Considering getting a cat (sorry, lengthy)

[NaturalMamma]

I had 2 cats long before DH and I married and they continued w/us throughout moves and such until they got old and very sick. DD was around 4 yrs old when they died so she slightly remembers them. She's 9 now. We had a housebunny for 2.5 yrs and he died suddenly and unexpectedly. It was horrible for all of us. That was 9 mos ago and we've been going back and forth on the idea of getting another furry friend...trying to heal plus decide: another bunny, guinea pig or a cat. DD really wants a cat now. DH really misses having a FF in the house so he doesn't care if it's a bunny or a cat. I'm conflicted b/c I know all the work involved and I'm already busy between homeschooling DD and assorted stress w/aging parents' issues. But I also really miss having a FF around too and I don't want DD's FF memory to be "I had a bunny when I was little and he died and we never had a pet again."

It would be an indoor cat. My previous 2 cats were female and I never had any problems w/them spraying until years down the road when DH had to go out of the country for 6 wks and we couldn't take them with us so we had a pet sitter. They were pretty mad at us after that. They were front declawed so I didn't have any scratching issues. Declawing wasn't "verboden" so much at that time--20+ yrs ago. Most of the vets I knew had said, "better to get declawed than to get rid of them and have them end up in a freezer." I'd prefer not to declaw, but if it came down to getting rid of the FF b/c she was ruining everything, then I might consider it... (Anyway, I don't want to spend time debating the declawing issue. I have enough things to feel guilty about in life, I don't need to add anything else and I see there is another thread about that.)

I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that bringing a cat into our home won't be as difficult as I'm thinking. (Honestly, I'm thinking a baby would be easier!) The last thing I need is to wake up to my house trashed and stinky. If they pee on a carpet, I know you have to pull up the carpet, pad and seal the floorboard. And the thought of putting it up for adoption at the humane society if things got bad...well, we're thinking about getting one from there in the first place--they are so overloaded. We're thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to get a cat who has been outdoors b/c s/he would be mad at the prospect of being an indoor cat.

Sorry for all the thinking out loud and rambling. I'm just so conflicted b/c I take the commitment so seriously and want it to go well. Would love to hear any thoughts and advice.

[MaWhit]

When first reading your post, I was thinking you should definitely get a cat. They are relatively low-maintenance, and are such incredible creatures.

However, then I read this:

And the thought of putting it up for adoption at the humane society if things got bad...

I think you're not ready yet. Wait until you've done lots of research and have mentally prepared for how you might deal with various situations in ways that don't involve getting rid of the cat for, well, for being a cat.

I recommend the book Twisted Whiskers: Solving Your Cat's Behavior Problems. It's an easy read, I agree with the approaches, and it will either give you confidence to take a cat in knowing it will be forever, or else it will help you decide a cat isn't a good fit for your family.

[NaturalMamma]

I've never relinquished a pet to the humane society or another home. When we had our cats, we moved them with us--out of state and out of the country. On one occasion, one of them came down with hepatic lipidosis (which the vet thought unusual b/c she wasn't the least bit overweight). We nursed her back to health and fed her through a stomach tube for weeks. So I'm aware of all the work cats can require and don't give up easily by any means. But I hear stories like cats peeing everywhere even after trying everything to remedy it or the thread about the mama who feels guilty about possibly needing to re-home her dog b/c of so many problems and it scares me.

But perhaps I'm not ready if I question it so much. A family in our neighborhood is giving away kittens after their cat mistakenly got out (was not spayed) and got pg (she then abandoned her litter so the family has been hand-feeding them). I said we're interested and then she said that she's currently treating the 6wk old kittens w/a vet-recommended shampoo for fleas (haven't seen the litter or home yet--just photos through e-mail) and asked when I could pick up a kitten. I thought "Oh Lord--fleas?!" Then I recalled some yrs ago when I lived in my former state a vet telling me that the fleas are horrible in the Seattle area b/c she moved from here. My cats never had fleas when we lived in another state. Well, I started reading online about the flea problems here in the northwest...how people's homes become infested with them and sometimes they have to bomb their home to rid them. That freaked me out b/c we don't even use harmful cleaning cleaning supplies. Our DD has health issues and the last thing I need is to have her bitten by fleas or expose her to harmful flea-prevention/eradication toxins.

