Cat advise please

Flanging_Fred

I grew up in a household that was a cat free zone, my parents both preferring dogs. I have never owned or really wanted a cat, but my 2 daughters are desperate for one. This has been made worse as my daughter's friend has loads of kittens and she keeps asking if we want one.

The family have had s pretty rough 12 months and I'm starting to think getting having a cat might be a calming influence around the place. For some inexplicable reason cats also seem to quite like me. 

I have a number of concerns though: We're all out all day at work and school. This rules out a dog completely imo but do cats care much being left alone? They seem much more independent but I wouldn't want to take one on without knowing that we could take care of it properly.

We have no back door to put a cat flap in, we have glass sliding doors so are there any solutions to this so the cat can get out (other than acting as a doorman of course)?

Any other advice that can help make a decision as my cat knowledge is pretty much zero.

VimFuego

IME cats much prefer company, though they are different to dogs in that they are happy going off on their own. Ours have always had us here at all times of the day, and they do show signs of missing us if we go out for the day.

John_P

I’ve found it depends on the cat how happy they are being left alone but I would think the time you’re at work is fine.    
Maybe a couple from the same litter instead of just one - although I think it’s humans they worry more than cats about leaving it alone when they are happy enough to get regular meals.  

I have the same issue with not having a cat flap and you just need to be on top of the litter tray situation - some cats are fine with hardly ever going outside.  
Usual caveats they apply to lots of pets - at some point it will make a mess and if it likes you then expect present of the occasional half eaten mouse.   

Flanging_Fred

VimFuego said:

IME cats much prefer company, though they are different to dogs in that they are happy going off on their own. Ours have always had us here at all times of the day, and they do show signs of missing us if we go out for the day.

This is what I'm concerned about and the main reason we have not done anything yet.  I want to be sure that we can look after it properly and that it's happy.

Phil_aka_Pip

If you don't or can't have a catflap, you need a place for a litter tray. When I lived in a flat it was in the bathroom, in other houses it has been in the downstairs loo.

Cats tolerate being left alone but I think they are happier with company - especially if they are kept in all day. My first cat grew up with me being at home a lot of the time as I was unemployed, but later got used to the idea that when I went out to work it was for all day, so he had to decide at my going-out time whether he was going to stay in, or hang out in the garden. His choice. Since then I have had other adult cats who seemed to be used to the idea of their humans going out for all day. I don't think a kitten would like that so much.

I can't recommend having a cat too highly, but if you are all going out for all day, then maybe a kitten isn't for you, go to a rescue place and get an adult who's used to an empty house during the day. He will be really pleased to see you when you get home in the evening and will want you to sit down so he can sit on you.

webrthomson

Okay - so I'm biased - I'm a cat person - just stating that up front.

There are no hard and fast answers with cats they are all pretty unique, given breeds have some similarities, in terms of personality etc. but most cats in my experience have their own personalities.

What breed of kitten are they if any? Most cats are pretty happy to be left alone during the day and if allowing outdoor access is an issue they can be easily trained to use a litter box.

Some breeds are more happy to be alone thank others – my British Tabbies are much more independent that my Rag Doll cross and the female British tabby much more so than the male I have – she lies in the conservatory, pretty much all day irrespective of whether there are people in the house or not.

My Rag Doll cross likes plenty of company and he does dislike being left on his own for very long stretches of time but the working day would not present an issue even for him.

A few things to consider if you do go for it:

• Cats can live a fairly long time – 15 years and up is not uncommon.
• Decide where they are sleeping and stick to it – they are nocturnal – If you don’t want to be woken up by them playing, invading your bed or attacking your feet etc. during the night you may want to limit their access to the house, mine sleep in the kitchen.
• Some breeds will tolerate the introduction of other Cats / Dogs etc., some won’t
• Vaccination, worming, flea treatment are essential – but pretty easy – especially if they do go out
• Oh and they will hunt and bring it back to you, be aware of that as they will want to show you their kill most of the time – my male tabby is the one who does this the other two not so much

Cats are amazing little animals – as I said I’m biased – but they will sometimes ignore you, sometimes love you and mostly train you to feed them on demand!

And after all look how cute they are - it's a deception, they are little hairy killing machines – but they do look it

breakstuff

I have four,though they're all house cats,so don't go out.We lost two when we moved ten years ago, so made the decision to keep all of ours indoors.We have two large litter trays which are cleaned as soon as any car uses it,so smells aren't a problem.It is worth paying a bit more for decent litter as this also helps with any smells. Even though yours would go outside,a litter tray is still a must.

Also buy the largest scratch post you can afford.It's another must if you don't want your sofas and curtains ripped to shreds.

Minr can be quite fussy with food,and will often eat one type one week and go off it the next,so we tend to alternate between Felix and Whiskas pouches,which they have twice a day.Dry food and water is left down all day so they can snack at their leisure.

Buy plenty of toys as it helps them keep active and ensures plenty of exercise.

As to whether a single cat would be ok,I personally would recommend getting two,as although solitary a lot of the time they do enjoy playing together,which also helps keeping them active.One on it's own would still be fine though.

