Need some info from cat experts

[Minnie824]

So, DD wants a pet. She knows that we can't get a dog (I'm very allergic) so she asked for a cat now. I have never had any pets, and DH has only had dogs, when it comes to cats we're clueless. I'm not sure we're actually getting one yet, but I wanted to do my research before we decide. Any info you can give me would be helpful! Some questions:
male or female? Is one easier or more friendly normally?
Do you bathe them or do they do that on their own? If so, how often? How often do they go to the vet? What other care is involved? Is there a certain kind of cat better with kids? How much cost would it be on average? How often are they fed?

Thanks for any info!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Do allergy testing first. Chances are if you are allergic to dogs you are going to be allergic to cats.

 

[kacaju]

So, DD wants a pet. She knows that we can't get a dog (I'm very allergic) so she asked for a cat now. I have never had any pets, and DH has only had dogs, when it comes to cats we're clueless. I'm not sure we're actually getting one yet, but I wanted to do my research before we decide. Any info you can give me would be helpful! Some questions:
male or female? Is one easier or more friendly normally?
Do you bathe them or do they do that on their own? If so, how often? How often do they go to the vet? What other care is involved? Is there a certain kind of cat better with kids? How much cost would it be on average? How often are they fed?

Thanks for any info!

Personally, my male cats over the years were more friendly then my females.
Normally you don't need to bathe a cat unless they get really dirty.
They should see the vet once a year. As with babies, if you get a kitten they will be at the Vet much more that first year. Care? Not much, cost, it depends one where you get it. I leave dry food out all the time for them.

If you are very allergic to dogs...are you sure you are not allergic to cats??

 

[freckles and boo]

There are some things all cats have in common but it is hard to generalize because, like dogs, they come with unique personalities.

The general stuff-
Unless you have a cat that never learned to groom itself or a cat with very long hair you probably won't need to bath it. The downside to all this self-grooming is hairballs. They come with the territory. You can get "hairball" formula food if it becomes a huge problem.

Most cats are very, very good about using litter boxes. However, they prefer them to be CLEAN so they need to be scooped regularly. Some people are obsessive and do it every day. I am an every other day scooper. Cats do tend to like privacy, though. The litter box should be in a low-traffic area.

I currently have two and buy a twenty-pound bag of high-quality food every couple of months. That comes to about $7/per cat per month.

The younger one goes to the vet once a year. She costs about $110 with all the shots and exams.
The older one is a "senior" at nearly sixteen. He goes twice a year at about twice that much.

I have had five cats as an adult. In my experience the females have been the most social and more likely to seek out human company. However, that may have just been their personalities in action. I have had two males that were aggressive and one male that is very docile. Male cats must be neutered before they start spraying or they may continue to do it. It is very hard to live in the same house as a male cat that sprays.

Like dogs, I won't buy a pure-bred cat. There are too many in shelters so I can't speak to what breeds are better with kids. As long as the kitty is well-socialized with people when it is young and treated well it will generally be fine with kids. My daughters are six and eight and sometimes the cats get annoyed with them. They just run under the bed to take a break from the kids.

If you are at all concerned about allergies, please check this out before you take home a kitty. You can manage it a little bit by keeping the animals out of the bedrooms but you can't control it completely.

 

[Laura]

I have had male cats who were friendly, and female cats who were friendly. It doesn't seem to make much difference. Both my current cats are female domestic shorthairs--no particular breed, just regular "mutt" cats. Most of the cats I've had were such mutts, except for two male Persians, both of which liked to pee on things.

I don't bathe my cats unless they get into real messes or get something on them that I don't want them to lick off themselves. And that's really rare. They are indoor cats, they go to the vet once a year, get shots once in a while when they need a rabies vaccine or otherwise. Maybe $40 a pop. Outdoor cats need more vaccines and face many more dangers than indoor cats do, so if you get a kitty, keep it indoors.

