it would be more or less impossible.

Your situation sounds safe enough though - so you would just be looking for a standard child friendly adult cat/s that want outdoor access. When you're ready you can try our rescue: www.celiahammond.org As we are now doing virtual home checks our catchment area is now very large indeed, and certainly encompasses all of London.

If you take a look at some of the cats we have for homing at the moment (kittens rarely get put on the website) you will see that the listing for each cat tells you if they would be suitable for a household with children. I imagine that most rescues do the same thing.

www.celiahammond.org/canning-town/index.php/animals-needing-homes/canning-town-london I forgot to post a link to the animals for homing page (for the Canning Town clinic. There is also a page for the Lewisham clinic)

@thecatneuterer

www.celiahammond.org/canning-town/index.php/animals-needing-homes/canning-town-london I forgot to post a link to the animals for homing page (for the Canning Town clinic. There is also a page for the Lewisham clinic)

This is great thank you. I'll have a lot as we're near lewisham.

We won't be able to start the process until mid next year at least so lots of time to research / prepare.

Are there any good books about car care?

You don’t really need to worry about book, the cat knows all about cat care and will manipulate you into doing things the cats way.

Cats are masters of human psychology. Before you know it your buying smart price tuna for your lunch & then choosing skinless & boneless salmon for the cat because he doesn’t like bones.

Please be aware that when you get a cat no matter what age, it should be kept indoors for atleast the first month. No open windows or doors.

We already had cats when we had our dc, so who am I to talk . But I would wait a couple of years, teaching a two year old to be 'nice' and not heavy handed when cuddling is hard and relentless work especially since you are not used to 'reading' cats .

And remember the calmer the environment the better chance of a calm cat imo. A cat defends itself by lashing out (with claws) even at a clumsy two year old, and normally it isn't the cat who is unreasonable .