Thinking of adopting a cat

[Mo0o]

I'm interested in adopting a cat and I had some questions for current cat owners.

1. Ideally we would like to adopt a cat that's relatively young as possible but obviously the youngest kittens would require a lot of care and I will only be around the house for another 2 months. So would a ~6month-1yr old be ok? My mom works during the day so she wont be able to take care of the cat until she comes back from work.
2. Whats the best way to train cats to not housesoil/scratch up furniture?
3. As far as things to buy for the cat I have listed: litter box, kitty litter, bed, scratching post, toys, cat food, food/water bowl, treats?
4. We plan on mostly keeping the cat indoors but if she/he wants to go outside to roam a little we want to give it the chance. At what age is it relatively safe to let a cat out to play and still trust it'll come back? Or is letting your cat out very poor etiquette and should be avoided all together?
5. Any breed of cat that shed less than others?

Any other suggestions are welcome. Most likely we'll adopt from the humane society or some other cat rescue place.

Just a clarification: my mom will still be at the house everyday after normal work hours. I will be in the house for most of the day during summer then I will move out and only visit on weekends. I was just concerned about very young kittens that might need near constant attention for awhile

 

[miri]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
I'm interested in adopting a cat and I had some questions for current cat owners.

1. Ideally we would like to adopt a cat that's relatively young as possible but obviously the youngest kittens would require a lot of care and I will only be around the house for another 2 months. So would a ~6month-1yr old be ok? My mom works during the day so she wont be able to take care of the cat until she comes back from work.
2. Whats the best way to train cats to not housesoil/scratch up furniture?
3. As far as things to buy for the cat I have listed: litter box, kitty litter, bed, scratching post, toys, cat food, food/water bowl, treats?
4. We plan on mostly keeping the cat indoors but if she/he wants to go outside to roam a little we want to give it the chance. At what age is it relatively safe to let a cat out to play and still trust it'll come back? Or is letting your cat out very poor etiquette and should be avoided all together?
5. Any breed of cat that shed less than others?

Any other suggestions are welcome. Most likely we'll adopt from the humane society or some other cat rescue place

1)6 month to 1 year cat is fine

2)I would recommend some large wooden logs and catnip

3) sounds like plenty

4) I would keep your cat indoors 100% of the time for the safety of the cat and as to not annoy neighbors. The only time I would let a cat outside is if I lived in the country and the cat was spayed/neutered and had shots up to date.

5) not sure on this

 

[wiredspider]

So who is primary going to be supporting this cat? You said you were only going to be around for 2 more months, maybe you should just get a gold fish.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: wiredspider
So who is primary going to be supporting this cat? You said you were only going to be around for 2 more months, maybe you should just get a gold fish.

My mom will be supporting it and Ill be home pretty much every weekend

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: wiredspider
So who is primary going to be supporting this cat? You said you were only going to be around for 2 more months, maybe you should just get a gold fish.

My mom will be supporting it and Ill be home pretty much every weekend

Hopefully she won't forget to feed it. Happened to a friend of mine.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Xyclone

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: wiredspider
So who is primary going to be supporting this cat? You said you were only going to be around for 2 more months, maybe you should just get a gold fish.

My mom will be supporting it and Ill be home pretty much every weekend

Hopefully she won't forget to feed it. Happened to a friend of mine.

My mom isn't that old . She's on top of things so i think itll be ok

 

[jinduy]

1. 6month old is pretty old already... like an adult almost. i'd say 8 weeks is good.
2. give them various scratching alternatives and try those sprays like feliway and other spray knockoffs. they work in my experience.
3. might want to get a nice brush and kitty nail clippers
4. cat's on average live a signifcant number of years longer than an outdoor cat. your call.
5. maybe try to find shorthair cats (they come in domestic variety)

 

[alkemyst]

don't get a cat then...get a cat when you are home pretty much everyday.

 

[Accipiter22]

the tenderest portion is found in the rump region. PM me for recipe.

