So I plan on getting a cat

[Oerdin]

We got an American short hair as a rescue and he has been great.  We've had him since he was about 12 weeks old.

[Garraty_47]

It would be cool if you were to adopt a cat and give it a second chance in a forever home.

This^. Far too many christmas presents are growing up on the streets or getting euthanized in shelters because unthinking owners found out too late "those kittens grow up".



I get it; kittens are cute as fuck. They also have a ton of energy which can get a little wearing after a while, whereas with a shelter cat you can get a much clearer idea of the personality (fursonality?) your little ball of fluff is bringing to your household since they've already developed it.



Ten years ago, these were things my then g/f and I considered when we wandered into the local shelter looking to adopt. The cat my g/f had her heart set on had been claimed about half an hour before we got there, we stuck about and took a peek at some of the others. There sure were a lot of them, over a hundred if I were to guess.



I remember walking into this glassed in room with close to a dozen strays of different varieties, hissing and yowling at each other. One of them, a new arrival I'm guessing, was slinking along in the corner as if it were terrified of putting a paw wrong. And one tabby in a cat basket away from it all, chilling out with a total deficit of fucks to give about the proceedings. I wandered over to get a better look - around two years old, a total bruiser who I later learned had been a street cat hanging out in the alley behind a chinese restaurant a couple of suburbs away. Polydactyl too, paws looked like cabbages, a different number of toes on each one. Never even knew that was a thing until that morning. I gave his ears a little scratch, which he nuzzled his head in against. I was sold by the time my g/f wandered in to be greeted with the same placid friendliness. And after half an hour or so of paperwork, the three of us left together, with me doing the lugging of the cat carrier. Man that bugger was heavy!



I'm not going to pretend it was all beer and skittles. My girlfriend and I had wanted a mature cat precisely because we were in an apartment and didn't particularly relish the idea of a kitten roaring through the room knocking shit over and getting under out feet. Which after the initial first impression Leroy (later renamed Dozer) gave us at the shelter, was precisely what he did the minute we let him out of the carrier in his new home. Tearing through the lounge room, shooting in under the bed and out again, having a high old time exploring his new digs. For two fucking weeks. More than once I reflected on my ability to attract trolls, heh.



He did settle down though, reverting to the same chill that had endeared us to him in the first place. He loved to play with the kinds of toys Vitriol mentions above, would stash them about his cat basket and was in the habit of leaving one on the bed if my girlfriend and I left the apartment for any appreciable length of time. And I'd get him chasing those toys like crazy, or simply roughhouse with him for exercise, which earned me my share of scratches and bites, but all in good fun. Keeping his claws out of the furniture was a thing, but the addition of a scratching post, a little patience and the association of claw clippers with a couple of treats soon fixed that. Didn't stop him from being the quintessential mouser, something polydactyls were prized for on ships long ago. Long after my girlfriend and I broke up and I had moved out, he would still recognize my footsteps in the hall outside and be there at the door to greet me whenever I visited. Every other guy who came to visit... from friends and family to random canvassers... he'd hide from. Usually disappearing under the bed or sofa for extended periods before venturing out cautious of whoever happened to be visiting, a habit he never got out of till the day he died.



So yeah, I'm going to stand with Breakfall on this one. That "second chance" was worth its weight in gold and good memories. Erica, you can do a lot worse than to check out a few animal shelters for rescue cats to see if there's any you click with. It's easy to say "I'd like cute" or "I like fluffy", but the companionship of the right pet will trump all of that in my experience. At the very least it's something you should be open to the idea of.

 :416:

[Erica Mena]

They destroy furniture? Oh boy







Most important, are they ok with small children? Dovey says females are better with kids.

[Erica Mena]

We've always had dogs and the male fucked everything up. The little female pit bull wasn't destructive like that.

[Blazor]

All the cats I've had, since I've been an adult out on my own lol, were either adopted from a shelter (first one), or taken in from outside (3), and the one that we found in an alley in a box near my in-laws. All been great. The beauty of the outdoor ones, is you each earn respect and love from one another, before actually inviting one in. I still got strays outside, but I can only take so many inside due to my allergies, so they have to wait their turn usually lol. Wanted to bring Midnight in, but he's a bully to most other cats, which is why I brought this one cat inside at the time in the first place, cause he was mean to her lol. Hes sweet as can be on his own though. I made him into a brute lol, from being scrawny. So he simply protects my outdoors lol. Brings me Moles and BlueJays and mice lol. I'd take all these strays in if I could lol. Had this one crazy idea once, of building a tiny home for them outside, and running one of my heat vents off the house into it lol. But then I realized, it would be more than jus the strays that were here. Like possums and such lol. Inside the house, if a spider gets in or a stink bug or a moth, the cats are first on it, playing with it lol.



So many strays I miss, aint around anymore. Like Tripod, she only had 3 good legs. But she could run and swipe at other cats at the same time lol, and climb trees. There was Nikolai Kittycoff, a brute Russian gray that loved sitting with me by the camp fire. Sparky, poor thing got hit by a car in the curve. Old man down there hated cats, but he loved that one, so he took him. Both died around the same time, he fell down the stairs not long after Sparky died. Old lady there told me how much he loved that cat, and they buried him on the hill in the Pet Cemetary.



