Nee owner - can I ask a lot of stupid questions please?

[honkifyalikebeans]

We've never had cats before and I want to do the right thing

1. What is the best way to choose a breed?
2. Is there a better bread for an outdoor cat
3. Can the litter tray live in the garden if it's covered?
4. Where do you buy cats from? Ideally we would like a kitten to grow with us a family.
5. I presume you teach them to use the litter tray. Do you need to teach anything else?

Thanks so much

They like covered ones better imo, definitely get one with a charcoal filter. I think it's cruel to only have an outside box but people do it.

You're making a lot of excuses not to get a rescue, get a purebred if you want but be honest about it. If you're really worried about longevity a moggie really is best.

Also, cats don't get as traumatised as dogs, when you made that comment I knew you were more of a dog person. I had a rescue who was afraid of men and also brooms for a few months, then he got over it and was fine.

Allergies not sure but they shed less if they get high quality food.

I was just about to say exactly this! It's not like getting a dog where you don't know what trauma might be in their past. Rescue kittens are often born in foster families or a rescue centre and will know nothing except human love and care, ie it's pregnant mum who will have been rescued. And even then it's not the same as a dog. Cats are pretty adaptable and soon learn who is their meal ticket 😉

I’m absolutely not an expert but for my DH, both DC and I, it has always been the case. Our latest kittens gave us itchy eyes and made us sneeze (and in my case, even wheeze a bit) for about three weeks.

We vacuumed their room (they were in one room for a fortnight) daily, washed our hands after handling them and a couple of times I did take an anti-histamine tablet.

We weren’t worried because, from past experience, we knew we would adjust to them. The DC and I can bury our noses in their fur without any reaction now. I expect DH could too, but he thinks that’s just weird behaviour on our parts!

Would a dog be better then, OP? It sounds like you've had one before.

I'm not sure I buy that rescue cats aren't as traumatised as rescue dogs.

Obviously every animal is different (and kittens are different again as they're so young) but we have a rescue cat who has lived with us for seven years and he's still frightened of strange men and will lash out when cornered or when one gets too close. He was kicked/hit by a man in his previous home. He's still wary of DH too.

He's absolutely fine with women and surprisingly excellent with children.

I'm not saying that to put people off rescuing, just to give another perspective really.

Cats protection, rspca, local rescues are all refusing to take on these poor strays who are starving.

I don’t know about cats protection & the RSPCA, but for small local rescues like the one I volunteer for it’s not won’t (we’d love to) but can’t, because we’re already over capacity and have had to close our doors to new arrivals just to survive.

OP, if you find a rescue where all the cats & kittens are fostered in volunteers’ homes the fosterers will be able to tell you all about what they’re like to live with and they’ll have a very good chance of matching you to the right cat.

Please do make sure you’re certain you can handle the allergy though. A pair of my foster kittens went to a lovely family, all great - and then they came back to me a week later because the daughter was allergic. The kittens were confused & stressed, the family were very upset.

Yes, exactly. I think many people don't understand just how much rescues are struggling right now. Food, vet care and basics like beds have all shot up in price, and many people can't afford to donate the time and money that they used to.

I follow a Foxhound rescue on Facebook and the owner is crying out for help - but nobody is interested in re-homing and she's had to close her doors to new intakes because she just can't afford to take on any other dogs. All the animals are fit and healthy and have minimal behavioural issues but nobody is interested.

You need a peewee.
Only to be used with pellets.
It has a bottom .. a sieve.. the cat pees and scratches then the pee goes into the bottom part.. no smell then.. you only scoop out the poo.. you hardly use any pellets and works out cheaper..
Mine is in the utility room.. but he had his injection/ castrated / chipped/ flead etc .. he does out in the day( and does some pees/ poos outside) but sleeps in at night.. l got him at 9 weeks .. he's now one year. I put him in the litter tray just once.. and he used it ever since..
I only got one cat.. thought he was a moggy but he's half maine coon.. ..

Peewee

@EmpressaurusDeiGatti sorry yes, wrong choice of word. It's because they are already too full. I've been on a waiting list for 5 months now. They are just too many, and that is why I made the decision to pay for a neuter until a rescue can take her in to rehome her.

My DD was allowed a sniff test at CP, basically bury your nose into their fur as though you are nuzzling them (but we had already chosen a happy and confident cat that wanted "kisses" - scrap that, she had already chosen us), or fuss them lots and wipe your face and nose with your hands immediately.

