OT - tell me what I need to know about CATS...

[Mom2Ben02]

I am so not a cat person. I am a dog person. I never had pets growing up, but we bought a dog, Phoebe, that was born on our wedding day. She was the BEST dog. We don't have a fence, but we could send her outside without being tied, and she'd be waiting for us to let her in an hour later. She started getting sick, and we knew her time was coming. She actually had to be put to sleep while we were in WDW a few years ago.

She was a GREAT dog, but I don't know that I can go through that again. Somehow, when talking about pets, I was talked into a cat. I know NOTHING about them. What is the best litter? Food? Other things I need to think of before we bring one home? Do I need to get it declawed?

We are going to Animal Welfare for a "summer special" - I think it is $38 for a cat, microchipped, fixed, shots, etc.

 

[Megs114]

DH and I were dog people too. We always had dogs growing up. It wasn't until we moved into our apartment that we even considered getting a cat since our complex doesn't allow dogs and we wanted a companion.

We rescued our cat, Cali from a rescue shelter. When you go, pet the cat's shoulder. If it warns up to you, that's a good sign. We wanted a cat who was going to want to be around us. We hit the jackpot because ours never leaves us alone lol. I'm pretty sure she thinks she's a dog at times lol.

I highly suggest getting one of those kitty tower things. One that is high up. Cats like to be up high. Get one that can be a scratching post too.

As far as de-clawing them, that's entirely up to you. We didn't. We've heard it can change a cats personality (you'd be mad too if your fingernails were taken out lol) but I think that also depends on the cat. We just opted not to. They do sell claw caps though. You can either put them on yourself or have the vet do it.

Make sure to play with your cat! Especially about a half hour before bed. It'll help make them sleep throughout the night. Trust me, my husband wakes up frequently at 4 am because she decides its time for her laps lol.

That's all I can think of right now. PM me if you have any questions!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Oy, lets see how short I can keep this.

Cats are pretty much the opposite of dogs when it comes to meeting them, unless they're kittens. An adult cat will be more interested in you if you avoid eye contact and don't go up clapping and calling it because they see it as a threat. Kittens can be sort of..trained..or at least taught this type of behavior is ok (my younger one acts more like a dog than a cat).

I think it's a myth that they don't require as much attention as a dog, its just given in different ways. Obviously you don't have to walk them and all that, but they still want to be played with and loved on.

Don't cheap out on litter and food, you do get what you pay for. Get the cat used to being touched on their face, ears and paws so when you go to clean their ears or cut their nails they don't see it as a threat.

Teach them early what they aren't allowed to scratch on. Scratching is something you really can't train out of them, but you can train them where it's acceptable. It's like stretching for them, and it helps their nails. I do not recommend declawing and a lot of vets won't do it anymore. If you get a cat from a shelter it should come already fixed but if you get it from elsewhere you need to do that.

Just remember they all have different personalities like dogs. My older cat is very prissy. He likes to be cuddled and thinks he's the most beautiful thing around. My younger cat loves to rough house and is like a tiny evil human. If I say "Camilla, go in the bedroom and wait for me" she runs into the room, and sits on the bed til I come in. If I lower my eyebrows at her, she stops what she's doing and if I point down, she knows she better come to me. It's rather funny to watch actually. She also likes to play fetch.

 

[jls886]

I volunteer weekly at a shelter - so glad you're going to give an animal a home! Cats can be great companions! I am sitting with mine snuggled at my hip as we speak. Don't hesitate to go to the shelter more than once to meet multiple cats and see which one you most connect with. Also ask the volunteers or workers there about the different cats' personalities. We categorize all of our cats into colored categories because cats can have such different personalities - some are aloof and really don't want much attention, some like their alone time but also love their human time, some want constant attention and want to be by your side at all times, some are major lap cats and lovers, etc. So kind of think about the expectations you will have of your cat and that will help the people there to know which cats to introduce you to. But there is a cat personality out there for everyone.

