Do cats love you? And breed advice please

[Blossomworld]

Do cats actually care about people? I really want a companion for me and the kids but I don’t want a cat that’s stand offish and attacks us.
I love the sound of ragdolls (and they’re the cutest things ever) but don’t know if I’m cut out for a long haired cat.
Does anyone have experience of ragdolls or British shorthair?
Or what are my chances of getting a moggy kitten that ends up friendly and cuddly?
No rescue suggestions as I live in a flat so wouldn’t be suitable.

@Blossomworld

I checked cats protection. Only 2 cats who can live indoors and with children and one of them has serious medical needs. I really don’t think I’ll get anywhere with rescues. That’s what originally led me to pedigrees. A bit more certainty with breed traits, and hopefully we’ll socialised and not leaving mum until 13 weeks. They are a lot of money though. I’ve looked on pers4hones and it would be so easy to get a kitten but I just don’t know. As you’ve all said there’s absolutely o way of knowing a kittens personally or the level of socialisation they’ve had when buying from there.

Contact the gccf and ask for registered prefix breeders in your area

A proper kitten breeder will not release a kitten before 13 weeks. It will also have been health checked twice and vaccinated. It should come with six weeks free insurance and all registration papers. Parents should be health tested and the breeder should detail all colour and coat information in there as well as all ancestral prefixes from other registered breeders

Increasing numbers of breeders will not sell a kitten until they have been neutered. At the very least unless the kitten is sold as active - which is not common practice - you will be required in the paperwork to neuter the kitten.

A good breeder will also answer any of your questions and have a lot for you. If things don’t work out many breeders also ask that your return the kitten to them and they will endeavour to regime them according to their standards.

You should also have ample opportunity to have updates around the kitten and see at least the mother is the queen has been mated with a stud from a different breeder.

Healthy kittens checklists are available through gccf so you know what to look for.

Many breeders do ask for deposits and often have waiting lists but you should not be expected to pay the remainder do the amount until you collect them and are entirely satisfied regarding all of the above.

Do NOT pay hundreds of pounds for unregistered “pedigree “ kittens no matter how cute they are. This is supporting back yard breeding and you are being ripped off.

Either do it properly and go through all the hoops with a registered breeder or get a a rescue kitten / cat. Both ends of this spectrum love and care for the animal more than the middle who are really just interested in money and not at all responsible at all in terms of animal welfare.

Also just to add I have had four pedigree kittens and all came to me confident and well socialised kittens. They were good around dogs, children, other people and fine with the resident cats.

thank you. I’m already on their adoption list, but have been for over a year and haven’t got anywhere. They are about the only rescue I’ve found that home indoor cats though

Nearly all rescues have indoor only cats. Most will be fiv+.

Celia hammond, rspca, blue cross all have indoor only cats available. I don’t know london so well, but there are hundreds of little local rescues near my parents who also have indoor cats. Try facebook.

I'm pretty sure all three if mine think I'm an arsehole.

I think they are the arseholes.

I have a 14 year old rescue. Got her when she was 8. IMO, a great age to get a cat. They're often overlooked because of their age, but she was so chill from the start. We never had the craziness of a younger cat and she never destroyed my furniture. I couldn't have coped with that.

We got a cat whose personality met our needs... and she fit right in. She's not a lap cat, but she does like to sit on the sofa next to me of the evening, and get stroked. She even has her own spot and gets quite grumpy if someone is sat in her seat. She'll meow until they move!

As others have said, do consider FIV cats. My friend has one. He's an indoor cat and totally loving!

I’ve looked at all the rescues I can find and there are hardly any that are indoor and can live with children. The ones that are get snapped up quickly. I’ll keep looking but I know it’s unlikely.

@Blossomworld

I checked cats protection. Only 2 cats who can live indoors and with children and one of them has serious medical needs. I really don’t think I’ll get anywhere with rescues. That’s what originally led me to pedigrees. A bit more certainty with breed traits, and hopefully we’ll socialised and not leaving mum until 13 weeks. They are a lot of money though. I’ve looked on pers4hones and it would be so easy to get a kitten but I just don’t know. As you’ve all said there’s absolutely o way of knowing a kittens personally or the level of socialisation they’ve had when buying from there.

I mentioned P4H specifically for rare cases of rehoming older cats. Please don't buy kittens or pedigrees on this site because it fuels kitten farming, highly abusive and more often then not you'll end up with a very poorly cat.