Good luck with finding one.Cats are awesome and ours give us so much pleasure.

jakzek

I used to be scared to death of all animals, had a big dog jump up at me when I was a kid and that was it, mass panic whenever going round someones house who had a dog/cat.

My girlfriend got 2 cats (brother and sister) when I started going out with her and she gradually got me used to them being around, and now I think cats and dogs are brilliant and I couldn't imagine life without the little guys running about.

They get fed early in the morning (come into the room at 6am and start giving your face a gentle tap to let you know its feeding time!), then they go chill for a bit and usually fall asleep, then by the time we go to work they beg to be let outside. If the weathers good then we let them out all day until we get back, but obviously in the middle of winter the last place they want to be is outside so they stay in. They love being independent all day and not being disturbed, then by the time we get back we let them in, or if they're already in they come running to the front door and come for a fuss and hang out. I find the later in the day it gets, the less independent they want to be and become more social. 

We don't have a cat flap, just let them out and in as and when they want. They give out a little meow and walk us to the door to go out, and then meow and tap the back door to come back in haha. 

Flanging_Fred

Thanks so far for the advice.  It seems being out for much of the day is not ideal but is not necessarily an absolute stopper. Would people agree?

I have no idea of the breed of cat the kittens are. They're furry, small, go 'Meow:, have s tail and a leg at each corner. That's about as much as I know at the moment.

webrthomson

breakstuff said:

Also buy the largest scratch post you can afford.It's another must if you don't want your sofas and curtains ripped to shreds.

As to whether a single cat would be ok,I personally would recommend getting two,as although solitary a lot of the time they do enjoy playing together,which also helps keeping them active.One on it's own would still be fine though.

Those are both good points and train them when they are kittens to the scratch post - we got the Rag doll cross as a rescue when he was fully grown and he has no idea what to do with a scratch post.

BRISTOL86

Flanging_Fred said:

The family have had s pretty rough 12 months and I'm starting to think getting having a cat might be a calming influence around the place. For some inexplicable reason cats also seem to quite like me. 

Yep, you’re definitley a cat newbie  

Evey cat I’ve ever known has been absolutely fucking mental!! But they are amazing creatures who will bring endless joy and fun  

Personally I would advise not to get a kitten if you’re out all day - they really need a lot of care and attention. Plus everyone wants a kitten in kitten season so (even just slightly) older cats have a much harder time finding a home. Plus most adult cats will be litter trained already - definitely a bonus!

I’d always say look to a rescue centre to see if you can give an adult cat a home (you don’t have to take on a 15 year old cat - unless you want to). A lot of people think it’s only troublesome/ill/old cats at shelters. 

Ours was only 3 when we rehomed him and he’s the most friendly, loving, dopey creature you could ever imagine and took all of 5 minutes to act as if he’d been in our home his whole life!



Re catflap you can get hem installed in most things types of doors now and even in walls etc if you have a suitable place. I’d recommend making every effort to get one sorted if you’re going to be out all day everyday. Indoors all day with no ability to leave the house isn’t ideal but some cats will be happy to be indoor only. 

Some cats love human company and others will be more independent. A lot depends on their life to date and experience. Ours is like a shadow and wants constant fuss and love, but then we are out at work 7-5 every day. 

webrthomson

Flanging_Fred said:

Thanks so far for the advice.  It seems being out for much of the day is not ideal but is not necessarily an absolute stopper. Would people agree?

I have no idea of the breed of cat the kittens are. They're furry, small, go 'Meow:, have s tail and a leg at each corner. That's about as much as I know at the moment.

Being out for the day is not really an issue, but you do need to be about when they are kittens, a lot of the handling and socialisation for later life happens when you handle them as kittens so you need to be about to do that

If they are just straight moggie cross breeds that’s great too I only mentioned breeds as some, Siamese for example, can be a little demanding especially for a first time owner.

TBH a moggie is probably the best starting point in any event

BRISTOL86

Also if you get one from a shelter then they’ll come vaccinated, chipped, neutered/spayed and often with a spell of free insurance and all that gubbins. Plus you actually help two cats as it opens up a space in a shelter. 

Most rescue places have a long waiting list of cats waiting to even come into the shelter where they’re in temporary foster homes 

Phil_aka_Pip

It's not hard to "train" a cat to use a litter tray. On Gibson's first evening at my flat (he was very young and had only just left his mum), I fed him, then we played the chase-toy-on-end-of-string game. I would get him to chase it round the flat, and end up in the bathroom where his new litter tray was. When we got there I picked him up and stood him on the litter tray. For the first three times he clearly felt no need to use it and hopped off so we'd go sit down for a short while then play the game again. On the 4th time he started to dig in the tray so I said "Well done Gibson you've got the right idea. You'll never know how much I'll appreciate you using that", he did his business, and that was that. The only time he failed to use it after that was when a visitor left the bathroom door closed so he couldn't get in there and the poor little fella got caught short.

The two adult cats who came to live with me used the litter tray from the get-go with no prompting from me.

