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

[Sinderelly]

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.

Please remember a cat CAN destroy your home. A few years ago we purchased a home thinking we could get rid of the smell but it was still there even after replacing carpet, padding, and even some of the subflooring. The smell really came out when it rained or was very damp weather. I won't eat food prepared in someone's home that has an indoor cat...think about this. A cat uses the litter box then jumps up on your kitchen countertops when you're at home and when you aren't...then you prepare food there.

The same thing can happen with any pet as far as passing away and the feeling of loss. You might be able to tell I'm a dog person lol

 

[tb1972]

Since DH and I have been married 13 years we've had male cats. Each of ours was adopted from the local animal shelter and each has been a sweetheart and very affectionate! I don't know about female personalities...it just so happened the kittens we chose were males. We weren't seeking males specifically.

Our two current cats are Siamese mix (one blue point and one seal point) and our friends comment they didn't know shelters had such beautiful cats. The shelters have all kinds of GREAT animals who need loving homes.

We chose not to declaw because we do not feel its a humane way to treat an animal. We place cat scratchers (both cardboard and carpet incline types) throughout our home and haven't had problems. They know where the scratchers are and use them.

Good luck with your pet search! Cats are truly wonderful.

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[taylor3297]

Please remember a cat CAN destroy your home. A few years ago we purchased a home thinking we could get rid of the smell but it was still there even after replacing carpet, padding, and even some of the subflooring. The smell really came out when it rained or was very damp weather. I won't eat food prepared in someone's home that has an indoor cat...think about this. A cat uses the litter box then jumps up on your kitchen countertops when you're at home and when you aren't...then you prepare food there.

The same thing can happen with any pet as far as passing away and the feeling of loss. You might be able to tell I'm a dog person lol

I have an indoor cat and my cat never jumps on the counter. Actually, all the cats I have ever owned, none have ever jumped on the counter. So, don't assume all cats do this.

 

[crisi]

I have an indoor cat and my cat never jumps on the counter. Actually, all the cats I have ever owned, none have ever jumped on the counter. So, don't assume all cats do this.

At the same time, if you are going to be that picky - just don't eat anything you don't prepare. Studies show that 15% of people don't wash their hands when leaving a public restroom - 95% don't do it correctly. It isn't a cat thing. If you are that germophobic, you are just better off making sure you only eat what you prepare.

 

[jls886]

I have an indoor cat and my cat never jumps on the counter. Actually, all the cats I have ever owned, none have ever jumped on the counter. So, don't assume all cats do this.

I was just about to post this same thing. As much as it might gross out a guest for someone's cat to be on the counter, it personally also grosses me out as a cat owner for my cat to be all over the counters. Consequently, he is very aware that he is not allowed on tables or counters.

 

[tb1972]

At the same time, if you are going to be that picky - just don't eat anything you don't prepare. Studies show that 15% of people don't wash their hands when leaving a public restroom - 95% don't do it correctly. It isn't a cat thing. If you are that germophobic, you are just better off making sure you only eat what you prepare.

Good point. Cats are certainly not the most common source of germs. Also as my cats get older, I think they sleep about 15 hrs per day and have no interest jumping on counters.

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[Shelly F - Ohio]

Cats are great companions. We have 5 plus a stray that lives outside and has been living on our deck for 2 years. The stray is a female that has her ear tipped so I know she has been TNR so no fear of unwanted litters from her. Within the last 3 months she finally lets us pet her. Which just made my day. She is a such a sweet heart. She has a heated house that DH made for her.

Anyway. We feed ours Wellness Weight Management because it has a lot of cranberry ingredients in it to help promote a healthy bladder. Cats are very susceptible to bladder infections. We feed them wet food (whiskers) for their evening meal. So watch what type of litter you get. You don't want to get one that has a lot of dust which will contribute to the UTI problems. We use Tidy Cat clumping.

