General / Off-Topic thinking of getting a cat, any advice?

[Riedquat]

HI,

My Wife and I are thinking of getting a Cat, a Kitten to be precise.

She has had a cat or two in the past a long time ago, but I have never had a cat, I grew up with a Dog, I am an animal lover though, I have had dogs, fish, snakes, rabbits at various point in my life.

Any Cat owners got any advice for a potential new owner?,

My assumptions about cats before doing much research..

* They are more independent than dogs, so can be left to come and go as they please - is this the case?

* They can be left on their own when you go on holiday for a week or so - I would never leave a Dog alone, so not sure if this is something I would do with a cat, but I assume they are happy doing their own thing, can they be left if a neighbour is feeding them?

 

[Cody]

Short answer: yes!

Being owned by a cat is a great joy!

 

[alexios]

I'm a part-owner of a dog and human slave of three cats (currently).

Cats are considerably more independent and opinionated than dogs, but just as much fun. It's not so much you can leave them alone, it's that if you pester them too much they'll cut your arms to ribbons.

We have two proper house-cats and a semi-stray one, all rescues. We can leave the semi-stray alone for a week or so because she has two homes on the same property. She goes upstairs when she's had enough of us (or the other two cats). The proper house-cats grew up as house-cats. They go out whenever they please but never for long, and we always either take them with us when we travel, or leave them at a cat hotel.

They're also great with feeding. They have bowls of food available at all times, and they only eat when they need to. My dog would eat any and all foodstuffs in the general vicinity until he fainted from the food coma. And has.

In the past, we've had other strays who used our flat as a temporary home, and they definitely did their own thing. They could be gone for days, until they felt the need for our particular type of cat food or a big fluffy cushion.

So it depends a lot more than with dogs. They're all different, and they're all weird. But I think you'll get used to the habits of the particular cat in no time.

 

[Joe Spivey]

HI,

My Wife and I are thinking of getting a Cat, a Kitten to be precise.

She has had a cat or two in the past a long time ago, but I have never had a cat, I grew up with a Dog, I am an animal lover though, I have had dogs, fish, snakes, rabbits at various point in my life.

Any Cat owners got any advice for a potential new owner?,

My assumptions about cats before doing much research..

* They are more independent than dogs, so can be left to come and go as they please - is this the case?

* They can be left on their own when you go on holiday for a week or so - I would never leave a Dog alone, so not sure if this is something I would do with a cat, but I assume they are happy doing their own thing, can they be left if a neighbour is feeding them?

They are more independent yes, but a cat flap is probably a good idea. IF you absolutely trust the neighbour then yes but have the neighbour go in a couple of times a day at least. cats have been known to knock over whatever water is left for them so if the neighbour is only coming in once per week then they could be 23.9 hours without a drink.

Cats scratch things, furniture, wallpaper, bare legs, small children. So a scratching post is essential. Oh, btw, cats and small children often do not mix, cats are not toys and can resent being manhandled. This can lead to blood loss, not theirs, yours. But no, do not have your cat declawed, their claws are their only protection. Oh, and that expensive luxury cat bed you bought for them? They may never use it but prefer the laundry basket instead and only decide they want the cat bed after you throw it out. Which brings be on to cat hairs. Very soon you will have a cat-hair... everything. Also, you can tell a cat owner's house by the smell alone. It is not a bad smell but it is there.

Ok, all that having been said... I love my moggy to bits

 

[flint read]

yes yes yes but avoid getting a bengal they are endlessly entertaining and vocal but always making trouble and they learn incredibly fast.

only worth it if you are an advanced cat owner as they are certainly advanced cats. we had to get another one so the first one would stop terrorising the other two older cats and now they gang up on us!

if your going away for a week or two that's fine but have a friend look in on them every day or two.

and don't' let a kitten out for at least the first month so they have imprinted your home that way they won't just wander off and get adopted by a stranger.

I would also recommend getting your cats chipped at the local vets.

and forget owning them your just furniture and their buttler at best

 

[Fyrd Judge]

Great little things, but please consider checking with the RSPCA in locating a free friendly Cat/kitten, There are many animals waiting for people like you who need homes.

 

[Jester69]

Hi Riedquat.

I grew up with dogs and have had a couple of dogs myself since my wife and I married (unfortunately recently lost our last dog due to old age).
My wife has always been a cat person so, after convincing her that we should get a dog, I couldn't really say no to a cat (or 2!).
We have had at one or two cats at all times for the past 20 years now and (don't tell the wife) I would not be without one. They are great fun, have far more character than non-cat owners would have you believe and are great company.
If you plan on getting a dog, we found it best to have the cat first.
Like others have said, they can be independent but not for days on end. If we are away overnight and our son is not at home, we have fellow cat owning neighbours who will pop in for a feed and stroke.

We are currently loyal servants of Luke and Leia!... it only works on the weak minded!!!

 

[GHDW]

Cats are independent, territorial, temperament is subjective depending on the breed and whether or not it is feral. What is similar across most domesticated breeds is that playing helps improve the bonding experience. High places are a requirement for them to feel safe, so a cat tower will go a long way to help make the cat feel comfortable. Staring considered rude in cat language, hence they they vie for the attention of those who ignore them and yet run away from those who want to cuddle. Reading a cats body language goes a long way in understanding how they feel and there are many online resources to help identify what a cat is telling you. There's a show called 'my cat from hell' available on youtube, can't say I'm a total fan considering episodes have manufactured drama for TV, but some of the advice dispensed is worth noting. If you have a neighbour/family member that will handle feeding and litterbox cleaning then you don't have to worry about taking trips, although if extended just have the person play with the cat for a while.

