Reply to I know nothing about cats, but am thinking about getting a pair for the kids. Guidance, please?

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Reply to "I know nothing about cats, but am thinking about getting a pair for the kids. Guidance, please?"

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[quote=Anonymous]We adopted 2 cats almost a year ago.  I cannot begin to describe the amount of joy they have brought to our family.  We got American Short hair litter-mates from a rescue shelter.  They were 18 months old and had been in the shelter since 5 weeks old.

Don't get kittens.  They are adorable, but very annoying.  And you won't know what their personality is really going to be like.  if you need a kitten fix, check facebook.  Plenty of adorable kitty pics posted daily!

I highly recommend litter-mates (or cats that have already been together).

DO NOT get them declawed.  If you are really worried about your furniture, you can consider adopting cats that have already been declawed.  Just know that it will likely affect their personality, and they will resort to biting, which is worse than scratching, when the kids pester them.  Our cats scratched the furniture at first.  i got some double sided tape at PetSmart and a spray that hides the scent where they've already scratched because they will continue to scratch where they've already marked.  This did the trick.

Find a good shelter that gives very honest descriptions of the cats' personalities.  If the "bios" for all the cats make them sound like perfect angels, I would move on to a different shelter or try to find an honest volunteer who will give you the real scoop.  A good shelter should do this to ensure that there are no surprises when you get the cats home.  the last thing they want is to adopt them out just so they end up being abandoned again.  Our cats' bio said that they were best for a home with children 7+, and i would say that's spot on.  Also, the shelter will probably have a room where you can play with the cats and get to know them.  We visited our cats twice.  they were not perfect - one was extremely shy and skiddish.  the other was sweet, but obviously manipulative.  Still, I could not stop thinking about them and couldn't get back there to bring them home fast enough!  You'll just know when it's the right fit.

Their adjustment might can be quite long.  They might hide in a closet for an entire week.  Maybe even longer.  You will need to bring them immediately to a "safe room" where they can hang out as long as they need to without being moved.

Good luck!

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