Each one of ours has a different personality. Our siamese is the most needy one of them all. He has to be by us about 80% of the time. If he falls asleep by us he has to reach out his paw and touch you.

We have a Pioneer Pet stainless steal fountain that I got from Amazon - I also buy the filters from Alamzon - they are way cheaper than what PetSmart wants for them. Cats love running water. One of ours loves to play with the water in the bathroom sink and in the tub. She loves for you to turn the water on very gently for her so she can lick the water. As a kitten she would jump up and drink out of our decorative fountain. So we decided to get a real pet water fountain.

You will find that you will buy them all sorts of toys yet the best toy is a box or a paper bag.

 

[CarolynK]

Despite what my DH thinks, I will say we are cat people (see my siggie)...we adopted our current cats almost 3 years ago. I decided to get two cats vs. just one, best decision ever - they totally keep each other company! Not litter mates, but both male (subscribe to the "males are friendlier" idea!). A couple of observations in general:
--cats are nocturnal, we've always corralled our cats at night...they have their own bedroom complete with twin bed (that has been badly scratched!). I will not be awakened at night by roaming cats who think my feet moving under the blanket are something to be attacked! At 9:30 pm, they are both meowing to "go to their room"
--these cats are the first ones we did not declaw, mixed feelings about this because ours DO scratch a lot of things they shouldn't (wool oriental rug in our dining room being one) but I know it's painful and I have opted for some of our furniture to be destroyed instead!
--SO happy we didn't declaw when Sheldon escaped a couple of months ago and was gone for a full 2 weeks...bought a raccoon trap to catch him and it worked!! Would love to know what he ate/how he survived those 2 weeks!
--Countertops: I know for a fact they do whatever they want when we aren't home: my stainless steel stovetop has cat footprints on it as proof, but they have enough sense not to do it when we are home!
--Claws: ours need trimming, they are seriously as sharp as razors otherwise...I usually get my son to help, not a big deal.
--Water: we have the fountain, cats do love water and I have had the Drinkwell for years, works great.
--I purposely do not scoop their boxes (yes, plural...I read somewhere there should be one box per cat plus one extra, so we have 3) every day, works fine!

 

[EMom]

Please remember a cat CAN destroy your home. A few years ago we purchased a home thinking we could get rid of the smell but it was still there even after replacing carpet, padding, and even some of the subflooring. The smell really came out when it rained or was very damp weather. I won't eat food prepared in someone's home that has an indoor cat...think about this. A cat uses the litter box then jumps up on your kitchen countertops when you're at home and when you aren't...then you prepare food there.

The same thing can happen with any pet as far as passing away and the feeling of loss. You might be able to tell I'm a dog person lol

A dog can destroy your home just as easily. My friend's dog scratched up her kitchen cabinets horribly while no one was home, destroying them. I've known dogs to "eat" couches, pull down blinds, munch on expensive area rugs, etc. My mother had a little dog that destroyed every rug she had and ate the cords off anything electric.

As for dog smell, it's pretty bad too. There was one house in our old neighborhood that just would not sell, so we toured it during an open house. From the front door, it reeked of dog. They had repainted, replaced the carpet and pad and it still reeked of dog. At a minimum, the dog had peed everywhere.

My old cats did not get on the counters. The new ones are being broken from the habit. They did not have this habit until we removed their cat tree to put the house on the market. Once it was gone, they searched for a high spot to hang out and the counters won. Cats often like higher ground. But I don't want to eat food prepared on counters a cat MIGHT have walked on either. Easy fix. Clean the counters before you prepare food. Quick and simple.
Personally, I think cats are easy pets. I would never declaw one, as it is the same as removing the first joint of one of our fingers. I think it's cruel. We give ours things to scratch on and they are satisfied.

 

[turkeymama]

A dog can destroy your home just as easily. My friend's dog scratched up her kitchen cabinets horribly while no one was home, destroying them. I've known dogs to "eat" couches, pull down blinds, munch on expensive area rugs, etc. My mother had a little dog that destroyed every rug she had and ate the cords off anything electric.