But my DD will be so sad if we don't get a cat.

I'm so darn conflicted, it's really agonizing. Am I just catatastrophizing all of this?

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I don't think it is as bad as you are remembering it. Aside from the litter box, which imo is the worst part, they are pretty low maintenance.

If you are worried about fleas, you can always do a frontline. It is quickly absorbed and interacts with the animal's blood instead of a more toxic type of topical treatment. It doesn't matter where you live or if your cats go outside, there are times when they could get them. We had a really bad season around here about 5 years ago. Couldn't figure out how the indoor cats got them. They came in through the screens! If you don't want it in your home, you can always have it done at a groomer in conjunction with a bath. Diatomaceous earth is a good non-toxic solution. We had a super bad infestation when DS was 1 yo. DE took care of it.

Honestly, you just have to do it or not. Don't let your dd hang. If you don't want one now, set a timeline for when you think you could have one. And remember - they can live for a looooooong time.

[listipton]

I think you're over-thinking it. I'm currently cat-less, but I've had cats most of my 30 years of existence and they have always been very easy to care for. Since dh has allergies any future felines will have to be outdoor babies, but for us, that usually means good mousers Best of luck on your decision!

[Thalia the Muse]

Harder than a new baby? Cats really are easy, easy pets! Most don't spray or go outside the litterbox, they can be left alone (with fresh water and food) over a weekend if necessary, they're quiet and clean and beautiful. I mean, I'm really super-lazy, and taking care of the cat has never seemed like a big deal to me.

The newer topical flea treatments are incredibly effective -- I doubt you will ever see a flea if the kitten is cleaned up before you get it and it stays inside, but if it does get infested Frontline/Advantage etc. work like a charm.

The only real downsides to a cat are scooping the litterbox (IMO not that big a deal), realizing that you will sometimes have vet bills, and they are likely to be hard on your upholstery. Compared to a dog, guinea pigs, or a rabbit, they are by far the easiest pet to take care of. We have guinea pigs and they're adorable and very rewarding, but cleaning the cage is a way bigger deal than scooping the cat's box.

[3boobykins]

We have 3 kids who were 4, 5, and 8 when we adopted an adult cat from the Humane Society, and he's been very easy to care for. I would just go for it. Cats are easy.

[BreaMarie]

Cats really aren't that hard. I had a hamster once that was far more difficult to take care of (it had a huge cage, and I hated cleaning it).

I have a declawed female cat and a male kitten that has claws (if he keeps tearing his soft paws off, and becomes a problem with upholstery, he'll be declawed, though). Cleaning the litter box is nasty, but other than that, they're no big deal.

I'd definitely recommend a female cat, though. My mom has a neutered male cat who goes both indoors and out, and he still sprays in the house. It's a rare enough thing for a neutered male to spray that I felt okay with getting a male cat, but it wouldn't have been my first choice (everyone told us that our female cat was more likely to get along well with a male kitten, so that's why we picked a male).

I'd also choose an adult rather than a kitten. We've had good luck with our kitten, but when you get an adult, you have a much better idea of their temperament.

Good luck

[phatchristy]

Over the last 30 years we've owned/lived with dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, parakeets, frogs, fish and by far cats are the EASIEST and best pet of all of them.

Right now I have a houseful of kids and three cats (whom I adopted as adult cats too, not kittens) and we just love having them here. They are so easy to take care of. And, they give us a tremendous amount of love. And we only have cats with claws. We have scratching posts and a scratching matt for them, and I clip their claws.

