Cat Experts ~ Boy or Girl Kitten?

[PatsGirl]

Your daughter seems ready for kitten. If you got her kitten. The only things she would have to worry about is litter box care, food and water.

Yeah, it's not whether she's ready, I know she is, but am I? In fact, DD spends about 6 weeks/year caring for other families' pets and that is quite telling because she does all the work of an "owner" but doesn't get the personal affection from them like their owner would She cares for two cats for two weeks every March, going over daily to feed and water them and clean out their litter box ~ so she definately knows what this would entail. Harder than that, she takes care of a very-high strung dog (at my house) for two weeks in the winter too but last year was so hard due to a few snowstorms and the dogs' unwillingness to go outside in the snow, that I think we might reneg next year.

It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? I guess I'm just concerned that 1) somehow it might not work out and she might get hurt again, and 2) that the cat will become mine when she goes to college/moves out. I am not a cat person (I think I mentioned that) but I'd do my best to warm up to a pet of DD's, some people even think there's a remote chance I could fall in love with a feline.

 

[walkerag]

It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? I guess I'm just concerned that 1) somehow it might not work out and she might get hurt again, and 2) that the cat will become mine when she goes to college/moves out. I am not a cat person (I think I mentioned that) but I'd do my best to warm up to a pet of DD's, some people even think there's a remote chance I could fall in love with a feline.

I doubt she'd have the same experience she had with the rabbit. I love bunnies but always kind of thought they lacked in the personality department when compared to a cat or dog and I'll bet there's more than a remote chance that you'd fall in love with a feline those little suckers know how to weasel thier way into your heart whether you want them to or not
DH claims to "hate cats" yet he's always snuggling up to ours and telling them what good boys they are and that he loves them

 

[Shyvioletisme]

Well, thank you everyone decision easier for me.

So many things to consider: do we (I) really want another animal, male or female, indoor or outdoor/claw or declaw, cat or other?

But thanks, everyone made great points and I think if there is a male available and we decide to do this, that's the way we'll go....

just so you know I believe the average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is only 2-5 years where as the life expectancy of an indoor only cat is 17+ years...just something to consider...I know a lot of people want to let their cats outside because they are animals and need to be outside some, but I feel like unless you can watch your cat the entire time they are outside so that you can be sure they don't go anywhere or get hurt/get into anything...I feel like cats should be kept only indoors...now that's JMO, but I'm putting it out there(for what it's worth)

 

[browneyes106]

Your daughter seems ready for kitten. If you got her kitten. The only things she would have to worry about is litter box care, food and water.

Yeah, it's not whether she's ready, I know she is, but am I? In fact, DD spends about 6 weeks/year caring for other families' pets and that is quite telling because she does all the work of an "owner" but doesn't get the personal affection from them like their owner would She cares for two cats for two weeks every March, going over daily to feed and water them and clean out their litter box ~ so she definately knows what this would entail. Harder than that, she takes care of a very-high strung dog (at my house) for two weeks in the winter too but last year was so hard due to a few snowstorms and the dogs' unwillingness to go outside in the snow, that I think we might reneg next year.

It seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it? I guess I'm just concerned that 1) somehow it might not work out and she might get hurt again, and 2) that the cat will become mine when she goes to college/moves out. I am not a cat person (I think I mentioned that) but I'd do my best to warm up to a pet of DD's, some people even think there's a remote chance I could fall in love with a feline.

I know a lot of people who weren't cat people but they later fell love with cats.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

My husband grew up in a family with dogs and he hated cats.

Now he is all grown up with 3 cats and he likes each one of them!

I think cats are much more fun when there is more than 1. I enjoy watching my cats play together all the time. I know they keep each other company when I'm not home.

A little bit OT BUT.....I also do not declaw my cats. They have all their claws, and it was VERY easy to train them to use the scratching posts we have in the house. I have three total. One on the first floor, one in the basement, and one on the top floor. I trim their nails weekly and it is a piece of cake.

 

[Maridw]

We have 4 cats, 3 girls and 1 boy. We found our little man when he was 4 1/2 months old. Got him neutered at 6 months and never had a problem with spraying. He is a little lover and talker. All our cats are cuddlers. 3 were strays - the last 3 we got.

One of the strays - Angel was pregnant when we found her, but the vet said that she was too underweight and had worms. She felt the babies would not survive and neither would she if she delivered. So we had them aborted. When we found her she looked like a simple tabby. After she put on weight she turned into a beautiful Maine Coon cat mix.

The youngest - Tinker Boo (our little man) is a Bombay mix. Smart as a tack and loves to play fetch. He has this habit of trying to get into my end table drawer and snag anything he can.

Babbette is kind of a witch (with a B). She does stuff to piss off the other cats (except Tinker). Now Tinker does stuff to pay her back for everything that she pulled on the other cats.

Blackie our oldest (only non-stray) is a crabby old lady around the cats. Tinker is about the only one who has won her over. He does get along with Angel, but he finally won over Blackie Moo.

We also got all our cats declawed. Our vet only does the front claws and we didn't have problem with scratching furniture from any of them.

 

[PatsGirl]

A little bit OT BUT.....I also do not declaw my cats. They have all their claws, and it was VERY easy to train them to use the scratching posts we have in the house. I have three total. One on the first floor, one in the basement, and one on the top floor. I trim their nails weekly and it is a piece of cake.

This is good to know because I'm leaning towards an indoor/outdoor cat ~ one that I don't have to chase away from the front door every time it is opened like many of my friends do Because I haven't been able to decide one way or the other, many family members have said it might be best to leave it up to the individual kitty, some like to go out, others not so much

I do have a friend though that said her kittens climb the curtains and dig into her furniture... I've had curtain climbers but he's grown now I guess it's sometimes just the price you pay to have a cute, little kitty? Lord knows that my dogs have had some bad habits