I might get a cat

[Linux23]

have a mouse issue and am lonely in my apartment by myself sometimes so I would like to get a cat. as long as it's friendly to my 4 year old daughter and catches the mice, i'm fine.

are they easy to maintain?
what kind of equipment do I need?
how many times per day do i feed it?
is there a break-in period?

i'll probably go the shelter route, but i'm kicking myself for getting rid of a stray i invited into my home a few years back. was such a chill animal.

do i just pick out which model I want and take it home?

J/K.

or am I?

Seriously please help a potential first time cat owner.

 

[Cappuccino]

have a mouse issue
I REPEAT CATS DONT SCARE THE MOUSE./...;.;.;.; THE MOUSE SCARE THE CAT!!!!!!!!!
You have been warned!

i'll probably go the shelter route
YES always buy pets from shelter. They need love and care. Don't buy from private owners. They do it for money and they force breed. ALWAYS shelter! Be a good guy!

 

[Crono]

Cats aren't particularly good mice hunters, that's just something the Feluminati wants you to believe.

 

[Cappuccino]

Cats aren't particularly good mice hunters, that's just something the Feluminati wants you to believe.

FINALLY CHRONO WATCHES TOM AND JERRY!!!!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Cats are nice except that they want to eat your face.

 

[IronWing]

You have a four year old child. Are you willing to tolerate a cat scratching your child when she deserves it (messing with the cat)? Kids can be mean to animals, sometimes without knowing it. If your response is, "the cat is always wrong" then I would recommend not getting one. If your response is, "the kid will learn not to do that again" then cats are a lot of fun.

 

[PottedMeat]

you try yelling at the landlord / cleaning any potential food sources / sealing mouse holes?

 

[Ichinisan]

My friend got a cat today. In more than one message, he has referred to the new cat as "chill."

Coincidence?

 

[Paladin]

Get 2, like a brother and sister. Cats do better with a companion they can grow up with. They aren't that much work, so an additional cat isn't like twice the work. And yes, go to a shelter.

 

[MrSquished]

Cat's are awesome and you should adopt from a shelter always.

I had a cat as a child and then in my adult life I have always had 1 and sometimes 2 cats, until my last cat passed 6 months ago and I haven't gotten one since. But I will.

I read that male cats are often friendlier than female cats so I always got male cats. They were all super friendly creatures. I would equate two of my cats as having puppy dog like mannerisms.

You just leave them dry food out all the time and feed them wet food once a day. That's how I rolled and it worked. Clean their litter box every 1-2 days and that's it. If you go away for a long weekend just leave out extra food and water and they will be fine. Super low maintenance.

There is a break in period while the cat gets adjusted to a new living environment, and that can vary per cat. But it should be a matter of weeks, if not days.

Some cats will catch mice. Most of my cats were indoor/outdoor, and some would bring me back little animal presents, and some would not. The best hunter was Peanut, a female cat that was adopted for my gf, the only female cat I got because she wanted one. She would hunt and bring us baby squirrels, rabbits and even birds.

It's very rewarding to own a cool cat. Enjoy

 

[Linux23]

Cats are nice except that they want to eat your face.

I shit you not, that was one of the questions I deleted from my OP.

 

[Linux23]

You have a four year old child. Are you willing to tolerate a cat scratching your child when she deserves it (messing with the cat)? Kids can be mean to animals, sometimes without knowing it. If your response is, "the cat is always wrong" then I would recommend not getting one. If your response is, "the kid will learn not to do that again" then cats are a lot of fun.

yes, that is literally my response. she shall go to school with claw marks on her face.

 

[Paratus]

Here's what you need

• Litter box
• Litter box liner
• Litter
• Litter scoop
• Dry and or wet cat food
• Bowls for food and water
• Cat toys
• Nail clippers (human nail clippers work ok)
• Squirt bottle
• Collar

What to look for:

For a rescue cat look for one that is friendly and curious not overly frightened or aggressive. If the cat immediately goes after your fingers with teeth or claws when trying to pet it I'd consider continuing to look.

Make sure the cat is spayed or neutered.

We've found that Siamese cats (flame point and regular) tend to be smart, affectionate and playful.

Don't get a very very young kitten. They can be more aggressive when they get older due to lack of time with mom.

For food:
Leave out a full bowl of dry cat food and see how much they eat. We also give our cats 1/6th can of wet cat food in the evenings. Cats are more carnivorous than dogs. So try and get food that's more meat protein than corn or wheat fillers.

If cat gets fat leave less food out.

Always have a bowl of water out.

