Thinking of getting a cat - what do I need to know?

[edwinbear]

DH and I have both had cats before, but many years ago before we knew each other. DH and I love cats, DC (10 and 12) also love cats and would desperately like one, they love stroking the neighbours cats when they wander into our garden and spend hours looking at the available cats at the local rescue centre and badgering me to get one - this is a discussion that has been going on for months now.

Home wise, I think we'd pass the home visit from the rescue centre, we have a decent sized, 4 bed semi detached house with a small garden, we would get a cat flap installed. There is a quiet road to the front of the house, so would look for a cat who is used to roads, but only let the cat out of the back door into the garden (I realise it would wander though).

DH and I both work FT, but on hybrid working now, so there will be someone at home 3 or 4 days a week, but there will be some days when the cat would be by itself - will it get lonely? Getting two really isn't an option, will the rescue centre home a cat on it's own? We're not looking for a kitten, probably a cat over the age of 3 would be suitable.

We would buy pet insurance, ensure it was kept wormed, flea treated and vaccinations/check ups done as required. All cats from the rescue centre are neutered and microchipped.

The biggest thing holding me back, is that whilst we don't go away very often, (DC both have sports commitments which mean we can't travel much, as they need to be available for training and competitions), but we do usually have a 2 week holiday abroad once a year plus the occasional weekend away to visit family or if DC are competing a long way from home - maybe 3-4 times a year.

How do we ensure the cat is cared for when we're away? The two main options I'm aware of are catteries and a cat sitter. I worry a bit about catteries but maybe I'm not well informed, are they kept in cages or free to roam? Do they get enough attention and played with, stroked etc? I'd hate to think of a much loved family pet being stressed in an unfamiliar environment 'trapped' somewhere for a couple of weeks whilst we're enjoying a holiday. Will a cattery provide updates whilst we're away to reassure us it is OK, otherwise I think we'd all just worry whilst we're away. If we get a cat sitter, will they literally just pop in twice a day and put food and water down, or will they spend some time with the cat? Also, roughly speaking, what sort of costs would we be looking at for each? Is a cattery likely to be around £100 a day or more/less? What sort of figure would a cat sitter be and how would I find a reputable one?

Is there anything I haven't though of? The whole family would dearly love one, but we all understand it's a huge commitment and want to go into it with eyes wide open.

2 dcats op... Company and halves the soft furnishing damages!! And your dc can 'claim' 1 each. We use a cattery. £13 a night for the 2. Has heated rooms and all toys etc. A Palace tbh!

You sound like me a couple of years ago! Firstly - the cat definitely won't get lonely - they are very much able to entertain themselves and then to come home and have a quiet sleep when they have had enough!

For holidays, everyone seems to come up with their own solution. We go away about the same as you and we have a lovely cat sitter who is our neighbour who comes in and plays with the cats and feeds them twice a day (we do have 2 which for us has been no more work than one :-)). We do keep them in the house when we go away as we have a lot of space in the house and, for us, it is the lesser of the two evils.

We visited three catteries when we got the cats and hated them all so we decided that inside with lots of visits was a better plan for our family. I am quite anxious and would worry if they were out alone (but lots of people do that and are fine with it!).

We also don't let ours out after dark - they go out first thing and we make sure they are in at dusk but they seem quite happy with that. One of them prefers being inside and the other sometimes waits at the back door at dusk to be let back in (even though there is a cat flap right night to it!!)

We love having the cats - they have been a massive source of entertainment and joy over the past two years and I couldn't imagine ever being without a cat now :-)

PS - we went to the Cats Protection for one cat (over 2 years old) and we left with two 6 month old kittens!!!

You are over thinking this a bit. You could look for a cat who is quiet natured cat. Install a catflap that only your cat can access and either lock it when you are out or install a catio. A neighbour could pop round to feed, play with and do litter tray for a weekend if they would like to. A pet sitter would be better for holidays. They can live in your house while you are away. We use House Sitters. You fan phone home daily and facetime puss.

