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I'm thinking about getting a cat, questions....
BlochWave
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Registered User regular
I'm at work 8-9 hours a day M-F, is there any particular cat breed that's more ok with that than others? I was looking at Russian Blues and Korats, but likely I'd just pick anything that mewed at me cutely enough. I read somewhere that if you're gone for extended periods you might get two that get along so they can have company and two cats aren't like twice as hard to care for. I don't think I'd get a kitten, just a younger cat that preferably could already use a litterbox.
Will they scratch furniture or carpet a lot? I'd also get a scratching post or whatever(I'd do like my cousin and dedicate a corner to making like a jungle gym out of them)so if that alleviates it, good
I dunno, right now I'm in preliminary "hey I could get a cat" mode, I'd still need a couple of weeks at least to save up for my damned pet deposit
Will they scratch furniture or carpet a lot? I'd also get a scratching post or whatever(I'd do like my cousin and dedicate a corner to making like a jungle gym out of them)so if that alleviates it, good
I dunno, right now I'm in preliminary "hey I could get a cat" mode, I'd still need a couple of weeks at least to save up for my damned pet deposit
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As far as scratching on the furniture goes, that really depends on the cat. My preferred method of discipline has always been a squirt bottle full of water. When kitty gets to scratching furniture or dangling from curtains, walk over, firmly say NO!, and give kitty a squirt or two, repeating NO! You'd be surprised how fast kitty will learn. For mine just saying "Where's my water bottle?" is enough to make them think twice about what they were doing. After a month or two, the most you should ever have to do is brandish the bottle. We have 6 cats, and while I've had to wave the bottle around a few times, I haven't actually used it in months.
Don't worry too much about breeds. Really, if you want a cat, you should adopt from your local animal shelter, in which case you're going to get a mixed breed anyway. My only suggestion is don't adopt a Siamese, they're relatively high-maintenance.
Regarding scratching, there is a product that you can buy at almost any pet store. It's like double-sided scotch tape but it's safe to apply to upholstered furniture. If you apply it to the bottom of any fabric furniture, it will deter the cat from scratching. Make sure there's a scratching post near each piece of furniture you apply it to and within 1-2 weeks the cat will learn to scratch the post and not your couch and you can then remove the tape. Works like a charm. (Supplementing it with a hearty "No!" and/or a spray bottle helps, too.)
Don't bother with any of the spray-on scratch repellent. It never works and will make your furniture smell like ass.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Make sure you have a vet and some money set aside to see the vet if your cat gets sick or injured. As a responsible pet owner, you absolutely have to provide medical care.
If you're in America, keep your cat inside. There are too many predators here, too many common and deadly cat diseases, and too many cars for cats to be safely outside. I know England has quite a different stance on this, but they simply don't have the same issues as here (and I still don't agree with them anyway, but that's neither here nor there.)
To get it to use a scratching post, you need to do more than just spray it with water. Cats need to scratch; it lets them stretch in a way they can't do otherwise. When you see the cat scratching something it shouldn't be, pick it up and put its claws on the scratching post to show it where the appropriate place for scratching is. However, your furniture is likely to pick up a couple of scratch marks; that's just how it goes with cats.
Oh, and with cat food: better quality food is totally worth the money, because you don't have to feed as much of it, your cat will be healthier, and (this is the big selling point) your cat's poops will be much less stinky.
Good luck!
A cat doesn't mind company and can get along fine without it but they do need to eat.
Satans..... hints.....
We trained him not to scratch furniture by putting scratching posts wherever people congregate- so one in the living room and another in the computer room. You may have to try a couple kinds to find one your cat likes; for ours we used the rope kind and the cardboard, he loves both.
Definately spay/neuter, get 2 if you can (not 2 males), and don't declaw them. Declawed cats can develop behavior problems and if they do somehow get outside, they're defenseless. It's easy to train them not to scratch anything but their scratching posts and trimming their claws once a month or so is easy, so why traumatize your cat and go through the expense?
Many shelters will have taken care of all their shots/neutering before you get them, but make sure to check and have it done if they haven't.. declawing however is honestly not needed and rather cruel, how would you like your fingernails removed to the point you cant open anything with them, by force?
You should talk to the shelter people to find a cat that suits your circumstances... if your in an apartment or inner city, you don't want too active a cat, because active cats will want out and its not really fair to trap them inside. If you do end up letting your cat out, be prepared for them to get into fights and bring home small animals, it happens, they are territorial predators by nature. Most of the time the fights will cause no lasting harm, unless they get infected or something theres not much point wasting time and money at a vet, the cat will take care of it themselves.
When it comes to scratching things.. some cats will, some wont.. try a scratching post but unless you also use deterrents like the spray water, you wont be able to make them use it... cats are very independent creatures.