As far as declawing, it has become much less common than it used to be now that it is more well known what a major surgery it is for a cat. It is essentially an amputation of their knuckles and has the potential to cause some pretty painful side effects for them if done incorrectly. The shelter where I volunteer will only allow cats under 1 year old to be declawed by adopters...if the cat is over 1 year old they will not adopt it out to someone if they say that they are planning to declaw.

Personally, I have had 3 cats and have never had a need to declaw. Like a PP said, you won't be able to train a cat not to scratch because it is something they need to do for their claws. Their claws shed their outer layer every few weeks and scratching helps that happen. But, you can absolutely train them on WHAT to scratch. When I first got my latest cat I would watch him carefully and then when he got into his scratching pose and was ready to scratch furniture or something else, I would pick him up still in his scratching pose and take him over to his tall scratch post for him to finish his scratching. I only had to do that for a couple of weeks before he got the picture. And he has never scratched anything but his scratch post since...literally not one thing. Each cat is different with their scratching habits, but all of mine have tended to want to stretch upward to scratch. We started with a little flat cardboard scratching thing for my first cat and finally got the hint when she was scratching the door frames instead.

My advice would be to not go cheap on your scratch post. Cardboard ones don't really do much for their claws at all, and carpeted ones aren't great for their claws and they end up leaving carpet shreddings all over your floor. Sisal scratch posts are generally most recommended and are thought to be the healthiest for their claws. I have this one and it lasted 2 years before I replaced it (with the identical one), and probably could have lasted a few more months but I just felt like getting him a new one.
http://www.amazon.com/SmartCat-3832...2654736&sr=8-1&keywords=sisal+scratching+post

ETA: As far as litter/food...
I just switched my cat to Blue Buffalo Grain Free food. I used to feed him Science Diet but he has been having some stomach issues lately and grain free food is supposed to help with that...hopefully. I have also tried multiple litters and I keep returning to Fresh Step. I used to LOVE Fresh Step Perfume & Dye Free, but it was discontinued. Every once in a while I think there must be something better out there. Most recently I just tried World's Best (great reviews!) but I HATED it. So I am back to Fresh Step Unscented. It clumps SO well and really isn't very expensive so I think I will stop trying others and just be happy.

I would also recommend a hooded litter box because many cats love to dig and cover their business. Having a cover on the box will minimize the amount of litter that they kick out of the box and onto the floor. If you do get a hooded box you might want to start without the hood until they are used to the box, the location, the litter, etc, and then put the hood on a little later.

 

[turkeymama]

I'm also a dog person who has learned to be a cat person. We adopted a shelter kitty a few years ago and I love her! She is great! She is totally an evil little thing and fits right in with me. Okay, she isn't totally evil, just a little. My vet and the techs at his office have all told me tuxedo cats can be a little "wild". I'm not sure how much truth there is to that, but it seems to be accurate in our case.

Anyway, definitely get a tall cat tree for you feline to perch on. They do so enjoy being up high. From that perspective, they can survey all that is going on and maintain a safe distance at the same time. This is very normal behavior for them.

From my very limited information, I do not recommend declawing a kitty. I'm glad to see others have said the same thing. My kitty is exclusively indoor, but I want her to have a good way to defend herself and survive if she ever slips out and we don't find her right away. So far, though, she has shown no real desire to step foot outside. She does enjoy looking out windows though. She is well-known throughout the neighborhood as she sits at the storm door for hours daily. You may also want to get a window seat for your kitty just in case she enjoys looking outdoors as well.

Climbing on cabinets and such? Well, I'm not a good kitty owner as I let mine walk pretty much wherever she desires. I just keep plenty of disinfectant to wipe down counters several times a day. I know I could use different strategies to keep her down. It's too late for me. Maybe you could keep yours from developing bad habits early on. I've heard double-sided tape placed on countertops can keep them from getting up there.

