I think I want to adopt a cat but I’ve never had a cat before and I have questions!

[Pigeonqueen]

Please be kind, some of my questions might seem daft 🙈

I’ve only ever had Guinea pigs before - many, many of them in a huge indoor cage, and I loved them to bits but my health is declining now (lupus, joint issues) and bending down on my hands and knees to clean the huge cage out was becoming very hard for me. Over time the herd became less and less and I sadly lost my very last one 3 weeks ago 😞. (Old age).

So…. Now I am Guinea pig free, and I’m thinking I’d like a cat. But I don’t know a lot about actually the day to day stuff of caring for a cat. I’m googling and watching you tube stuff etc. And I’d like to rehome rather than get a kitten I think (although open to a kitten through a rescue I guess).

The main things I’m confused about are -

If my hypothetical cat has a cat flap and can go in and out as it pleases (we’re in rural Norfolk) do I still need a litter tray?

Is getting an air tag collar a good idea?

Insurance - there’s a difference between costs for the same age of cat depending on whether it’s male (more expensive) or female (cheaper), why is this?

Are kittens easy to litter train? Or am I better to go for an older cat, maybe around 2 years ish?

Really going back and forwards on this and want to make the right choices for the cat and us all. (No other pets now, I can’t work due to disabilities so home a lot, Ds aged 13 and dd aged 21 who is at university most of the time and a dh who works full time).

Just my individual input
Never owned a cat. Had a rescue dog for 13 years.
wanted an easier pet. Saw an indoor cat on Cats Protection - 5 years old.
She’s the easiest, most well behaved Angel we ever could have welcomed in our lives. 10% the effort of a dog, but all the same joy.

I always had cats growing up, and all of them preferred to toilet in a dug over area in the garden rather than inside, so the litter tray barely got used once they were adults.

I also had various small pets growing up (though not guinea pigs) and cats are a lot easier to care for. In terms of reward to effort I think they are the ideal pet.

A good rescue centre will try to match you with the cat who is right for you and will let you visit and get a feel for their personality.

I’ve been without cats as an adult till a couple of months ago but now they are back in my life I’m realising how much I missed having them and how comforting a presence they are in the home. There is nothing nicer than the sound of a purring cat!

Im a doggy person, Ive never liked cats, seriously they have never been the pet of choice

Then a good few years ago, I had to PTS another beloved dog and I went - no more, A few week after - I needed a pet

So we got a rescue cat,

We saw loads , and this was the baby who was needed in our lives. He didnt want to be sat on us, rubbing his tail under my nose, plucking - all traits I hated

How we introduced , we put the litter tray in the bathroom and put his feed in the room we wanted him to sat to sleep. Litter tray across the hall, bathroom door just left a wee bit open do he could smell and get through the space

Cats love a deep dish litter tray. Pile it up, clean daily, ( you get a sieve shovel ) top uo every few days . A kittle will be looking for somewhere to poo and bury so automatically use a tray - its getting the depth that is trail and error

If getting a kitten, and going to work, ensure you put the loo seats down

Cats are nocturnal , expect to be woken early for feed, and then for it to sleep most of the day, looking food again and then heading out.

We have a cat flap and the wee bugger still expects door service

Cats can be easy but may have their quirks. We adopted an 8yo cat who had never lived in a home environment - always in an outdoor pen/shed and used for breeding. Shes an absolute delight but there are times she struggles with the litter tray and will sometimes pee on the sofa overnight, especially if out of routine as we were over Christmas with people staying. We’ve got round that by ensuring we have a waterproof sheet under a throw on the sofa in case of accidents, and she’s such a happy little thing I could never regret bringing her home. Shes 14.5 now and has had a good second half of her life.

I am loving reading your replies and stories about your cats.

I quite like the idea they tend to be more independent than dogs. I need to have quite a lot of rest and I’m hoping to find a lazy ish cat who is happy to rest alongside me. But equally dh and Ds are around to provide a bit of play and “life” as necessary - and cleaning out a litter tray is not really an issue for any of us, the Guinea pigs cage was 6ft by 4ft (!) so a smaller tray would be very welcome!

So we will see how we go!

Consider just having it be an indoor cat. If it roams it will be vulnerable to predators and will needlessly kill birds.

My cat lived a very happy 18 years indoors, going out for strolls on a lead.

The good thing about playing with cats is that it doesn’t require much mobility. If you get a cat wand you can do all the play from sitting down while they do all the exercise.

Even young cats spend quite a lot of time resting in between their high energy sessions. And even affectionate cats are still quite independent.

Kittens are mad and can be quite stressful by haring around at top speed a lot and causing damage to your house.

Older cats are calmer and more relaxing company.

Cats and kittens alike will normally be litter trained from the start, they are pretty good like this.

I would go for a cat that is 18 months or older as it's easier to see their personality and you miss the kitten stage which whilst cute is overall too stressful for my liking!

Cats are amazing for your well being, Enjoy!

You might get a cat with no concept of personal space. Resting while they make biscuits on your face at 3am is tricky. 🤣

This is an old photo which others here will have seen before.
The moral is be very careful what you wish for in terms of lap cats - they are a procrasinator's dream. 🤣

In our household when you have the furry overlord resting or leaning on you, you are henceforth declared ‘incapussitated’ and other members of the household are obliged to serve you with tea/coffee/wine in recognition of your services to felinekind.
Sounds like this there’s plenty of opportunity for incapussitation in your house, grumpy!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats same in my house and my parents. Unfortunately both Penelope and my parents cat prefer my mum to me. So I have to move.