As for care--it depends on their coats and whether they have all of their claws (mine are not declawed). My current cats like being combed, but they don't really need it; a longhair cat like a Persian needs frequent brushing. I clip my cats' claws about once a week to keep them from getting sharp. Litterbox duty should be every day. I have two boxes, one for each cat. Food is easy--I let mine eat dry food freely and we have a sort of "water fountain" for them to drink from that I found in the pet store. And when we go on trips, we just get a family member or a friend to stop by and check on them, fill their bowls, do the litter thing, play with them, etc. There are pet-sitters out there too.

If you want to get a cat, I would actually consider getting two, either siblings or cats who already know each other somehow. Then they will play with each other and keep each other company when nobody's home.

I would go find a shelter/foster home and meet some cats. There are lots of breeders out there, but honestly there's nothing wrong with the mutts in shelters and foster homes. You want to meet the cat(s) personally, talk to their caretakers and ask about their personalities. Some cats will be friendly immediately, some need time to warm up to strangers. They're all individuals, which makes life with them fun.

 

[Minnie824]

Thanks for all the info! Yes, I've had allergy testing (although quite some time ago) and seem to be allergic to dogs but not cats. Its not a bad idea to maybe go retest myself prior to bringing one home though. My DDs and DH I know are not allergic. I don't want to ever be in the situation where we'd get a pet and then not be able to keep it - way too hard on the kids and the pet. That's why I'm starting some research before we even consider getting one. Thanks again.

 

[Laura]

Thanks for all the info! Yes, I've had allergy testing (although quite some time ago) and seem to be allergic to dogs but not cats. Its not a bad idea to maybe go retest myself prior to bringing one home though. My DDs and DH I know are not allergic. I don't want to ever be in the situation where we'd get a pet and then not be able to keep it - way too hard on the kids and the pet. That's why I'm starting some research before we even consider getting one. Thanks again.

That's a good idea. Lots of people bring home pets but lo and behold, a family member is horribly allergic. That has to be rough.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes, do a retest. As I am aging I am allergic to things I never was.

However if you can get the serum testing and not the back stratch test. That is tell you if you are mildly allergic.

If all goes well, get two.

As far as the male/female thing, I have had both and found no difference.

 

[Charade]

Rule number one of cat ownership.

DO.NOT.BATH!! Most cats HATE water so unless you want your arms shredded, skip the bathing.

I'd be curious though to know if you're allergic to cats since you're allergic to dogs. I'd hate to see you get one and then find out.


If I could clone the cat that was just curled up on my lap while I'm watching the news and DISing, I'd send you one.

They say males are more affectionate than females but I think it depends on the breed. I've had both and most of them have been affection. They do however give that out only on their schedule. Our newest cat is a medium-long haired female and she's quite similar in mannerisms as our previous medium-long haired cat. But they have a lot of differences too.

I usually take our cats to the vet once a year for a check up and shots. You should also get their teeth cleaned as needed. The vet will let you know since some cats are more prone to issues with their teeth than others.

You'll want some toys and cat nip.

Some people feed their cats only wet, only dry or a little of both. I've always given ours both (in separate bowls). They get fed twice a day (don't over feed them) and have dry and water available 24/7. Buy quality cat food. Avoid using plastic bowls. Clean them daily. One litter pan is enough but clean it often (daily or every other day is usually sufficient). Get one that's large enough for them to get in and out of but not too small where they can kick the litter out on to the surrounding area or too large (tall) that they have trouble getting in and out.

If you are able to get one, just be very very careful of what you leave lying around (small objects, food that might be dangerous to them, etc) and be EXTREMELY careful with window shades with strings. There have been too many cats meeting their demise because they got tangled up in it.

 

[MyManGoofy!]

Do allergy testing first. Chances are if you are allergic to dogs you are going to be allergic to cats.

Not always! My son is horribly allergic to dogs - triggers his asthma every single time he comes even a little close! Cats - nothing. Go figure.

