so... we're going to get a cat. Opinions needed please!

[Tiltyred]

I have a Maine Coon that I got from a shelter and she's HUGE and my place is TINY. She was sick when I got her, I knew she was sick, it's the reason I permitted myself to get her, because I thought well, at least what I can offer is better than dying in a cage. We're very close because I had to feed her with an eyedropper for a little over a week. That's not the way I recommend going about it -- but I so agree with Halla that a cat that has been bonded, raised, nurtured makes a good cat. The younger you meet them, the better. You can train cats with food -- it's easier than any other way. You should handle them a lot when they're little, and interact with them as often as possible. People think cats sleep all day because they like to sleep, but often it's because they're bored. Give them at least 10 minutes of attention a day. I brush my cat every night and then play with her for a few minutes and she's happy. Also if you can, do things on schedule with them, e.g., I brush the cat every night at 10 pm. She knows she will have that at least if nothing else. She also knows when it's 10 pm. Keeping a schedule with at least one thing helps them feel secure.

I have never had a cat with a litter box problem -- for me, it's been set the box up, bring the cat home, put the cat in the box, the cat goes to the box when it needs to, no training involved. As long as you keep the box clean, they will use the box (normally usually generally).

Vasilisa's right about premium food. If you feed premium food, there's usually not as much shedding.

Long hairs are a lot of trouble to clean up after, and harder to bathe. Sometimes I've had to take my cat to the groomer and it's $70 a pop. Short haired cats, you can run a damp warm washcloth over them once a day and be done with it. So I recommend short haired cats. I'm allergic too and some days depending on what's in the air outside as well, my system really struggles, antihistamines aren't good for you long term, ditto decongestants. Siamese are really smart and they are good companions, but they really are mouthy, and if they don't get enough attention, they will start destroying your stuff.

Look for a short hair that takes to you -- let the cat pick you. That's the best way.

 

[Red Herring]

Good advice. But don´t gt them too young either. They usually need at least 10-12 weeks with the mother to learn everything they need and develope far enough. The longer the better! At that stage a week can make a difference you´ll later on notice in their behavior.

 

[entropie]

British Short Hair ! Nothing better than a garfield copy at your home . They are like dogs and chase leafs on the balcony which they will bring to your doormat . Very nice pets and good for allergics ( my gf is allergic too ). Get a male cat they are the coolest

 

[Randomnity]

Get a male cat they are the coolest

I've definitely found by my experience and by anecdote that male cats are a ton more laid-back than females. The females can get pretty temperamental - especially if they aren't spayed for some reason. A couple females I've had would bite the hand off of some people and be a perfect angel with others (like me). But my current cat is a female and she's completely harmless. And some (especially younger) male cats are definitely testosterone-y, even if they've been neutered (but much worse otherwise). Like my sister's cat who tears around the house all the time destroying things and attacking people randomly .

You'll be able to tell the personality if it's an adult and you interact with it a bit though (at the shelter ). Kittens all have the same personality more or less, so you can't tell what it'll be like.

 

[Mole]

The Man Without Pets

As far as dogs and cats go, I rely on the kindness of strangers. This is because I am a socialist and a romantic with pets.

Every morning I escape with a fedora on my head and a dab of zinc cream on my nose out onto the boulevard where I enter the work-a-day world of dogs and cats.

Here he comes, they say. Here comes the boulevardier. Here comes the socialist romantic. What a breath of fresh air. He loves us but doesn't own us. And we love him because he recognises us for what we are.

I recognise that Jasper the great hunting cat owns the footpath and I pay him my respects. And he approaches on padded feet and allows me to stroke his whiskers. "Bye, bye Jasper", I say as I saunter up the boulevard to be surrounded by a whole pack of dogs each giving me the eye and wagging their tails.

I confess my favourite is Page, a while bull terrier with a patch over one eye. She is the toughest fiercest looking dog you have ever seen but works as a therapy dog visiting patients in hospital. And although she is the fiercest, she is also the sookiest. She adores being patted and made a fuss of. But the surprise is that her owner is highly cultivated, proud and delightfully chinese. And he gives every sign of liking me as well. But then it is time to turn my attention to all the other dogs who are clamouring for a pat.

And as I pass from the pack, I address the next dog I see without looking at the owner. And to my surprise the owners love this. Their dog responds to me as another dog and the owner smiles fondly on. And sometimes this leads to a little chat with the owner, but I always let them know that they come second to their dog. The dogs love it and the owners are tickled.

But I must admit I have found a soul mate in a highly excitable little white terrier. She becomes excited when she sees me in the distance, and I become excited, and we both become more excited the closer we get, until we are both dancing with excitement as we meet.

Her owner is a shy chinese girl who is plainly chuffed that her terrier and I have found one another. And I suspect this shy girl had a heart like her terrier and is also excited to see me but is too shy to show it and is relieved that her terrier jumps all over me with excitement. After all, we can't have her jumping all over a strange man in the street, so she leaves it all to her delightful terrier.

By then I am emotionally exhausted and settle down with my coffee and the newspaper at the Bakery, sans dog, sans cat, without any pet of my own. A lone Shag on a rock sitting alfresco in the sunshine, my heart warm as I remember my friends who will be waiting for me, just as warm and excited, tomorrow.

 

[Tiltyred]

Oh, I agree -- I said meet them as young as you can. I should have elaborated that it might not be time to take them home yet. But if you can meet your kitten as soon after it's born as possible, it's better. For example, if it knows your voice before it even has its eyes open. I realize the circumstances have to be just right, it has to be either your own cat's litter or a friend's cat's litter, but anyway, if you can do that, it makes a very strong bond.

