Please talk me out of (or into?) getting a cat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I definitely AM a pet person. The one thing I would NOT get is a cat. They smell worse than anything, and they are all over the counters, your clothes, etc.

My two cents.

I have had cats for 15 years and they don't have a smell at all. Now dogs have a pretty distinct doggy smell. But cats are fastidious about keeping themselves clean and there is no smell at all.

As for cats going on the counters, that doesn't bother me in the least. Why is that a concern? If I'm cooking/eating on my counters, the food is on a plate. I'm not eating directly off my counters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a cat (himalayan), do you want to adopt it? I am trying to rehome him just because it is too much work and I no longer have time to really care for him. He is a good cat though, extremely docile, but gets hairballs almost weekly and hte litter box is just too much work for me, SO after 3 years with him. We are thinking about giving it up for adoption, its going to be sad but I think it will be best for all involved.

Post your email. My parents' beloved himmie died last year, and they miss her very much. They're talking about getting another, but would rather adopt than buy. My dad is an expert at himalayan coat care. The last one barfed all the time at her first home, and stopped almost completely once he started caring for her.

[Anonymous]

I vote yes to the cat, and will share the hacks we've done to make living with ours (so beloved) so much easier - especially the dreaded litter box issue!!

- Mine are both toilet trained. Totally serious. Not hard to do (my older guy was 7 and my younger skittish one was nearly 1 when I did it) and it's SO MUCH nicer than the litter box! (Also cheaper since there's no more litter to buy.) I used citi kitty. citikitty.com My big guy is 14 now and it still cracks me up to see a cat using the toilet. We only have 1 bathroom in our place, but it's still so worth it.

- Trim their nails once a month or so and get a good scratching board that they like and can really stretch out to use. Train them not to scratch furniture by telling them no & clapping if you catch them trying it.

- Furminator is way better than a regular brush - if you brush them every couple of weeks, that gets all the loose hair out so not only will they not shed (or at least as much), they'll also not swallow as much when they wash, so little or no barf issues.

I've always loved cats and find them to be wonderfully affectionate, beautiful, and chill companions who seem to quietly show up wherever the rest of us are around the house. They've both been loving and patient with DD too.

[Anonymous]

You all need to know about SssCat. It is the most useful cat-cohabitation aide. It's a can of compressed air with a motion sensor on top. You set it where you don't want the cat to go (on the kitchen counter, for example), and if the cat triggers it by passing in front of the sensor, it sprays a blast of air, with a hissing sound. I have never seen it fail. We had a problem with our dumb cat peeing on a piece of old furniture in the basement (OP, they DO get bad ideas/ habits sometimes, but it's not the end of the world), and within one day, the SssCat broke him of it.

So now that we've solved that issue... Cats are terrific pets. Your daughter is at a good age for it-- she is old enough to feed and water, old enough not to be gentle, and young enough that the cat will die about the time she leaves home and you will be free. Oh, and cleaning a litterbox is NOTHING compared to walking a dog 2+ times a day in all weather, no matter what, and picking up its poop. NOTHING.

Just be very sure to get a good sense of the cat's personality. There's a huge range, and not all are a good fit for a family. The tiny kittens at PetCo are almost too adorable to resist, but in your case, you should take the longer route and go through a good rescue group that will help with the personality matching. I'm pretty good at picking cats; the one we have now pre-dates our kids, but I knew when we got him that he would have to tolerate children in his near future. Now, he sleeps on their beds and lets them treat him like a doll (rides in the stroller, naps in the doll bed while wearing a doll cap...).

I can honestly say that our cat is family, and brings us all great joy. Even my husband, who claims not to like him, gets caught in compromising positions pretty often. Just last night, I peeked into his office: the cat was sitting on his desk, and the two of them were leaning their foreheads together, both of them with their eyes closed. My boys.

[Anonymous]

*old enough not to be rough, obviously

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might want to get DD tested for allergies first. It's better than finding out the hard way.

Signed a concerned but practical cat owner

I agree. I love cats but am very allergic. Had one growing up but the cat came b/f I did. If you already have a pet, it's not that much different (just the kitty litter part).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't do it. Cat hair, territorial issues (i.e. peeing on your furniture or rugs or in your shoes/purses), clawing/scratching, litter boxes. No matter how clean you are, you are always going to have cat hair floating around or stuck to your pants and coat, plus you'll always be crunching on little bits of litter underfoot. Don't get me wrong, I love cats and grew up with them, but if you're not interesting in making your life more complicated, then don't add another pet to the mix (unless it's a goldfish!).