Litter Box:
Get one with a top to cut down on litter getting out of the box. Clumping scoopable litter last longer than regular litter before you have to completely change it out. If you decide on regular litter you'll need liners. Regardless scoop the litter box every day or two. Your want the cat to love using the litter box.

Other stuff:
Get a collar if you are going to let your cat outside. I don't recommend having outdoor cats. They don't live as long and kill a lot of our door critters. Killing mice indoors however is a-ok.

If the cat misbehaves then use the squirt bottle to get its attention.

If your cat is going bonkers play with it more. Always play with the cat with a toy don't use your hand or fingers. You don't want to train him to attack your pathetic human hand with his needle sharp claws and teeth.

Make sure to use flea and tick meds for at least the first few months. This will kill any fleas the cat has from the rescue and prevent your mouse problem from turning into a mouse and flea problem.

A happy cat can be left home by itself during the day or even overnight assuming adequate food and water and litter box access.

<- have 4 cats. (Told wife she was one cat away from being crazy cat lady)

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I shit you not, that was one of the questions I deleted from my OP.

Cats have a different psychology than many attribute to them. They display traits which suggest affection and that may be enough for many people. If you want a cat by all means have one, but not my cup of tea. I'll stick to my English Springer, but then I have the room for her to run around. Different critters for different situations and people.

 

[Linux23]

Cat's are awesome and you should adopt from a shelter always.

I had a cat as a child and then in my adult life I have always had 1 and sometimes 2 cats, until my last cat passed 6 months ago and I haven't gotten one since. But I will.

I read that male cats are often friendlier than female cats so I always got male cats. They were all super friendly creatures. I would equate two of my cats as having puppy dog like mannerisms.

You just leave them dry food out all the time and feed them wet food once a day. That's how I rolled and it worked. Clean their litter box every 1-2 days and that's it. If you go away for a long weekend just leave out extra food and water and they will be fine. Super low maintenance.

There is a break in period while the cat gets adjusted to a new living environment, and that can vary per cat. But it should be a matter of weeks, if not days.

Some cats will catch mice. Most of my cats were indoor/outdoor, and some would bring me back little animal presents, and some would not. The best hunter was Peanut, a female cat that was adopted for my gf, the only female cat I got because she wanted one. She would hunt and bring us baby squirrels, rabbits and even birds.

It's very rewarding to own a cool cat. Enjoy

Thanks Pixel. I appreciate the advice given by you.

 

[Linux23]

Here's what you need

• Litter box
• Litter box liner
• Litter
• Litter scoop
• Dry and or wet cat food
• Bowls for food and water
• Cat toys
• Nail clippers (human nail clippers work ok)
• Squirt bottle
• Collar

What to look for:

For a rescue cat look for one that is friendly and curious not overly frightened or aggressive. If the cat immediately goes after your fingers with teeth or claws when trying to pet it I'd consider continuing to look.

Make sure the cat is spayed or neutered.

We've found that Siamese cats (flame point and regular) tend to be smart, affectionate and playful.

Don't get a very very young kitten. They can be more aggressive when they get older due to lack of time with mom.

For food:
Leave out a full bowl of dry cat food and see how much they eat. We also give our cats 1/6th can of wet cat food in the evenings. Cats are more carnivorous than dogs. So try and get food that's more meat protein than corn or wheat fillers.

If cat gets fat leave less food out.

Always have a bowl of water out.

Litter Box:
Get one with a top to cut down on litter getting out of the box. Clumping scoopable litter last longer than regular litter before you have to completely change it out. If you decide on regular litter you'll need liners. Regardless scoop the litter box every day or two. Your want the cat to love using the litter box.

Other stuff:
Get a collar if you are going to let your cat outside. I don't recommend having outdoor cats. They don't live as long and kill a lot of our door critters. Killing mice indoors however is a-ok.

If the cat misbehaves then use the squirt bottle to get its attention.

If your cat is going bonkers play with it more. Always play with the cat with a toy don't use your hand or fingers. You don't want to train him to attack your pathetic human hand with his needle sharp claws and teeth.

Make sure to use flea and tick meds for at least the first few months. This will kill any fleas the cat has from the rescue and prevent your mouse problem from turning into a mouse and flea problem.

A happy cat can be left home by itself during the day or even overnight assuming adequate food and water and litter box access.

<- have 4 cats. (Told wife she was one cat away from being crazy cat lady)

Such great info. Thanks.

 

[Paratus]

Such great info. Thanks.

No problem!

If you do get one let me know and I'll tell you how best to cleanup cat barf, urine and poop!

Joking.



Mostly.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Allergies? Even if not, get a relatively short-haired cat. Less mess.

