What to think about when considering a cat?

[Esgaroth]

We recently moved from a little flat to a semi with our own garden and I've been giving more serious consideration to getting an animal and I think a cat could be a good fit for our family. However I haven't had a cat since I was a child so very little experience and don't know what to think about.

We have two children aged 7 and 9 who are very good at being calm and gentle around animals. Our new house is in a quiet neighbourhood and backs onto a pedestrian path and park. There are lots of cats around.

I work at home so am not often out for more than a few hours but of course we do go away sometimes and then we'd need someone to pop in and feed the cat. Is this OK? We definitely used to do this with my childhood cats but they were very very pleased to see us when we got home so not sure if it's still considered OK?

I think I'd want to get an adult cat so that the personality is somewhat known and we can have just one that we know prefers being an only cat.

I've heard if you get kittens you should get at least 2 for socialisation and company but then they might not get on as adults. I remember this happening with the two brothers we had when I was little - they were best mates as babies but then they completely ignored each other and when one died the other was so much happier and more confident.

Does this sound like a realistic plan, to adopt a youngish adult? Are rescue cats often traumatised with behavioural problems like rescue dogs can be? Are there general differences between males and females? What else to think about?

Theo cats is wonderful. Some rescue cats can be traumatised, but it does depend on their background. Three if the five I've had, had rough starts and it shows. Compared to the ones that didn't. But they were all wonderful cats. Go to a rescue and see who you bond with.

Resign your self to the fact that you are no longer in charge of your house. The cat is. And you will pander to their every whim.

Get the best insurance you can.
Cats are just amazing, you'll never regret getting one.

Two-*

Your cat will be very annoying, waking you up early, knocking things off shelves, scratching things. You will find a food they like, buy a box of 60 then they will stop eating it. You will have cat hair on everything.

I still love mine to bits though and I wish I had 2, we looked after her brother last week and after the initial hissing they played together so well.

When you go away, it isn't always feasible to ask someone to come in twice a day to feed them, spend time with them and change the litter tray, unless it is just overnight or for a short break. For a fortnight's holiday that would be a big ask, and cats are usually better off in a cattery for that length of time.

If it’s for as long as a fortnight, I’d either do cattery or a pet sitter who can stay in your home.

If you have a local rescue where volunteers foster the cats in their homes, they’ll be able to tell you all about what they’re like to live with & find you a good match.

I'm sure two cats who get on well are wonderful, but I did feel sorry for the longer surviving brother out of the pair we had when I was a child because he was like a totally different cat once his brother was dead. Sounds harsh but I think he'd been living under his thumb and he was soooo much happier - we thought he was just the independent type because he was hardly ever in but it became apparent that he'd just been avoiding his brother and was actually an incredibly friendly cat by nature.

I'm a bit wary of taking that risk with a pair of littermates!

We adopted an 18 month old boy after our 10-year-old girl had to be PTS as she had cancer. He is much more high energy than she was, and can be a little pest, but despite having a rough start (he was an abandoned kitten sleeping in a shed, then surrendered by the person who found him after a year of living with them) he is a good boy and we love him! He’s been with us about four months now and I would say it took three months for him to totally settle - but it was a pleasure seeing him change a little bit every week and grow in confidence.

Agree with pp about getting good insurance - we spent thousands having our girl diagnosed but thankfully could claim it back. From the get-go this fella has been shut in the kitchen at nights because otherwise it’s a paw in the face at dawn. He has a comfy bed (which he does sleep in), food, water, litter tray and a wicker basket of toys in there so nothing coming over him - that would be another tip from me! Both our cats have loved being brushed, but still lint rollers are an essential here.

We’ve not been away with this cat but MIL used to come in morning and night to feed/fuss so I expect we would do the same.

fleas

cat hair everywhere

dead mice and dead birds brought into the regularly (my cat is one per week, my frinds 2 cats bring mice nearly everyday and rip them up and leave them all over house.
Decimation of the wildlife in your neighbourhood, killing of many butterfly and moths in your garden. Pooing in your neighbours vegetable patches (nearest 10 gardens at least). This may really piss your neighbours off.

If they turn out to be a fighter you will spend 100's at the vet every other month or so.
My cat has had a scratched eyeball, a scratched gum and a bitten ear this year - all became infected, I've spent about £900 at the vets so far and it's only August.

Obviously, two cats will cost you twice as much.

You can get one kitten and pay it the right attention it won't feel lonely.

Things to consider:

1. Allergies. Test your family out by rubbing a friends cat all over their faces and see if they get itchy or sneezy. If so a cat may not be wise because spring and summer will be a hateful experience for them.
2. Avoid psycho cats. Bengals look cool, but they're nuts. Go for a bog standard short hair moggy.
3. Sign up with a Vet and get it snipped and chipped. Vets will probably try to get you onto a monthly plan to get flea/tick/worm treatment. But you can buy the same stuff on the internet for cheaper. Just remember to do it regularly.
4. Feed it good quality food, not cheap crap. I use Catz Finefood but there's other good stuff out there on internet - check out Zooplus. Also get a catfeeder that spreads meal time throughout the day like Cat Mate 500.
5. When first bringing it into the house, don't overwhelm it. Introduce it to one room to live in for a week, then open up the house a bit more for exploring. Don't let it outside until it's totally at home inside the house.
6. Get a collar with a bell to give birds and rodents a chance to get away. Introduce the cat to wearing a collar the first time you let them outside. Remove the collar when they come in. Soon they will associate outside with wearing a collar, so the collar becomes a good thing to wear.
7. Don't install a catflap. You be in control of when the cat comes and goes.

