Newbie questions about getting a cat

[Boonlark]

I'm thinking about getting one or two cats.

I've never had a cat before, so have no idea what I'd need for a home inspection (I'm thinking we'd go for rescue cats).

And have no idea what to look for in a cat. Also I'm not sure whether the kids are allergic or not. Are there breeds that have less of the allergenic protein? And is there a way to figure out if the kids are allergic?

Also, what other things should I be thinking about?

If you're getting kittens from rescue, get two. Their kittenish play fighting will be between them, and save your hands/wrists/forearms from multiple small scratches. If you're looking for an adult cat, that's less of an issue, but I'd still say get two because, well, cats... But two who know each other and get along, not just two you think are pretty.

Home inspection will vary from rescue to rescue, and even cat to cat - sometimes rescues seek to rehome feral farm cats, on farms rather than in domestic premises, so their requirements would be different from a rescue that might specify never allowing the cat outdoors because it's FIV, so happy to rehome to a flat on the fifteenth floor.

What to look for... that's entirely subjective. I like black cats, currently have one and have had two previously, all with very different personalities, but I love(d) them all for themselves. I also have a (mostly) white cat as well as the black, they're litter brothers and he's far more openly affectionate but also more of an arsehole. I'm assuming a rescue would be honest about any particular health needs.

Allergies. I'm not aware of a feline equivalent of a poodle or mixed breeds thereof, but allowing your DC to meet cats would soon tell you if they're allergic or not. Strolling through a cat rescue would probably give you a fair indication.

Other things to think about - how much do you value your soft furnishings, including curtains? Wallpaper?

Would you bed share with them? (Contrary to cat lover lore, it is possible to exclude a cat from your bedroom. But only if they've never been there.)

If your cats will be allowed outdoors, how do you feel about small rodent/bird corpses/body parts underfoot? Or the not-quite dead, or the not-even-nearly-dead-but-running/flying-round-my -living-room...

I'm sure there's more, read any thread about asshole cats for shitty behaviour we put up with from our cats. Because we love the malign wee fuckers.

I’d get the kids to play with some cats before you do anything else, as it’s pretty important that they not be allergic. I would not get a cat if anyone in the family will end up sneezing and red eyes constantly.

I’ve had rescue kittens and cats, some good but the last rescue was the demon scratcher and biter from hell although he presented originally as just a too playful normal kitten. Awful cat with kids actually. He died (natural causes) about 10 years ago and we now have a gentle little Ragdoll.

Is cat going to be inside or outside or a mix of both?

Where are you putting litter etc?

Oh yes also be prepared to sacrifice lounges and curtains to the cat. Ours loves his scratching post, but he likes other furniture too and not much you can do about that.

So we have a house with a garden, I'm not sure that it'd be easy to make cat proof, or is the that easier than I think? We're not near a busy road, but do get some boy racers at night.

Yes, thanks that's a good idea to take the kids either to a cat rescue, or to a friend who has cats, to make sure they're not allergic. A friend who's allergic says they're going to get a purebred kitten because some breeds are better for that?

I like the idea of getting adult cats. I think they're probably less likely to get adopted. And I like the idea that they'd already be litter trained and we'd know what their personality is like. I'd also be open to FIV+ cats, and that's why I was wondering about a catio?

Getting an adult cat is a great idea. Kittens are lovely but overrated. Adults have so much to give. And as you say. Their personality is known more. Take the children with you to see how the cats react to them. Enjoy your life of cat slavery. It's the best thing you'll ever do!

Pure Breeds can come with lots of health issues. So I'd definitely go for a moggy! And get the best insurance you can afford.

Be prepared for cleaning the litter tray.... mine likes to wait until it's nice and clean to poop!
They need a separate space for food away from the tray.
plenty of toys, a place to sleep(even though they will end up sleeping wherever they like)
Be prepared for bums in face and to give all the fusses.

remember, you don't own a cat... a cat owns you!

Have a think about indoor v outdoor. As a child/teen I had adult rescues who could go outdoors. They didn’t want to play much as they went outside to hun/run and generally came in in the evening for company/the odd fuss/lap.

I adopted my first cat as an adult last year- a large tom with FIV who has to be kept indoors. It’s a completely different experience- as he can’t go out he relies on us for all his stimulation so we play with him for probably 30-60 minutes a day. If he doesn’t have this he gets a bit bitey (the rescue did warn us about this!). He’s also INCREDIBLY affectionate and would spend all the rest of his time asleep on a lap given the option. He’s the best cat I’ve ever met but also the most high maintenance and I’m sure it’s because he knows he’s entirely dependant on us! This is where rescues are fab because they know the personality and whether they’d be a good fit for your family!

