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

@TemporaryCatSlave not sure you meant to tag me? I'm not the OP! I already have my cats

Sorry. Fat fingers and bad eyesight clearly! Hopefully the Op is still reading.

I don't think the OP was getting answers she wanted

What answers did you think I wanted and what made you make such a sweeping unnecessary comment? I've fully engaged and been respectful throughout the thread?

There are no stupid questions, it's good to ask and get advice. One of my favourite ever threads was someone asking for advice about what time to put her kittens to bed in the evening! It was a great question with incredibly cute answers. I think it was titled "Bedtime for Kittens?"

Ha, that's so cute and thank you. I really do just want to do the best if we were to go ahead. I've decided we will spend time with other cats first, see how allergic I am now (it's been 20 years since I was last around cats) and see where we go from there. It might not work out but I wanted to consider it properly. Thanks again to everyone.

OP please remember that each cat produces a different amount of the protein in their saliva. I have only 1 of 3 cats that triggers my DS allergy.
Clearly good idea to check if you are hyper sensitive but the key is to check with the cat you want!

That’s another reason to look for a rescue where all the cats are fostered in volunteers’ homes though - they’ll have a much better idea of personalities & who would be a good fit.

You need two kittens or cats.

You should get them from a rescue centre. Expect to pay an adoption fee rather than a price for the cat itself.

You can't keep litter trays outside as they aren't watertight.

You don't actually need to train cats to use a litter tray they will already know how to do this.

If you're allergic to cats you can't get a cat.

There are some extremely expensive cats bred to be hypoallergenic but they are thousands of pounds.

Consider a different pet if you're allergic.

Watching...

@Andwegoroundagain I wasn't trying to
give you advice, just asking what people with allergies who rely on their cats eating a specific diet would do if those cats needed another diet for their own health.

Does anyone know whether being asthmatic predisposes you to a cat allergy? Thanks.

The only cat breeds I can think of that don't shed hair are the hairless ones.

If you have a cat, they're going to shed fur, so if you're allergic, a cat may not be the pet for you as even the short haired variety shed.
Also, cats can be very independent, so if this pet is designed to be a friend for the kids, be aware you literally will have no idea if any new cat will need the cuddly type that enjoys lots of petting. Some do, some don't.
Get a tortoise?

Very true.
It seems to be my experience that female cats are often the shy ones and males the confident.
Whether that holds true for the majority or not, I have no idea.

Yes adopt don’t shop if possible and you can rescue unwanted kittens too 💜

as for the litter tray they will know what to do you don’t need to teach them as long as they are old enough to leave mum.

also they have to be kept inside for a while while they grow and have injections but once they have access to outdoors they won’t need a litter tray out there they will sort themselves out

I've discovered today that our local Cats Protection has 20 kittens ready and waiting for adoption with a lot more waiting to be born or too young atm. All the local rescues are drowning in kittens and young cats. Rescue is the way to go, never ever buy (in case anyone else is reading).

@Mercedeslense I was told by a specialist asthma nurse that if cat allergy does trigger your asthma, it is one of the most potent allergens and you are likely to react badly

I'm asthmatic with a long list of allergies but fine with cats and dogs. Nurse was surprised I wasn't triggered by cats so I think that reflects how much time she spent talking about cat allergy in asthma clinic.

On the subject of litter trays, mine have an outdoor one with a roof. Started off with it indoors without the roof, after a few weeks I put the roof on, and when they got used to that I moved it outside. If they need the toilet they go out the cat flap, do their business in the outside loo, then come back in again, good as gold. It's one of the best things I've ever bought!