After suffering through a mouse infestation in our old flat I would actually appreciate a mouser. Though of course I know it's unpleasant to be brought the little corpses.

I once lived with a roommate's cat who half killed a bird, brought it inside, and the poor thing flapped everywhere spattering blood. It was horrific. So yes I know about that side of cat ownership!

Definitely no allergies here. We have a neighbour's cat who is a regular guest and loves cuddles. I expect she wouldn't be best pleased if we did get our own, but she does have her own house after all.

@Esgaroth I had similar with two sisters that were supposed to be bonded. But one was very dominant. Her sister blossomed when she died. Abs she got on brilliantly with my next cat. It's not going as well
With my current pair.

Are boys more likely to fight than girls?

So much with a cat is literally luck of the draw- our cat went from indoor cat to outdoor cat to indoor cat. We had four cats and some got on, others properly fought, same with our neighbour’s cats and most around here so not sure getting two is necessary unless they come together.

Our cat is a friendly loveable cats at times but when she’s too happy she’ll suddenly bite(😅), the kids know this! (Love her and she’s a legend though!!)

One of our cats left us after three years and now happily lives down the road😭 due to our current cat bullying her

Cats will decide to come in, go out, come in again do you’re literally little more than a doorman😅

A word of warning if you do go away a lot our cats disappear when we haven’t been about for about a day- we’ve gotten apologetic texts to say they can’t find them when we’ve gone away for three or four days. As a result this year she went to a cattery and got a phone call day 4 to say she hadn’t eaten or drank anything. We nearly came home but then she picked up but still came home thinner.

A few people have mentioned catteries but that’s not an option with our rescue cat - the one time we tried he was very stressed and traumatised. We have to get house sitters to stay and keep him company.

We don't go away very frequently. Usually every other Christmas (family abroad) and one summer holiday. Maybe one Easter in four. So between 1 and 3 trips per year. But we can be away for as long as 10 days to a fortnight for those.

I had imagined hiring a local teenager or someone to come in once a day to feed and check, not asking anyone to do it as a favour. But is that not a realistic idea?

Once a day is not nearly enough, especially if it’s 10 days or more. Even if the cat isn’t particularly social. You’d really need to factor in the cost of a residential sitter or at the very least someone who would come in two or three times a day & play with the cat if it wants, as well as doing the maintenance.

OK that is good to know, thank you very much!

Whether once a day is enough (or not) will really depend on the cat. There's really no hard and fast rule.

I work as a cat-sitter and while most people want twice a day, some are perfectly happy with once and the cats are just fine. More sociable cats are likely better with two visits, but nervous cats often do better with one visit a day as it's much less stressful for them.

I have three cats myself and have twice daily visits when we go away, but that's mainly because my oldest is on a diet and can't be free-fed, and we don't have enough timed/chipped feeders for all three of them

Absolutely agree that with holidays it depends on the cat. But in the main cats prefer their own routine and habitat. They just love things in their usual place, as you see if you bring anything new into a room. Even more timid cats tend to have more trust in a sitter as they have passed an invisible pre-approval test by being inside their house. But unless you have a friend who will visit or stay, it will add to the cost of all holidays.

Unneutered males are the most likely to fight, but my neutered male would happily fight any cat who dares to come into our garden.

The biggest costs are vets costs. I pay about £80 for vaccinations and now have my older cat on a plan for £40 a month that includes all visits but my younger cat doesn't need it as she doesn't have any health problems. You will have to neuter the first year if it hasn't already been done at the rescue.

I agree about getting good insurance. It cost me close to £1000 for an out of hours visit, oxygen, blood test and xrays but luckily got about £700 back. Vets bills can be huge even for something relatively minor.

As a pp suggested, if you go to a rescue that uses foster homes for their cats you should get a really good indicator of their behaviour.

Bonded older cats can work well.

If you have neighbours with cats you may be able to establish a reciprocal arrangement for any holidays. If they're only next door, popping in a couple of times a day isn't too onerous.

If there are several cats in the neighborhood, make sure you get a microchip controlled catflap (if you intend to have one) else you'll be feeding all of them.

They will randomly go off the food you buy.

Everything will be covered in cat hair.

If they vomit, it will be on the carpet/rug, not the hard floor.

They will wrap you around their little paws and you won't mind a bit most of the time.

Thank you all again for all the great advice and expertise. I think we are 90% convinced on the cat idea. We can afford the expense of insurance, extra vet bills, day to day care, holiday care, etc.

I am sure we will be able to find some solution that works for trips, whether that's a cat sitter or a cattery.

If we go ahead we will certainly go to a rescue and ask for a cat that will suit us. There are a few locally that we can try. We are having renovations at the moment so it will all have to wait for a while as I'd want a calm home to introduce a new animal to, but I am feeling more and more sold on the idea.

We have a lovely cat friend who lives nearby and every time she pops in for a visit I wish we had our own! (NB we don't feed her! She just comes in to say hi once a week or so). Look at her pretty little face 😍

Just submitted an application to a local shelter, eek. I feel as if I've put up a dating profile or something, nervous and excited.

Hopefully they have a cat that would be a good fit for us! 🤞

I hope you don’t have to wait too long.
Definitely get your cat a health insurance; vet bills can be extremely high.

We are also thinking of getting a cat so reading with interest.

Just as a really basic question, what is your daily routine like with a cat?