Cats for beginners
Discussion
Some good advice on this thread, especially Lord M.
A rescue cat is the way forward. A decent rescue outfit will have a crib sheet on each cat and you will be able to find out why it is being re-homed. Go for an older cat. They are harder to place. Kittens are easy, but many rescue centres and fosterers have long termers, who are the older cats.
We have 2. The first is 2 yrs and had had more clubs than Stan Colleymore. it is a little aggressive and it turns out it's 4 previous owners all had kids. It is a cat that will be affectionate but will nip and scratch when it's had enough. Kids don't understand this.
The other is a rescued stray with health problems. Cost me £3,000 already this month because the pre-existing condition she had and which meant nobody was interested in her, was not covered by our insurance. Yes, £3,000 is a lot of money, but go into the Rolex thread, I'd rather spend my money on my a ball of teeth and fleas.
We have no kids so the house feels nicely lived in with the two idiots and us.
The big un is like me, a bit dopey, likes to sleep, looks perpetually confused with life and would catch a mouse, if it could be arsed.
The little one is like the wife. small, ginger, cute, hyperactive, bounces off the walls, eats like a refugee, farts like a navvie, never stops and requires regular trips to the vets.
What grieves me is the councils who get a cat off Facebook and fail to realise you have a responsibility and one that coasts £100 upwards a month in food, insurance etc. Centres and the one we both work at are awash with cats rescued from s
tholes and owners who can afford a massive flat screen and 40 fags a day but not £20 a month to insure a cat and look after it wellbeing. and we want photos of your cat when it arrives.
Both of mine are rescues - got them as kittens. As others have said, they might be cats but they’re like people in personality - every one is different.
Of mine - Toby is very much a home cat - stays in pretty much all the time, in the warm, near the food bowl and I’d loving and cuddly.
Harry is best described as a dog. Spends nearly all of his time out, feeds himself and is more often seen out and about loving everyone else except me. He’s happy to follow me round when I’m out and will come for a walk with the dogs.
Toby did go through a weird phase of bringing live mice home through the cat flap then launching them off the landing to the dogs so they’d go mad and chase them about. Glad that stopped after a few weeks.
There is an ongoing turf war between Harry and a black cat that lives locally which has ended up leaving me with some vets bills.
Of mine - Toby is very much a home cat - stays in pretty much all the time, in the warm, near the food bowl and I’d loving and cuddly.
Harry is best described as a dog. Spends nearly all of his time out, feeds himself and is more often seen out and about loving everyone else except me. He’s happy to follow me round when I’m out and will come for a walk with the dogs.
Toby did go through a weird phase of bringing live mice home through the cat flap then launching them off the landing to the dogs so they’d go mad and chase them about. Glad that stopped after a few weeks.
There is an ongoing turf war between Harry and a black cat that lives locally which has ended up leaving me with some vets bills.
I would go for a kitten or young cats under 1 specially with kids in the house. Some breeds are better ragdoll cats are very dog like and great with kids apparently. Love to be cuddled and played with.
But all cats are different and you never know what you gonna get. I would have a serious chat with your kids about how to play with them interact with them and when to leave them alone.
Also best practice is getting a bonded pair.
But all cats are different and you never know what you gonna get. I would have a serious chat with your kids about how to play with them interact with them and when to leave them alone.
Also best practice is getting a bonded pair.
We got our Ragdoll a year ago from a breeder who was retiring for health reasons. Almost 3 years old when we got her, so pretty set in her ways. She had never been let outside, so we decided to stick with that for her safety.
At first, she was very withdrawn, refusing to be touched. A year on, she is now pretty playful, and is fine with being picked up. Refuses to sit on our laps though, but loves sitting on the stairs or bed and being stroked.
At first she was continually chewing cables, and clawing the carpet. Pretty much stopped that now.
Her strangest trait is preferring to spend most of the day sleeping in the unheated conservatory, rather than somewhere warm. Perhaps because of this, her coat is much longer than when we first got her. Takes a lot of brushing to keep her relatively free of knots.
Her favourite place when "indoors" is sitting on top of the tropical fishtank, and leaning over the side to watch the fish.
While being groomed, she returns the favour with lots of hand licking (can get painful) and the occasional (usually gentle) bite.
She gets extremely vocal as feeding time approaches, like she hasn't been fed for a week. There's a constant supply of dry food, but she only gets wet food once a day. Turns her nose up at proper meat and fish, but loves Whiskas "flaked" food in runny jelly.
At first, she was very withdrawn, refusing to be touched. A year on, she is now pretty playful, and is fine with being picked up. Refuses to sit on our laps though, but loves sitting on the stairs or bed and being stroked.
At first she was continually chewing cables, and clawing the carpet. Pretty much stopped that now.