I will say that if you have already noticed you are allergic then maybe being a cat owner isn't for you. They do like sleeping on/in beds 😬

Definitely go to a rescue and see who you bond with. Kittens are overrated, so get a young adult cat. My pure breeds have been a nightmare. Gorgeous lonely cats. But stressful and expensive. Get a moggy!

sorry yes, wrong choice of word. It's because they are already too full. I've been on a waiting list for 5 months now. They are just too many, and that is why I made the decision to pay for a neuter until a rescue can take her in to rehome her.

That’s an incredibly kind thing for you to do, @AutumnFroglets.

Far too many irresponsible idiots are simply not bothering to neuter their cats, & then they assume that they can just hand kittens over to a rescue.

Just seen that you are allergic. In that case, don't do it.

Thanks everyone, I am listening.
Yes, @CocoapuffPuff - truthfully I love dogs, feel like I know and understand them more but DH really really doesn't like dogs and he's the WFH person who would be home with it 24/7. Both DC and DH are cat people but if we do it I want to make sure we do it right

The Purina LiveClear has helped us enormously. It had to be their only food and it isn't cheap but makes a difference. Won't eliminate allergy but reduces it

Thanks, I will definitely buy that if we go for it.

The allergy isn't due to how much hair they shed, it's due to a protein in their saliva.
I am allergic to cats. Growing up I was fine until I went to uni. I couldn't understand why I had a cold every time I went home.
We then got a cat & I was awful. The doctor told me to re-home it. In the end I didn't and after about 6 weeks the allergy disappeared. This has been the same with each new cat & 2 of my DCs are the same. I have to say I wouldn't get a cat now & the allergic DCs definitely wouldn't. They can't visit their sister for more than a couple of hours but are fine with ours still, unless they've been away from home for a while
Honestly? Don't get a cat.

Please don't rely on a type of food to prevent/minimise allergic reactions - cats are notoriously fussy and if they refuse to eat it, you're then stuffed.

And also at some point they may need specialist or prescription food for their own health.

Honestly hungry cats do eat eventually. Neither of mine loved it to start but if it's the only option they get on with it. It took one of them a while (I gradually mixed it with the food they came with from the rescue) but the other was no bother.

Again this is something that the rescue can advise, does the cat eat anything put in front of it or is it fussy. You could even give the foster some of the food to trial

@Andwegoroundagain believe me, they don't always eat.

And as PP said, what do you do if the cat is allergic or goes on to require a different specialist diet, like one for urinary crystals or kidney health?

OK thanks. I guess I should have just returned the cats to the rescue then and hope that someone else wanted to give a 7 and a 12 year old cat a home.

Incidentally, the older one did not eat at all well in rescue and they offered him about 10 x different types of food. He eventually got the message at mine and eats just fine. Where there is a will there is a way.

If they need a specialist diet THEN I'll make a decision, DC may have moved out. We may have desensitised. I may have to find an alternative medicine. There's always options.

I was just trying to help the OP. I wasn't actually asking for any advice regarding my own cats.

I wouldn't suggest a rescue adult to a first timer, but a young kitten would be fine-in my experience they don't internalise trauma the way puppies sometimes do. And, to be honest, a kitten from a breeder is as likely to have issues.

@Andwegoroundagain If you are determined to go ahead and get kittens not a slightly older cat (which I think you should btw - personality is easier to judge and you can choose one better suited to your family).

1. go to smaller rescues that mainly have mother cats & kittens in foster care. Kittens will be far better socialised with carers having a better knowledge of their little emergencies personalities that will best suit your family
2. get 2 kittens, far less hassle for you and better for the kittens as they do get lonely/need to play and will look to you for fill in the gap
3. be aware they won't be able to go out until fully vaccinated and neutered. (If you aren't up for indoor litter trays, don't get a cat - some still want to toilet inside even if they are outdoor cats. No guarantee re them using covered vs open tray - cats have opinions on these things).
4. cat proof your garden so they can't go out (or have indoor cats). This thread, Facebook & all forums are full of desperate, worried or devastated people posting about missing cats, injured cats, dead cats. If getting one is manly for your son, imagine how upset he'll be if the kitten goes missing never to return, is mauled by a dog, or is run over by a car.
5. insure your kittens. Check out cost now. Imagine kitten/cat needing major vet care and not being able to afford it. @Toddlerteaplease can verify 2 of her cats cost £25K! Luckily insured.
6. DO NOT buy a kitten as everyone else has told you. Too many risks of dodgy breeders and unwell kittens who could cost you a fortune in vet care, or worse end up dying young. Shorthair domestic moggie will be easiest (less fur to hoover up, less grooming needed by you, less chance of dirty bums than longhairs). Also please consider black kittens - black cats get adopted less and stay in rescue much longer. So sad as usually have lovely personalities.