Advice for a potentially new cat owner

L

ladysaraii

Cathlete
OK, so I've been thinking about getting a cat. I've never had a pet before other than fish, so I'm really trying to think this through. It's just me in a townhouse.

1) Which would be best, to adopt 1 cat or 2 for company?

2) Older cat or new kittens? What are some of the pros and cons?

3) What can I expect to spend?

4)Any other advice?

5) oh yeah, boy or girl or does it matter?

I really appreciate it, thanks!
 
Here's my experience.....
I adopted a girl kitty who was two years old at the time (I was advised they are less likely to whaz on the carpet which indeed has been the case in my limited experience. My ex had a boy kitty and he was rug pisser).

My adoption fee was about $85.00 plus about $100 in expenses (food, litterbox, carrier, toys, catnip, etc) Then there is the annual vet bill. Also, maybe people can advise on pet insurance. I don't have it but it might be worth it.

I let kitty pick me. She meowed my way and has been my best pal ever since. Not realizing my life was going to blow up in my face I just adopted another girl kitty, five years after I got my first, who is one year old.

You might be best to start with one kitty and see how it goes. One advantage to getting one a little older is that they know how to use the ol' litterbox. Also, many ignore older kitties who need homes (and your love). BTW, I adopted both kitties from clinics in Petsmart. Good luck and keep us posted!!!
 
i got my cat at a shelter.she was a year and a half. her yearly shots cost $55. the shelter already had her spayed/neutered and at every cage there is a short description about the cat.every cat i saw knew how to use a litter box.her adoption cost$65 .in my state it is required by law that all pets must have a tag showing that they have had thier shots.i would adopt one.otherwise the two play together by them selves unless you get one old and one young.it would be extra money and they may or may not share the litter box. one might like canned food and the other dry.

laura
 
What Beavs said,

and I'll add - some shelters will take 'requests', if you can - try to get a Maine Coon. I love all kitties, but Maine Coons are super cool, like a cross between a cat and a dog.
 
Definitely adopt. I adopted 2 kitties from a shelter about a year ago (they're brothers), and they are the most loving kitties ever.

I'm totally with Beavs, I let kitties pick me. They meowed at me and when I held them, they gave me so much love I just couldn't leave without them. BTW, I originally only wanted one, but since they were brothers, I couldn't bear to separate them. They are best buddies and play and sleep together all the time :) I also already had another cat, and it took them a while to get used to each other, but now they're best friends too.

I would also agree that getting a kitty that is a little older is better, for the litter training aspect.

I can't really comment on boy or girl since all mine are boys. Good luck and keep us updated !!
 
ladysaraii said:
OK, so I've been thinking about getting a cat. I've never had a pet before other than fish, so I'm really trying to think this through. It's just me in a townhouse.

1) Which would be best, to adopt 1 cat or 2 for company?

2) Older cat or new kittens? What are some of the pros and cons?

3) What can I expect to spend?

4)Any other advice?

5) oh yeah, boy or girl or does it matter?

I really appreciate it, thanks!
Click to expand...

Since you have never owned a cat, I would stick with one. What if it is too much to handle with two? If you adopt a kitten, you have time to lay down the rules and teh cat will think there is no other way of life. Get an older cat that was allowed on teh couch, bed, kitchen table, well, tehy are stubborn little guys and they don't like the word no. Lol, have you ever seen a cat give a person an attitude? They roll their eyes at you without being able to, lol. A younger kitten my have to be litter-trained, but to be honest, my cat took to the litter right away, he loved it, he knew what it was before I ever told him. Get a litter box with a cover for privacy, cats love that. Get a scratching post, some balls and if you don't want to cat in bed with you, a cat bed. The cost of a cat, cat food for the month and litter maybe $50-$100 a month (my cat passed in 2006 after being with me for 15 years so the price may have gone up since then).

Good luck.
 
Definitely adopt and older kitties rock!

We adopted our boy cat, Chance, from a local Humane Society about 12 years ago. He was at least a year old when we got him. After this experience, I think we will most likely always go with an adult cat.

He also picked us! DH was walking by the cages and Chance reached out and grabbed him by the sweatshirt...the rest as they say, is history. :)

I don't recall all of the initial costs, but given the sheer volume of adult cats in shelters, the cost to adopt an older cat is usually quite low. Also, some shelters may also have a program where you can get a special rate for spay/neuter for new adopters.

I like both boy and girl cats. I've had several boy kitties during my life, and have never had issues with spraying. I think getting them neutered ASAP helps with that.

**Now, my opportunity to shamelessly post a cute pet pic :p**

Phat Chance
 

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Think long and hard...