To the OP's questions:

-male or female? I have 2 of each. There is really no difference in terms of day to day. You are going to want to focus more on personality. (Although un-neutered males can spray and mark territory. Easy fix? YES! Spay.neuter all your pets!)

-Is one easier or more friendly normally? This is entirely based on each individual cat.

-Do you bathe them or do they do that on their own? If so, how often? They take care of their bathing quite well actually. Even the long hairs. However, I have had occasions where I have gotten some fosters in that were in pretty dirty conditions. I bathed them, but that is the exception-not the norm.

-How often do they go to the vet? Well, figure that the first year they will need to be spayed/neutered. Then they will need a series of 3 sets of distemper shots as well as a rabies shot (when it is old enough). After that - just maintenance shots. Maybe the occasional upper respiratory infection? I don't know - this part will depend quite a bit on variables such as - will that be indoors only? Indoor cats are exposed to much less not only in terms of virus/bacteria and pests such as fleas and ticks. But you also limit the risk of injury by cars and other animals.

What other care is involved? Litter box maintenance as well as keeping claws trimmed are two of the biggies. But if you start a routine for both of these chores at the beginning, it will be easier for you and your cat.

Is there a certain kind of cat better with kids? Take you kids to the adoption center with you. Handle the cats, play with them, give yourself enough time to spend so that you can get a general idea of their personality. If you go through a rescue group - the foster parent may be on hand to give you more info - so ask. Please keep in mind though - that the setting of most shelters and even the adoption centers at PetSmart and such are extremely stressful for these poor animals. Cut them some slack and do not rush or push them to hard.

- How much cost would it be on average? The fee to adopt can range anywhere from $20 to $150 depending on where you go. Some of the things you will need to purchase - a litter box, preferably with a lid - it keeps the litter in the box better. Bowls for food and water. Stick with metal/ceramic bowls as many cats react to plastic and break out in bumps on their chin from it. I scratching post or cardboard scratcher. Something to play with when you are not around. Although - honestly - I always recommend paired cats. They are so much easier to deal with, especially of they have to spend time alone.

-How often are they fed? It will depend on the brand of food you buy, just follow the instructions on the bag. Please try to stay away from the grocery store stuff. None of it is very healthy for cats.

Good luck - cats are an amazing animal. You will enjoy them!

 

[Shmily1]

I've had male cats all my life and they've all been very docile and loving. I've now got my first female cats and they are a riot!! A stray showed up and left me with 5 babies!! Three are girls and two boys. All six, the five plus the mom, will be getting fixed in the next two weeks! No more babies here! One of the babies has come in heat and she acts like she has pains like we have. It's sad so I want them fixed very soon.

We spend about $10 on a 20 lb bag of food for indoor cats every two weeks and the litter is about $4-$15 a week for all of them so it would be way less for one cat.

Good luck!!!

 

[Katieinwonderland]

We've got three cats, and we'd never had pets before - cats are a great way to start!

We have two boys and a girl...our vet told us males are more sociable, and that is what we have found as well, our boys are way more affectionate than the girl. Although I agree with another OP who suggested getting two cats, maybe a male and female (fixed, obviously!), they will keep each other company and two cats aren't much more work than one.

We use Iams multi-cat formula, we buy the bags for $10 at Publix and they last about a month for three cats. We leave their food out all day and just refresh every morning, that seems to work best as cats prefer to eat little and often. We also have a water fountain for them to drink out of, it was $90 but only needs cleaning once a week and keeps water fresh.

We also have an automatic litter tray - this was $250, which sounds crazy but with three cats who were picky about cleanliness, we needed it. When we just had the one or two, we had one large litter tray and scooped it once a day. Easy peasy.

We take them to the vets once a year, costs about $80 a cat for a check up, fecal exam etc. We clip their claws once a week, and have never bathed them, they take care of that themselves (indoor cats).