Hope you find a lovely cat soon!

Petplan insurance is very good whole life cover - dcat who is 20 has kidney failure for 8 years and still covered.

We used to put her in a lovely cattery but then we moved and dcat was getting on and we switched to a cat sitter as cat was happier at home. Cat sitter charges about £9 a visit and gives medication and a fuss and sends photos of cat to us.

We found cat sitter by recommendations on local Facebook site and cattery, as I remember, by visiting all the local ones to see what they were like (some were very bad 20 years ago!)

You all sound lovely and it sounds like a great set up for a cat.

Some do get lonely if alone all day, but just flag this with the rescue and I'm sure they can find you a non-clingy one. I use catinaflat for a twice-daily cat sitter when I'm away for the weekend, and Trusted Housesitters for someone to stay for longer absences.

Someone told me once that neutered males are the most affectionate and this has borne out in our fluffy lap cat. The downside is that he misses us when we go away and we have now started getting a house/pet sitter in so he has company.

Look on fb at your local rescue. My adult dd got 2 boys. She paid for jabs and they uncovered neutering.. Donated £70 for both as the standard fee here..
They are delightful!! We got 1 for our sad , grieving boy dcat.
Here he is happy at last.
Tabby boy and black feisty queen.

Just to clear it up op you wont be getting a cat. A cat will choose if you are worthy enough to be its human slave.

Some cats really dislike other cats and are happiest as an only cat - the rescue will be able to advise.

We don’t have a cat flap, as I like to know that the cat is in at night. We have a secure garden that she can potter around in.

When we had two cats we managed to leave them comfortably from a Friday afternoon to a Sunday evening when DCs were competing away. Now we’re down to one cat if we’re away for a few days my neighbour pops in twice a day to feed her, top up water and clean the litter tray. For longer trips we use a local cattery - a good cattery will be happy for you to visit it first. It’s about £10 per day for us. Our cattery has an indoor room with a heat lamp for sleeping and an outdoor run with ramps and ledges.

We have a cat flap, he wanders in and out. It's a microchip one so his arch enemy from next door can't get in.

Next door neighbour pops in and feeds him if we are away. He does get lonely though if we are away so we ask him to stay and be nice to him for a bit or ask other neighbours to pop in too.

Cats are pretty self sufficient - they aren't all lap cats though and don't all like a stroke. So talk to the rescue about what you'd like.

A cat will be fine when you're not there - they spend an enormous amount of time sleeping anyway!

We've only ever had one cat - no problems with that. I get the logic of having 2 kittens, but I don't think the same issues are there with rehoming a young cat.

One key thing which gives you flexibility is not feeding them at EXACTLY the same time each day. If you get yourself into a rigid routine of breakfast at 7 and dinner at 5, then you're setting yourself up for problems when you're not there. Ours has always had breakfast when we get up - could be any time between 6.15 and 9 - and dinner at some point between 5.30 if she's asking for it then, or later if we're not home/she happens to be out then etc etc. It means when someone else is feeding her we can just ask them to feed her 'whenever' and it doesn't disrupt her routine, and also means we don't worry about being out. She always has dry food down - she'll never go hungry.

Re going away - if we're away for 1 night, then we feed her before we go and feed her when we get back. The world won't end from a missed (wet) breakfast - plenty of dry food is available.

If we're away for 2 nights, a neighbour comes in and feeds her on the middle day, and possibly the morning of the day we're back. Same for 3 nights.