My biggest piece of advice is to think long and hard about getting a cat if you have never had one. And talk to other cat owners (like you are doing on the boards)... While cats are "easier" than dogs when it comes to the amount of hands-on care, they are still creatures who require lots of attention and love. Are you prepared to commit to and keep the kitty NO MATTER WHAT? So many people think adopting a pet is a good idea, until the adoptee does something, behaves in a way, the adopter doesn't like... or until they become too much work... and then these poor things are turned over to shelters, and some are put to sleep. My advice is to please just be sure this is a well thought out decision. I know it sounds like I'm up on my soapbox about this, but I just had to put it out there.

As for one or two - when I adopted my Princess, she was a ONE CAT CAT...she did not do well with other cats. She is the exception to my rule ... while I hate her being home alone all day, with nobody to play with, she is older and sleeps alot and just does not like having other cats around. I do think that it is better for most cats to be adopted with perhaps a littermate. And my personal preference is to adopt older cats, most of which are overlooked at shelters for the cute, furry little kittens.

Good luck with your decision and when you do get one (or two or three), post some pictures and let us know how they are doing!
 
Thank you so much for the advice!

If I do decide to go ahead with it, I'd definitely adopt from the shelter.

I go back and forth, b/c as you say this is a for life decision. One thing I do worry about, since it's just me, is when I have to travel for work. I don't go often, but sometimes, I have to leave for anywhere from a week to a month and that is something to think about.

Sigh, decisions decisions.

Thanks so much you guys!
 
If you can afford it, a petsitter is awesome for when you travel. I currently care for a cat who lives by herself - both of her people are dead and have been for some time. It has been 11 1/2 years of me going every day (or if I am out of town, whoever cares for my pets cares for her as well). She loves being alone and is actually more affectionate than she used to be. Of course, it is not the ideal situation but she is happy, alive, gets attention on a daily basis, lives in a fully furnished house that is hers to tear up to her hearts content! I have taken care of many cats and dogs while their owners were away and not a single one of them seemed to be worried one way or the other. It is the humans who have a tough time of it :p Anyway, I digress - if you were to get one, she would do ok on your travels as long as you provided for her while you were gone. Petsitter, neighbor - whatever.

All of my cats have come from shelters or else been rescued/found. I don't see much difference in males and females personality-wise. Of my cats, each one has such an incredibly different personality to the others, yet they were all raised by me. They are like people - all unique. If you adopt an older girl or boy, in addition to taking a cat that others may pass by (like Beavs said), you will have a better idea of their personality.
 
We do a similar arrangement as Shana mentioned when we travel. Chance stays home alone and FIL stops in twice a day to feed and pet him. The longest trip we took was 2 weeks.

It's a nice arrangement and not stressful for Chance...he just napped more.
 
1) Which would be best, to adopt 1 cat or 2 for company?
2
There are some cats who would prefer to be only cats (they are the cat-haters, and from my experience and observations volunteering at my local shelter for 5+ years, they are a minority). Most cats will benefit from a companion, and you can get the extra bonus of watching them interact. Seeing my cats wash each other and play with each other and snuggle together brings joy to my heart.
Two cats really isn't that much more fuss than one.

2) Older cat or new kittens? What are some of the pros and cons?
I've always adopted adult cats (1 year or older) until recently, when I got Pete as a kitten. He was a handful, and a PITA at times. Kittens are cute and playful, but adult cats have a developed personality that you can see right away. If you're getting two, why not one adult and one younger?

3) What can I expect to spend?
On what?
Adoptions vary from place to place. You can find cats for no adoption fee in the paper. Or even just wait until a stray shows up!
Our local shelter adopts cat's out for $45 (less for cats 5 years or older), including spaying/neutering and shots. A shelter about 50 minutes away (in a bigger town) charges $100.

You'll also have to buy a litter box, litter, food, some toys (though you can make some homemade ones), a bit 'o catnip and a scratching post or two (do NOT get the short, carpet-covered ones that are completely useless as scratching posts. There are some good, corrugated-cardboard type scratchers that are either flat on the floor or angled that work well for many cats. Otherwise, a tall upright post covered with coarse upholstery material (like the plaid upholstery material you might find on a sofa in a cabin in the woods) works. If you are handy, you can even make a post (my stepmother made one for me about 15 years ago, and it's still going strong. All together, I have about 7 various scratching posts/trees/ramps for my 4 cats, which I've accumulted over the years.)

4)Any other advice?
Please do NOT declaw (unless you happen to adopt a cat who is already declawed). If you are even considering it, here's a website with some alternatives, and reasons why not to: www.declawing.com .

I suggest visiting your local shelter twice. The first time, you might narrow down your selection. The second time, some otherwise shy cat might approach you who didn't come up to you earlier, and you may fall in love.