They're pretty easy. They can be left alone all day while we are at work, they just like cuddles when we get home! They're great pets, and ours do great with kids (our nephew is one, and they let him climb all over them and everything!)

My best suggestion? Go to a rescue shelter and get a rescue cat! Ours are all resuce and they're wonderful. All cats have different personalities and temprements, but rescue cats have spent time with the carers and they can tell you what they're like, if they're good with kids etc. That way you know the kind of cat you're getting.

 

[LakeAriel]

Do allergy testing first. Chances are if you are allergic to dogs you are going to be allergic to cats.

Yes, generally cat allergies are more common. Please do retest!

Personally, my male cats over the years were more friendly then my females.
Normally you don't need to bathe a cat unless they get really dirty.
They should see the vet once a year. As with babies, if you get a kitten they will be at the Vet much more that first year. Care? Not much, cost, it depends one where you get it. I leave dry food out all the time for them.

If you are very allergic to dogs...are you sure you are not allergic to cats??

I just lost my 18 year old, Willow, and currently have 4 cats. All in all, the males were friendlier, the females needier. There are exceptions, of course, and EACH cat has a very unique personality.

They do not need to be bathed, they are very clean. Each kitten I brought in, they were all rescues, I only had to take their front paws, scrape them in the litter pan, and they were trained.

I do not vaccinate my cats. (alert the authorities )
They had an initial examine and initial rabies, FIV/leuk test and that was it.
There is evidence that the rabies vaccine can cause sarcoma and vets actually started giving the shots in the leg just in case. (they could amputate and save the poor thing)
They may have changed the formula, but if your cat stays indoor and doesn't play with rabid bats they are 100% safe. Having worked in a Vets office it was often discussed how autoimmune diseases, even in animals, has increased along with the increase in vaccinations. Be it thyroid, Cushing's, diabetes etc..Your call, but I don't. That is assuming of course you never ever allow them out. and please don't. They don't fare well, neither do the small wildlife in the area. Good luck if you decide, oh and two kittens are better then one, they will entertain you by the hour..

 

[Principessa1284]

Cat allergies are tricky. Take my ex-boyfriend for example. He was not at all allergic to any type of dog. As for cats, there were 3 living at my parents' house. A female orange tabby, he was horribly allergic to and his sinuses would stuff up almost immediately if she was in the room, or if we hadn't vacuumed well. A male long-hair maine coon, midly allergic.. really only if he jumped on his lap or rubbed on his chest/face would he get stuffy. And a female tuxedo (mostly black with some white on face, paws, chest), not allergic to AT ALL. She could have slept on his face and he would have been fine. Seriously.. it was crazy.

So, my advice would be to go to your local SPCA or animal shelter and stand in the cat room. Give it 5-10 minutes and see how you feel. If you feel fine, then start checking out the kitties up close and see how you react to that. In my experience, tabbys tend to cause the most allergy problems as well as shedding the most (I'm sure the two are related), and long hair cats tend to cause the least. I think it's the type of hair they hair, like hair vs fur. This isn't always the case, but like I said, that's been my experience.

I also second (third? fouth?) getting two cats. They definitely keep eachother occupied and play together, especially if they're siblings or littermates. The downside is that this automatically doubles any vet bills.

Definately, definately go the SPCA if you can. Try not to be dead-set on a tiny kitten, either. Slightly older "toddler" cats usually have a similar personality to kittens (playful, energetic), but are less fragile and less suseptable (sp?) to disease. Normally any cats from the SPCA are already given their first round of shots as well as spayed/neutered. The adoption fee is usually around $60, which is a BARGAIN compared to the $400 I spend at the vet on my little guys that I found abandoned at my apartment complex. Well spent, of course, but for the exact same outcome. The only cavaet I have about the SPCA is that the animals usually end up coming home with an upper-respitory infection or ear mites. They're both very simple to get rid of but do require a trip to the vet. So my final recommendation is pet insurance. I use VPI, and it's only around $10/month when they're little. It covers any medications they would need and a percentage of any surgery to trip to the ER vet. I learned my lesson after a $600 trip to the ER vet when a tiny kitten had some sort of seizure. Not fun and not cheap.