As for dog smell, it's pretty bad too. There was one house in our old neighborhood that just would not sell, so we toured it during an open house. From the front door, it reeked of dog. They had repainted, replaced the carpet and pad and it still reeked of dog. At a minimum, the dog had peed everywhere.

My old cats did not get on the counters. The new ones are being broken from the habit. They did not have this habit until we removed their cat tree to put the house on the market. Once it was gone, they searched for a high spot to hang out and the counters won. Cats often like higher ground. But I don't want to eat food prepared on counters a cat MIGHT have walked on either. Easy fix. Clean the counters before you prepare food. Quick and simple.
Personally, I think cats are easy pets. I would never declaw one, as it is the same as removing the first joint of one of our fingers. I think it's cruel. We give ours things to scratch on and they are satisfied.

We added a dog to the family at the new year. She has destroyed my back patio. In fact, I had a thread on here about how puppies are like toddlers. She ate our wooden bird house! Ate it! And our little dog? Well he made it a bad habit to tinkle on the kids while they were in bed! No health problems, he just rebelled a bit.

The cat has torn up nothing of real value, shy of a few book covers. Oh, and she loves toilet paper and paper towels.

Finally, I've always cleaned the counters before I prepare food. Doesn't everyone do that?

 

[Mom2Ben02]

OP here!! Just a quick update:

My (step)mother-in-law passed away completely unexpectedly. Today was the funeral, and, on the way home, we stopped at Animal Welfare. We are now the proud owner of a five month old kitty we have named Penny. She made everyone better today, and I will always think of my dear MIL when I see her.

Penny comes home Wednesday - she is being fixed before leaving. Gives us time to stock up on everything we need!

Thank you for all of your help!!

 

[turkeymama]

OP here!! Just a quick update:

My (step)mother-in-law passed away completely unexpectedly. Today was the funeral, and, on the way home, we stopped at Animal Welfare. We are now the proud owner of a five month old kitty we have named Penny. She made everyone better today, and I will always think of my dear MIL when I see her.

Penny comes home Wednesday - she is being fixed before leaving. Gives us time to stock up on everything we need!

Thank you for all of your help!!

So sorry to hear of your loss. Very glad you adopted a shelter kitty. You'll have to come back and share some pics when everyone gets settled.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

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.

I trim my cats claws with a regular nail clipper at home. Litter wise I use Cats pride. As for food mine like purina.

 

[CarolynK]

I am sorry for your loss.

That is an adorable cat, good luck with her

 

[jls886]

OP here!! Just a quick update:

My (step)mother-in-law passed away completely unexpectedly. Today was the funeral, and, on the way home, we stopped at Animal Welfare. We are now the proud owner of a five month old kitty we have named Penny. She made everyone better today, and I will always think of my dear MIL when I see her.

Penny comes home Wednesday - she is being fixed before leaving. Gives us time to stock up on everything we need!

Thank you for all of your help!!

Very, very sorry for your loss! But sweet that now Penny can remind you all of a lost family member. She is adorable! 5 months is a great kitten age - old enough to start showing an actual personality instead of just being an adorable bouncy fuzzball, and old enough to start learning the ropes of life. A kitten will be easier to train since she won't have developed life-long habits yet. Move her to a scratch post as soon as she starts to scratch anything and she'll be going to that as her default in no time. And give her a good squirt from a water bottle whenever she goes where she shouldn't and she'll learn quickly where she not allowed. Good luck and enjoy your new family member! She is sure to provide lots of smiles and laughter!

 

[amyy]

So sorry for your loss.

What an adorable kitty and such a beautiful smile on your daughter's face. I am sure Penny will bring your family years of happiness.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Ohhh she looks like my Buzz when he was a baby. I'll have to try to upload one of his young pics and one of his recent ones.