Thinking of getting a cat

Somnus

Hi,

I'm currently renting a house with a few other people and am thinking of getting a cat. My roomates are all on board with the idea so there's no problems there.

I would ideally like to get a kitten (In my parents we had dogs, and I feel like the cat might 'bond' with me more if I have it from a kitten rather than getting an adult).

I was wondering where the best place to get one would be? Are there many costs involved with getting them from the likes of CatsAid or is it mainly just the veterinary bills etc?

Any advice at all would be much appreciated. Have never owned a cat, and I don't think any of my roomates have either.

Thanks

boomerang

The cat will bond with you, regardless of its age, so don't be put off adopting an older kitten or cat.

If you do have your heart set on a really young kitten (i.e. less than 12 weeks old) then it's only fair to get two together. A kitten that young needs the company and play opportunities. Believe me if your kitten doesn't have a pal, your hands/feet/head are all going to be fair game for kitten claws until they are eight or ten months old! Your kitten will also be far more clingy, bored and harder to tucker out with a pal.

So unless you want two kitties, go for one at least five or six months old.

boomerang

PS You also need to get together and decide where the litter tray will be, and who will clean it out on a daily basis.

Even if you intend to let the cat outside, you will have to keep it indoors-only for at least the first few weeks and only after that should you start letting them outside, for just short periods at first.

Kittens less than six months old shouldn't be outdoors at all - they have no sense of danger and are much too vulnerable to traffic/dogs/adult cats etc. etc. You wouldn't let a little puppy take itself off for a wander and it's no different with kitties.

Somnus

Thanks for the info Boomerang.
I'll make sure not to get one younger than 6 months anyway then, as two might be a bit much for now. I don't particularly mind getting and older kitten or young cat then!

As regards keeping them indoors when young. Yeah, I would have expected as much. When you say letting them outside for short periods, how would you go about that, just keep them supervised in the back garden or get a lead. I'm fairly clueless! I'd hate for it to go too far when it's still not used to being out.

Nody

Honestly two cats is about as much work as one cat but you get the additional benefit that they can play with each other rather then one cat being bored and finding their own toys (trust me no matter how many toys you provide they will find something more interesting!). Make sure the cats have lived together at the shelter as well as introducing two cats who are foreign to each other in a new home is not something I'd recommend for new cat owners; if they have lived together at the shelter they will already know each other and be bonded and will transition far better and give each other comfort in the new scary environment.

As noted you'll need kitty boxes and regular cleaning of them; start off with what ever they are on at the moment and then migrate to what you want (personally I prefer burning wood pellets to absorb smell etc. but there are plenty of options out there). As a rule of thumb you want cats +1 litter boxes (so 1 cat = 2 boxes, 2 cats = 3 boxes etc.). Don't skimp on the size of them or try some fancy version (I've heard any good about the automatic toilet cleaners or the roll once for example). You also want to saturate your apartment with scratching items; this can be full blown cat trees or smaller scratches, cardboard based floor pieces etc. As they are moving into a new place (i.e. new smells and people) you also want to start creating a routine for them (cats love routine) and make sure the cats can go high (cats like to be high up and look down to so make sure the high spots are accessible and safe to go up to along with being able to look out the windows etc.).

Cats don't have to go out and can live a perfectly fine live inside (this also tends to prolong their life greatly as indoor has far less dangers then outside) but if you do let them outside you can do it by walking them in harness or by simply letting them roam. Before doing that though you need to make sure they are neutered/sterilized (you'd want to do the same if they are going to be indoor cats) to reduce fights, peeing at the wrong spots etc. You have no chance of catching them if you try to "supervise them" btw so don't count on that to work. If you want to let them out you need to make sure that they recognize your place as their home (i.e. they are settled in, I'd leave it at least a month) and that they are chipped (in case someone else bring them to the vet) and come if you call them (train them with treats basically).

Now moving on to food; what ever you do do not buy Aldi/Whiskas/Tesco/Felix etc. food for them nor should you really feed Royal Canin if you can avoid it (if they are fed on that when you pick them up you want to transition them over to your new food over a week by mixing it). These foods are all very expensive for what's poor to medium quality food that's priced at least two levels above their quality. Instead I'd strongly recommend having a read through this thread and decide what you want to feed (Zooplus.ie can give you a indication on the price). As a rule of thumb you'll want to feed soft food once or twice a day (same time every day) in a ceramic bowl (not metal or plastic) and have fresh water and kibble available 24/7. This works for most cats but not all (your shelter should be able to advise if not but you'll notice if one cat eats all the kibble as you make it available every single time).