Cats enjoy privacy so I do suggest a domed litter box. It does keep them from making a huge mess too. I also placed a doormat in front of the little box to keep her from tracking. It helps and it is more comfortable on her feet than some of the mats I see made exclusively for that purpose.

Fountains? In my limited experience, cats like to drink very fresh water. Mine enjoys water running straight from a faucet. The business I used to work at had "store cats". Those cats enjoyed drinking from small garden fountains. They had fresh water in their bowls. They just preferred the fountains. Most pet stores have something very similar to these specifically for kitties. It must be pretty common.

Okay, that's enough for now. Good luck. I think you'll find cats can really be a great addition to the family.

 

[tvguy]

You own a dog. A cat owns you. My adult son just adopted a dog, and is shocked how much more work dogs are than cats. Now, I am speaking of pets kept indoors. My cats have always been housecats, leave a cat plenty of water and food and clean litter, and you don't have to worry about letting them out if you have to work overtime.
My current cat is 11 years old. She is the first cat we have owned that we did not have declawed. Like all our cats, she came from the SPCA, and starting some time before we adopted her 11 years ago, the SPCA makes you sign a form that you agree not to declaw the cat you are adopting. Not sure declawing is illegal, just very strongly discouraged. Never had any health issues with our previous 4 cats when they were declawed, but I see the point of it being unnecessary surgery. Consquently, despite discipline efforts, and numerous scratching posts and cat climbers in the house, 1 couch is toast, as are some of my curtains. But, we expected some damage with the claws. We also are in a constant state of having scratches on our bodies in the healing process. We also have to trim her claws every couple of months. We will to find large pieces of claw laying around, so they do break off on their off too.
As for how cats act around people, it really depends on the personality of the cat. I've had cats that were very much like dogs, came when called, etc, and I have had cats that were very aloof, everything had to be on their terms.

 

[turkeymama]

You own a dog. A cat owns you. My adult son just adopted a dog, and is shocked how much more work dogs are than cats. Now, I am speaking of pets kept indoors. My cats have always been housecats, leave a cat plenty of water and food and clean litter, and you don't have to worry about letting them out if you have to work overtime.
My current cat is 11 years old. She is the first cat we have owned that we did not have declawed. Like all our cats, she came from the SPCA, and starting some time before we adopted her 11 years ago, the SPCA makes you sign a form that you agree not to declaw the cat you are adopting. Not sure declawing is illegal, just very strongly discouraged. Never had any health issues with our previous 4 cats when they were declawed, but I see the point of it being unnecessary surgery. Consquently, despite discipline efforts, and numerous scratching posts and cat climbers in the house, 1 couch is toast, as are some of my curtains. But, we expected some damage with the claws. We also are in a constant state of having scratches on our bodies in the healing process. We also have to trim her claws every couple of months. We will to find large pieces of claw laying around, so they do break off on their off too.
As for how cats act around people, it really depends on the personality of the cat. I've had cats that were very much like dogs, came when called, etc, and I have had cats that were very aloof, everything had to be on their terms.

Just curious about the part I bolded. I am currently on the first cat I've ever had. I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me cats do a pretty good job maintaining their claws and that it is not necessary to trim them. He did it anyway, but assured me she would take care of them on her own. I haven't done anything with her nails since and she seems fine. On the other hand, the cats I used to work around had their nails trimmed on a monthly basis. Of course, those cats didn't have access to a true scratching post. Maybe that was the difference? I'm just curious on this point since I have no prior cat knowledge.

 

[tvguy]

Just curious about the part I bolded. I am currently on the first cat I've ever had. I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me cats do a pretty good job maintaining their claws and that it is not necessary to trim them. He did it anyway, but assured me she would take care of them on her own. I haven't done anything with her nails since and she seems fine. On the other hand, the cats I used to work around had their nails trimmed on a monthly basis. Of course, those cats didn't have access to a true scratching post. Maybe that was the difference? I'm just curious on this point since I have no prior cat knowledge.