 

[Luthien]

Basically once you let your cat outside it will likely want to be outside most of the time and will get you used to letting it out and in all the time. I also suggest you keep it indoors and never let it out. If you live in the country and have a garage and want to let it out that is okay but put a cat door in your garage so it can get in and out.

Toilet training cats is easy, you just show them the litter box in most cases you don't need to do more than that. Having a litter box on your first and second floor will help eliminate mistakes.

Pure bred cats are far more mistake oriented when it comes to using litter boxes from my experience with persians.

I don't think you will have any problems leaving the cat alone after 6 months of age.

All cat's have different personalities just like people something you learn when you have owned multiple cats. The number one thing with cats if you want them to want to be around you is that you need to NEVER strike your cat.

There is a cat litter you can buy that works very well at attracting cats to using it as their litter pan. I forget the name of it and it is a little expensive but after training you just mix it with your regular litter until you just don't use it anymore. Edit: I remember now it is called Cat Attract.

Keeping the cat's from scratching the furniture means you definately need a scratching post and some cat nip for it. Also there is a cat toy with cardboard in the midle that is round and flat like a plate and has a ball that the cat can hit around the outside of it embedded into it that would be a good addition to the scratching post. Cat nail clippers and a cat brush. Cat's love being brushed; well the short haired cats do unlike long hairs which if not brushed from kitten hood will not like it much with tangled fur etc. Oh, and their is even a cat alarm thing you can buy to keep the cat/s off your furniture that goes off whenever a cat jumps on the couch etc. It does work perfectly.

I know there is a cat breed that hardly sheds at all but I don't remember the name of it. Other than that cats shed just like dogs do. Sure some cats seem to shed more than others but I can tell you for sure that outdoor cats shed a lot more than indoor cats do because I see the evidence of it everyday,lol. An indoor cat will have a healthier coat and shed less.

Don't declaw your cat! DO NOT DO IT! It is like cutting off each of your fingers up to the first digit. In door our outdoor you cat will be defenseless compaired to a clawed cat and defenseless against dogs and other animals if it ever gets out. Don't do it!

Make sure you get a collar that isn't leather and get a good tag. I have found that leather collars are abrasive to cat's skin or they have an alergic reaction to it of some kind and it will abrade away the fur over time even though it isn't tight on the back of the neck. Get one of the synthetic material collars.

Just get a mut cat at the shelter they live longer and are healthier than pure bred cats. Male cats tend to be more affectionate than female cats but that isn't true all the time. Some female cat's can be very affectionate as much as any male. Since you will not be breeding your cat make sure you get spay or neuter as early as possible before they get fiesty. Basically allowing your cat to become sexually active will often change it's personality for life making it more independent than if you had intervened.

Change the water everday keeping it nice and fresh! Avoid canned cat foods just use dry cat food like purina cat chow it is all you need. Cat treats that work for my cats are pounce moist chicken flavor treats. Whenever I eat tuna I always share some with my cats but that is like once a week and not a lot. If you feed your cat's wet food it will help rot their teeth and they will always be begging for it.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Oh dear god don't declaw your cat. That is just absolutely cruel, and should only be done in emergencies (there do exists situations where it might need to be done, but it sure as hell shouldn't be done for convenience). Get them a scratching post or two, and they'll be fine. Get a spray bottle and spray then when if they do scratch something they shouldn't. They'll learn pretty quick if you are consistent.

Luthien has great info in his post. If you can get a cat that hasn't been starved at any point (ie street / rescue cat), you might have a chance of free feeding your cat. Then again, you mgiht not--just depends on if your cat is a food whore or not.

 

[Jeff7]

Keeping it inside also means less chance of it bringing in ticks or fleas.

Originally posted by: Luthien
Don't declaw your cat! DO NOT DO IT! It is like cutting off each of your fingers up to the first digit. In door our outdoor you cat will be defenseless compaired to a clawed cat and defenseless against dogs and other animals if it ever gets out. Don't do it!