Finally for your and your housemates sanity stock up on sticky rollers, a good vacuum cleaner and agree who'll do what. You WILL get hair all over the place in the most unlikely locations with pretty much every type of cat. The amount varies but it will be there so agree up front how the increased cleaning schedule may look like and have those rollers available for cleaning up your clothes before walking out the front door.

Oh and make sure to welcome your new master(s) and enjoy your life in servitude; it's well worth it!

Forgot to add; try to have everyone sit down and look through the three seasons of "My Cat from Hell" with Jackson Galaxy; it will give you great insight into what not do and what having a cat means which will be of great help to all of you (90% of all cat problems is the owners lack of knowledge and not the cats failing to show what's missing or is the problem).

Irish Stones

Please, don't assume that the kitten or cat will bond with you.
The cat will bond with anybody he likes the most, and it might not be you, it might be any of your room mates.
Be also prepared to expenses that other forum users haven't mentioned yet: veterinary expenses.
Spaying/Neutering could be expensive. Over here where I live it's about 80 euro for a male, 120 euro for a female.
Basic vaccination is twice 30 euro in the first year, 30 euro the following years, but if cat is allowed outside I would recommend the FeLV vaccination as well, so the costs are double.
The cat might also be sick and medical expenses could be high.

Lawrence1895

The good thing with cats is, they are independent enough, they come and go when they want, yet they are still very affectionate...if they want to

I would check with the local vet, mine always has notes up on the board, with kittens looking for a new home.

Solair

Our cat arrived as a ridiculously young kitten about 8 years ago now. His mother was a wild cat and she'd been killed / disappeared as he'd been found hiding in a hedge, no sign of the mom (despite best efforts to find her for 2 days).

We ended up having to bottle feed him and it was really serious work, including night-time feeding with special kitten milk formula.

As a very young kitten, there was actually a huge amount of work involved, including keeping him clean (he'd no ability to groom himself). We had to just keep him clean with a warm, slightly damp facecloth.

We eventually got him into a situation where he could lap from a saucer and from that we gradually introduced proper high quality meat (chicken, fish etc) (not cat food as he couldn't cope with it and needed a lot of protein).

'Toilet training' was really no problem. Put him into the litter tray with clean litter, and waited for him to 'go'. He got the idea very fast and just seemed to figure it all out (including burying anything he did).

Socialising is really important, so just handle the cat loads, play with him/her, be very affectionate and they'll be very affectionate back. Just be prepared to be scratched, bitten, and rough-housed with to some degree.

Kittens are cute, but they're armed with retractable razorblades

Get loads of cat toys and you should be a little safer and try not to encourage the cat to attack your hands/feet. Better to focus their attention on toys.

Buy some scratching posts / trees / etc. Loads available in big pet stores and places like Argos and they're not all that pricy

It's very easy to supervise a kitten outside. You'll really have to play the role of the kitten's parent for a while. They instinctively don't wander very far and usually will bond with you so they're not going to just shoot off into the nearest tree (unless they really dislike you for some reason).

Basically, just take the kitten outside into the garden, play with him/her, introduce him to climbing some small (safely not too high) trees. Play some hunting games i.e. chase things on string etc etc.. you'll figure it out.

Once he was tough enough to handle himself outside, we opened a cat door in the backdoor and got him used to coming in and out. We also moved the cat litter closer to the backdoor, then eventually put it into a sheltered place outside and he got used to the idea of going to the 'loo' outside the house in the cat litter.

Within a few weeks he was coming and going as he pleased. We're lucky in so far as we've a very large garden and lots of space, trees, etc so it's quite a cat safe environment without any major traffic risks.

Once we got to that stage, the cat was pretty much independent. He definitely knows where he lives (spends most of his time indoors chilling out) but goes out whenever he likes.

....

Taking on a cat is a fair bit of work (especially when they're kittens) so just be prepared!

As adults they're not quite as dependent as a dog, i.e. they'll usually manage to groom themselves, you don't need to bring them for walks etc etc

but it's still plenty of work!