If you have a garden and children don't even consider getting a cat that has to be kept indoors. How will you make sure that no one ever leaves the garden door open? How will you restrict window openings? It's only really practical in a flat or perhaps in an adult only household (and even then it would be difficult).

As for cat proofing the garden, while it certainly adds an extra layer of safety it's not generally required. The main thing to consider is how easy it would be to access the road. If you're in a block of victorian terraces, with gardens onto gardens, then that's great as the road is very hard to access.

If you're in a detached or semi then then will be a side passage to the road. Does that have a gate? Is it high? Is there a gap at the bottom? That is the sort of thing you should think about.

With the indoor only thing of course that's different if you build a catio.

As an aside our rescue doesn't require FIV positive cats to be kept inside. Once they're neutered they are unlikely to get into fights and so won't pass it on to any more cats, and there is no need to keep them inside for their own health. It seems an out dated and rather cruel restriction if it's a cat that enjoys going out.

As an aside our rescue doesn't require FIV positive cats to be kept inside. Once they're neutered they are unlikely to get into fights and so won't pass it on to any more cats, and there is no need to keep them inside for their own health. It seems an out dated and rather cruel restriction if it's a cat that enjoys going out.

I’m very surprised, and slightly aghast at this. All the cats we’ve ever had have been neutered, but also quite combative, if they came up against other cats!

So we are in a terrace but do have a side passage and the gate is a cast iron one...so possibly escapable?

If you get a kitten or two kittens (and I second getting two) that appears not to poop, check your plant pots.

It took us two weeks to figure this out.

Oh that's hilarious 😂

Must have been really worrying at the time though

This is our RSPCA kitten (well, he's nearly 2 but came to us at 12 weeks). He was £95, this included neutering, 1st vaccine, flea and worm treatments and 4 weeks insurance cover til we arranged our own.

Application was really simple; filled in a form and then a lovely lady from our local branch popped round a few weeks later for the homecheck. It was pretty basic; just making sure the house & garden were as described, & that I wasn't hoarding 60 cats already
We didn't need to buy any cat equipment in advance (although had it as we have an older cat) & they just checked I knew about vaccines, introducing a new cat etc.

Then covid happened! We actually chose him from a photo because of that, which was a bit of a gamble, but they were happy to match him to us so trusted their judgement. He was dropped off by one of the staff as they couldn't have visitors to the unit at the time.

We got our first from the rspca. There was no home check but they needed everyone from the household to come to the rescue and meet the cat first. That should tell you if the kids are allergic. I definitely think a cat that goes outdoors is preferable to a house cat if you’ve got kids as cat can escape if things get too rowdy with play dates etc. The rescue should be able to provide guidance on which cat would be suitable for your family. We went for a slightly older than kitten age cat and I’m glad we did as she was a bit calmer and already litter trained etc. Exciting times!

@HunkyPunk FIV is spread from deep, penetrating bites, and those are usually only a result of unneutered males fighting. Once neutered, even though there may be the odd scrap, they don't seem to have those full-on, aggressive fights. And if they are fighting with other entire male strays, those cats will already have it anyway if it's in an urban area. It's extremely rare to come across an adult entire male in an urban area that is FIV negative.

At our sanctuary will have many, many neutered FIV positive feral cats living alongside negative ones (around 200 in all). The negative ones have never caught FIV while in the sanctuary.

Here's an extract from our website:
At CHAT, we have to take a realistic overview of the FIV situation. FIV is widespread in the UK and is endemic in large cities with high densities of unneutered male cats. In urban areas or areas with a high rate of infection, it seems pointless to confine an FIV positive cat indoors when a large percentage of cats outdoors already carry the virus. Many owned pet cats are FIV positive and their owners are unaware of this. Cats which are tested and have a negative result could be at risk as soon as their owners let them outside again. Since most FIV positive cats are used to going outdoors, we consider it is detrimental to their quality of life to prevent them from going outdoors if they want to, provided that it is in an area where the virus is already present in significant numbers of cats.

In rural areas and those with low rates of FIV infection, the decision on whether to allow an FIV positive cat free access to the outdoors needs to be taken with a view to preventing the spread of FIV locally. If there are any unneutered stray cats, they should be neutered and returned, or rehomed to remove the fighting risk. This will improve their quality of life as well as reducing the risk of contracting FIV if they are not already carrying the virus. Some creative owners have managed to enclose their gardens, or construct interesting, stimulating cat exercise runs, so that their pets can enjoy fresh air.

@Boonlark

Oh that's hilarious 😂

Must have been really worrying at the time though

It was, on both counts. We thought we were feeding them wrong or something, even though we were following our vets instructions. Their poop was very small and didn't really smell so we didn't realize until we caught of them in the act.