I honestly don't know, this is the first cat we have had with claws. But, the vet does trim them during her annual physical without asking, but, again, ours is a housecat.

Hmmmm, just googled it, Humane society says you should trim your cats claws every few weeks!
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/trimming_cat_claws.html

 

[minnierocks]

Just curious about the part I bolded. I am currently on the first cat I've ever had. I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me cats do a pretty good job maintaining their claws and that it is not necessary to trim them. He did it anyway, but assured me she would take care of them on her own. I haven't done anything with her nails since and she seems fine. On the other hand, the cats I used to work around had their nails trimmed on a monthly basis. Of course, those cats didn't have access to a true scratching post. Maybe that was the difference? I'm just curious on this point since I have no prior cat knowledge.

I trim all of our cats' claws at home about every three weeks and I do think it is necessary. We were told by our vet to trim them and start early so they are used to it. We have 5 cats and I can tell when they need done because when they are too long, they have a tendency to start scratching on things they are not supposed to and their claws begin to catch on my throw rugs. We have scratching posts strategically located throughout the house and they still need trimmed. We purchased cat trimming scissors and it is super easy. One person snuggles the cat while I quickly snip each one. I do it by the window so that I can clearly see the vein that runs through it. You definitely don't want to clip them too short as it will hurt them. I guess I should add that all of our cats are house cats and never go outdoors.

 

[lucyem]

Just curious about the part I bolded. I am currently on the first cat I've ever had. I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me cats do a pretty good job maintaining their claws and that it is not necessary to trim them. He did it anyway, but assured me she would take care of them on her own. I haven't done anything with her nails since and she seems fine. On the other hand, the cats I used to work around had their nails trimmed on a monthly basis. Of course, those cats didn't have access to a true scratching post. Maybe that was the difference? I'm just curious on this point since I have no prior cat knowledge.

Depends on the cat as to when and how often you have to trim. We have a cat now who needs a trim every few weeks otherwise he gets caught up on things like blankets on the bed. I have had cats before who never needed it. Though my cat now will not scratch anything, never did even as a kitten, which is part of his problem. My last cat only needed trims as she got older and stopped scratching her tree.

I have had cats all my life as well as dogs. Cats are less work. Dogs tend to be more needy emotionally as well as needing to go out regularly.

Stick with unscented litter. There are so many options out there you these days from clay to scoop-able to newspaper and more. A lot depends on what your cat prefers. Talk to your vet about food cause thats a whole can of worms.

Get different types of scratching posts to try. My mom had a cat who only scratched sisal rope scratching posts. I had one who only went for cardboard type. We have had cats over the years who loved to scratch couches and others who didn't. I had one who would go after a regular couch in an instant and yet put a slipcover on it and he would pass. It was a pain but I left a big blanket over my couch all the time and he kept away. Give them good options and hopefully they will avoid the furniture

Many vets around here will refuse to declaw.

 

[crisi]

Dogs tend to have pretty consistent personalities. Cats are all over the place. I've had cats who are personable cuddles, my current cat is sitting next to me, and cats who you only know exist because you change the letterbox and the food disappears, otherwise, they spend their time hiding. Wen you pick a cat from a shelter, if picking an adult cat, take your time. If picking a kitten, pick one that is personable...and then encourage affection, but don't force it. The best advice I got is to stop petting your cat before he wants you to stop

Cats can be very destructive. They can claw woodwork and furniture. Cat urine can have you ripping out carpet...even concrete if you have a big problem.

 

[hsmamato2]

The best advice I got is to stop petting your cat before he wants you to stop

.

LOL this is true. I have both cats and dogs... Cats are approximately 1 million times easier to care for than dogs. I have both types of cats too, one,I see her tail disappearing around the corner once in a while, the other is a complete and loyal lovebug who comes running when I call her (oustide/inside kitty) Have fun, and take your time choosing.

