May get cat

[cnu5000]

Hi-we may get a cat-I have never had a dog or cat before-my father hated pets so it is a big step for me. I never had a dog and don't have the lifestyle for one(the walking would get to me).

However, I have heard some cats are quite friendly. Maybe we can get an older shelter animal(I heard they aren't destructive).

I persuaded my husband to get a cat because we recently have had a mice in our apartment and my next door neighbor had a rat.

My mother-in-law has a cats in a small disorganized apartment. I feel if the cats weren't destructive we can handle it.

[preraph]

Some cats will scratch up your upholstery and others won't. Doesn't matter what age except all kittens are playful and rowdy until they mature. Be sure you don't get one that is declawed or declaw it. It's cruel. It disables them. My cat doesn't scratch up furniture, though once in awhile she stretches up on it like she's going to, but she's never shredded anything. Part of the reason is because when I built her partition for her room she sleep in, I left raw wood 2 by 4s that framed it and she scratches those up when she wakes up in the morning and stretches, but it doesn't hurt anything. Then she scratches the outside of the corner of the house sometimes to stretch. They like to scratch raw wood.

If you let a cat get outside (not sure that's possible where you live), they run off a lot of that destructive energy and are able to use their instincts and not have to find destructive ways to substitute for it indoors. You know, they're predators, so they like to eviscerate. It's just a fact. They like to chase and torture and kill. They're just programmed that way. If you get a cat from a rescue place, someone who is actually living with rescue cats can help you choose one for a first-timer. They will be gentler if you get them from a rescuer, because they will work with them a lot. We have a good cat rescuer here in Dallas.

If you have any questions once you get one, let me know. I am overeducated on cats because not only did I grow up with them (even though I'm allergic), but I also went through zoo training to work with ocelots, which are 99 percent genetically the same as domestic cats, so I know their behavior and how they can mainly be trained through redirection (long-term) so they establish a new routine, which they will then adhere to for a long time. They are slow to change.

[cnu5000]

Interesting...There is animal shelter nearby which we would go to....With us it would have to be an inside cat-it is dangerous for a cat to be out on its own....Though sometimes I would like to take it out-I never see any cats on leashes but I have nothing against-there are people in walking distance that I could take to visit it.

Would a cat be very lonley if there is only one cat?

I heard cats can make good companion animals-but again I have not had the experience of either cat or dog.

My mother would like the cat(no grandchildren but maybe a cat).

The shelter where I live does not declaw cats(I also have heard it is cruel) and they can be trained to use a scratching post.

[preraph]

Cats don't get lonely for other cats and do pretty well just on their own while you're away at work. They are not pack animals (well, a couple of large cats are, but most are not). My cat is indoor/outdoor (I always bring her inside for the night) and I keep an eye on her better than most people do, and she is 17 and quite healthy for an old girl. But I have a big yard and not much traffic (she doesn't go in the street anyway, though if something scares one, it could happen). Some cats are more company than others. My sister has one who doesn't particularly like to cuddle, but that is rare. Dogs are much friendlier than cats but they are also more work. A cat, you can leave food and water out and leave the house temperate and be gone for the whole weekend. A dog needs care multidaily. Dogs have separation anxiety and they do best with another dog because that's how their whole brain is set up, pack. I think a cat is a good first pet. Don't assume the cat is going to let you hug around on it or all that. Most of them only like limited touch. The reason is because their skin is superinnervated. So a pet feels great to them, but kind of like tickling, it turns to agony in a hurry, and that varies by cat. Some are less sensitive than others, so I was taught at the zoo each is different. For one, they may only allow petting for 5 second. Another may be happy being stroked for 15 minutes. Most I've known fall in the 30 second range. Of course, they are predators and they consider every movement an invitation to hunt, so when you play, use a string or rope instead of your bare hand because they will swat and bite at anything that moves inticingly! While I was trying to take care of my sister's cats while she was in the hospital, the new feral one, just fresh off the street, was actually quite friendly for a feral, but he had odd ways. Once he was on the table and I came to say hello and he stood up so he could get in my face but then acted like he was going to claw me or climb me (which amounts to the same injuries!), but he was only being friendly and exploring. I thought he would kill my sister for sure (and he may yet) running into her feet like he did mine. So that's another cat hazard, them getting between your feet. They pretty much all seem to do it at one time or another. They're beautiful creatures to watch. You should just be calm and kind to the cat when you first get him until you've earned his trust. But once he's comfy, do pull a rope around and let him have something to chase and buy him a toy, though he may or may not care about it. Male cats are quite nice and possibly a bit calmer than female cats. The cat tyrants I've known were female, but they were very entertaining.