I'd recommend picking up a book on cat care, if you haven't been around one before... there are important details like how, and how not, to pick a cat up that most people just don't consider telling people.
Remember that cats are highly individual and independent, some will hate being picked up, some will want cuddles all the time, some will get in lots of fights, some will run home to mommy (or daddy) at every threat.. take time to get to know your cat and, whatever its character, it'll love you for it.
Not necessarily, both of my cats are neutered males and they're fine with each other. :P
The best bet? Get two kitties, from a shelter like the humane society. Both of mine were bought at Pet-smart through their adoption agencies and they're awesome.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Mine was an orange male cat. Hi5! o/
Hmmm, one of my ex roommates had an orange male cat and it was so high-strung it would vomit and get diarrhea if she ever went away for the weekend, despite getting regular care from others. Probably an exception, not the rule, but its made me prejudice against orange cats.
As to the OP's questions: I found my cat very easy to scratch train without ever needing a spray bottle even. We just took him to the scratch post anytime he tried to scratch anything else and he fulfilled his urges there instead. He learned within a few days to just go there in the first place, and its never been an issue. Again, may be an exception, but its rarely very difficult.
When you DO go visit cats and are thinking about adopting, I would highly recommend avoiding any cats that show an affinity for climbing things and getting out of places they shouldn't get out of.
Most importantly, and this cannot be stressed enough, if you do bring home one or more felines, you MUST post adorable pictures to this thread.
I'll be fine, just give me a minute, a man's got a limit, I can't get a life if my heart's not in it.
I don't know what you guys are talking about adopting instead of buying. Every shelter I've been to charges to adopt a cat. Kittens are usually close to $100, adult cats (over 1 year) are around $60. That will change depending on where you live but if the kitten is free, you're probably supporting a backyard breeder.
The bad thing about adopting a stray or a shelter cat is that the vast majority are from unwanted litters bred from cats with bad owners. As in, the owners somehow get a cat that's not fixed and will let it outside when it's in heat or on the prowl, and suddenly someone has kittens. Either they get drowned in the backyard or they get taken to a shelter. Many people will take them to a shelter so that a) the shelter has to kill them or b) some other person can deal with their pet negligence. Those kittens come from somewhere, after all, and for every happy cat from a loving household that had to get rid of it (such as a move, health reasons, whatever), there's easily 5-10 cats that are ex-strays or bred from strays that were rescued from someone's bushes because pet owners are negligent.
Pedigree cats will have a different personality from most random bred cats due to the experiences that the breeders put them through. It's not that much different from a responsible dog breeder, really -- they keep the pedigrees clean and they spend all of their time getting the kittens used to being handled, being around people, using a litter box, using a scratching post, and so on. A good shelter will do this, too, and I know the one by us will only offer up cats for adoption that are good with people, but many personality problems that cats develop will come from their experiences as a kitten, and one of the major differences between pedigreed cats and random bred cats is that most random bred cats are weaned WAY too early, either because the mom died or they were taken to a shelter too soon, which leads to attachment issues as well as a tendency to play and act like mom is around, without the attention span or independence most people associate with older cats.
There's nothing wrong with a pedigree cat, from a responsible breeder, and there's nothing wrong with picking out a cat that you like. If you go to an SPCA and fall in love with a certain cat, great. If you don't like any of them and you decide to go to a cat show to get a specific cat, great.
As for your concerns, most cats are fine if they're left alone during the day, as that's when they do most of their sleeping anyway. Leaving out a few toys and a cat bed for a solo cat will make it happy, for the most part. You can actually tell how most cats will act based on the body shape -- their personalities are not as distinct as dog breeds.
So, if you want a more active and kinetic cat, you want to look for cats with a more angular body type. The opposite is a "cobby" body, which has a shorter, broader neck, thicker chest, and shorter body overall compared to a more angular cat of the same size. The more active cats are also usually smaller, but they do require more playtime (or rather, they will demand more playtime whether you want it or not!).
There are definitely breeds that are happy to be the "only cat," and others that prefer to be around other cats. One of the major advantages of going with a pedigree cat is that you can interact with the parents of a kitten to see how they act, and you can also spend time talking with the breeder to ask about the breed and their pedigree's personalities. It's more a "shot in the dark" with shelter cats, and while some are awesome, some come with issues that you'll have to live with. There's no point in feeling guilty for a shelter cat if you're not serious about committing yourself to the cat for the rest of its life. You should WANT to own the cat for its entire life, so if you do go with a shelter cat, spend some time playing with it and ask about the shelter's policies on adoption, on how they treat their cats. The shelter here is awesome and their cats are treated very well, with playtime outside of their cages and they let you "tag" a cat so you can come and visit it a few times. They also tattoo each of their pets so if you ever let the cat outside or it gets returned with signs of abuse, you get blacklisted. But not all shelters are as nice. I would stress that you get a healthy cat from a GOOD shelter or a GOOD breeder, rather than just taking a chance. I do not support bad shelters just for the sake of pets. A traumatized pet is not a good thing, and will be a lot of work. For this reason, I would strongly suggest you do not look for any "free kitten!" signs that a negligent family uses to disperse unwanted kittens.