 

[angierae]

I honestly don't know, this is the first cat we have had with claws. But, the vet does trim them during her annual physical without asking, but, again, ours is a housecat.

Hmmmm, just googled it, Humane society says you should trim your cats claws every few weeks!
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/trimming_cat_claws.html

I have one cat that keeps his pretty well taken care of on his own, and two I have to do weekly. Just depends on the cat.

 

[lady9]

We love our cat. She is the first we have ever had. Due to allergies with siblings I did not grow up with pets. We rescued her as a kitten from a shelter. We had to have her declawed (front only-broke my heart to do it) as she was tearing up the house-the curtains, the furniture, clothes. We had several different types of scratching posts for her, but she scratched where she wanted. She has adjusted well and did not change her personality thankfully.

As has been stated, don't be cheap with food or litter. Also, whatever you start with is what he/she will want from then on. Cats don't like change but can adapt. We bought a different kind of cat treat (same brand different flavor), and she turned her nose up to it. She eventually decided she liked it but took several days.

Our cat is only an indoor cat but still keep up with vet appointments. They need care too.

 

[SC Minnie]

Just curious about the part I bolded. I am currently on the first cat I've ever had. I took her to the vet to have her nails trimmed and he looked at me like I was crazy. He told me cats do a pretty good job maintaining their claws and that it is not necessary to trim them. He did it anyway, but assured me she would take care of them on her own. I haven't done anything with her nails since and she seems fine. On the other hand, the cats I used to work around had their nails trimmed on a monthly basis. Of course, those cats didn't have access to a true scratching post. Maybe that was the difference? I'm just curious on this point since I have no prior cat knowledge.

Our cats have their nails trimmed. We trim them ourselves every couple of weeks. If we didn't they would be like talons. We do have sisel scratching posts and they use them most of the time instead of the furniture. Ours never go outside.

 

[NYCDiane]

Best cat litter = Scoop Away. It will kill any odors and it clumps up great. Be sure to keep the litter box clean. It needs to be scooped a few times a day.


Best cat food: Depends on what your cat likes. Mine like Fancy Feast wet food w/cheddar or the Fancy Feast mornings. They get that as a supplement to Meow Mix Tender Centers. Their main food is MM and the FF is a "treat" a few times a day. There are more expensive cat foods that are supposedly better for your cat but I can't afford them and all my cats are very happy and healthy.

DO NOT GIVE A CAT MILK!! They drink water. Keep the water separate from the food.

Cats like attention when they want attention but get it used to you by petting it and talking to it.

Cats are celebral whereas dogs are emotional. That's the main difference between the two.

Be sure to have crinkle balls, plastic balls w/bells in them, and mice as toys. Climbing towers/scratching posts are good. Be sure to sprinkle them with cat nip to get the cat's attentions.

NEVER GIVE STRING OR YARN FOR THE CAT TO PLAY WITH!!!!!!!!!! It can be deadly!

Read up on the various houseplants that could be dangerous to cats.

NEVER DECLAW A CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If the cat gets outside, it will have no way of defending or protecting itself!!!!!

Get your cat spayed or neutered as soon as he/she is old enough. You don't want a cat spraying or "marking" when they are in heat. It's also healthier for your cat

If possible, keep you cat indoors. There's no reason for it to be outdoors and indoor cats live longer.

 

[LJSquishy]

I am not a cat person, either.

The most important thing is to keep your cat as an indoor cat ONLY if you live near any other houses. I cannot stand when people let their cat outside and it lays around in my yard all day, crushes plants by trying to sleep in them, and poop in my yard. As an owner of two small dogs, I am required by law to keep my pets in my own yard and cat owners should be held to the same standard.

Cats track kitty litter all over the house so be prepared to vacuum a lot more than you currently do. It gets stuck in their paw pads because they scoop/kick the litter to bury their waste so it naturally gets tracked all over. Those mats that you put in front of the box help but not completely.

You don't want to declaw a cat. Just trim their nails periodically and provide some sort of scratching post.