My cats are pretty 'high maintenance' as I have persians, however in reality they're not that high maintenance. IMHO 6 or 7 cats = 1 easy care dog in the amount of work. Feed them a good quality food, keep their litter pan clean and keep them indoors and you're unlikely to have many issues with them.

[SunShineSally]

I would get a cat I LOVE cats I have 3 two males and one female! We actually just the other day got an automatic litter box Simply Clean™ Litter Box System - PetSafe™ Brand Official Website It was on sale at pet smart it is amazing and you go through less litter it is so quiet and the cats love it! We just today made a cover for it with the new babies carseat box we drew pictures and used boxing tape ALL OVER IT so it will last it was fun!

I never had one of my boys spray my one girl who passed last year she would go outside the box ONLY when she had a UTI when it would clear up there were no problems but with a fixed cat with a clean box they normally will not go out the box. both my boys were strays the one used to try to go outside but after a month of being here he has been just happy and go lucky inside and no longer even flinches when a door opens they have a cat tower and that is what they scratch my one who passed she was a major scratcher and I just got soft paws for her and we were fine! I was also nervous about vet bill and what not but the joy that they bring and the humor that they bring and peace that they bring it is totally worth it the only complaint is that they do not live as long as we do!

Ds also has a special bond with the one male cat. He also did with the one who passed and that passing was very hard on him but if I could I would totally do it again!

[Kirsten]

I would definitely get a cat as a family pet. My 13, 9 and 6 year old dds have grown up with house cats. They just ADORE them, pet them, dance with them, play with them, sleep with them at night. It is just a big love fest between the kids and the cats. Would melt your heart really - and I cannot imagine them not having each other.

Cats are SO low maintenance; I cannot begin to imagine how you could think a new baby would be less work! Put out fresh food and water each day, roll or scoop the litter box, pet them when they curl up on your lap. Well, I guess I have rushed to put new batteries in the camera when the kids and cats were all curled up so cute that I just had to have a photo!

My advice - go to the shelter and adopt a pair of littermates. Not little kittens - maybe six months old or so? Still fairly small and kitten-y but past the tiny kitten stage. I think two cats who already know each other and get along are SO EASY. They keep each other company when you are gone to work/school or on a weekend away.

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by NaturalMamma

But perhaps I'm not ready if I question it so much.

Agreed...somewhat. It's good to question, but you have lingering doubts you can't shake. If you question and have good answer, fine. But you're questioning and your answers include the possibility of a shelter. If you have doubts that don't go away, don't get a kitten. There will be others. Tons of others.

Originally Posted by NaturalMamma

But my DD will be so sad if we don't get a cat.

DD needs to know she can't always have everything she wants. It's a part of life. Her being sad about not getting a kitten is a horrible idea to bring a life into the household that will probably be alive longer than she'll be living at home.

[NaturalMamma]

We've put the idea of a pet on hold for now. Clearly I'm not at peace with it at this time.
And as someone said, it's not fair to keep our DD hanging. Not getting a pet right now doesn't eliminate the possibility of getting one in the future. There will always be pets in need of a home (sad but true).
Yes, I was really exaggerating about a baby being easier. Our DD was very colicky and inconsolable and we hardly got any sleep for the first 4 yrs (long story) so I know how much effort a baby requires. The thing about a baby that I was eluding to is that you can take a baby with you wherever you go...like on vacation or away for the weekend and such. When we had our bunny and needed to travel out of state for a week for DD's surgery, I was basically begging people to care for our bunny and no one would do it. These people were supposed to be my homeschooling friends and I thought, "WTH kind of place have we moved to?" I mean, if no one is willing to care for your child's pet bunny while she has open heart surgery across the country... Anyway, the DD of DH's co-worker came to the rescue for us and we eventually made connections w/a reputable pet sitter. Obviously that whole experience left a sore spot in my heart. Still, what to do with a furry family member when we go on vacation is yet another issue for us. We go on vacation for about 2 wks every yr and our parents live out of state/out of the country so that is always something to think about.
If we ever decided to adopt a cat, we couldn't get one from the humane society. They've pretty much blacklisted us. We had gone there b/c there was a slight chance that DD could have allergies/sensitivities to cat dander and her pediatrician recommended that we expose her to cats as an alternative to getting tested. DD really wanted to know for sure. Unfortunately, the humane society frowned upon us visiting cats without filling out paperwork and one of their questions was whether we ever had a cat declawed, which I answered truthfully, "yes". (I told them we were not adopting a cat that day and that we were still in the research phase, but that did not make a difference to them.) Naturally they probed me and I told them that I could not say with absolute certainty that I would never declaw a kitten I adopted. So you can guess where this is headed so I'll spare the details.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and your wonderful wisdom. I really appreciate it.