[preraph]

P.S. I wouldn't try a leash. One, cats can wiggly out of almost anything, and cats hate leashes. You can't take them to a park like you could a dog. The number one thing cats hate is being dropped into new surroundings or having a new animal introduced into theirs. So travel is not fun for a cat. Your new cat will be very fearful, most likely, when you first bring him home. This may last some days. Don't expect him to come loving on you. It takes time. You may not even be able to find him for a week! I had had my cat a year when we moved to a new place. I kept her in for 3 weeks (as recommended) and then let her outside and she disappeared immediately. I looked everywhere, put signs up, and it turned out she was in the bottom of a barrel by the back door the whole time hiding. Change freaks them out. A cat that's been indoors always will be afraid of outdoors at first, but the truth is they should be indoor/outdoor for their mental wellbeing. No animal is supposed to never get sun exposure. Yes, there are diseases out there, and certainly you can't leave one out in the middle of a busy road or someplace like that, but those who believe that's the healthiest way for cats are not taking into consideration that all their instincts and everything they're programmed for is outdoors. Some do better indoors than others. Some are absolutely miserable in; and others seem content. Of course, all rescuers will say to keep them in. But that's because they only see the results of irresponsible people who don't put enough energy into keeping their cat safe. My cat knows to scream for me if she sees anything scary (usually another cat that is too close). We have a system worked out.

Cats are carnivores, and there is no substitute for meat with them. There is an element they will die without, taurine, that is only in meat, not just protein, but meat.

One tip for people who do let their cats in and out is to only feed them wet food when they are brought in for the night. That way, they will always come in when you call of a evening because they are anxious to get the better food. Mine sleeps through the night like a baby, and it's mainly because she is active during the day. Many people with apartment or indoor cats complain about them constantly waking them up. So there's pluses and minuses.

[cnu5000]

thanks for the tips.

[cnu5000]

Too bad about cats not liking to go outside-we have no yard so being an outside cat I think would be dangerous where I live-I will several scratching posts some toys for it.

I may try to get it used to a harness(some web sites say you can do this slowly) or taking it out in a carrier(some web sites say this can be done slowly).

[preraph]

They really don't like carriers or harnesses. They're very stealthy and when they go outside, they will often only walk up next to the house or under a bush, not out in the open, unless they have established their territory. It would totally scare one to walk it out in the open. It would probably just about hang itself trying to get away. They are not as calm as dogs are, if you know what I mean. They're fun but they're not nearly as people loving as dogs are. Dogs will follow a person anywhere. A cat is not that way. In fact, the zoo taught me something I didn't realize, which is that cats bond more with their location than the person attached to the location. So they're traumatized when they are moved with the owner to a new location, some worse than others.

Get some help picking a cat that seems to be calm and not restless indoors. Some adapt to being indoors well, while others never do. I personally don't believe it's nice to keep one in its whole life. Animals need the sun and need to be able to do what they are programmed to do, hunt. But if you keep playing and doing your best to give it variety indoors and make sure it has a sunny window to lie in and open the door with the just the screen so it can smell the outdoors some too and experience that and watch birds, then it will have a decent life. Certainly better than being feral and having to grub for food in the worst weather times of the year. Do a variety of scratching places. Have one that is rough wood to simulate a tree and they make these corrugated cardboad flat things that cats seem to like. I have never quite understood why they make rug-covered posts because I've never seen a cat scratch on a rug (and why teach them to!), but that is the norm in pet shops.

I tell you one thing they love, and that is getting up high. Of course, they have expensive cat towers you can buy, but what I did is I spent about $70 on a good 5 foot tall stepladder that I needed anyway. You know how that top rung has a plastic container for paint or tools or whatever? I feed my cat up there during the day. She is on that ladder every day, and she can see out the high window from up there. I put it right by the window to the backyard. My stepladder has the foot-wide rubber steps, so there's areas to put plants on or for the cat to lay on.

[cnu5000]

We have a computer table that we don't use which I thought of trying to make a "cat condo" which has all sorts places to jump and hide. We have a back sliding door where the cat can alot of fresh air and some big windows.

[cnu5000]

On the application to the shelter it asked whether you wanted a mouser so I said yes. I have known some people with cats where the cat is too docile to chase the mouse.

[preraph]

Sounds good. Oh, also, it's okay to put the big litter box up on a table so you don't have to bend and stoop to clean it. You'll clean it more often that way. Also, when you pick up the litter scoop, which has big holey spaces in it so it lets the small unclumped litter fall back into the litter box so there's no waste, also pick up a normal large scoop that you'd use for feed because you only have to add a little litter at a time, and that way you don't have to pick up the whole, very heavy, bag of litter, which hurts your back. If you put newspapers under and around the litter box, you can use a little whisk broom to brush those off (they get some litter as the cat jumps out of the box because it clings a bit to their feet) and then you can just replace them when they get real dirty. I like my litter on a card table up against a wall and put the litter box up against two sides of the wall on it if possible because some cats will try to tip it over. My sister's cat was doing that (it was in the house for 6 months while she was in the hospital and very bored), but my cat never did that at all.

[cnu5000]

I would not think a cat could jump on a card table.