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Contemplating visit to cat shelter. Need professional cat owner advice.
The Ender
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I have lately found myself staring longingly at a local cat shelter that I walk by every day.
I am going to end-up going in there sometime, probably telling myself that I just want to have a look around. If (when) this happens, I am skeptical that I will leave that place alone.
There are two crucial matters that I think I should settle before doing anything rash:
1) My place is uncomfortably warm in the afternoon, for me. I don't really have any means of cooling this place off. How warm is usually too warm for a cat?
2) How much money should I have set aside for initial expenses for the cat, as far as a cozy ballpark figure goes? ...And, uh, what if something truly terrible takes possession of me, and I end up with two cats instead of one? Do I get, like... a deal? Or is it more or less straight-up twice as expensive?
I am going to end-up going in there sometime, probably telling myself that I just want to have a look around. If (when) this happens, I am skeptical that I will leave that place alone.
There are two crucial matters that I think I should settle before doing anything rash:
1) My place is uncomfortably warm in the afternoon, for me. I don't really have any means of cooling this place off. How warm is usually too warm for a cat?
2) How much money should I have set aside for initial expenses for the cat, as far as a cozy ballpark figure goes? ...And, uh, what if something truly terrible takes possession of me, and I end up with two cats instead of one? Do I get, like... a deal? Or is it more or less straight-up twice as expensive?
With Love and Courage
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I have no idea about the expenses fo getting the cats from a shelter(because I do not live in the US) but here you get the cats neutered and vaccinated, which is a really good idea. Normally the fee covers that.
And having 2 is a great idea, so they will not be bored when alone.
And please do not declaw them, if they have not been already.
I should clarify that I live in Canada, on Vancouver Island, if that makes a difference.
Is it considered poor form to rename the cat(s) you get from the shelter?
A lot of the volunteer workers at the shelters here in Germany are teenage girls and you can guess the variety of names that come up.
Cats feel less attachment to their names than dogs and I would rename even a dog, if I got one from the shelter with a stupid name.
I don't think I've used my cat's name directly to her in years anyway, your cat will usually earn some nicknames, and mine is just really talkative and basically taught me to meow at her, we just meow back and forth all the time. It's funny
edit: oh the one toy that has a cost that is well worth it ( and they are cheap nowadays too) , a Laser Pointer, oh man, cats want that red dot to die sooo hard.
Oh no. And now I'm watching cat videos on YouTube and nodding with approval.
http://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/cat-adoption/annual-cat-care-costs/
give or take +15% to +20% , since Canadian
String is bad. Do not use string.
It doesn't cost that much for a cozy ball park, especially not for a cat:
Watching Maru videos with my girlfriend is the reason we ended up adopting two cats at the local shelter.
Nintendo Network ID: PhysiMarc
If not, then be prepared and make sure you have the facilities to segregate the cats for (up to) weeks before they get used to each other enough to not want to kill each other.
There's a decent amount of documentation showing that pet insurance isn't worth it if you can afford to pay the bill whenever it drops. Pet insurance just charges you some interest to spread the inevitable health costs out across a long period instead of paying when emergencies happen.
And as an offshoot of that, $20 a month probably isn't enough if you're seriously budgeting for the unforeseen events.
And two cats basically does just double the cost.
If you get kittens at a shelter or adoption not for profit, you may end up paying 40-60 bucks each and that usually comes with them being neutered/spaded + rabies / dewormer and Feline lukemia vaccinations, and Feline lukemia tested already.
I would suggest you make sure any shelter does at least test for Feline lukemia so you dont end up with a kitty and a whole lot of bills. They will also usually supply you with a package for initial exams by a vet for free (but they will probably talk you into getting additional vaccinations so expect another 100 bucks per cat if you think medicines might be needed. If you are trying to do this with a minimum of expense, check them over as best you can for any spots that might be ringworm etc so you know what your getting into.
I've had cats for the last 30 years of my life, and my most recent acquisition was two kittens at the same time, and it probably has been the best decision ive ever made about adoption. They play with each other, so if you live alone, you have less guilt about going to work etc. They learn from each other and take care of each other BUT...
The key is to get them young. One of my kittens was 2 months old, the other 3 months when i got them. The 2 month old kitten was/is a mixture of needy and brave, being more of a lap cat then the other one, She immediately took to exploring my home, and wanted to be around me all the time, the 3 month old was a bit skittish, and still is to a small degree, but has some kind of internal switch where shes either 'oh god i just might die if you dont give me pets and attention' or 'I'll just sit right here, 3 feet away from you so i can bolt if i want to'. I would suggest getting two at the same time, not necessarily from the same litter (but that would be pretty good too), but make sure when they were in the shelter that they were in a cage with other kittens, or at least not obviously segregated because they dont get along with other cats. Whenever im in the market for a cat again, I will be looking in the 2 month range as they tend to form more of an attachment at that age and the older they get, the less chance of that happening.
My family has had males and females and I've found the females are preferred in many ways. The males occasionally will have the urge to spray, or poop in bad spots (i.e. carpet) when they get territorial, while the females generally have been cleaner and more laid back. (I love calicos, as i feel they have the most personality).
When you find a kitten you like, ask to hold it and see how it reacts to you. When i was 'shopping' i had one in my hand that looked adorable but hissed at me upon holding it. My 3 month old let me hold her that one time, but ever since i got her home shes never gotten comfortable being picked up. (She will come sit in my lap occasionally but thats very different from picking them up).