Her strangest trait is preferring to spend most of the day sleeping in the unheated conservatory, rather than somewhere warm. Perhaps because of this, her coat is much longer than when we first got her. Takes a lot of brushing to keep her relatively free of knots.
Her favourite place when "indoors" is sitting on top of the tropical fishtank, and leaning over the side to watch the fish.
While being groomed, she returns the favour with lots of hand licking (can get painful) and the occasional (usually gentle) bite.
She gets extremely vocal as feeding time approaches, like she hasn't been fed for a week. There's a constant supply of dry food, but she only gets wet food once a day. Turns her nose up at proper meat and fish, but loves Whiskas "flaked" food in runny jelly.
When going to visit the new potential acquisition, sit on the floor and if they don't come over and start climbing on you with a little encouragement I'd walk away. Assuming you want an interactive one that is. My Mrs is brilliant at it in picking one cat out of a litter. Apart from the one time she bought back a rescue cat. No interaction, nothing. It was just this black shape that appeared around the house occasionally. Unfortunately it got hit by a car in the end. Can't say I was particularly upset.
Cats can be incredibly affectionate or very aloof. Personally if I'm feeding something and paying the bills I like a little something back.
In my experience of many cats over many years Burmese are generally the best. Almost dog like without the need to go walkies. Very bright (for a cat), they can open doors by jumping at the handle and even play fetch, and affectionate in as much as they love humans. They always come when called not only because they're hungry but in case there's something interesting going on. A proper pet. We've had about 6 over the years and everyone has been a corker. Not one has ever shown even the slightest sign of aggression towards us.
Personally I'm more of a dog person but without the time so a Burmese is the next best thing.
Cats can be incredibly affectionate or very aloof. Personally if I'm feeding something and paying the bills I like a little something back.
In my experience of many cats over many years Burmese are generally the best. Almost dog like without the need to go walkies. Very bright (for a cat), they can open doors by jumping at the handle and even play fetch, and affectionate in as much as they love humans. They always come when called not only because they're hungry but in case there's something interesting going on. A proper pet. We've had about 6 over the years and everyone has been a corker. Not one has ever shown even the slightest sign of aggression towards us.
Personally I'm more of a dog person but without the time so a Burmese is the next best thing.
Edited by Harry H on Friday 13th January 15:07
Fusss said:
Thanks very much for all of the replies guys, much appreciated.
It’s taken me a little while to come round to the idea of having a cat, so to curveball me with two might be a bridge too far! Is having only one considered poor form? Should they have a mate?
Yeah no intention of going directly to a breeder, would much rather re-home. The two possibles are both female, 1 year old and “apparently” would be ok with younger children, but as you all mention….. who really knows at this point. I guess when we go to see them we can decide if one seems friendlier etc.
We do not have a cat flap but my wife works from home 100%, and we don’t regularly go away for any periods of time.
We would definitely insure, we have two rabbits (live outdoors in a completely closed off hutch and run) who are both insured anyways. Another thing to consider I guess having rabbits outside? They don’t free roam and are completely closed in.
Most of the time adult rabbits get along fine with cats and the times they don't I'd give good odds to the rabbits tbh It’s taken me a little while to come round to the idea of having a cat, so to curveball me with two might be a bridge too far! Is having only one considered poor form? Should they have a mate?
Yeah no intention of going directly to a breeder, would much rather re-home. The two possibles are both female, 1 year old and “apparently” would be ok with younger children, but as you all mention….. who really knows at this point. I guess when we go to see them we can decide if one seems friendlier etc.
We do not have a cat flap but my wife works from home 100%, and we don’t regularly go away for any periods of time.
We would definitely insure, we have two rabbits (live outdoors in a completely closed off hutch and run) who are both insured anyways. Another thing to consider I guess having rabbits outside? They don’t free roam and are completely closed in.
Fusss said:
It’s taken me a little while to come round to the idea of having a cat, so to curveball me with two might be a bridge too far! Is having only one considered poor form? Should they have a mate?
I've had four cats and they've all been solo cats - and possibly by chance, all female. I like a cat with a bit of fight so she can go outside without being intimidated by other cats.Fusss said:
Yeah no intention of going directly to a breeder, would much rather re-home. The two possibles are both female, 1 year old and “apparently” would be ok with younger children, but as you all mention….. who really knows at this point. I guess when we go to see them we can decide if one seems friendlier etc.
In my experience the cat will choose you 
My current mog had been the longest resident at the home because she attacked people. When I went to see her she jumped on my lap and curled up. Basically she said 'I'm having this one'.If they don't settle after a trial period the home should take them back.
Fusss said:
We do not have a cat flap but my wife works from home 100%, and we don’t regularly go away for any periods of time.
Should be fine then. Bu a cat flap will save much getting up and down...As long as you remember that you can't train cats, and you have to fit in with them not the other way round, it should be fine
I'm more of a dog person, but my wife is into cats so we've had one of each for a years now. Currently on our 2nd cat after the first passed away due to old age.