Cats are pretty independent...they don't really need much and are just kind of "there". Not my type of pet, but a lot of people love how low maintenance they are.

 

[jls886]

Climbing on cabinets and such? Well, I'm not a good kitty owner as I let mine walk pretty much wherever she desires. I just keep plenty of disinfectant to wipe down counters several times a day. I know I could use different strategies to keep her down. It's too late for me. Maybe you could keep yours from developing bad habits early on. I've heard double-sided tape placed on countertops can keep them from getting up there.

A squirt bottle turned to a stream instead of mist also usually works to teach them what you don't want them doing. Unless you are my latest cat of course...he likes to nibble on our Christmas tree and I counted 24 squirts this past December and he was still just sitting there staring at me squirting him, and he then just proceeded to lick all of the water off of himself. But typically, cats don't want to be squirted so will jump down or move away from whatever it is that they are doing that you don't want them to be doing.

Fountains? In my limited experience, cats like to drink very fresh water. Mine enjoys water running straight from a faucet. The business I used to work at had "store cats". Those cats enjoyed drinking from small garden fountains. They had fresh water in their bowls. They just preferred the fountains. Most pet stores have something very similar to these specifically for kitties. It must be pretty common.

Yes!! My cat wasn't drinking very much water at all initially...until I got him a water fountain. Now he drinks water all day long. It made such a difference for them, and drinking water is important for their health. I bought one on Amazon and have had it for 2 years with no issues.
http://www.amazon.com/Drinkwell-Pla...694247&sr=8-2&keywords=drinkwell+pet+fountain

And just to add to the cat trimming discussion, I do think it depends on the cat. My current cat keeps his claws maintained just fine on his own with his sisal scratching post. I do find his shedded claws on the floor around it and just throw them away, but I have not had a need to trim his claws yet. He has no problems with scratching anything other than his scratch post or using his claws while sitting on a lap, etc, so the sharpness of his claws is luckily not an issue for us.

 

[crisi]

Trimming depends on the cat in another way as well. Some cats (my current cat) will let you trim. I had one cat where you'd be taking your life in your hands if you tried to trim that cat.

And mine knows when she is being watched and the squirt bottle is nearby. She certainly has the run of the counters when we aren't home, no matter how often she is squirted when we are. And when we are, she play a "you can't squirt me" game.

 

[hlg22]

Trimming depends on the cat in another way as well. Some cats (my current cat) will let you trim. I had one cat where you'd be taking your life in your hands if you tried to trim that cat.

And mine knows when she is being watched and the squirt bottle is nearby. She certainly has the run of the counters when we aren't home, no matter how often she is squirted when we are. And when we are, she play a "you can't squirt me" game.

I have to trim my cat's nails when he is in REM sleep (all limp and twitchy). I can usually get through one or two paws before he wakes up. I would be taking my life into my hands to do them while he's awake!! It's a little bit of a pain, but I would never declaw a cat - it leaves them virtually defenseless if they ever do get outside, and as others have said, is major surgery that can lead to behavioral issues. I know my vet will no longer do it. I have a friend who adopted a cat that had previously been declawed, and it has a lot of aggression issues - will bite a lot since it doesn't have its claws for defense.

I adore my cat, but the thought of cats going from the litter box to counters where I prepare/eat food is just disgusting to me. I have always successfully trained cats with the squirt bottle method, coupled with a shout or loud clap, and trained to avoid furniture scratching the same way. If you train them when they're kittens, they won't even try when they're older. My cat has been up on the counters exactly twice in his life (post-kitten years) - he is very, very fluffy and sheds a ton, so I'd know if he had been while I'm not home...he leaves a trail. Once, I accidentally left some sushi out on the counter and he couldn't resist, so that was my bad. The second time, I was shocked to see him up rolling around on the dining room table and couldn't figure out why...until I shood him off and realized he was rolling around on a bag of catnip I'd left there the day before. So my bad again.