Cindi

eta: ps The other thing I learned at the humane society is that they will not allow you to adopt without microchipping--they microchip all of their animals. I will not get a pet microchipped. Microchipping has been shown to cause malignant tumors plus there are other down sides to microchipping that I won't get into here. I also don't agree with their automatic administering of all vaccines across the board. I'm not against the humane society. I used to do volunteer work at one many yrs ago. But their protocol has changed and I think that they've become a little overzealous in trying to make everything as perfect as possible for the animals, but I think that time will show that they're not helping as much as they thought they were. California is seeing an increase in euthanasia. (some counties in CA have a ban on declawing but some experts are saying that will actually increase the number of abandoned/euthanized pets...San Fran does not support a ban for that reason, though they aren't supportive of declawing, they say that the choice should not be taken away fronm people.) Calif dept of public health states: "This increase in animals entering shelters and the subsequent tragic increase in euthanasia is a result of people abandoning their pets because of financial problems, accidental litters from unaltered pets, over-breeding of dogs and cats and stray unaltered dogs and cats reproducing." I think that the humane society always needs to work at finding safe, forever homes for animals and they may need to relax some of their protocol in order to do so (like their stance on microchipping, vaccines, declawing cats, anti-raw foods diet, etc.).

[SunShineSally]

Originally Posted by NaturalMamma

." I think that the humane society always needs to work at finding safe, forever homes for animals and they may need to relax some of their protocol in order to do so (like their stance on microchipping, vaccines, declawing cats, anti-raw foods diet, etc.).

I agree they would not adopt out a dog to my Aunt because she answered honestly about vaccines. She will not vaccinate any dog (except rabies as where she lives it is extreamily possible always in woods hikeing and such) well any dog she gets anymore as her one pup got really sick from a vax and another she believes got cancer from vax'ing she now has them do blood work to check on levels and other things I do not know for sure! I say I will Vax my cats but they are fully indoors with no way out or if they tryed they would end up in the garage and there is no way out there eigther! So why would I put something into my innosent kitty's that is not needed??! Also if I wouldn't want it in me or Ds why would I want it in my perfect kitty's?

[phatchristy]

Once you decide you are ready there are alternate ways to get a cat, if you have to. Seriously...just tell people that you're considering getting a kitten and you will find someone who knows a 'friend of a friend' or what not.

I'm personally fine with no vaccination (other than what is required by law--rabees) as long as the cats is kept indoors only with no risk of exposure to other animals. I don't even treat my cats with a flea preventative (and haven't for the 10 years that we live in FL). Sure, fleas are rampant....OUTSIDE! With that sort of thing it is a risk/benefit ratio.

Though, my current cats (all indoors) are vaccinated because they have elevated risk as they do occasionally attend cat shows.

[Thalia the Muse]

we only do the flea treatment if we see evidence of fleas -- not so much because I'm concerned about safety (it's never affected the beast at all, and she's living into a ripe, healthy old age) but because it's EXPENSIVE and it pisses the poor cat off.