Pros and cons of having a cat?

[CommuterMummy]

Never had a cat in my whole life and tbh I am and always will be a dog lover. But dogs are high maintenance and DH and I work FT mostly outside the house so I think a cat is more appropriate for us - I want DS to grow up with a pet.
The main things I am scared of are them brining in mice (I am absolutely terrified of them, one of my biggest fears), them disappearing if they escape from the garden, them runing all our furniture etc.
We’d be looking to buy a house in a Surrey commuter town so quite green but not too rural - is the mice risk still high?
Is there a way of ensuring we get one with a slightly calmer and more affectionate personality (like with dogs for example, even if of course there can be differences bewteen the same breed, they tend to share certain characteristisc).
I basically want a low maintenance sofa cat that is sweet and is going to be a good family companion, especially for DS.
Am I asking too much? I genuinely don’t know anything about them!

My cat is really easy. She kills mice but only in the garden, she has never brought them inside. I am also scared of mice having lived in a flat with mice as a student and it keeps my mind at rest knowing she will keep them away! I am very house proud, I feel anxious with mess, so I have to keep on top of the fur, I generally hover once a day but probably better than a dog. She has occasionally been sick inside too. I couldn't deal with a litter tray inside so would only ever have an outdoor cat. She is lovely and affectionate and sits on our lap and purrs. My children love her and have learnt to be gentle and kind with animals from her.

Oh and she doesn't scratch at all but my cat growing up did and all the sofas and chairs were ruined so it depends on the cat I suppose!

This really isn’t true. I have two cats and they actively choose to sleep together, lick each other and play together all the time. Some cats may prefer to be solitary but it’s a common misconception that they are not happy with a companion. I feel guilty now that I ever kept my first cat on her own as she loves being with the second cat so much.

My two I’ve had ( one 3 weeks in, not gone outside yet), are lovely my queen used to hunt, few mice, so what.?
No scratched furniture, used spray as advised, Billy my new cat quite shy as yet, and got to yet use cat flap.
Abby my departed queen , lovely, not very cuddly, only a month between her and Billy, i so hated being catless.
waiting now after gate fixed for him to go and be more settled.
Cats are affectionate when loved

I have 3 small furry joys and one psychotic nutter. They’re all the same breed which is renowned for being placid. They are a joy to have, make my days better in every way but they are expensive to run, and nutter is bulimic so throws up everywhere (has destroyed several carpets)

I would not be without them but they are expensive to run. Nutter eats furniture but the others don’t.

Your neighbours probably won’t thank you for it. The amount of cats that shit in our garden is unreal, I imagine as we don’t have a cat. It’s really, really unpleasant and unfortunately not something the owner has any control over yet we’re sadly stuck with.

I adore my two cats and they are the best money that I’ve ever spent.

Got 2 Russian blues as kittens, they used to climb the curtains when they were little but that quickly stopped, no scratching of furniture etc. Litter trays are not a problem to manage, clean them daily. Occasional hair balls and vomit, maybe once/month. Lots of lovely cuddles and petting on the sofa. They are indoor cats so no “presents” from outside.

Just birds. I love cats but birds more ... and shrews, voles and baby hedgehogs. Also a number of friends are allergic to cat dander ......

Cats are not like dogs. They probably won't make you the centre of their world or be beholding to you. They do their own thing; they don’t make an effort to please you. But if you get a cat who likes sitting on laps for instance, and you like that too, then your needs might compliment each other.

My cats have brought in (dead and alive): mice; small rats; small rabbit; snake (I'm in the UK); birds from pigeon size to babies from a nest; frogs. It's horrid when they are alive but mortally wounded. If they're dead not so bad.

They scratch furniture - several decent sized scraching posts around the house may help. They scratch anaglypta type wallpaper. They sometimes sick up hairballs and rubbish they've eaten. They never cost less than £70 when they go to the vet. And if you feed them decent food it's not cheap.

Yet I love mine and would never be without cats.

It's nice when children grow up with pets and learn to care for and respect them. But it sounds as though you may not want the bad bits of cat ownership.

And that's a load of rubbish too. My cats are like dogs. Probably more affectionate than some dogs. One of my cats growl like a guard dog when they see someone come to the front door. It's hilarious. One of them though when I went through a miscarriage never left my side only to do her business and eat. Literally we were joined to the hip. She sees me as mam.

I'm not a fan of them but it sounds like a ragdoll may suit you? Still risk of scratched furniture but my experience of them is they like people and are suited to being indoors. Personally I'd not go for a kitten as I like to see what their personality is like but I'm a massive cat fan so a bit of hassle doesn't bother me. Current cat is an avid mouse hunter so I now kick her out overnight. The worst bit of cats is the risk they go missing but you avoid that with a settled indoor cat.

Cats are intriguing beautiful creatures, it helps to know they’ll do as they please and that you can love them regardless. ‘Owning’ a cat is more about what you can do for them than they can do for you. And usually they end up grateful.

I’d be looking for a couple of adult bonded rescue cats. Two cats that get on is very cute. They can also keep each other company whilst you’re out at work. You are also more likely to know what you’re getting, personality wise. With kittens it’s total pot luck.

Potentially a ragdoll might also suit you, known for their affection and happy to be kept inside. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragdoll, described here as ‘dog like cats’.

My cat rarely brings prey in but I can never rule it out.

I honestly don't think you should get a cat. For your sake-the cat would be fine!

I knew somebody would say this. With dogs, you can certainly choose the breed that most suit your life and lifestyle (for example some need to do a lot of physical activity, others have a potentially more aggressive nature etc. I don’t know if it’s the same for cats)

@KnittedCardi but are the mice alive when they bring them in? I am scared they will get lose in the house whilst alive and I cannot cope with that.

When I say low maintenance btw I just mean a cat that is not going to destroy the house and spend time outside hunting and running away. Of course I understand they are living creatires that require some maintenance (I don’t mind looking after their hair, cleaning the litter and vomit etc)

@HamstersAreMyLife isn’t it more likely they will look for them outside at night?

@Lisabetty where do you live, is it in the countryside?

@kezzieliza it’s the thought of them brining in alive mice that scares me the most tbh. Not sure there is a way of preventing this? I know they hunt them but equally if one gets in the house there’s danger they’ll stay and multiply and then I will have to move away😅

My cats are brother and sister. They sleep together most of the time and if the girl is locked out at night the boy will miaow at us constantly until she comes back.

Ok. On the mice, most are bloody smears, or a bit of stomach, or headless. You have to be able to handle that. The occasional one does escape, but that isn't like having mice in your student house. It's not breeding or nesting, it's just a solitary mouse. You will probably be able to catch it, I pick them up with my hands, or chase it out, or trap it, or let the cat re-catch it. We had a toad once, it was hilarious. Flip flack, flip flack, across the floor, and came to watch TV with us.

I don’t have a cat but my Facebook page is always full of missing cats - I'd find that stressful if I had a cat that disappeared for days on end.

I rescued a five year old, shy girl. When she arrived I gave her a tall scratching post, a catnip toy (the banana one), and a shallow box. She’s never scratched the furniture. She loves to run and play in the garden. Not all cats are destructive.

On those saying get an adult cat, I am fully open to that! Just wonder if it’s easier for a kitten to get used to DC though? I guess it depends on the adult cat personality

Oh wow! Do you live in a rural place, can I ask?