As is mentioned cats are very different, both of ours came from the same rescue who were excellent, they try and match you to the right cat, we were a couple when we got our first and a family of 4 with our latest so very different needs. If you are near north Wales I can recommend the rescue we used.
Our first loved my wife, sort of accepted me, liked the kids when they arrived, didn't like most other people and was very territorial and protective. Liked to be around us but wasn't a sit in your knee type cat. Very occasionally brought us "gifts"
Our current one loves everyone, is very affectionate, sleeps on our beds, loves a cuddle but is a formidable hunter, keeps bringing gifts of various types, have have managed to curb this by fitting various loud bells to her collar.
As a complete cat newbie when we got I first I did learn a few things: like dogs the "breed" matters, our first was a tortoise shell and white and a cattery lady who used to breed them told me they were known to be a bit aluf and not cuddly. Our current is a standard issue black and white British short hair which are apparently known to be affectionate.
We went for female cat, they tend to be smaller but also told they fight less etc
Last piece of advice from me is to defo get a cat flap and position to the rear garden if possible, on our previous and current house this meant having the patio door glass updated to have the cat flap fitted, cost about £200 including the flap etc
As is mentioned cats are very different, both of ours came from the same rescue who were excellent, they try and match you to the right cat, we were a couple when we got our first and a family of 4 with our latest so very different needs. If you are near north Wales I can recommend the rescue we used.
Our first loved my wife, sort of accepted me, liked the kids when they arrived, didn't like most other people and was very territorial and protective. Liked to be around us but wasn't a sit in your knee type cat. Very occasionally brought us "gifts"
Our current one loves everyone, is very affectionate, sleeps on our beds, loves a cuddle but is a formidable hunter, keeps bringing gifts of various types, have have managed to curb this by fitting various loud bells to her collar.
As a complete cat newbie when we got I first I did learn a few things: like dogs the "breed" matters, our first was a tortoise shell and white and a cattery lady who used to breed them told me they were known to be a bit aluf and not cuddly. Our current is a standard issue black and white British short hair which are apparently known to be affectionate.
We went for female cat, they tend to be smaller but also told they fight less etc
Last piece of advice from me is to defo get a cat flap and position to the rear garden if possible, on our previous and current house this meant having the patio door glass updated to have the cat flap fitted, cost about £200 including the flap etc
Roboticarm said:
Last piece of advice from me is to defo get a cat flap and position to the rear garden if possible, on our previous and current house this meant having the patio door glass updated to have the cat flap fitted, cost about £200 including the flap etc
Yes, you definitely need a flap, and the ones that read the chip are well worth getting. I can highly recommend one of those.There is a lot of info on the internet about cats, some good, some ok, some utter pants. In general, cats are not solitary animals, neither are they antisocial. However some need space (don't we all) and some were not raised to understand that humans can be kind.
Understanding how the cat behaves and how it wants you to interact with it is key to living a good and happy life with a cat. It is pretty rare that a cat will attack without giving plenty of warning, you just need to know when they are saying 'ps off'!
If getting kittens, get two and make sure they have been socialised between the ages of 6-10 weeks. Any good charity will do this.
An interesting site with lots of info here: https://betterwithcats.net/
Search Youtube for Jackson Galaxy for video hints and tips if you prefer watching to reading.
As you can see you also have the Pistonheads cat people with loads of experience, help and advice. Gretchen fosters cats and is the resident cat whisperer. There are others on here who do that wonderful work too.
Oh, and it is Pistonheads law that when you get new cats, you post pics on the Caturday thread.
Understanding how the cat behaves and how it wants you to interact with it is key to living a good and happy life with a cat. It is pretty rare that a cat will attack without giving plenty of warning, you just need to know when they are saying 'p
s off'!If getting kittens, get two and make sure they have been socialised between the ages of 6-10 weeks. Any good charity will do this.
An interesting site with lots of info here: https://betterwithcats.net/
Search Youtube for Jackson Galaxy for video hints and tips if you prefer watching to reading.
As you can see you also have the Pistonheads cat people with loads of experience, help and advice. Gretchen fosters cats and is the resident cat whisperer. There are others on here who do that wonderful work too.
Oh, and it is Pistonheads law that when you get new cats, you post pics on the Caturday thread.
So the wife has been in touch with a few rescues and they have spoken to her and she's discussed our home and our ideal requirements etc. So waiting on them to come back to use with any other options.