About litter training: basically it consists of showing kitty where the pan is, and making some scratching motions to show him/her that 'this is the place to go.' Burying their waste is an instinctive behavior, and very rarely will a cat not learn it. (Usually, these are cats who are removed from their mother too early.) The shelter should know if the cat is using the litter box or not.

I don't recommend covered litter boxes, unless you are sure to keep them immaculately clean. It's easy for odors to build up in them (odors that maybe you won't smell--because of the cover, and because of a less-sensitive human nose--but which the cat(s) will, and which may cause them to not want to use the box). I do recommend a large litter box, and there is less chance of kitty kicking litter out of the side.

5) oh yeah, boy or girl or does it matter?
I've found boys to be in general more affectionate, but I've also had affectionate girls.
If you get 2 (and I hope you do!), get one of each, or two boys. (If you adopt them at the same time, you can see if they get along. But if they don't share a room at the shelter, it can take cats about 2 weeks to adapt to each other. During that time, depending on their individual personalities, there can be hissing and growling, and a few paw whaps between them, but they will settle down. Give them that time.)
 
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As a human dweller in an 8-cat house (just rescued the 8th, a kitten, out of one of my husband's customer's car engine -- whole other story!), I highly recommend getting two young siblings. All of our cats except one have found us through rescues. Three of them were rescued from yet another customer's non-running truck at probably about a week old (abandoned by their mother for whatever reason). We bottle fed the three. Unfortunately, one died -- again, another story. But the interaction between the siblings, and the comfort and companionship they get from one another continues to today (they're about 2 years old now). We commented at the time that we would always get more than one of the same age in the future. Of course, that was before this last one found us a week ago. Believe me, we're not going to look for a 9th to keep him company!
 
Hi,

As the "mother" of 8 (4 indoors, 4 outdoor members of a feral "family" that we are learning how to manage) I do want to stress what princessbear mentioned. It's a commitment for life. I (and my DH) made a promise to provide the best and most loving care that we could to each of the cats for their lifetimes.

That said, I think they enjoy the companionship of another creature, even if they don't always get along. Our four inside are definitely not always the best of friends (and the oldest female just hates the youngest male), but they tolerate and have learned to adapt to each other, much like human siblings.

I had heard that people have problems with the males spraying, but two of ours are males, they were fixed relatively early, and no spraying. They are also more easy going in their personalities, in my opinion. The females show more diva-like behavior. I guess snipping the males makes them more docile (hmmm....think about that one).

I agree wholeheartedly about providing good surfaces for scratching. They have to scratch to maintain their nails and if there's nothing but a sofa to scratch that's what they'll do. We bought those corrugated cardboard scratchers that are around $10 apiece and have one in each room (along with several other houses/trees that we've accumulated over the years). Two of ours like scratching sisal, two prefer carpeting, but all four like the corrugated cardboard. It could be the catnip. Nothing like some good drugs to attract a cat!

We use a pet sitter as well, and consider it a blessing to have found someone who is reliable and honest. The cats could probably be alone for a few days, but we are more comfortable with someone checking on them.

Our four are mixed as far as temperament, looks, age at adoption and gender. We do have one that is a Maine Coon mix, and the only caveat is that she does require more grooming than the others. That breed gets mats in the fur and you need to keep them brushed regularly. They do have unique personalities and a lot of dog in them, as a previous poster mentioned. We adopted them at different ages--one was 8 weeks, one about 4 months, 2 of them at one year old. The older cats are sometimes harder for the rescue groups to place since people seem to prefer kittens for whatever reason, but older cats can be more settled and sometimes easier for a "cat newbie" to handle and they sure are grateful to you for providing them with a home. Kittens definitely can be a handful!

The initial cost really depends on where you get the cats. All of ours are rescues, two from the county shelter and two from the Petsmart rescue affiliated with our city shelter. They have the animals fixed, I think Petsmart includes a donation amount as part of the cost of adoption.

Good luck with your decision!! I hope this helps and isn't too long or rambling. My DH & I are crazy about our feline family. They have brought so much joy and laughter to our home and ask for very little in return.
 
I cannot really say what is "best", but I will tell you what my DH and I did.
We adopted out of the classifieds, free cat, but more expensive for shots and spaying. We got two girls who were littermates. They were 8 weeks old, and already litter box trained.

From what I have read, cats which are regularly handled and petted by humans in the first 6 weeks of life tend to be friendly and accepting of touch. Kittens which have been "left alone because it bothers the momma cat" do not like to be messed with.

I highly recommend spaying/neutering at the earliest opportunity (6 months for girls) because it seems to help preserve some of their kittenish/playful attitude. Boys which are not fixed will spray your furniture, you cannot train them out of it.

