DS keeps asking for a cat…

[BeenChangedForGood]

5yo DS. Only child and will remain so. Absolutely loves the idea of having a pet and asks if we can get a cat at least 10 times every week. Has done since he was 3.

I grew up with 2 house cats so I’m not a complete newbie cat owner but my home life as a child was very different to how my own family is now so want to make sure I’ve considered everything and that it’s a responsibility we could actually take on.

As a child, I had a SAHM and we couldn’t afford holidays so never had to think about care for pets etc.
DH and I both worth. He’s away for weeks at a time while I work part time (20 hours across 4 days) around the school runs etc.
We usually go on holiday twice a year - once for a week and one mon-fri Center Parcs trip of camping.

I’m assuming for that we would need to find a Cattery. We have local family but none that could take any pets for a week so they would only be able to pop in and out each day to feed rather than spend any time etc.

Other than cost of care (we can afford to feed/insure/vet care etc) and the cost of cattery care if we were to go on holiday - what else do I need to consider?

This is a lovely thought but as an owner of two cats and two rabbits, I can categorically say that rabbits are much harder pets to deal with that cats.
You can’t have a solitary rabbit, they must have a friend as they are herd animals. They need loads of space, ideally outdoors and as they are prey animals they hate being picked up so are pretty rubbish for pets children imo

A cat is a 15 to 20 year commitment @BeenChangedForGood If you're not sure, then don't get one.

A rabbit would need far more care. We have an auto cat flap, it lets her out at 6am then locks at 4. She has wet food twice a day and a bit of dry food. She doesn’t use the litter tray much, so easy to clean. We don’t use a battery-a cat sitter comes in twice a day and I adjust the cat flap so she’s only allowed out for a few hours. She’s very easy. We also got her as a retired breeder so no hassle with kittens scratching etc.

Hi , Agree with the great advice . Have a think about how safe where you live is too . Are you close to a busy road ? Would you be worried about a cat getting run over as have known a few cats this has happened too and it is obviously very upsetting for all and especially kids . I
have had a solo cat and two . Pros and cons of both . One is cheaper , but when having two I did like the idea of them keeping each other company . Ours got on for years then seemed to fall out !
Have a look at what pet sitters are available in your area and look at how busy they are . Do you know anyone with a cat already who would give you recommendations ?

I think most cats would prefer to stay in their own home . Most cats would be fine with someone popping in several times a day , but others might not . Especially if you only have one .
My kids grew up with our cats from kitten stage and I think that was a great bonding experience for them . This also helps to get them socialised to living in a family home . The ones we have had since kittens have been very affectionate , one possibly slightly more stand offish than the other . I am not sure if we have just been lucky .

Cats do have their own unique personalities and I have also had cats that are very aloof and don’t interact much , apart from when wanting fed .
I also currently have a” lap cat “ who is quite demanding of your attention .
Does your son have any experience of cats - through family / friends as you may have to moderate his expectations of what the cat may be like .
I do think it would equally be lovely to rescue a young cat as you will have perhaps a greater idea of their personality .
Good luck - whatever you decide - photos are obligatory x

I've never used a cattery, we have a neighbour who pops in twice a day. Do bear in mind that some organisations like the RSPCA and Cats Protection aren't always willing for a cat to go to a home with young children. You might be better trying a local independent rescue, as they can be more accommodating. If your get a cat from a rescue, the cat will have been vet checked, neutered/spay and chipped. You usually pay an adoption fee. You'll need a vet plan, so you can pay for flea/worming treatment and vet checks. Look for decent insurance too. Don't buy flea/worming treatment from supermarkets etc, always purchase vet recommended ones. Yes, they will be more expensive but they'll also be much more effective. We had two girl cats before my son was born, so he's always been used to them. He's 15 now, and our girl cats have now passed away. We have a 4 year old boy cat now, and my son adores him.

Yabu not to rescue 2 squishy dkittens for your family.
Every household needs them.
Ime.

Make sure you actually like cats before you get one. That was my mistake.