Cat's can be extremely low maintenance. We always had indoor/outdoor cats growing up. I'm not sure how feasible that is in an apartment, or in a more urban area, though.

Never heard of a litter box liner, but it's been a while... We just had a plastic tray, about four inches deep, with kitty litter in it and a scoop that was used to clean the litter periodically.

Food, a couple of bowls. A few toys. Not much to it. A flea collar, if necessary.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

There are far better ways to deal with mice than cats. Poison and traps and stuff. Evicting the slob in the next apartment who is feeding all these vermin with his grossness. Setting the building on fire. Humanity has driven many species of rodents extinct. Cats have not. We are the superior mass murderers.

Now, as far as cats and maintenance goes, Paratus covered it well, but I'd add:

I hope you like cleaning up hairballs and puke, because you are going to be doing it for the next 15 or so years.

Compulsive eating disorders are pretty common with shelter/stray cats (food insecurity). Just plan on set feeding times now.

Cats do have psyches and personalities, so you may want to spend time at the shelter getting to know a few.

They are large enough and communicative enough that you will not be allowed to forget to feed them (unlike all my dead fish). My cat has a very unique "grr-mew" that means she needs my help for the Big Three: It's mealtime, she can't get to the litterbox, or she has poop stuck in her fur.

Oh, yeah, long haired cats sometimes get poop stuck in their fur. Plan on shaving your cat's butt.

Cats are frightened by loud/excited humans (like children) and will run and hide if your daughter can't "play nice." If they are pissed off at you, they are big and pointy enough to cause pain and give your daughter Ailurophobia, but not really able to permanently harm her. Cats will generally only fight you off until they see an opportunity to GTFO.

I like Tidy Cat (brand) litter. Best clumping and odor control of any brand we've tried.

Older cats sometimes develop food allergies; chicken is a common one. Certain brands of cat treats make our oldest cat shit blood. So introduce new foods/brands very carefully/infrequently, and give it time between each new dietary change to make sure everything is ok.

 

[Paratus]

Allergies? Even if not, get a relatively short-haired cat, in any case.

Cat's can be extremely low maintenance. We always had indoor/outdoor cats growing up. I'm not sure how feasible that is in an apartment, or in a more urban area, though.

Never heard of a litter box liner, but it's been a while... We just had a plastic tray, about four inches deep, with kitty litter in it and a scoop that was used to clean the litter periodically.

Food, a couple of bowls. A few toys. Not much to it. A flea collar, if necessary.

It's a litter box sized trash bag for non scoopable litter. Just pull the liner up and all the old litter comes with it.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Move, that's a far better solution to a mouse problem. Committing to cat ownership to handle mice is like getting rabies shots for a hangnail. It's a long, tedious, unpleasant process that won't actually solve anything.

 

[MrSquished]

Move, that's a far better solution to a mouse problem. Committing to cat ownership to handle mice is like getting rabies shots for a hangnail. It's a long, tedious, unpleasant process that won't actually solve anything.

I've had cats for 20 years and it was never tedious or unpleasant. Only when one got killed or one got sick and had to go to the vet. Of course that's only 6 cats or so, so a small sample size. But each one was a pleasure to own.

Well except one. But it wasn't his fault. His living situation changed dramatically and his personality couldn't handle it - I actually had to surrender that cat though. Only time that happened.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Six cats in 20 years? Damn, either you kept two or three at a time, or they didn't fare very well in your house. On average, that's not a great life expectancy.

 

[Sonikku]

Allow me to be the first to express excitement at the prospect of a cat adopting Linux23.

 

[MrSquished]

Six cats in 20 years? Damn, either you kept two or three at a time, or they didn't fare very well in your house. On average, that's not a great life expectancy.

When I lived in the suburbs my cats were indoor/outdoor. I didn't live in the ghetto, this was a solidly middle to upper middle class suburb.

One got hit by a car. One was found dead in a yard, potentially poisoned we think. Another cat got shot by a pellet gun by some asshole, so I made sure my last cat was indoor only so I figured he'd have a long life, but he got kidney problems and had to be put down last summer at only 8 years old. And he was my favorite of all of them. It was brutal. I'll never let another cat outside though. I live in an urban area now so I would never, but even if I move to the burbs, no more outdoor for any cat I own.

The other three cats I had the one I had to return to the shelter. The other two were taken custody by the girlfriend at the time. Kelly took one, then later on in life Jen took another. Since we had adopted two cats at the same time it was amicable. I kept one cat and the girl kept another.

So I've had 7 cats in 20 or so years. I've had some bad luck brother.