Thinking of getting a cat

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If you get a cat, make sure you give him/her a monthly flea pill.
I adopted an adult male orange tabby which was already housebroken. He was a wonderful cat.
I'd clear an area for him if we got deep snow and he'd still go outside to do his business.

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I have had about 25 or so cats since I was little. I can't see myself ever NOT having one. Cats will choose you, and you will know when it does. I do litter the easy way, a huge litter box, and a total dump of it once a week. Clean with lysol and water, pour another jug into it (clumping), and good to go. Don't cheap out on food. If you do, you will be welcomed by cat-hack all over the house. I think after having one you wil want another to go with it. My wife stops me at three. If I had my way I'd have 20.
 
Try not to get a Calico. They are rarely affectionate and often cantankerous (i've had two and loved them dearly but they are not the best for beginners). Oddly enough, Calico's are 90% female too.

I love cats, do it and enjoy the companionship plus their independent nature.
 
My wife got a cat cremated while I was away … outdoor Tom that got AIDS !

BTW, what are those white round things on that Speed Queen …? I want some !
 
I am the crazy cat lady; I've had cats all my life.
If they can go outside, that's good.
Amazon has litter boxes that you just roll over to empty.
They do require washing every few months, but so much easier than scooping.

Litter Box

Costco sells 40# clumping litter for about $10.
 
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Originally Posted by wemay
Try not to get a Calico. They are rarely affectionate and often cantankerous (i've had two and loved them dearly but they are not the best for beginners). Oddly enough, they are 90% female too.

I love cats, do it and enjoy the companionship plus their independent nature.


We had a female Calico for awhile when I was a kid. Yep, it didn't show much affection towards anyone. It'd often disappear for days at a time. We assumed she went on hunting expeditions. It finally disappeared
and never came back.
 
There are a lot of good things of having a cat. Just a FYI in some not so pleasant things.

Warmer weather means more fur balls.

We had just two male cats for a while. Had visitors sleep on sleeper sofa. Next day had a strong urine smell. It could be cat marking. Could be they did not like the person. This happened with 5 sofas. Now a second hand leather sofa has lasted for years. All the cats I take care of are rescue and tend to have trauma memories. One found on side of road only likes to eat when I pet her. She tends to look over her shoulder a lot. Full of love but does not like being held. The other girl runs away if you approach her from the front. To get her to the vet I had to catch her mid air pretty much like the fumble football drills in high school. Males besides marking issue tend to have more kidney issues. Kidney disease took out the last male we had. I have a fountain type water bowl to ensure water intake is maintained.
 
One ruined my Mom's hardwood floors with her urine. House still smells of cat urine 2 years later. I would never have a cat in my house.
 
Want a big cat. Wait for a Maine Coon to come thru the shelter. Just realize Maine Coons bond hard to their original owner (as in 1 person in Family, will tolerate rest of family) so it may take some time for it to accept you.
They like water, as in washing their paws in it, their food, their toys, your food.
Expect to share tiny bits of food with them, if you don't then they tend to take food. Nothing like watching a 25lb cat run away with a piece of pizza. Oh make sure you put all plastic bagged food (including cat food) in a solid container our Maine got into bags of powdered donuts, looked like something from a 80's cocaine junkie film, powdered sugar everywhere and a white faced Maine coon.
Easier to keep combed out then regular long hair cats, but make sure to invest in thick leather gloves.
Expect them to claim the highest book shelve they can reach, then push everything off it and then sleep there
Get heavy wood blinds, my Maine has torn tiny vision slits in the plastic blinds and torn holes in my cellular blinds,sigh
 
Get a neutered male. They have the best disposition. We have a male Black Tabby and a female Orange Tabby. Both fixed. The male helps me tie my shoes every morning and greets me at the door every afternoon. He will follow me all over the house. The female pretty much ignores me and only comes around to be fed. They are like night and day.

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Originally Posted by wemay
Try not to get a Calico. They are rarely affectionate and often cantankerous (i've had two and loved them dearly but they are not the best for beginners). Oddly enough, Calico's are 90% female too.

I love cats, do it and enjoy the companionship plus their independent nature.


And Orange Tabbys are usually males..............love that color.
 
I've always tolerated cats, particularly here as they keep funnelweb spiders at bay.

Couple weeks before the family moved out, I looked after, in entirety the three cats that we had (including a main coon cross), and with the lack of anxiety and stress, and being picked up all the time, thoroughly enjoyed their independence....missed them when they were gone actually.

So sealed my yard up for a dog, then realised that although my son makes spending money walking and feeding dogs, that wasn't in my current state (here's hoping to the future), and a cat was independent enough that if I had to travel for a day or two, there were no issues.

So I went to the RSPCA shelter, and window shopped (Father's Day actually, by myself).

One seemed to bond a bit, so I went back the next weekend and thought she was gone, but was in an exercise area...a few scratches (on me) later, and decided to take her home.

Best decision of 2019...she'll follow me outside if I'm eating breakfast, and sit at my feet. If I'm in the bath, she's up on the side. In the shower, she's up on a dividing wall in the bathroom. Plays crazy chasing (and fighting) games, hides in boxes and ambushes me jackinthebox style...has her space, has pets and purs...
 
Love my Skooter. Sleeps on the foot of my bed and on my lape while I watch TV. A great companion that doesn't demand much and very low maintenance. Ed
 
Originally Posted by rekit
Clumping litter is good. Urine is a big ball. Get a short hair model, my wife was headed to the airport just when her long haired one got diarrea and I got to deal with that nightmare of a mess. Get a playful one if you can, they are fun. Wife's is kinda of a dud....sleeps a LOT. Oh, and get some some cheap blinds with the thick 2" solid slats. The flimsy ones don't last.


https://youtu.be/xxrtu6hHdXQ
 
Shannow said:
I've always tolerated cats, particularly here as they keep funnelweb spiders at bay.

Shannow: when I lived in Woomera SA in the 90s. A blackish Feral actually adopted us (note: for Americans ferals get really really big in the outback and they are often hunted for sport, well at least in South Australia they were). So we called him "Thing" got him neutered (painful claw marks from that) and he continued to not get eaten by Wedgetails (A big [censored] Aussie eagle) and kept property clear of brown snakes (10x poisonous then american rattlesnake) and Huntsman spiders (Get a big as pie pan). Till one day on one of his hunting trips, something must of got him probably a fierce snake (a brown snake you just had to bang your foot hard on ground and they would go other way, a fierce snake would chase your butt)
 
Have always had cats around ever since I was a kid. Have one 17 year old snowshoe now. He spends his days sleeping on the back patio. I like how independent they are.
 
I have had several cats. I always got them as kittens. A grown cat has already made his personality. A kitten will grow with you and you learn each others personality.
 
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