Adopting a cat

[Loub1987]

Hi all,

Considering adopting a cat (not sure if that’s the right wording), I’ve had cats when I was growing up and loved them so much, my children now really want a cat (5 and 2).

There is a lovely older cat (12) at the local cat charity.

However, we have a holiday planned over the summer (1 week), so the cat would need to go to care for that.

I suppose my question is really what should I be considering. Obviously, I’ve considered insurance and health etc but any other advice would be great. Also would a holiday so quick be too much.

I think it’s great that you want to adopt an older cat but with a two year old I don’t think it’s a good idea. And I’d be very surprised if a cat charity would agree to it. Try waiting for a few years.

We adopted our boy last year from Cats Protection. Here they often have cats who are suitable to be homed with children, so I wouldn’t say it’s an absolute no-go with little ones.

We had just lost our previous cat (pts with cancer) so already had a load of cat kit here. CP give a month’s free insurance so I sorted a policy to kick in the day before that ended, and we registered him with our vet, which is also the vet CP use for vaccinations, so that was all straightforward. We got him the food he was on in foster care (Whiskas) but quickly transitioned him onto better stuff, and also stuck with the litter he was on. He arrived with his litter tray, a blanket, a feeding bowl, and some toys, and we bought him a new cat tree, bed etc plus new dishes, although we do still use some of the ones our previous girl had. We had other litter trays here which we kept for him but he generally uses “his” one or now goes outside. Once he settled we got to know what he likes in terms of toys (stuffed mice, little balls) and treats (loves “chicken yoghurts” which our girl wouldn’t touch) and also that he’s a terrible food thief so things like Dreamies need to be in a sealed Tupperware!

Re holidays we’re lucky that MIL is a cat person and is happy to come twice a day and feed/fuss/do litter etc. We haven’t yet been away with this cat, but actually are next month, so I hope he’s okay!

I think I would be inclined to wait until you are back from your holiday, otherwise it’s going to be very confusing for the cat. Also as PP said I would probably be looking for a younger cat, a 12 year old will soon be wanting a quieter life with plenty of undisturbed snoozes! My 2 are 11 and sleep for most of the day now. A good rescue will advise on the right cat for your family. Good luck!

A good rescue should be able to say which of their cats will do well with children. I’d ask to be guided by them as to which cat will be a good fit with your family.

We adopted 2 cats when our youngest was 2 and it was fine. The rescue thought the cats would be fine with a toddler. He was a fairly calm
toddler I suppose.

I’m surprised people are saying a 12yo cat is too old to be around a 2yo child - I’ve looked after lots of cats of that age (it’s part of my job) and they’re all still as active as ever.

Thanks all that is really helpful. Discussed it with DH last night and we have decided we will be adopting an older cat (guided by the cat charity on suitability) but are going to wait till after summer as we don’t want to upset the cat in their first few months of settling in by going on holidays.

My kids will be very excited!

i have started fostering and I’m so happy your taking on an older cat. It breaks my heart when you see the kittens get so many enquiries and the older ones have nothing. Same with black cats they get overlooked all the time 🥺 if your anywhere near South Yorkshire we have some gorgeous cats looking for homes!

Okay, so we did it! Adopted the 12 year old beauty. Day one, she seems to be adapting well. The kids are dealing well (with a lot of supervision and the cat having her own room to escape to). Sorted out family cat care in our house for our holiday in August.

Thanks all for the advice etc ☺️

Erm - aren't you forgetting something? Cat tax! We need pictures of the new addition!!!

That’s fantastic! Congratulations.