And good luck! Kitties are a fantastic edition to the family and definitely bring their own character and personality into the house!

 

[claudia]

So, DD wants a pet. She knows that we can't get a dog (I'm very allergic) so she asked for a cat now. I have never had any pets, and DH has only had dogs, when it comes to cats we're clueless. I'm not sure we're actually getting one yet, but I wanted to do my research before we decide. Any info you can give me would be helpful! Some questions:
male or female? Is one easier or more friendly normally?
Do you bathe them or do they do that on their own? If so, how often? How often do they go to the vet? What other care is involved? Is there a certain kind of cat better with kids? How much cost would it be on average? How often are they fed?

Thanks for any info!

My advice would be to go to the local shelter and look, look, look until you see the right kitty for you (but I would avoid any long hairs as that would be quite a bit of work to keep up..I would go for your average "tabby")....you will know it the moment you see him/her My advice would be to neuter/spay when old enough, let them bathe on their own and feed them the best possible food you can afford. Other care for your kitty would be brushing and nail clipping and cleaning/changing the litter box. I feed my kitty 1/4 can of 5 oz. wet in the morning and evening and 2/3 cup of dry that is left out for the day. I do purchase Wellness for him and he has the most beautiful coat with very little shedding. I bring him once a year for his check-up...which runs me about $75. His food runs about $.60 a day. Get a few scratching posts and some mouse toys. Always get a litter box with a lid and use liners for the pan. Get a nice cozy bed too....we started ours off in a shoe box stuffed with a fluffy towel...he loved it.
We did not adopt 2 kitties as the cost would have been too much for us.....he has done just fine by himself and he is a wonderful, loving affectionate little guy that is a true joy for us. If you can afford the 2, go for it, if not don't worry.

 

[puffkin]

I wanted to jump in here as we were not cat people in the slightest and got one for our Beagle 5 years ago. Best decision we ever made and we actually just adopted another cat this past weekend We both grew up in dog households so we had a lot to learn. Here are some things that I think may be helpful:

1. I would HIGHLY suggest getting a cat from a cat foster program. You can find ones in your area by going to petfinder.com. We have 3-4 in our area. I just think it is so important to get a cat from a foster rather than a shelter. These cats are socialized with humans and living in houses. Most are around other cats, children, and dogs. The foster parents will know a lot about their personalities and how they interact with others. They are used to being around people, household noises, etc. They are litter box trained, many are cat scratcher trained, etc. They will be altered already and completely up to date on all their shots. Fosters will have kittens to seniors. I think a older kitten (6 months or so) is the best of both worlds.

2. My best friend from high school is a small animal vet and she recommended that we get a female cat. She feels that they are much less territorial than males and in her words, "act more dog-like". All her female cats act very similar to the two females we have so take that for what it's worth.

3. We don't bathe either of our cats.....they keep themselves extremely clean.

4. Ours go to the vet once a year. Both ours were older kittens when we adopted so they already were altered and had all the kitten shots/tests by then (bargain since they only cost $90 and already had everything done!).

5. Care involves making sure the dry food and water dishes are full and scooping out the litter box once a day. We change the litter completely every few weeks. That is it. They are so easy to care for.

I hope this helps. I just can't stress enough that I think you should definitely find the cat fosters in your area and they will match you up to the perfect cat for your situation. I am just leary of getting cats from the SPCA or humane society.....the foster cats are still unwanted and abandoned so you are still doing a good thing! Plus, they will give you tons of support and advice and really help you out with this big decision. I cannot say enough good things about our experiences with the organization we have used both times. Good luck!

 

[lisaviolet]

I had dogs my whole life, am a dog person and have two cats. Long story.