This could be up for debate. If it's older and is accustomed to its claws, I'd say no. But if it's young, it'd be less detrimental. And only the front claws.

My cats have always had their front claws removed as soon as the vet said it was ok. One of my cats, Scotty, was chased by a neighbor's adult collie (in our yard). He did come back unharmed, but terrified. The collie ran home with a shredded ear. Since then I've been much more careful about letting my cats outside.
Another cat, Harry, often squared off against another cat from up the street, who had his front claws. Most of their fights were just staring contests, but sometimes they'd get a bit rough. Harry was always able to hold his own though.
He was also able to climb trees. One particular time, he whined from the top of a tree, as many cats do, for about 2hrs. Then he finally got bored of that, and came down on his own. He was also somehow able to climb to the top of doors, though I only saw pictures of this. By the time I would have been old enough to remember something like that, he was starting to get too old for those kinds of shenanigans.

I just think that if it's done when they're young, they won't know what they don't have. I also don't know that they have the level of intelligence necessary to assign blame, or really know what happened.

I have also had a cat who was too old for declawing. She usually ignored the scratching post and scratching mat. She preferred furniture. She knew about the post and the mat, as she'd used them a few times, but just didn't like them. No matter what we'd try to do to "encourage" her to stop going nuts with the furniture, she'd still sneak in scratches when we weren't looking. But since we adopted her when she was a few years old, and as she wasn't exactly treated well prior, she might not have liked taking orders from anyone. A young cat may agree to scratch only where it's allowed to.

Just get a mut cat at the shelter they live longer and are healthier than pure bred cats. Male cats tend to be more affectionate than female cats but that isn't true all the time. Some female cat's can be very affectionate as much as any male. Since you will not be breeding your cat make sure you get spay or neuter as early as possible before they get fiesty. Basically allowing your cat to become sexually active will often change it's personality for life making it more independent than if you had intervened.

Yup, also depends on the cat. Scotty was occasionally affectionate, but usually just kind of accepted that we lived in the same house. He did kiss up a lot when it was suppertime.
Beverly is much more affectionate. She follows people around the house, and always meows a greeting to someone walking into the room.
Both of them were taken from a relative's farm when they were kittens.

Entertaining a cat need not require toys from the store. A cheap laser pointer will do wonders. Or a crumpled up piece of paper, or ping pong ball.

I'll second the spaying or neutering - do it when the vet says the cat is old enough. Unless you enjoy having lots more unwanted kittens in the world, or having a cat in heat yowling in the house, trying to get some lovin' from you. Or of course, a male cat "claiming" everything in the house as his, using liquid Post-It notes.

 

[lupi]

I would first start cleaning loaded guns. If you can't manage to have an accident with one, then go ahead and pick up the cat.

 

[Verse914]

Agreed with the the declaw remarks...DO NOT declaw your cat. One of my cats started clawing at one area of the couch when she was a kitten, so we put a scratching post right next to that spot...from there on, she has never scratched the couch or anything else besides that scratching post.

 

[WildHorse]

Had a few questions for cat owners

Backwards.
The cat is the owner, you're its servant.

 

[mlm]

Regarding declaw: Places will NOT adopt to you if they see any hint of the possibility that you would want to declaw the cat.

In addition to the items you listed, I recommend getting a cat tree. One of mine always likes to be "above" us (insert servant jokes here).

If you can get a young cat, be persistant on teaching it its name. It IS possible

In my experience, shorthaired cats actually shed MORE than mid-long.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: scott

Had a few questions for cat owners

Backwards.
The cat is the owner, you're its servant.

Maybe i should build a shrine + throne

 

[bctbct]

After spending the last two nights shaving a long hair cat

GET A SHORT HAIR CAT

 

[blue1friday2]

Where are you at? My mother just found a litter of kittens + mama underneath her porch. You can drive over and have one.

 

[Luthien]

Originally posted by: blue1friday2
Where are you at? My mother just found a litter of kittens + mama underneath her porch. You can drive over and have one.