My hopes are that you find a bundle of joy that loves to climb up for kisses and cuddles, good luck on your search!

 

[Thargon]

Beware the cat! You might lose your ship!

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=56811

 

[Philip Coutts]

Cats are ace. Pure and simple. Obstinate little devils who follow the beat of their own drum and do what they like but they are fantastic company (when they want to be!). We have 2 that were flat cats (they lived in a flat they weren't 2 dimensional) and they now go outside but don't really stray very far. We got ours from the cats protection league.

 

[Cody]

We got ours from the cats protection league.

A worthy charity - link here.

 

[Elessarus]

Get one asap! Cats are awesome. But if you grew up with a dog it is a big change. As Cody already said, the cat ownes you

 

[Sir.Tj]

Short answer: yes!

Being owned by a cat is a great joy!

How true.

Couple of our cat which we've had about 18 months.

Got her from a rescue centre and she was very nervous for a while but the kids sorted that with constant cuddles.

After Daughter thought it would be nice for the cat to be warm...
View attachment 1415
Daft animal.....
View attachment 1416

 

[Slawkenbergius]

You need to be a bit careful about roads, especially if you live in the countryside. If you get night-traffic and the road doesn't have streetlights, that can be a tragic combination. I've trained my cat to be wary about cars by growling if they drive past while we're out near the road.

 

[Fenris Wolf]

Yeah - Get a dog instead

Advice? Yeah - Get a dog instead

Dogs are more interactive, more playful, loyal and friendly.

We've just got a new one from a local rescue centre, her name is Daisy and I think she is probably the smiliest animal I have ever met!

Picture in spoiler:

Spoiler

And more on this link - Daisy on Flickr

 

[Riedquat]

hmmm, a bit to think about there.

I have a five year old daughter, although she is very gentle and timid around animals as she doesnt have too much experience with them.

I live in a road that is not very well lit and has the occasional speeding car, has plenty of other cats and I havent heard of any being hit in the nine years I have lived there - although that would be my biggest concern if im honest.

I do have a catflap though!

 

[Sir.Tj]

Advice? Yeah - Get a dog instead

Dogs are more interactive, more playful, loyal and friendly.

We've just got a new one from a local rescue centre, her name is Daisy and I think she is probably the smiliest animal I have ever met!

Picture in spoiler:

Spoiler

And more on this link - Daisy on Flickr

Spooky! Daisy is our Cats name.

Gorgeous dog though.

In the past I've had GSDs but as I work all day and the kids are at school we've not had a dog for a few years, hopefully one day though.

I do have a catflap though!

Don't worry too much, a good Doctor should be able to help.

 

[sabrex449]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8huhxu0NS-U

cats are great
*make sure theres fresh water down everyday (dont use tap they can smell the clorine) dont put water anywhere near the food bowl
*stay away from dry food if you can if i have real problems feeding i might try a little dry food.
*if you have trouble getting them to use the cat flap put plants outside so she/he has "cover" protection on leaving.
- still working on this one

 

[Angus]

You get a variety of characters with cats as you might expect. Scaredy cats, bloody great should have been a dog cats, gentle cats, really good friend cats, etc etc....

You can teach them to do stuff and modify certain behaviour, but they are far less interested in being in your 'pack' than a dog. Cats don't have owners, they have staff as the saying goes.

Serious point, be aware kittens are like Bruce Lee combined with a playful child. They will try and mess with everything - never mind if it means running up 7 foot of vertical curtain - and those wonderful claw sharpening devices that the humans call book shelves......

 

[Nanos]

Things cats do to be aware of:


They like to travel at great speed up the pieces of fabric you have by the side of your windows..


They like to walk over your worktops.

They like to take your food off your plate whilst you are eating. (Be aware of paws under the table..)

They like to bring you half alive things as presents at times..

They like to bury their number two's in your flowerbeds..


They aren't fun to give worming tablets to.. (Towels are handy here, and so are leather gauntlets..)

They like to walk on keyboards. (Get a solid keyboard cover, unless you want random images emailed to your aunty by mistake..)

Female ones like to get a bun in the oven, so you might want that issue addressed before it happens..

Male ones like to get female ones up the duff, so you might want to address that issue before it happens too..

Sometimes things on mantal pieces get knocked off, as such, blutak is your friend there.

They like to stand in doorways and ponder when its raining if they really want to go out or not..


They want to go out when your sat down and comfy watching your favourite TV show..

If you have a catflap, other cats like to use it to come and visit you and eat your food..
(Also catflaps double as another way for people to let themselves into your home..)

They like to scatch the edges of sofa's..

They like to do tinkles (I was going to say a different word, but the auto word censor here got upset about something, so I'm trying to use words that are not likely to offend anything!) in the bath.

I'd suggest choosing your breed and colour carefully as these influence behaviour, as such I'd avoid a Siamese one as they tend to be very loud and destructive.

As much as I like cats, I'd not get one due to all the downsides, just borrow a neighbours one with free food, and they are also handy for setting up security lighting.


Ok, I'm totally confused now, as unless the software tells me which specific words are actually against the rules, I've no idea which ones to remove!

Ok, I think I found the offending word, it was the one that describes those pieces of fabric by the side of your window...

Related video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXV_b_k7PcM