Bucket

I grew up around cats - my first cat, whom I loved to bits, was hit by a car and died on my tenth birthday (thirteen years ago tomorrow... Christ). We got two more cats a few years later - a mother and son from a rescue. Basil was a kitten, Molly was around two years old. They're still with us (well, my parents since my sister and I moved out), and I can't comment on whether they're a calming influence or not but they are nice to have around - they're affectionate and friendly, and make us laugh. Basil is a bit of a weird one - he's quite nervous around people, which I assume is something that's been with him since he was very young but which we just haven't been able to get rid of. He's ok with the four of us (mostly), but doesn't like new people at all.

Both of them are perfectly happy being left on their own though. If there's no-one around they just sleep or go and chill outside - they were even ok being left on their own when we'd go on holiday (neighbours feeding them notwithstanding). They were very pleased to see us when we got back, but hadn't shown signs of being unhappy or lonely. They've got each other, I suppose - they're not particularly keen on one another despite being mother and son, but they tolerate each other

Snap

Love cats. Low maintenance pets, and fine to leave at home for long periods. When we go on hols, we leave them at home, and have a cat sitter visit once a day, so that's as lonely as it gets, and they have been fine every time (if a little arsey when we come back!)

I am not a fan of breeds tbh - most breeds tend to have some sort of congenital problem caused by generations of inbreeding. Short hair moggies are usually hardy and live a long time.

avoid tortoiseshell moggies - from what I know and have heard, they are a real handful. Ours was mental and never stopped meowing, which became a real issue.

I agree on the rescue suggestion - every cat we've had has been from the RSPCA or similar, and all have been great animals. Kittens are massive fun too, and even better if you take time to bond with them. Nothing like the work a puppy needs.

Cirrus

They definitely prefer company. I think that surprised me, when we got our first pair 6 years ago. I was kind of expecting the stereotype of disinterested sleepy balls of death that begrudgingly agree to let you live alongside them in your own house and mostly want to be left to their own thing.

It's not like that at all, I couldn't believe it when they started running to the front door when I got home from work to fuss over me, smell my shoes etc to see where I'd been, chirrup, purr and mewp at me with their excited conversations etc. And the first time I had one charge down the garden to greet me, it was really something. They definitely try to discourage you from going to work in the morning too - deploying tactics like lazily stretching out on top of the duvet minutes your usual get-up time, sitting on your lap as you try to put your shoes on, and sulking under the bed when you try to say bye.

Don't let that put you off though. They definitely like consistency and routines. If you can give them that, and they know the house will be empty 9-4:30 or whatever, they accept it because it's just normal to them. And when someone does stay at home one weekday for whatever reason, it'll be a nice surprise that they definitely appreciate.

As far as outside goes... we let our first pair out whenever they wanted, one only went out an hour or two a day but the other started going out a lot more and made friends with local cats. The latter lasted 9 months before being killed on the road, the former a further 16 months before she met the same fate. It's not a particularly busy road most of the day, I think there was an element of bad luck but it's not at all uncommon.

With the second one was killed, we put up netting to stop the other cat (which we got after the first died) getting round to the front so easily, and restricted her access to the outdoors to daylight hours when we were in the house. She didn't like that but eventually got used to it, and now she actually knows when we want her to come in and sits just outside the back door waiting for us to call her inside. Again, it kinda comes down to having a routine - that's normal to her now, so she accepts it.

We eventually got a cat to replace the second one that died, and she's always had that limited access to the garden so she accepts it totally. Frankly most of the time she'd much rather stay inside with us anyway.


I appreciate a lot of that is semi-relevant rambling, so TL:DR: Get a cat. They're much more affectionate than you imagine, and while they do prefer company they do also get used to, and accept, normal work routines.

Bygone_Tones

High on your list of considerations should be your proximity to traffic. If you live on a busy road, or near one I would not recommend getting cats at all. They can go very far when you let them out - upto 1/4 mile or so depending on the cat, and obviously they do not know their green cross code.

I would also recommend getting  more than one then they can keep each other company when you are not there.

So long as you leave food, water and cat litter out they will be fine while you are out at work in  my opinion. They sleep most of the day anyway.

Iamnobody

Flanging_Fred said:

Thanks so far for the advice.  It seems being out for much of the day is not ideal but is not necessarily an absolute stopper. Would people agree?

I have no idea of the breed of cat the kittens are. They're furry, small, go 'Meow:, have s tail and a leg at each corner. That's about as much as I know at the moment.

Cats are horrible selfish little cunts who would probably kill you for their next meal...

I say that as cat owner.

They wreck carpets as well.

They cover you in hair.

They can live a long time.

But I wouldn’t be bothered about leaving them alone all day (them) as I’d recommend a pair. They adapt to you.

I know you’ve probably ruled out a dog but a retired greyhound would be happy as a pig in shit if you left it when you worked all day. If it can be arsed it might even wake up when you get home...

In my experience dogs are more responsibility but much more rewarding to own and train.

blobb

Inferior human.

VimFuego

I would also agree with the people saying they are not a source of calm. They look cute and act all adorable, but basically are tiny balls of utter chaos waiting to be unleashed. I still wouldn't be without our two (well, 3 now as we seem to have adopted a local stray/farm cat).