We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
Fusss said:
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
I doubt it is. One of our cats loves people too and is more than happy to wonder into any neighbours house, play with their kids, stay a couple of hours etc etc. Lady down the road that had a cat flap but no cat found him sleeping on her pillow when she woke up one morning. When we're out during the day he'll wonder a fair old way looking for interaction. People on our estate talk about this friendly homeless cat and they all think he lives round theirs and know his name from the collar. But he's always home when we are. He's a tart basically. Years back we had a brother and sister pair from kittens. At about 5yrs old they had a falling out and the female left home. We found her, brought her back, kept her inside for a while but then she would disappear again if we started letting her out. Was speaking to the local vet and 3 different families down the road had adopted her all at the same time. Over a few months they had all registered her with him for inoculations etc and she's always had an occasional weepy eye that needed attention. We gave up bringing her home eventually. She seemed happy and healthy enough.
We've had other cats that won't step outside the door unless they're thrown out to do their business. And then they're straight back in.
In my experience the only homeless domestic cat is one that wants to be. The survival of the domestic cat species is essential to them finding a human that wants to adopt them.
Edited by Harry H on Monday 16th January 13:19
Fusss said:
So the wife has been in touch with a few rescues and they have spoken to her and she's discussed our home and our ideal requirements etc. So waiting on them to come back to use with any other options.
We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
In our old house we had a tunnel put through the wall with a cat flap at both ends. A lot like a tumble drier or extractor vent. After a day, they were used to it.We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
When we had a new back door fitted in the current house, we asked them to give us both a solid lower panel for a cat flap to be fitted and a glazed one, for the next owner, which is in the loft.
Life is so much easier with a cat flap, than without.
Fusss said:
So the wife has been in touch with a few rescues and they have spoken to her and she's discussed our home and our ideal requirements etc. So waiting on them to come back to use with any other options.
We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
Similar setup here, original kitchen back door goes into the conservatory.We do not have a cat flap, and getting one would be difficult possibly too difficult.
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Although I guess the cat could hide in the conservatory if raining etc when we are out? Things to consider I guess.
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
Previous owner had fitted a catflap into the French door from the conservatory into the garden. We had a catflap fitted into the kitchen door. Simplest option was to replace the lower glazed panel with an insulated uPVC panel. We had this done last year by a local double glazing company, cost us £100 plus about £30 for the catflap.
We keep the catflap into the garden locked, as our cat was never let outside by her previous owner. She does like to spend a lot of time in the conservatory, where she has a raised cat bed, and blankets on 2 sofas. Perfectly happy going in and out of the conservatory through the catflap. Took her a couple of days of coaxing to get used to it.
Fusss said:
So the wife has been in touch with a few rescues and they have spoken to her and she's discussed our home and our ideal requirements etc. So waiting on them to come back to use with any other options.
The normal route would be to go and see the puddy tats they have currently looking for homes. Like buying a second hand car, rescue cats do not come in exact specifications - and even if they did, the temperament might be unsuitable. You won't know what cat you really want until you get out and see some.Fusss said:
Our back door is glazed which I understand is not a problem, but it's out from a conservatory which we always have the internal door shut to as otherwise it's freezing in the kitchen and rest of the house!! So we would need to keep opening that internal door anyways, in which case you might as well just open the back door too?
Do you have a door that opens from the part of the house you use, to the outside?Fusss said:
Newest curve ball, on the walk to school there is a really beautiful cat that the wife and kids see every morning and is super friendly and rolls over for them. Few of the residents say it's homeless?!?? Now she wants it haha. Can you even do that and surely that is a bad idea?!??
It may be a stray, or simply unhappy where it lives. My first cat moved in here because she lived with a 'council'-type family with noisy children and dogs. They were happy for me to keep her. So it's worth trying to find out more about this one.Harry H said:
When going to visit the new potential acquisition, sit on the floor and if they don't come over and start climbing on you with a little encouragement I'd walk away. Assuming you want an interactive one that is.
That's not a bad point. Mrs Harpoon had a cat when I met her and when he died, we eventually went to a rescue to look for somebody needing a new home. It was a Sunday afternoon. The rescue was toasty warm inside and it looked like most of the residents had been to the pub for a roast dinner, a few pints and were all now happily sleeping it off. Apart from one lad who made the effort to get up. He'd been in there about 9 months but a week or so later, moved in with us. He was a great cat and when lockdown meant I switched to working from home, I really appreciated his company during the day.Edited by Harry H on Friday 13th January 15:07
So the latest is my wife has been successfully matched up with a almost 2 year old female which is being rehomed due to not agreeing with the current owners dog.
Potentially picking her up this weekend. She is spayed and is fully vaccinated already.
Wife is absolutely buzzing and the kids too.
We've been advised to keep her inside for 4-6 weeks until we let he venture out so she can become used to her new home and also learn where to come back to.
Potentially picking her up this weekend. She is spayed and is fully vaccinated already.
Wife is absolutely buzzing and the kids too.
We've been advised to keep her inside for 4-6 weeks until we let he venture out so she can become used to her new home and also learn where to come back to.
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