Our house rules too - including the use of the word 'incapussitated' 😁

I adopted a mother and nursing kitten pair about 9 years ago, and they were a joy. The kitten was silly and playful, but mamma kept her on the straight and narrow, taught her how to be a cat. We had 2 litter trays in the house and access to outdoors, the kitten grew up preferring using the flower bed as her toilet, she will only use the litter tray if it's raining outside. Sadly the mum passed away when she was only 3, but we still have her kitten (all grown, obvs) and she's the most chilled out cat you could ever meet. I'm sure it's because she lived with her mum for so long - we have other cats who were adopted as kittens who are very neurotic in comparison.

Cats are mostly fantastic, often bastards, and will quickly steal your heart. 😺

You won't regret that. Our snuggly needy older rescue cat was with us for seventeen years - a member of the family and incredibly loving and attentive.

I’ve also taken in a couple of strays,both were in a bad way. They were the most loving creatures and really appreciated a warm home. Such a shame when people don’t neuter and microchip their cats.

@Pigeonqueen its been a few years since I had a cat and even longer since I was looking to get one. In my head I went to the local rescue with an idea of a 1-3 year old cat being ideal. We were allowed to engage with all the cats and as I stood back and watched my son interacting, I heard a little sigh from the cage next to me. I turned round and found an older (8-10) year old tabby recovering from surgery to remove an eye. I apologised for ignoring her, she started to purr and to be honest from that point she was mine, we collected her later that week. So I suppose I'm just saying even if you have an idea in your mind of what you are looking for, sometimes things are just meant to be. She lived a long and happy life (till she was about 18) with me, she did have some health issues as she aged, we had insured her on a covered for life plan which was ideal.

Hope you find the right cat for you!

We adopted our feline overlord from cats protection. He has FIV and so many people overlooked him because of it. He is adorable, the kids love him and while his condition is not entirely predictable he stands a good chance at a long and healthy life, he is currently doing well.

I’ve spent the afternoon contacting all the local cat rescues and filling out their adoption forms 😬🙈😁 so we will see what comes up! I’m actually really nervous as well as excited. I think that’s a good thing. I really want to provide a nice home for the right cat. 🤞

Re "If my hypothetical cat has a cat flap and can go in and out as it pleases (we’re in rural Norfolk) do I still need a litter tray?"

No, but you may want one just in case, we used to lock our cat in at night as night was when they got into cat fights! So, at night they had a cat flap.

Is getting an air tag collar a good idea?

We got one and our cat was very resistant and took if off! He was chipped so any vet knew where he was from.

Insurance - there’s a difference between costs for the same age of cat depending on whether it’s male (more expensive) or female (cheaper), why is this?

*No idea, except maybe male cats get into more fights. my one BIG bit of advice is get lifetime insurance. Because if not, every year you renew if any medical conditions have occurred, you will not be allowed to add them.

Cats make great pets, we have a dog and a cat.

Good luck! Don't overlook the shy ones. They may be wonderful when they come out of their shell.

Dcat 1 is outside alot of the time and toilets out there, we made a raised bed behind the shed and originally put the compostable litter from the litter tray knit when he was small and now it's just soil but he still uses it and I just turn it over occasionally. He has never been much of a hunter at least never brings anything home. He is prone to bladder crystals though.

DCat 2 is a rescue, was a hunter and used to enjoy bringing me live frogs at 2am from the pond, since a neighbour moved in with 5 cats she only goes outside when I do, she is generally very nervous and jumps at her shadow. She is allergic to everything including flea treatment and fleas which is a fun combo.

Litter tray is needed not as DCat 2 uses it and DCat 1 will use it if the weather is particularly bad. Cheap clumping odour free litter seems to be their preferred litter of choice ATM. You need one limiter tray per cat + 1.

Collars aren't advised as they can be dangerous for cats.
How rural are you, there are some fairly busy backroads around my bit of Norfolk and even though the houses are surrounded by fields the roads can be more of an issue than my sleepy residential area.

Cars just seem to 'know' about litter trays. They don't really need to be trained like a dog or a child.

Our previous cat went to the loo outside come what may, but the current one is a fair weather only cat. So we have to have a litter tray just in case she doesn't fancy the weather on any given day (she has a cat flap).

Both our cats have been rescues. We got this one when she was 8. She's 12 now. She has a cat flap that reads her microchip so other cats can't come in.

I'm not a fan of collars. Too much risk of them getting caught on stuff.

And when you first get your cat, you need to keep them in for longer than 2 weeks; even if they seem desperate to go out, you must try not to be tricked into letting them. Four to six weeks is best really, so they totally know your home is their home.

Cats are much easier than guinea pigs.
Litter tray to start with, you may be able to get rid when the cat starts going out.The cat will let you know. ( Basically they will stop using it if they prefer to go outside).
Kittens tend to be litter trained by their mothers. I have never had a kitten not be litter trained.
Only up keep is to regularly flea and worm treatment ( get this from vet). Yearly jabs.
The cat will let you know about food preferences and you can discuss meal times with the cat also. They tend to be quite opinionated about when they get fed. Oh good news you may never need to set an alarm clock again. 😂.
Cats are truly fantastic pets they can bond very strongly to their people and are very different with family than the aloof image they present to strangers.
Have fun.

The cat will let you know about food preferences and you can discuss meal times with the cat also. They tend to be quite opinionated about when they get fed.

Oh yes. Cats tend to be absolutely brilliant at communicating their wants and preferences.