----

Vets bills can be quite pricy - there's a lot of vaccinations and check ups and all that stuff. Again, just factor that in and maybe talk to a vet about what the costs are before you get a cat. Most vets would be happy to chat about it I'd say.

You'll also have to keep the cat wormed and treated for fleas.
We use Milbemax cat and Frontline.

(Our cat tends to hunt occasionally, so worming is even more important as he'll pick up worms from eating prey such as mice etc)

salsagal

OP, first off congrats on deciding to get a cat, endless hours of love and fun ahead.

Might I throw a bit of caution into the mix and ask when you and your flatmates go their separate ways, which of you is going to keep the cat(s) and be responsible for the 10-15 years of guardianship? It's something you might want to bear in mind in advance.

As you're currently renting, have you checked with your landlord/landlady that you have permission to have animals? When you move elsewhere, you will also have to factor this into deciding on suitability of your next rental property.

Some pretty good advice in this thread already, about preparing your flat and yourselves for the new furry arrival, so I've not much more to add.

Best of luck!

ShaShaBear

OP I think I could recommend perhaps locating a rescue that is looking for cat/kitten fosterers?

Gives you and your housemates the chance to see what it is like to actually own a cat, learn the responsibilities that go along with it, learn some of the more basic characteristics of a cat and helps you all get into a routine. This is a great time of the year to foster pregnant and nursing mother cats - most rescues will be delighted that you've agreed to take on mother and babies for about 8-10 weeks. There is VERY little effort in raising them, make sure mummy has food, check the kittens regularly to make sure they are feeding - in general mum will do the rest. When they start to walk about you can begin getting them used to being hand reared and handled by different people (since you have housemates this would be excellent) and when they are ready to be rehomed, you can help the rescue find a place for them, and you might find there is a particular kitten or two in the litter that you absolutely won't part with, maybe even mammy herself!

Alternatively, you could offer to foster an adult or younger cat for a few weeks just to get your bearings and at least if it doesnt work out, you can give the cat back knowing you saved the rescue a few bob in cattery costs!

Somnus

Hey all,

Thanks for all of your contributions and advice. Nothing is set in stone yet, so there's plenty of time for me to think about the best option for me to go with. I won't make the decision lightly!

Vet bills and the regular feeding/litter changing etc wouldn't bother me at all. Used to it from the dogs in my parents.
As for who'd own the cat when we move out, I'd probably just pay for it/care for it myself really. I'd like to take it with me should I move.

One thing that's kinda holding me off at the minute is that one of my room mates has a pet hamster and the other a gekko. (It's turning into a mini zoo if the cat arrives)
Now obviously they'd be kept seperate and the doors closed when no one is around, but I'd be concerned that either the cat would be obsessed with trying to get into the hamster room or that the hamster will be aware/afraid at the smell of the cat in the house.

Thoughts?

Irish Stones

It depends on the cat's attitude.
I've been having cats for 13 years now, and I also had a gerbil and two mice. I don't have them anymore, they live a short life...
Of course the cat might be interested in those small rodents, but if the cats understands that they are part of the family chances are that they could all leave in peace.
I have three cats, one of them has always showed a great attraction for these tiny creatures, and spent most of her time watching inside the cage. Occasionally she tried to catch them. Obviously the mice were scared when the cat was around, but they were absolutely relaxed in other moments, so the smell of the cats in the house wasn't a source of concern to them.
The second cat couldn't care less, she knew they were there, but she minded her own business.
The third cat is so friendly to everybody, that even mice, birds, lizards are friends of him. He likes to spent his relaxing moments with every living being

looking_around

I've had pet rodents and cats all my life, cat will be curious, but normally will give up trying to get close to the hamster. Might randomly get more/less curious about it.

Most pet rodents pay no attention to the 'new cat smell'. I don't think they really have any idea of the danger.

I can't say anything about the lizard, but I doubt it'll interest the cat much, especially if the cat never gets access to said rooms/know it's there.

___
As others have said, an older cat will bond as easily as a younger one. If they'll bond with. I'd look at rescues. You can also see if the cat is extra friendly, playful, bit grumpy, lazy etc that way. And rescues tend to appreciate a loving home.

If you get a cat bring it to your room first and keep it there for the first couple of days, before allowing it access to the rest of the house. Cats can get extremely nervous when moved and this has always helped to settle them in as they associate that one room as safety when they start to explore, keeping them with you also increases the chances that it'll bond to you. (be aware, it may not though.)