I remember seeing a hawk once, swoop down, and pick up a kitten and fly away with it. All you heard was "MeEeeeeeeooooooooowwwwwww" as the hawk flew away with it.



I couldnt stand this one kid. He was EVIL. Stomped a kitten once. I buried the poor thing. I didnt see it, but my son said his friend saw it. He went to juvie jail for a bit off and on. Evil fucking kid.



Damn coffee got me talking lol.

[Blazor]

They destroy furniture? Oh boy







Most important, are they ok with small children? Dovey says females are better with kids.

Leather is almost unavoidable, unless you can keep the claws clipped, or train them to stay off it.



Otherwise, get a scratching post, and put cat nip on it. That will train them to scratch that. Some are finnicky, as in some like soft fabric posts, vs others.



I've never had an issue with any of my cats, and kids. Pebbles was a male, and a sweetheart. He was kinda feminine though  



All depends on the cat really.



You'll for sure want to teach the kids to "be easy" with kitty. If not, the cat will more likely return the animosity towards the small child. Cant be throwing a giant Batman at the kitty    Give kitty love, it will do the same. Be mean to kitty, it will hide from you, and not take to you.

[Erica Mena]

I'm thinking about all of it. Can't risk the kitty scratching my babies. I'd have to really train it to be sweet





I heard cats take in their owners attitudes

[Herman]

I have a ragdoll

How often do you have to comb/brush it?



Unlike Senile Joe who thinks matted fur is "adorable", I know they can be painful and even cause conditions requiring medical treatment if left unchecked.

Old Joe doesn't know anything about 'pussy' cats.

[Erica Mena]

Poor Joe. He gets it from all ends lol

[Herman]

Poor Joe. He gets it from all ends lol

He is a shitty forum wrecking poster, but he is unique being a sixty five year old virgin.

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about all of it. Can't risk the kitty scratching my babies. I'd have to really train it to be sweet

It's not just the cat, it's the family that adopts him too. Think for a minute - you came in asking about cats so you might learn a bit more, your littlies are likely no different and might need a little guidance similar to what you've received here. Most shelters I know of will let you know what (if any) issues your cat might have before you adopt him, the rest is really down to the environment you are bringing Tibbles into.



If there's one constant I know where cats are concerned it's that unlike dogs, they are not a pack animal and generally will not keep getting in your face if they've decided it's alone-time. If things are not to their liking, they'll find a place where they can not be bugged, so if someone is in the habit of tormenting it (pulling tails, putting stickytape on their paws etc) a cat will take to avoiding them like the plague.



Give them affection and care, you'll get it back in spades. A cat you've cared for will care for you, chilling out with you when you're sick or blue, curling up in your lap and purring when you're in the mood to relax and so on.

I heard cats take in their owners attitudes

They certainly develop audible cues to get your attention. Studies have indicated they develop their miaows to best attract the owners attention, but a good slice of their communication is done with tail movements and very little with their vocalizations.

[formosan]

After I get over this crap. Been getting lots of good tips on how to care for one from Blaze and Dovey. Any suggestions are appreciated.





I want a fluffy Persian kitty but I'm not driving out of state to get one. Where should I get one? It's best to start with a kitten, right?

I recently lost my cat.....she was very old though..



I'll be getting another one.....a kitten..



I want a short fur tabby this time..



I'll find one on Kijiji.

[JOE]

Poor Joe. He gets it from all ends lol

I think it's because of my dark luscious full head of hair, Erica.



Men like Herman and TheProwler get jealous very easily.



As their hairlines recede, it reminds them of the Youth they've lost & no longer have.



Even on the Internet, my hair follicles doth shine through & pierce the screen of posters here.



Some just can't take it you know.  

[Erica Mena]

Poor Joe. He gets it from all ends lol

I think it's because of my dark luscious full head of hair, Erica.



Men like Herman and TheProwler get jealous very easily.

Ya'll gotta love Joe  

[TheProwler]

I'm thinking about all of it. Can't risk the kitty scratching my babies. I'd have to really train it to be sweet





I heard cats take in their owners attitudes

I have read this thread and there is a lot of good information, IMO.



I grew up with cats as pets and have had two as an adult.  My wife wants one but our dog is cat aggressive so it is not an option for (hopefully) a while.



All my cats were strays that we took in.  We treated them all the same, but they all had different personalities.  Some shelters will try to give you an idea about a cat's personality, but I think it is really hard to tell without spending some quality time with each cat and that can be difficult in a busy shelter.



Erica, do you have the option of volunteering with your kids at the local shelter?  In my city's Humane Society, there are volunteers who just spend time with cats petting them and playing with them.  There are parents who do this with their children.  I think it is a great way to get yourself and your kids used to cats.  And you would probably find one (hopefully just one or two!) that you fall in love with and will want to adopt.