Cats are the best things since sliced bread, and I think kids who have and love pets learn so much about and from them, if he really wants one he will get more from it than money can buy really.

But I'd suggest getting two, maybe who were born in the last year/18 months rather than really small kittens, who can play with him and together and they can grow up together.

I'd also recommend visiting a nearby shelter to see if any of them catch his eye. Sometimes that's the best way as they have a habit of choosing their owners rather than the other way round.

We got our cats from RSPCA and they were fine with children so it is very branch dependent (as well as depending on the individual cat of course).

Big rescue charities get a bad rep on here but I had a fantastic experience with them and found them extremely sensible and quick to respond.

My SIL has cats and rabbits. The rabbits are way more labour intensive. They seem to get ill with monotonous regularity or just drop dead. One recently escaped and got eaten by a fox. The gory details being recorded on a security camera.

@BeenChangedForGood Have you sat him down and asked him why he wants a cat? What is it in particular that makes him want one so much? He might think it is going to be some sort of cuddly playmate he can play games with.

A confident adult rescue cat would be perfect for your set up. You'd already have an idea of its personality and the rescue can help pick a good match for your home.

Daily visits when you're away will be fine, twice a day even better.

A house without cats is just a house, not a home (imo). We had cats all our married life. DH didn't know he was a cat person until we got adopted by one nearly 50yrs ago. To begin with it was only one, then we got a boy and a girl who had been in a rescue centre for a while. They turned out to be absolutely gorgeous. Both were PTS a year apart and after a while we got two brothers who have turned out to be more troublesome. They are big prey hunters - big prey that is. A defeathered pigeon was dragged through the cat flap before being eaten, followed some time after by what we believe to be a rat. It was disemboweled before being eaten, and was quickly regurgitated onto our lovely cream carpet. Needless to say we were not impressed, and have adjusted our cats access to the house via a one way cat flap, so we can monitor what comes in.
The thing that surprised us most is how different cats 'personalities' are. Why wouldn't they be?! our first adoptee was so clever. He had always to have the last word when being told off with miaows getting more and more quiet until it became a lip curl only

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply ☺️ Your advice has been very helpful.

Im not going to go through tagging everyone individually but just to respond to a few points…

More than happy with a long term commitment to a pet - I got my cats when I was 4 and had them for 20 and 21 years so I’m definitely not looking at it being a short term commitment ☺️

I would also prefer 2 cats so they had company - go big or go home eh? 🤣 And would prefer to adopt.

We live in a nice quiet area on the edge of our town. Mainly small quiet roads.

I’m glad to hear all your responses about cattery not maybe being the best option - it was the thing that was making me feel uncomfortable to be honest 😂 id feel much more comfortable with someone coming to us a couple of times a day so thats the route we would go down. We definitely have family and friends that would do that - I just wasn’t sure which option would be best for the cats ☺️

Rabbit is a definite no-go. My cousin had rabbits growing up and I seen how much more maintenance they were than my cats. Plus - DH would probably run a mile if a rabbit so much as looked in his direction so that’s a no 🤣 DS is also very specific about cat!

Very good point about managing DSs expectations regarding different personalities in different cats. I think he’d be ok with that to be honest. He’s good (for a 5yo 😂) at understanding boundaries and other people’s feelings etc.
As for why he actually wants one - he hasn’t given a specific reason. He just says he’d love a pet to live in our house but that he really wants it to be a cat.

DH and I have had a good chat about it tonight - we have a couple of bits of work getting done to the house over spring/start summer next year which will mean lots of trades in and out constantly (one of which is happening while we’re away for a few days) so we definitely won’t be rushing into anything before then as I don’t think that would be fair on a new pet.
So I’m going to bench the idea for 6months or so until that’s all dealt with and then see if it’s still something that DS is talking about ☺️
I feel like it’s something we could definitely look at doing next year ☺️

Cats are lovely. I had a cat that lasted 20 years. I was 12 when we got him, 32 when he left. Get DS a CAT.