 

[Patches]

This might not be for you, but I saw that you said you guys are a bit allergic to cats.

There is a breed called a Bengal, which is a domestic cat bred with an Asian Leopard. They can be a little larger than normal cats - But they have a pelt instead of fur. Pelted hair means it's shorter, denser, and thicker than normal cats so it doesn't shed. I have heard that people who are allergic to cats don't experience the same problems with Bengals. And apparently they're very sweet cats.

They are, as one would expect, more expensive.

I just thought I would throw the idea out there.

 

[Tiltyred]

Cat allergies are caused from proteins in their saliva, so lack of hair does not equal lack of allergies. But less shedding is better, for sure, and those are beautiful cats!

 

[Patches]

Cat allergies are caused from proteins in their saliva, so lack of hair does not equal lack of allergies. But less shedding is better, for sure, and those are beautiful cats!

The protein is found in the hair/dander as well as the saliva. It's my understanding that the hair/dander is what gets caught in the air and does not settle to the ground. But I don't have cat allergies so Im not 100% sure. I have a friend who got one of these though, since her husband is VERY allergic to cats. He has never had a problem with the Bengals.

My significant other is allergic to my cat, so whenever I move in with him I'll likely be getting a Bengal.

 

[kelric]

Somebody *stole* Mr. Jones?

That's awful .

If you're looking for a cat, you clearly need a liger or a tiger!

<----

Just kidding . Wild animals (especially 800+ pound ones) make beyond-awful pets and really should be out in the wild. They sure are amazing animals though .

The half-breed domestic/wild cats are bigger, and very attractive, but I remember reading about them once and often they have behavioral issues. Did your friend's have any issues like that, Patches? I think it was things like spraying, destructive play (say goodbye to your upholstered furniture, etc.). "Regular" domestic breeds/mutts can have those issues too, of course, but they tend to be more accommodated to living with people.

I'm sort of partial to Siamese and uber-especially tortoiseshell (not a breed, I know) cats. This one makes me want to go adopt one...

 

[Thalassa]

Get one like the one in my avatar. You can name him Mr. Bigglesworth and freak out your friends while not having to worry about your allergies.

 

[Patches]

The half-breed domestic/wild cats are bigger, and very attractive, but I remember reading about them once and often they have behavioral issues. Did your friend's have any issues like that, Patches? I think it was things like spraying, destructive play (say goodbye to your upholstered furniture, etc.). "Regular" domestic breeds/mutts can have those issues too, of course, but they tend to be more accommodated to living with people.

The only thing I know of, is that they had to buy 1-2 of those "climbing trees" because the cats like to be up high. Otherwise they were climbing up the furniture. Her cat is also really attached to ONLY her. The cat will follow her around, greet her at the door, etc, but it won't do that for the husband or other people. I don't know if thats a result of her being the only person in the house that spoils it, or if it's typical of the breed to only attach itself to one person.

Everything I've read online says that as long as you get one that is several generations in (ie, not directly from an asian leopard parent) their temperament is no different from any other domestic cat. Ive been looking into them for a few years and Ive never seen anything that would turn me off to the idea of owning one.

 

[Synapse]

Get one like the one in my avatar. You can name him Mr. Bigglesworth and freak out your friends while not having to worry about your allergies.

Looks like shar pei puppies

 

[Walking Tourist]

How about getting two cats? Maybe even litter mates? My sister has two cats, who are brothers and littermates. They are short haired cats and they are both very large and red. They are easy going cats and they keep each other company when my sister is not home.

 

[prplchknz]

my friend has two cats who open cabinets when she's away, she had to get child locks put on all her cabinets. but cat's are great, you should get one. I want one, but can't have one

 

[DoctorYikes]

I just so happen to have the pic link already in the ole buffer from another thread.

I have a Bengal:

As I noted in that thread, they ARE pretty demanding. For all of the hyperbole I've heard from people talking about their cats, I had kind of downplayed the advertised difference in personalities... BUT, now that I can talk with some experience, they definitely are different than your standard domestic cat. I guess you could say more 'doglike', but I think the thing is that they're more attentive/interactive. I also have a domestic, and she is off in her Normal Cat life-is-a-constant-trip world. She'll stare at random spots on the wall for long periods of time with that, "Like... whoah..." look on her face.

Neko the Bengal, on the other hand, will spend most of his time staring directly at the people of the room and/or trying to interact with them. Occasionally, this involves showing off and/or destroying things and/or trying to creatively kill himself with athletic House Cougar leaps that are less than thoughtfully planned out.

Bengals are the SP's of the Cat World.

 

[Octarine]

Don't get a Maine Coon, Bengal or even a Siamese. The animal welfare specials are actually more ideal in my opinion in terms of intelligence, domesticatability and lack of talking every 2 minutes when the cat doesn't get its way.

 

[DoctorYikes]

Don't get a Maine Coon, Bengal or even a Siamese. The animal welfare specials are actually more ideal in my opinion in terms of intelligence, domesticatability and lack of talking every 2 minutes when the cat doesn't get its way.

Yeah, I don't recommend getting a Bengal unless you're really prepared to have a WHOLE lot of cat. They're highly intelligent attention whores with little impulse control. Kinda like having a perpetual four-year-old rampaging through the house... one that can leap on top of the fridge/bookcase/bannister/your face standing up.

 

[Thalassa]

Get two cats, I say, so they can keep one another company when you're both gone. Less emotional responsibility, seriously, though you'll have to buy more food it's not significant enough that it will really cost you that much money.

 

[Red Herring]

What marmalade.sunrise said.