I've got two sphynx cats... they are fantastic! Very affectionate, caring and loyal. They do need regular grooming but it doesn't bother me. I did a lot of research on the breed first to make sure I would be a suitable owner.

futuremum yes! another sphynx lover

Oh the earwax 😂

I never seem to stop cleaning one of mines ears

@Closetbeanmuncher they are my world! The ear wax is something else isn't it and the regular bum wash!

Rescues do home to flats, and with children. However the reason there aren't many cats available that would be suitable is because, well, there aren't that many cats that would be suitable. And that applies wherever you get the cats from. Most cats wouldn't be happy without any outdoor access, and many, many cats would be very unhappy with children. And flats are also dangerous - all windows will need to have opening restricters (and will you be OK about never opening your windows much, even in a heatwave?) and you shouldn't even consider getting a cat if you have a balcony. Why would you want to get a cat that will be unhappy/at risk? It would be much better to wait until a rescue cat eventually comes along that would be happy in that situation. It might take some time but at least you will end up with the right cat.

I'm trying to upload a picture of my two sphynx babes but I can't seem to do it!

Cats Protection rehome indoor cats. I adopted a cat with FIV last year. You just need to keep checking the website. He is not an affectionate cat but is highly intelligent, he loves to play and interact and has brought us absolute joy.

For me much of the appeal of cats is that they all have their own characters. I've always had moggies, they've all been different but I've loved all of them. I even like our NDN's cat and he's a right thug
I'm not really convinced that in-breeding cats in order to produce 'desireable' behaviours or traits, (desireable from a human perspective but disadvantageous to the cat) is a good thing, particularly when this means the cat cannot go outside for its own safety.
So OP - I'd also suggest looking for an adult rescue with known character that needs to stay inside for health reasons (FIV etc.)

@Toilenstripes

A black male around five years old. Black cats are the absolute best and most loving.

Definitely second this. I’ve had a variety of cats in my time, and it’s the black males who have been the most loving.

I third that black male cats are super-loving. My present boy is my second and he's very affectionate - also very chatty with the widest range of noises I have ever heard. He will 'heel' when he walks next to me, like a dog. He has a narrow face and long legs (though he's chunky in body because he's a gannet) - I think he may have some oriental blood. My first black boy lived to 19 and was also very loving, though not so noisy with it. Both were from CPL.

My torby girl is more independent - she came from Yorkshire Cat Rescue.

I have 3 British shorthairs (although one has a coat like a Persian!), all black and white. Had them from kittens. Very cuddly cats, prior to them I had a torty girl (adopted age 5) and a ginger boy (her son), they were both very loving too. I think it’s partly how they are raised and their personalities.

Next doors cat is evil incarnate and attacked me in my own kitchen!

Mine just about tolerate the baths and ear cleaning but both hate having their nails trimmed.

They're just the best though, so loving.well worth the extra effort imo.

@SilverGlassHare @Toilenstripes

My black bsh girl is the sweetest little lap cat and so friendly

I think you need to look at flat cat window meshes for safety if you are going to have a cat.

You’d need an indoor by choice adult, it’s cruel to tell a kitten it’s going to be a house cat and if it’s really unhappy he’ll poo and wee everywhere in protest.

We bought the wrong scratch post once and he did a massive wee on dhs side of the bed. I had to return it to pets at home for the right scratch post.

[quote Cleverpolly3]**@SilverGlassHare* @Toilenstripes*

My black bsh girl is the sweetest little lap cat and so friendly[/quote]
My current cat is a black female, adopted last summer as I’d read the females can have a harder time getting adopted. She’s so loving and slightly sassy!

@Toilenstripes

She’s beautiful
I read somewhere that black cats are hardest to regime.
Lord knows why. They are stunning

@thecatneuterer I see your point, and that’s partly why I’m looking at pedigrees and ragdolls as they need to be kept indoors and seem ok with it.
But I know plenty of people with moggies where I live who cope fine, they do let them out on the balconies and the cats are fine. I’m only on the first floor anyway so not a big jump at all.

Maincoon here ,like a big fluffy teddy bear very affectionate and more like a dog would rather have cuddles and lay about all day, but very large

Ok. Well first floor isn't such a worry. Our clinic sees many horrific injuries from cats falling off balconies, and they're just those that survive long enough to be brought to a vet, so it's a very real danger.