Family cat suggestions

[Messagemeback]

Hello,
I always had cats growing up, just rescue ones. They were a bit of a mixed bag, some absolutely amazing ones and a couple of pretty feral ones who occasionally acknowledged us but made it clear they’d prefer we weren’t there 🤣
we have 3 kids (8,5,3) and they’re desperate for a cat. They adore the neighbours who is now becoming a little too comfortable in our garden as they lavish it with attention.

could anyone suggest a breed which would be good with kids and enjoy the attention rather than despise it!

thanks

A ginger rescue about 3 years old.

I’m a cat fosterer. Neutered male cats are usually the most laid back… I’d say either an older kitten (6 months +) or young adult would be best. You definitely get to know their personalities more when you foster so you’ll get more info re temperament if you go to a rescue that uses fosterers.

I’ve fostered every colour of cat. Not every breed as all but one have been moggies. The pure bred was the only one who got stuck in my Christmas tree. He was super affectionate but not the smartest.

My favourite foster was a tuxedo girl. She was sassy and clever and ruled the five boys she lived with. She was adventurous and playful and really affectionate. I miss her everyday but she has the most amazing forever home and went with her favourite foster brother so it really was her happily ever after…

The rescue I volunteer for have so many older kittens and ex-mums waiting for homes it is untrue. Adoption enquiries are at their lowest and the waiting list is the longest it’s ever been.

So whatever you do, please go to a rescue.

And will pick up every grain of glitter your kids drop!

We adopted two neutered brothers at 20 weeks old. Left behind at the end of kitten season as they were black cats and had huge socialisation at Celia Hammond in Lewisham. They were amazing with our two quite young children 3 and 6 months (just the right age for crawling into cat litter) and very forgiving of small hands. They’ve passed on now and we all all miss them a lot. We went in for a single older cat and were assigned two young cats and the rescue centre made a fantastic choice.

One thing which is also useful is that a large cat rescue centre will give you a very good idea quickly if your kids will have any allergy issues. So it’s worth making sure you spare plenty of time there.

Ragdolls have the most chilled out tenperaments. My most recent cat thought he was a dog. We lived in town and he would puff himself up for 3pm for the local school kids to stroke him and sit on the pavement waiting for them everyday. We had a house party of 30 people once and he sauntered in and laid down in the middle of the room awaiting more strokes. He loved belly rubs like a dog and was just all round the best cat ever. The thing with long hair is it comes out in clumps so it is super easy to clean unlike short hairs where you get tiny hairs all over you.

Although quite big, when I worked in a cattery, it was always the Maine coons that were so friendly and relaxed, great family pet that loves attention

A black one. They're always overlooked, which makes me so sad. We've always had black/B&W cats (from rescues, as young adults) and they've been lovely and affectionate. But colour/sex is no predictor of temperament. My neighbour's ginger boy is always very cross, never at home and fiercely independent (to offset those above claiming that ginger boys are the best). Some of that will be down to their upbringing and history and some will be their ingrained personality.

Let them choose you at a rescue centre, and be careful how you settle them in at home. And enjoy years of being a cat slave.

I have a male tabby and he is just the sweetest loving little thing.

If you can afford one get a Maine coon. Honestly they are so so amazing with children and are often used for therapy cats. We got our first, a red shaded boy for our son’s 8th birthday. He wanted a ginger cat like him. They’re 7.5 and 15 now and have been inseparable since day one. Jak (our son ) shouts come on my fluffer and Loki will follow him upstairs. If Jak’s bedroom door is shut he will cry at the door until it’s opened. We added 3 more Maine coons after him. They’re a bit like dogs but in cats clothing

Definitely don't get sucked into buying a pedigree cat, rheyre very beautiful but so expensive (hundreds) plus they then have to (often) be looked after in a certain way (groomed, not allowed outside without a human) etc. Plus kittens are quite hard work! Pop to a rescue and find an adult male cat who has been neutered and is friendly/used to children
Our 2 were 2 yrs old and have been absolute gems (neutered male gingers). Just make sure you go in and interact with them in the rescue, if they enjoy your company there then they definitely will at home.

My old lady died last year. She was a tortie/ calico. A bit wild as a kitten and my 2ds ( at primary school at the time) were a bit scared of her. But as she got older she became so much more friendly .She loved sitting with us when we were eating. She was by far the most intelligent cat I have ever had, and was the source of constant amusement. But my oldest ds says that she always sat with him during difficult teenage times - and made him feel better - so she was very perceptive .