I would get two from the same litter if possible - company etc. Half the fun with cats is watching them play fight and chase each other and love each other up. If it is two kittens from the same litter chances are no issues with compatibility.

Anyway, cats teach humans a lot of lessons. Ie. They will do what they want when they want and being controlled is not in their vocabulary.

We have always had males. I purposely picked out males - more energy in general. (We look after a lot of female cats - more docile). But as everyone says there are always exceptions.

Anyway - best of luck. Just wanted to pop on about thinking about two.

One of ours died and got sick very quickly. Before he died our bill was over a thousand possibly close to two if I factor everything in. So just be aware of that with any type of pet.

 

[XTinabell]

So, DD wants a pet. She knows that we can't get a dog (I'm very allergic) so she asked for a cat now. I have never had any pets, and DH has only had dogs, when it comes to cats we're clueless. I'm not sure we're actually getting one yet, but I wanted to do my research before we decide. Any info you can give me would be helpful! Some questions:
male or female? Is one easier or more friendly normally?
Do you bathe them or do they do that on their own? If so, how often? How often do they go to the vet? What other care is involved? Is there a certain kind of cat better with kids? How much cost would it be on average? How often are they fed?

Thanks for any info!

I see you have gotten lots of good info but I would like to put my two cents in as I'm an avid cat lover and have done an absurd amount of research on our feline friends. I might grow up to be a crazy cat lady!

Anyway, male or female? It doesn't too much matter, friendliness factors has little to do with the sex. The major difference is the size. Male cats are quite a bit bulkier than female cats. Of course there are exceptions, I have a female cat that is huge and thick and to look you would think she was a male. I have also observed that male cats will spray their urine on your things to mark their territory, less common in female cats.

Breeds? In my experience I have found Maincoon cats to be extremely friendly and they love water. Maincoon cats are stunning, but obviously due to their massive tufts of fur there can be a lot of hair to clean up. I have also found, that grey and black tabbies are very friendly as well, and quite smart. Calico cats seem to be a little finicky and big scaredy cats, very friendly to their owners usually hostile to other cats and often afraid of strangers.

Vet? Depending where you get your cat from, if you purchase from the SPCA (or the equivalent in the US) they usually take care of all the normal injections the kitties need, and then you can take your pet in for regular checkups once a year, or take them if something seems to be amiss with your cat.

Bathing? If your cat is an outdoor and indoor cat it might not hurt to give them a wash every now and then as they can get pretty dirty, rolling around in dirt, and then bring it in your house. Otherwise it isn't really necessary. You can pick up cat shampoo at any local pet store.

Cost and feeding? I'm not sure if you mean how much a cat costs to buy one, that depends on where you get one. I recommend a pet shelter over a pet store. As for feeding, cats can be quite picky about the type of food you get. Pet food varies in cost. Cats are not like dogs, unless they're ill and on meds or cannot be fed for a certain period of time as per the request of a vet, you can just leave them a bowl of food on the ground. They will usually help themselves to a meal after a hard play, or a long afternoon nap.

Extra tips: Cats love to drink flowing water. You can buy really cool water fountains for cats so the water keeps flowing and they enjoy drinking it. Most cats are dehydrated as they can't be bothered to have a drink of water unless they're really thirsty, so this a great way to keep them hydrated. I've also noticed they don't like to drink water if there are floaties in it lol, but maybe that's just my cats.

Cats love canned soft cat food but it's not too good for them. I will usually give my cats a can of soft cat food as a treat, but even then sometimes they'll hack it up as it's not good for their tummies.

Cats are less maintenance than a dog but still require work. They know how to use a litter box, but make sure they have easy access to it. They like toys, kittens especially love to played with but they often find their own forms of entertainment. I like to keep my cats active during the day, waking them when they try to nap so that they sleep at night instead of running around the house making a lot of noise as they chase shadows.

Now you have lots of reading to do!