This. I grew up with cats but will never get one as an adult. Cat allergies that only got worse and worse the older I got. Same for DH who grew up with cats. If you never had cats, people can develop allergies that only increase with exposure. At this point we cannot live with a cat in our house. Our kid wants a cat but I tell him even if he's not allergic now, his chance of developing a severe cat allergy is high with both parents like this.

Even if DH and I weren't allergic, I probably wouldn't get one. I like having a fur free home and not having to clean up the smelly cat litter.

Don't do it!

[Anonymous]

I am a cat owner and lover.

Trust me, cats are much much easier to care for than dogs. I love dogs too though.

You don't have to bathe a cat nor do you have to walk it daily. They don't bark incessantly and they pretty much keep to themselves. Yes, they do shed and occasionally vomit, but they are very loyal and loving and make great pets.

I say get a cat. Try a shelter or rescue since they usually have many of them there.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some cats have litter box issues. Or scratch up your furniture. Also they live FOREVER. something to think about. From owner of two cats.

yes, agree

Our new leather couch is dead.

We were stupid to even think of buying one. It's depressing to be honest.

Cat's great. He loves the kids and plays with them.

But
he
will
live
forever.

[Anonymous]

Maybe we lucked out, but we have a super affection cat who is WAY less maintenance than our dog. (Personally, I'd rather clean a cat box than have to take out the dog when it's raining and cold).

We got our cat through a "foster-to-adopt" program. Have you looked into any of those, OP? We fostered him for a couple of weeks to make sure that he would get along with our dog.

[Anonymous]

Isn't it funny how the default assumption these days is that kids will have pet allergies? Is that happening nationwide i wonder? Rarely heard of it just 20 years ago, but maybe we simple country folk weren't smart enough to recognize it, or our simple country doctors weren't smart enough to create a market for it.

[Anonymous]

I would agree that you need to train the cat not to jump on counters and scratch furniture. Scratching is a natural behaviour and so we provide a corrugated cardboard scratch mat, which he prefers. When I hear about all these badly behaved cats, I do wonder if they were trained.

I would also advise looking into different breeds of cats. Some cats are more docile and self sufficient than others. There are online quizzes that you can do, which suggest a suitable breed for your family.

[Anonymous]

I was a cat owner twice in the past.
In college, my live-in girlfriend adopted a kitten. He was a dog in his former life. He hated her, but loved me. We went for walks (without a leash, believe it or not), he LOVED taking baths in the kitchen sink and would stick his head under the running faucet, and I had ZERO problems from him. Rarely, did a speck of litter make it to the floor. He even preferred Dollar Store cat food over Purina. The only issue I had with him was that he was clingy clingy clingy! He yelled all night long if we didn't allow him into the bedroom with us. He kept sleeping directly on top of my head whenever we did, and he showed little signs of independence, which I thought was the hallmark of cats. When my ex and I split, she took the cat.

I got married years later and my wife adopted two kittens from different litters. I was fine with it, because I sorta missed the first cat I had. HUGE DIFFERENCE. Cat #1 made it in our house for about three months before we returned him to the shelter. He used to roll around inside the freshly used litterbox and would smear feces all over himself. He peed everywhere and was just spiteful. He really didn't like us, and went out of his way to show it.

The other cat was very friendly, but required a lot of upkeep. He kept getting sick and his vet bills ranged from $400 a pop to $1500. He shed everywhere! He was a finicky eater and threw up all over the house. He was a medium haired cat so there was litter clung to him from time to time, which he inadvertently spread around the house as he plopped down on tables, chairs, and our bed. He made it with us about four years before we outgrew the "cat people" thing. We rehoused him.

[Anonymous]

I have had cats and dogs my entire life. MUCH easier than dogs but each animal has his/her own quirks.

Cats can be left home alone awhile with just a check in/feed by someone. They are not as demanding as dogs (though my current cat is pretty needy in terms of wanting attention).

I've never had a cat (and I've had 6 over my 40 years) that had long-term litter box issues. Cat boxes only smell if you don't clean them. If you do, it's not an issue. Cats do not like dirty boxes and will go elsewhere if it's not clean.

They do puke up hairballs. But, it's really not that big of a deal. It's not messy. Just a wad of hair. Long hair cats (which I prefer and I have) puke more.

The big issue with cats is scratching. They can scratch furniture. I know people have strong feelings on declawing. I don't do it but if it is the difference between that and a homeless cat, I say declaw. Just make sure the cat never gets out bc they will have no defense then.

I say do it (but make sure there are no allergies). But, I love cats. They are fun and funny. They are adorable. I am horribly allergic but would never not have a cat.