I really like having two because when they want to play rough, they play with each other, when they want to be petted and loved on they come to DH and me.

As you consider your choices, please do not choose a kitty because you want a dog with less work. Cats are awesome, but they do not act like dogs, and are not as slavishly loving as dogs. As my brother-in-law says: "Dogs see you as friends, cats see you as staff."

Cats must scratch, so if you do not provide their own place, they will scratch up your furniture. Litter must be kept clean, if it starts to smell, the cats will not want to use it. Some cats are sensitive about what kind of litter they like, they may be picky about not using scented litter or really fine litter that gets between their toes.
You can aways check out "An engineer's guide to cats" on youtube for kitty related laughter.

Best wishes as you look for your kitty...
 
Another thought: you might want to stick with short-hair cats, as they don't need the grooming that longhairs do. They do, however, benefit from brushing, as it reduces the amount of hair they ingest and can throw up as hairballs (a glob of plain canned pumpkin can help prevent hairballs as well by 'pushing them through', and most cats love it). Brushing is also a time for them to get TLC and some tactile stimulation. So add a brush to your list of things to get.

I've brushed numerous cats in the years I've been volunteering at my local shelter, and the absolute, universally favorite type of brush that hardly any cat can resist is one I found in the human hair-care section of my local drug store. It's a flat plastic brush that's supposed to be used to put shampoo and conditioner into your hair (I actually have two different styles, one cost 99 cents each, another is 2/$1!). It's so gentle, you can try it out on your skin and it doesn't feel bad at all. And they pick up a lot of hair and are easy to clean.

Another option is a human hair brush that you don't use anymore. I can't tell you how many of "my" brushes ended up being cat brushes when they showed interest in them!

My dear departed Scooter was a brush fiend: he LOVED getting brushed so much (he was a Maine Coon Cat look alike-though about 10 pounds smaller according to my vet--who was really just a 'cat off the street') that when I would say the word 'brush,' he'd come running. I got into the habit of spelling it when I didn't specifically want to brush him, but I think he learned to spell! He even liked slicker brushes, and would rub his face on them by himself (one time he got so into it that he ended up getting abrasions on his face!)

My current cat Rascal comes running to the word as well, and also when he hears another of my cats being brushed.

One type of brush many cats don't like (though some with long and/or thick hair love it) is a slicker brush (the kind with metal tines). It is too harsh for many cats, unless you have a very delicate touch with it.
 
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kathryn said:
Another thought: you might want to stick with short-hair cats, as they don't need the grooming that longhairs do. They do, however, benefit from brushing, as it reduces the amount of hair they ingest and can throw up as hairballs (a glob of plain canned pumpkin can help prevent hairballs as well by 'pushing them through', and most cats love it). Brushing is also a time for them to get TLC and some tactical stimulation. So add a brush to your list of things to get.
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You know, I've never thought of brushing Chance. He's a short-hair and really doesn't shed much, if at all, so this never occurred to me. I bet he'd love it.

Thanks, Kathryn!
 
Gayle said:
You know, I've never thought of brushing Chance. He's a short-hair and really doesn't shed much, if at all, so this never occurred to me. I bet he'd love it.

Thanks, Kathryn!
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You're welcome!
Hope Chance enjoys it. (I would think it would feel like having a scalp massage...mmmmm...but cats are all 'scalp'!)

(Even though I have all short-haired kitties now, I need to brush Bobsie more often than I do, because she's like the 'mommy' of the bunch and likes to wash everyone else--except Rascal, they aren't really buddies---as well as herself, and if I don't brush her, she leaves me little hairball 'surprises' in the morning.
 
Hi Fellow Cat Lovers

My two Maine Coons are excellent self groomers, the only time they have had clumps/mats was AFTER I took them to a groomer and she failed to get them completely dry. They keep themselves very tidy.

However, they do LOVE to be brushed and don't usually refuse, but I haven't found just the right brush.



kathryn said:
brush that hardly any cat can resist is one I found in the human hair-care section of my local drug store. It's a flat plastic brush that's supposed to be used to put shampoo and conditioner into your hair (I actually have two different styles, one cost 99 cents each, another is 2/$1!). It's so gentle, you can try it out on your skin and it doesn't feel bad at all. And they pick up a lot of hair and are easy to clean.
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Kathryn, could you take a pic of yours and post it? (pleaassee)

We chose Maine Coons not because we wanted a dog and settled on a cat. The cat/dog aspect never occured to us - it was only something we noticed in their dispositions and then found it to be true for the breed after reading more about them.

We love our girls, this thread has inspired me to (maybe) find a boy Maine Coon. :)
 
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