Thinking of getting a cat

[Loubelou71]

I'm thinking of getting a cat to help my son. He's a young adult and is very introverted but has recently said how much he loves cats. My other son mentioned wanting a cat a few years ago but now I'm starting to consider the benefit for my oldest son and that it might bring him out of his shell a bit. I've been researching RSPCA and looking at local breeders.
Is there any advice you could give me? I'm concerned about cost of looking after them, I don't seem to have a location where I could put in a catflap so things I'm sure I could overcome. But any thoughts would be welcome if you can

If you want a cat that is going to be a good companion for your sons, I would consider looking for a Siamese, or a cat with that type of sociable personality (of any breed). If you think that type of personality would fit your family, it will help the rescue centre match you with potential cats.

North west...I've found the RSPCA and Cats Protection. I want to make sure I'm using the right places.

Thank you. My eldest has anxiety so I'm hoping having a pet around will be a good support for him.

Thanks for this. I will take a look.

Thank you for this. It's very helpful to give me a clear idea of budget.

I'm not sure anyone would get a cat thinking that was the outlay. I'm sure when you got your cat you hadn't expected that either so although I need to consider that I'm sure that is more the negative side of what can happen rather than the vision.
I'll definitely consider this carefully though. Thanks for your response.

You might get a cat who's an arsehole though....not remotely speaking from experience....

But yes, food is the cheap bit, I reckon 15 a week for 2, litter is about 6 a week, big bags of catsan from amazon last over a fortnight. Flea treatment 13 per month from May to November.

And then the initial outlay on covered litter tray. Don't bother with a cat bed, they'll ignore it, see also the scratching post.

Be resigned to hoovering a lot! Or get a robot hoover, I really only got mine for the cats....

I agree with this - we racked up over £3k in vet bills in a week when our last lovely cat was diagnosed with incurable cancer aged ten. That was just for the tests. Then we had her pts and a private cremation which was several hundred more. Fortunately we had good insurance, but did we get her expecting any of that? Absolutely not! I do think it’s useful to know what can happen though. When we adopted our boy he came with a month of insurance via Cats Protection, and you can bet your life I had a new policy in place for the day before that ended.

Blue Cross is another UK wide one. Branches all over the place. Ours came from there.

I have cats. One is a rescue and would bring stress to an anxious person as she’s so aloof and a nightmare traditional pet - but we love her idiosyncratic behaviour. The other is a total floof ball, completely stupid and the most loving thing ever. You never quite know what you’ll get. Be warned!!

Biggest expense for me that you need to consider is cat sitter/cattery if you go away. They are independent in a sense but do need looking after if you go away for more than a night. I was just away for 3 weeks and it cost £700.

Whereabouts in the country are you? There are loads of cat rescue charities run entirely by volunteers. Unlike RSPCA and Cat Protection who pay high salaries to executives etc. Please look at your local rescue charities as they will have huge numbers of cats and very little money.

Even though they can be an expense I love my cat so much. He is worth every penny to me. They are great companions and if you treat them with kindness and love them they will return that love. Don't let people tell you negative things about them. There are a lot of cat haters on the internet. If you earn the love of a cat then you are a great person.

Lancashire - Cat Chat

Thank you so much for your response. I'm involving my son in looking for our cat I hope this will help them develop a bond. Not sure if that will work but hopefully.

If the rescue doesn't have a suitable cat, you can always go to a reputable breeder.

I don't think that anyone should feel guilty for going for this option if it turns out to be the right thing for your family.

This. So many cats have been abandoned and need a loving home. If you want to have an indoor cat that never goes outside you could consider a cat with FIV as it wouldn't be able to spread infection to other cats. Having a cat purr or make buiscuits on you is so lovely. It makes you feel so loved.

Ours is a rescue cat he was about 5 when we got him. He was one of a gang of five uneutered Tom cats. A soppier more gentle cat you couldn’t get. He loves people and will often seek out someone who needs a cuddle when we have visitors. An older cat you can tell their temperament. However he has got noisier and more eccentric over time developing his character and voice. He is very greedy but has a sachet morning and night plus some biscuits and treats.

Someone posted this before and we got our rescue from a small private rescue within a fortnight! They are often a lot more flexible about where you live, whether cat goes out, who is in the household etc
From my experience a cat will be a brilliant pet for your son so it’s a great idea.

The rescues are inundated with cats and kittens. There is no need to go to a breeder.

I specifically stated that if the rescues don't have a suitable cat.

They will. Breeders need to be outlawed.

If you can’t find a suitable cat in a rescue, look for another rescue. Every day there are so many cats rescued from squalor who need loving homes. They have all ages and all kinds of cats.

I'm going to disagree with you (TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne) there. I don't personally support a total ban.

I would absolutely ban kitten farms (my Mau was rescued in utero from a kitten farm, so I know that pedigree cats are also rescued). I support TNR for feral cats. I do think there is a place for well-bred and good-quality pedigree cats, though.

I'm just not personally that dogmatic about having a rescue cat or no cat, especially if the owner/family has a special need that needs to be taken into account.

I'm going to be provocative here and say that I'm not sure a cat is the right choice for a support animal for a child with anxiety anyway.
Cats can be loving, empathetic and gentle, but they can also be aloof, grumpy and downright mean. It's part of their charm that they are always and entirely true to themselves, but it also means that you can't rely on them to do what you need them to do, to meet your needs. I have read a few posts on here, where anxious children have ended up scared of a new pet cat, rather than comforted by it.
Even adult cats with supposedly more predictable personalities can change completely in a new environment. Marvin - who was two and half when we go him- was described by the rescue as quiet and calm. In his own domain, he's a noisy, highly strung despot! Maybe think about something like a Chinchilla or Guinea Pig which would be easier to care for and more predictable.

I’d say that’s all the more reason to go to a rescue where the cats are all fostered in volunteers’ homes.

I had 8 of them over the 2 years before I adopted & I could tell you which were lap cats, which liked meeting new people, which would try to kill the hoover & which would hide from it…. small everyday things you just can’t tell about cats who live in rescues.

Thanks for this. I'll take a look.