Any longer than 3 nights, she goes to a cattery. She is a roamer, and keeping her inside is cruel. I'm not comfortable leaving her with the freedom to go in and out without being checked on (and she often won't put in an appearance for the feeder, so they wouldn't know whether she was OK or not). We've been using the same cattery for 20 years, and the lady who runs it is great. She's had cats from us when they've had cones of shame, when they've needed medication, when they've been in their twilight years and always taken good care of them. Our current cat is too anti-social for a cat sitter (she won't come near anyone other than us), and I wouldn't ask a neighbour to take responsibility for checking she's OK. Our cattery doesn't provide updates, but I'm sure she would if we asked. I'm not quite sure what she would 'update' us on?! I have seen 'cat hotel' type catteries on FB where there are constantly photos uploaded etc, but I don't see the point. The cat is totally fine and well cared for, and I'm on holiday and don't need to know she's had her breakfast. We pay £7 a day for our cattery, but I'm aware that's below the market average. I definitely wouldn't pay extra for one with fancy update/social media etc - I'm more interested in one with nice pens, a good owner and things like flexible opening/closing times for collection.

Having a cat is the best! They all have their own foibles, but I wouldn't be without one. Rehoming is the best way to get one as you can see what their personality is like before you take the plunge.

Remember to come back with a photo when you get one!

You sound like you've thought everything through and would be an ideal adoptive family!

We adopted a 4 year old cat from the RSPCA and I'm so glad we did, they were able to tell us a bit about his personality- like that he was fine around kids, friendly, able to go outside (stray) and used a litter tray without accidents! I could not have coped with a kitten- too much wee, poo, scratching etc.

He's an 'only' but not lonely at all- In fact his first rehoming didn't work out because he didn't get on with the family's existing cat- many cats don't actually like other cats!

We also go away 2 weeks in summer and long weekends. Cat has been happy with either neighbor popping in to feed and stroke him and a cattery where he had an indoor area with a small 'run' area outside and a cat obsessed owner who spoilt him rotten - you will need to look at different batteries as some seem more spacious and caring than others.

I hope you find a cat that you love.

Hey OP, I got a 6 month old rescue cat about 6 months ago. The kitten stage has been pretty exhausting! But now he is 12 months we have a good routine. Probably your cat will play energetically with your DC, and then use the time you are all at home/work to stalk outside and use up energy or sleep.

I set up a video to see what DCat did when I was away - sleeps or looks out the window mainly.

When I go away I put him in a Cattery, as I thought he was too little to be alone with only a cat feeder visiting once/day and might fret. I visited the place in advance to check it out and whilst away I called the Cattery every day! Apparently this isn’t uncommon 🤣 It cosy £13 pounds/day, excellent facilities. They were great and played with him. I took some of his favourite toys and a blanket that smelt like home. I don’t think he loved it there, but he was ok, didn’t lose and weight and smoozed all the people who came to clean his cage. It was a load off my mind to know he was safe there everyday. I would probably do that again the next few times. Possibly when he is older I will reconsider the cat sitter/feeder.

I am very tempted to get DCat another cat as a friend, as I feel like I am a bit boring for him. However a vet friend of mine pointed out that not all cats bond and get on well, and that injuries from fights can cost money. Her own two cats have divided up the house into different territories! So I remind myself my fellow might be slightly lonely, but it’s 50:50 odds whether the second Dcat I would bring home would be a best buddy or his arch nemesis!

I say go for it. You’ve thought about it all the immediate stuff, things like vacation care will fall into place when you go to take the holiday and decide how you feel about catteries then.

We have one rescue cat and she has her cat flap to come and go as she pleases but spends most of her asleep on the sofa.

She's not particularly a fan of other cats so we've never got another one.

Weekends away we rely on our very kind neighbours to feed her and check on her.

Glad we opted for a slightly older rescue cat (3) rather than a kitten. We knew her temperament and she was a lot calmer than having a kitten 😂

Thank you all so much, you've all been so kind and helpful and I really do appreciate it. So, I think the general message is, firstly, talk to the rescue centre about our lifestyle and they will help us to find a cat that will be happy in our environment - we are very much able and happy to wait for the right cat to become available.

Secondly, there are all sorts of options to look after it when we're away, this will again depend on the cat and what's available locally, but given our annual holiday isn't until July, we have plenty of time to sort something out. I like the idea of a house sitter as that way, kitty will be cared for and have some company, with the added bonus of someone also keeping an eye on the house. The costs of taking care of the cat whilst we're away is much less than I'd thought, so not a barrier. It's a great idea not to set up rigid mealtimes. If we do opt for a cattery, it won't be locked up in a cage for two weeks - this is reassuring.