Also, since there is some misinformation above about pedigree cats, the vast majority of breeders will refuse to sell a cat without it being spayed, neutered, and with a full compliment of shots. The cost of getting a pedigree cat from a breeder without it being altered is significantly higher, and they will not sell to people who are not licensed breeders. If you do go with a pedigree cat, make sure the breeder is registered and that the cat has papers. If it doesn't, they're an illegitimate breeder and are not worth your time. Most unwanted cats come from bad pet owners, and I personally don't support bad pet ownership.
I'm semi-returned from lunch so I'll just comment briefly
First, getting them spayed or neutered is a given, I've seen the Price is Right! As is NOT getting them declawed(I think that's illegal in some countries too, isn't it?)
Ethical reasons aside, I'd probably get them from a shelter for budget reasons. Speaking of which, will the shelter keep them all separate or would it maybe put some litter mates together or something? It'd make getting two agreeable cats easier. And if they're fixed, a male and a female should be fine?(That doesn't particularly matter, but I've got names in mind >_)
Most pet stores don't really deal in cats or kittens, but rather have a space for a local SPCA or rescue group to bring in cats & dogs. Other than the teeny mall pet stores, most big stores only have grooming services and small animals like guinea pigs. But besides that, your point is what I usually use as a gauge about a good shelter or a bad one. The SPCA by me checks and plays with cats that it gets in. Kittens go up for adoption pretty much no matter what, and are played with regularly. Adult cats that are not people friendly are put down, and adult cats that are friendly go up for adoption -- and stay there until they're taken. They will check the cat's personality and will make little "about me" blurbs for the cat, so you know more about it and its overall personality, which is great. And, unsurprisingly, because of what they do their cats regularly find new homes -- even the old ones with issues. They had one cat that was very friendly but had eye surgery, so it only had one eye. He was adopted out after about 4 months.
In other words, a good shelter shouldn't make prospective pet owners feel guilty about not taking a cat home. They should make the people want to have a pet, not rescue one without really thinking it through. I've seen a shelter or two that do look more like prisons, and you feel bad for all of the cats. And the real problem is that cats that have been in a bad situation usually make poor pets, which leads to owners becoming disillusioned with pet ownership. Or they just get a young kitten and ignore the old cat.
My point of view, briefly (so that this doesn't become D&D), is that it's better to instill the sense that these cats are living things and that they shouldn't have to be born in a bush in the first place. No housepet should be unfixed, and there's a real lack of education on how to treat housecats in particular. If you go around any cat forum on the web, there's tons of posts of young kids crying about their cat getting hit by a car. There aren't any cars inside, so the cat must've been let outside for some reason. In other words, the people got the cat without really taking any responsibility in understanding pet ownership.
In other words, I think too many people view pets as just an object -- like a car or something. You just do some routine maintenance and sometimes things break down. Or worse, they think of their pet as just another animal that happens to live with them, so they don't get it fixed, they let it go outside, and it just leads to more problems. One of the reasons I support licensed cat breeders is that they ensure that people who get kittens from them are aware of how to care for a cat, and get the cat started on the right track. It makes me sad when people complain about cats scratching everything to hell and peeing in corners, because it's a mix of ignorance and experience with mistreated cats. Just like it pisses me off to see dogs permanently chained up outside.
Of course, I'm just one person and can't change the world's perception of pets, but that's why I encourage people to only get a pet from a licensed breeder or a very good shelter (or from another cat owner who has to get rid of their cat). People should want to have their pet, and enjoy its company, so that means they should be able to spend some time with it before taking it home. And in that time they should also be educated about proper care for said pet. You typically only get that from a responsible breeder or a really good shelter.
For declawing, I'd suggest reading this article from the CFA. It's surprisingly unbiased, but makes the point that while it's not bad for cats (and there's no proof that it affects their behavior), it rarely is needed if the cat is well-trained. For that reason, they only support it when necessary. As such, many vets will also not declaw a cat unless it's necessary.
Shelter cats are good to get in pairs because they're exposed to each other's smells by being in the same room. There are also fewer issues with territory as they are being brought into a new place together. Opinions are mixed on fixed cats and gender. Some say that there's no difference, while others will state that fixed females are still territorial (unaltered females are fiercely territorial) and fixed males are more playful than females (and unfixed males make bad pets). If you get them at the same time, though, gender shouldn't matter at all. Many shelters actually have paired cats that are littermates or from the same household -- the shelter by me has 2 such pairs.