Black neutered male moggie. So loving

That post was to suggest a tortie. But I do agree that an adult rescue cat is a good bet for you first feline

Thank you everyone, I really appreciate your advice! We have a summer holiday planned so will contact the centres once we’re back from that and see who chooses us!

You could get your HomeCheck done before your holiday y'know , then it'll give you a better idea if kittens or adults are better suited .

If you see Your Chosen One they might reserve them?

I'm going to agree with TheTripThatWasn't - black cats are still overlooked in favour of other colours but they are amazing felines .
Ours are identical M/F . When they walk down the garden, to survey their domain like tiny panthers it makes the old heart swell with pride

We have a British shorthair and he is amazing. Loves to play, will fetch balls, run up and down with kids etc. He loves to be around us but isn’t overly fussy or needy. He’s the gentlest cat I’ve ever known and really robust, not at all worried by the kids. The breed description does say they are like this and are great for kids.
Like others have said though, you could also find a wonderful cat from a rescue.

Definitely adult rescue. Breeds don't really matter because cats have their own personalities. An adult rescue will have a fully formed personality and the rescue can give you advice on what will suit your family.
Older cats are often overlooked and can give a lot of love. I'm typing this with my old gent curled up on my lap and he loves snuggling in my teens laps when they play Xbox!
Smaller rescues are often good for this sort of home because they are more personalised in their support

Charlie my old cat would do that. I lived on a side road that was a cut through to a couple of schools. He would sit outside the front and wait for children.

He was a tuxedo and used to 'guard' the front door like a mini bouncer, but then he had to be first in to the house.

He used to sulk too. He needed you to know he was sulking so he would sit in front of you with his back turned.

Another vote for a Mau! Totally agree with @Puppylucky they are just the best! Our boy came to us from a rescue in Dubai and he is just the softest, most loving and hilariously funny cat I have ever met. Very high energy! He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body, and he's completely brilliant with DD, who was 6 when we got him.

I'd especially encourage you to consider one if you struggle to get a UK rescue to consider you on the basis that you have children. This was a huge issue for us, we were turned away by multiple centres, local and national despite being extremely experienced cat owners, and it is the reason that we looked at overseas adoption in the first place. I am so very glad we did - it was one of the best choices we ever made.

I’ve always found that black female cats who have had a litter are the most affectionate - just standard moggies from rescues. This has also been backed up by some research undertaken of rescue cats in the Netherlands - a big survey of 100s owners of rescue cats and rescue shelters on the breed/ age/ temperament of cats. You never know what you’re going to get with cats though - part why I love them! Would you consider adopting an adult rescue cat? Perhaps one in foster? That way you and your kids can visit a few times and it’ll be a better indication of the cats nature? The risk with kittens is that you just don’t know how they might change as they get older. Very exciting times for you though - good luck!!

How did you go about this? Are there companies who organise it? I think we’ll tey local rescues first but I am intrigued about this!

@Messagemeback Sure! We adopted using a group called UK Homes for Dessert Paws. I actually found them through other threads on Mumsnet, so if you have a search you will find several of them. They don't have a website, they operate through Facebook. They vet you online, including detailed forms and a video you have to make to check suitability, they help match you with a cat/cats and then they heavily subsidise transport from the middle east to you.

I didn't like the idea at first, because there are so many UK cats that need homes, but we tried for months to even get UK charities and no one would even entertain the idea, solely because of our daughter, and the fact is that the Middle East is a very, very tough place to be a cat, so you're rescuing them from a really dangerous, life-shortening situation.

Anyway, have a look at their facebook page and the other threads here, and if you do end up considering it as an option feel free to message me and I'll talk in more detail about the process.

I've had all sorts or cats from rescue centres and you can never guarantee what personality they have or whether they will be playful and friendly with the kids.

I do second a ginger Tom though. I have a one year old ginger boy that my postman found in a bin last year ! He's the sweetest most loveliest boy you could imagine. Obsessed with my kids and dog. Please don't buy a kitten there are thousands of lovely cats in rescue centres x

Please consider a Siberian - the dogs of the cat world! Typically highly affectionate and love being around humans

When I was getting a cat with a younger child I went to a reputable rescue with ds. They let us spend time in a little room with a few different pairs of cats (yes always get two!) I wouldn't let ds go to them, just waited for them to come over to him.
We looked at several adult pairs but one of each pair was wary of him so we ended up with two black kittens who rushed straight over to introduce themselves.
When you have children it's far more important to get a confident, friendly cat who isn't scared of your kids rather than a particular breed.