Long hair or short hair, your going to have a hair problem. one of my calicos is long hair, the other short, but i swear the short hair sheds more then the long. Don't expect to ever be able to wear black again...maybe not white either...get a lint brush....actually get several. Make sure one is at work.
Good luck finding a friend.
When we got ours, we went to the shelter and just sat down in the room of the female cats to see who was friendly. Then from the ones who came to check us out we made our pick.
Okay, I admit, Levy did not come to check us out, she was asleep, so I went and woke her up and then sat down again and then she came over, so the methodology is still totally legit.
Assuming you have some pretty healthy cats, $20 should cover the oops, per cat.
But I'd still budget more than that, yeah.
Spend some time at that shelter with different cats. Is this a free roam cat room? Keep in mind that can be a stressful situation for cats. Hopefully the shelter has an area you can interact with the animals 1 on 1.
Please consider making your cat a 100% indoor cat.
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in fact some shelters won't even let you take a cat if you don't have the money to furnish it
I think cats vary quite a bit in terms of needing/wanting another cat around
The older a cat is, the less likely it is that it will get along with another random cat. I'd say getting two cats that are both > 1 year old is a very bad idea if you're not prepared for the fallout
If you want multiples, you'll want kittens or at least very young cats with a good temperament
i agree that kittens are hard to predict, but it's pretty easy to predict 6-8 month olds. I got my cat at 8 months old, and she ended up being pretty much exactly how she was in the shelter.
Loud and rambunctious
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Definitely avoid going with pet insurance. Instead take the amount of money you'd be paying for insurance monthly and sock it away as savings against an eventual emergency. Then you can just spend it when you have to, rather than fighting with an insurance company to pay some portion of some expense. That Petfinder price list seems pretty reasonable to me in terms of what you'll have to outlay.
Please consider making your cat a 100% indoor cat. Fully indoor cats tend to live longer, safer lives, and also it saves the songbirds in your area from forcible depopulation. Please consider feeding your cat grain free canned food only. Cats have terrible thirst drives, and derive no nutritional benefit from carbs (you can read more here). Also think about getting a finger brush or small tooth brush and cat toothpaste and brushing your cat's teeth.
Oh and renaming your cat is totally cool. For example, our cat was named Batman when we got him from the shelter. He's now named Toby.
I'd also second going with a young cat in the 1 - 2 year age bracket. By that point in time some of their personality is settled, so you can really see a bit of what you're going to end up with.
All of this seems like great advice!
But why would you rename a cat to be NOT Batman?
every vet ever I've talked to says wet food is a one way ticket to the vet over time
my cat will not even eat wet food, I've tried 5+ different brands, flat refusal, even when mixed with dry
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Your cat still calls himself Batman.
Oh yeah, it would have to be an indoor cat. I live near a place aptly named 'Eaglecrest', because there are gigantic eagles everywhere that would no doubt love to eat a tame kitty cat.
I honestly think I'd like to pick-up an older cat rather than a kitten. As I understand it, a lot of shelters have problems finding homes for older cats?
Thanks for this.
That's totally manageable; I'll just have to hold off until next month to actually go to the shelter.
All he did was supply the cover story.
For cats, the primary expense is food. Quality, grain-free food is important for their health, activity level, and coat quality. I feed my cats 3 foods, actually -- raw nuggets from Primal, canned food from Weruva, and dry food/kibble. It is a myth that one type of food is more or less bad for a cat's teeth; the majority of teeth problems are genetic. A healthy feral cat cleans its teeth by chewing on bones, which is generally not available to indoor cats, nor do they "play" like dogs.
For my 2 cats, I spend about $90 on food a month. I spend about $15 for the giant 35 pound kitty litter boxes per month. During a cat's first two years, they have to go to the vet frequently. After that, while you can take them for regular shots, it's really not important if they are indoor only. In general, taking your pet to the vet for any sort of health cost will be expensive. For example, I recently had to have 3 teeth extracted for one cat and it set me back around $700. A friend of mine had their cat swallow about 4 ft of ribbon, so the surgery involved was $2100. However, my cats have not cost me any bills besides food for the past 4 years, so it's not so bad.
Cats are not really trainable, so when you adopt one, it will freak out for a few days and then you can learn about its personality. 30C is not a problem for cats, and you will see that they just act differently depending on the temperature. A cold cat will ball up, a warm cat will stretch out.
If a cat has its claws, you should invest in a tall scratching post or small "cat tree/condo." A cat will scratch because it feels good, but it also helps stretch their muscles. It also gives them a space that is "theirs" and cats generally prefer height, so you may want to look at places in your current space that you can dedicate to cat stuff. A nice cat tree ordered from Amazon will generally be cheaper than buying one from a retail store.
I can't stress enough how important high quality food is for cats. Good food for cats is like a human eating a well balanced, nutritious meal. "Fancy Feast" or the typical store-brand pet food is like eating twinkies all day, or worse.
Yeah, it's true that older cats (3+ years) are adopted less often, because most people want something that's young and playful and a little ball of fur and energy.
FURMINATOR.
Oh. My. God.
Get a Furminator. Its like you find ANOTHER cat living in your cats fur.
Toby the billionare. His secret identity of course.