I thought the reason for neutering was so that the cat wouldn't get into fights over females/have babies. I have a 1 year old cat that I never bothered to get done cause he's an apartment cat, and I can only afford to feed him, so there aren't any other cats in the house.
Whether you let your cat outside isn't really a hard and fast rule, it's a decision that should be made based on the temperament of the cat, and the surroundings you live in. If you've got a fat, lazy as hell cat in the middle of the city, then yeah, it should stay indoors, and would probably prefer it. But I know some of the cats I've had HAD to be let outside, or they would have gone crazy, and it was ok, because we lived in the burbs.
This song is basically about him : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qit3ALTelOo
This right here.
My cat was found pregnant in a box by a street corner.
(i need to upload some new pictures)
My cat was abandoned as a kitten so young he had to be bottle fed at first.
I would argue it's actually cruel to keep a pet without getting it fixed if you do not plan to breed it. Female cats will go into heat, and male cats will spray. They will also develop serious wanderlust and will try to escape, leading to a dead cat in most cases. It costs like $60 to spay/neuter a cat, they live longer, are happier, and the owners are happier too. I would suggest you do it as soon as feasible.
Studies have been done and they have not been able to detect any behavioral difference in cats that have been declawed. They do not lose their balance nor do they become reclusive or bitter. They simply cannot do things that require claws, such as climbing. It's not a terrible idea -- it's an optional idea. And like most optional surgeries, it should only really be done if there is a serious problem. If an older cat was never trained to use a scratching post and uses people instead, or its owners are older and cannot physically tolerate scratches from a cat, it can be a very good idea.
There are also two forms of declawing, as I linked to in my previous posts. One cuts from the first knuckle, and as cats are not people it is not as if your finger were cut at the first knuckle as cats do not use their paws as people use their fingers. The other method severs the tendon, leaving the claw intact but the cat cannot extend the claw. The claw still needs to be trimmed in this case.
Most vets refuse to declaw because it is an elective surgery, not because it seriously traumatizes a cat or leaves it in pain for the rest of its life. My wife's parents have 2 cats that are completely declawed, and the 3 cats before them have all been declawed as well. The cat is in pain for a few days and uncomfortable for a week to a month, in the first method. For the tendonectomy, the cat is back to normal after about 2 days, making it the preferred method for most vets. But vets don't do it for people who simply want cats to not have claws -- they stress that the owner should spend some serious time training the cat to use a scratching post. And as declawing does prevent the cat from doing some cat-like things, such as its climbing ability, they push that it's a bad idea as a first step towards a well-trained cat. But it's far from inhumane, and I've never met anyone who has declawed cats who didn't realize what the actual procedure was. In some households, it's the difference between the cat going to a shelter (or out on the street) or the cat staying inside. The OP isn't considering it, though, so the point is relatively moot.
Quoted for truth. If you live somewhere where your pet can go outside without the threat of exposure to other animals, it's a great way for them to get exercise. If you live in the city or suburbs, keep your indoor cat indoors. My wife's aunt is a vet and lives on farmland, and has barn cats and indoor cats. Even with the space, she keeps the indoor cats indoors and the outside cats outside. Cats are comfortable in a set territory and do not need to go outside, even if they seem like they want to go to the door. They're not dogs. They don't need to poop outside. If you have a garden space or a small porch area and you keep your cat well-monitored, it's an awesome way to have a 'bonus cat room'. But if there are other cats around, it's just a good way to shorten your cat's life (either through cars or disease -- FeLV and FIV are contracted through contact with other cats).
Dont: declaw
Do: spay or neuter sooner rather than later
Dont: let the cat stay out overnight (in most parts of the world, many different kinds of dangers out there)
I didn't say they become bitter and reclusive, I said that a lot of times they have issues with the litter box, because that is true, and one of the main reasons people give when they give away or euthanize cats is that the cats have stopped using the litter box. As for balance issues, I've seen this firsthand many, many times. Cats don't use their paws like people use their fingers; it is more like if people were walking on their toes all the time, and one can imagine the imact on one's balance without their first toe joints. Plus, many cats will use their claws as a first line of defense, and without claws, they resort to biting. Cat bites are far more serious and infection-prone than cat scratches.
It's still inhumane to cut off the first knuckle of the cat's paws, which is (at least in every place I've lived) the method vets use to declaw cats. The tendon-cutting is not quite as horrible, but it prevents the cat from being able to stretch properly (which can lead to back problems) and the owner still has to trim the cat's claws. Why not just trim the claws to begin with? The only time a declawing is necessary is in the event of a medical issue where the cat can't retract the claws on its own, or (I suppose) in the case of the owner having a weak nervous system and no other option.
(Edited because I fail at quoting.)