Thirdly, we are going to get a cat, I have no further excuses to put it off - although yes, I realise the cat chooses us not the other way round, we need to earn our right to be a human slave .

Next step, e mail the rescue centre and set up a home visit - DC will be delighted! Thank you all again so much

I've had several cats, over the past 42 years.

Cats live for 15-20 years. My last one was 18. My current cat is about 17 or more now.
Cats generally prefer solitude. Adult cats are easier to have, as they don't usually climb up curtains etc like kittens do.

I've always had the 1st vaccination for each cat, but never bothered with annual jabs - and all my cats were fine. I've never had insurance, as some insurers don't cover things like extraction of teeth (common in old cats). Microchipping is essential. No collars. You'll need:

litter tray
flea and worm treatments every month or so
cat toys
feeding bowls (wide enough for a cat's whiskers). Mine has (old) side plates.
Blanket/cushions/cosy places to stay (I've bought every type of bed, over the years, not one cat ever used one)
A reliable, caring cat-sitter for when you go away
Cat carrier, for trips to the vet

We got our rescue cat nearly 10 years ago now.
She is so loved.
We were lucky OP as she was the only cat available they would rehome with children, and she is more than perfect.
Her previous owners apparently moved home without her, so she has a bit of a sad back story and is a little bit obsessed with being fed.
We pay a local teenager to feed her when we are away, and the cat flap is open so she can go and make friends if she is lonely.
She is well known locally as she is super friendly.
Good luck and I hope you are as lucky as we were.

My rescue cat was also left behind when her owners moved.
She was quite obese when I adopted her as all the locals had been feeding her!
So she started life with me on a diet.

I work part time 8 hour days. I also go out for quite a few hours at a time.
She seems to just sleep at home when I'm out.

I was fully prepared for her to be an outdoor cat as the Rescue Centre approved my small garden but she refused to go outside again!!

She's actually very nervous and runs away from loud noises so it's the right thing for her to be an indoor cat as she's likely to run off in fear and get lost anyway.
So I'm happy to keep her indoors and she happily stays away from the big scary outdoors.

So as a result I'm the focus of her life and she follows me everywhere when she's awake. I keep her occupied

She loves catnip toys and balls.

I remember my cat from some 20yrs ago going mad for catnip - it was absolutely adorable. DD asked for a cat toy for her last birthday which she uses to play with the neighbours cats. She's frequently found in our garden, with the cat on the table, and her swinging this mouse on a string around. She'd love her own cat to play with.

The cattery we use is fantastic;the cats have an indoor pod with an outdoor pod attached;its all very secure.Most rescue centres will have a cattery set up the same way a private one is.

I have peace of mind when I'm away that my cat is safe and cared for.

The average price where I am is about £6-£8 per day per cat for a cattery.

You'll usually be asked to show your cats vaccination record to prove they are up to date with vaccines.

Actually, that's a really good point that when they are in the rescue centre, they will be in some sort of pen set up, I hadn't thought of that, thank you. I have been looking at the options locally and have found one which looks lovely, decent sized 'rooms' with an individual outdoor run, with various ledges for the cat to jump on, good reviews and £12 a day which is far less than I'd though and definitely affordable.

I would go for a bonded pair over a solo cat.

We always use a good cattery. That way I know the cats are safe. I think my pair would bolt at a stranger coming into the house.
Your set up sounds great. I’ve got tears in my eyes at your daughter asking for a cat toy to play with a neighbour’s cat. That’s so sweet.
Good luck OP.

I've also explained to them both, that a cat will not tolerate sibling quarrels as it will frighten it. So if they want a cat, there needs to be no fighting with each other, shouting, slamming doors etc etc. We've all had a look at the cattery I found this evening to see how we would feel about it - DS reckons he'd be quite happy to live there for a couple of weeks himself