That would be nice!

 

[kaymin]

Get TWO cats. Every animal I've owned benefited greatly from having a companion of the same species. Especially since you're not gonna be home to play with it or whatever. The cost isn't prob that much more either.

One cat or two
Many people recommend getting two cats instead of one. A single cat can get lonely and bored. Two cats keep each other company, especially during the day while you're away. They tend to get into less trouble. And they're fun to watch together.

 

[ultimatebob]

2) You can supposedly train a cat by firmly speaking saying "NO" or using a spray bottle when they do something bad like scratching the couch and rewarding them when they do something good like using a scratching post. Does it REALLY work? Personal experience says no! At best, I was able to teach my cat to wait until I LEFT before he started attacking the furniture

3) Looks like you got that one covered

4) If you let out your cat just ONCE, it will probably beg to be left out again for months! Even if you don't give into the begging, it will eventually escape on it's own when your hands are full and can't catch 'em. I have to lock up my cat when I take out the trash, for example, or he's a goner. If you want your cat to be a 100% inside cat, you're going to have to work hard to make sure that it never escapes outside. It's practically impossible to convert an outside cat to an inside cat, too... My parents have a cat that they haven't purposely left outside for years, and it still tries to escape constantly.

5) I'll bet that hairless ones don't shed much

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: bctbct
After spending the last two nights shaving a long hair cat

GET A SHORT HAIR CAT

You shaved a cat and lived to tell about it? How many liters of elephant tranquilizer did you use?

2) You can supposedly train a cat by firmly speaking saying "NO" or using a spray bottle when they do something bad like scratching the couch and rewarding them when they do something good like using a scratching post. Does it REALLY work? Personal experience says no! At best, I was able to teach my cat to wait until I LEFT before he started attacking the furniture

Also depends on the cat. The adopted cat who loved scratching things also didn't mind water. She was dirty from the place she was at before we got her, so we gave her a bath. Not good enough. So, another bath. She was calm for both, purred the entire time, and didn't seem to mind.
One of my roommates had a kitten. I used a water pistol (sprayed gently so as not to harm its eyes) if it was doing anything bad. It enjoyed this, and would attack the water droplets.

Beverly responds to "verbal" statements, namely hissing. I can hiss at her with the same sound a cat would make, and she'll immediately duck to the ground with her ears laid back. Or if she's about to sneak outside and thinks she won't be able to get away in time, she'll turn and hide under something inside.

But there are almost always ways of training cats. You've just got to find what works with your particular cat.

 

[Shortcut]

get two cats. they'll keep each other company. the incremental cost and effort for the additional cat is minimal.

please don't declaw the cat(s).

don't let your cat out...they will be more susceptible to fleas, ticks, accidents, and ignorant assholes (see thread about the cat with the arrow thru its skull).

if the cats shed too much, you can always give them a 'lion cut'!

 

[Zenmervolt]

1) I would say 3-4 months old is fine. Generally by 6 months a cat is fairly independent.

2) Double-sided tape on anything they might scratch and some sacrificial un-finished wood. Cats hate the way tape feels (the stickiness) and if you put double sided tape on your furniture for a couple months, the cat will learn to leave it alone, after which you won't need to keep replacing the tape.

3) Your list sounds good. Cats are low-maintenance, mine just has food/water and litterbox. He loves tennis balls, so I gave him some old, flat, tennis balls to play with for toys and he doesn't mind not having a bed.

4) Unless you're in the country, don't do the outdoor thing. There's just too much risk in a neighborhood.

5) If you're adopting from a rescue, you're unlikely to have breed choice, but a general rule is that a shorthairs will shed less. The less "fluffy" and less "soft" a cat is, the less they tend to shed, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

A warning if you're going to be gone for periods is to watch out for the cats that seem to want to be with everyone. Cats that want attention can become unruly if left alone for long periods of time, while the "scared" cats can sometimes be the best one family cats.

ZV