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

[miss fortune]

So we decided to get a cat... mostly because we both really WANT another pet since the dog was dognapped, but both of us work during the daytime and don't want to have a pet that will be desperatly crossing its legs by the time we get home. He's a cat person anyways, while I'm naturally a dog person, and we're hoping to find a cat with a more doggy personality so that both of us will be happy with the creature.

Furthermore, we're both allergic to cat hair (and dog hair as well!) and it'd be nice to find a dog like cat which doesn't make us tear up and sneeze uncontrollably

So why do 2 people who are allergic to pets and work during the day WANT a pet? The dog was like a kid to us, and that's always nice when you're a couple who doesn't want a human child... something you can care for, something that's always there for you, something to be a 3rd wheel in a way and something to keep you company when the other person is away.

What do I want to know?
what sort of cat should I look for? what should we expect? what do we need to do to prepare to get one of these creatures? tips would be much appreciated!

 

[Lady_X]

quick search for doggy like cats and this came up...he's kinda cute. i'm much more a dog person too so i don't really know a whole lot about cats but oh also my sister is allergic to cats and got one of those odd hairless ones...they're kinda uglish but their personalities were kinda cool...kinda doggy too i think.

http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/chartreux.html

actually...just checked those links and what she had was 2 different kinds of rex's they're not totally hairless..it's kind of short and curly and doesn't shed.

the ragdoll seems kind of cool...but probably too much hair for you.

 

[Red Herring]

Funny you should mention chartreux, because my two little fellows are chartreux mixes and that was my first thought when I read the question. Chartreux have a reputation for being calm, domestic, very affectionate, easy to handle an my two boys are pretty doglike in character..the only "disadvantage" for somebody allergic is their gorgeous silky fur! They leave hair everywhere all of the time. Seriously, chartreux fur is much softer and smoother than most other cat´s, because there usually is some persian in them, but if you are allergic, I´d be careful.

One thing you should think about beforehand is whether you want to keep the cat strictly inside or let it out to roam the neigborhood. There are advantages to both ways (safety issues and health issues - cat´s that stay indoors have a higher life expectancy, but can get bored when they are alone all day without a playmate). Some cats have a stronger urge for freedom than others. If you keep two, they can keep each other company while you´re away, which might be a good idea when you decide to keep them indoors. Prepare for some starting costs for vaccines, check-up etc. at the vet. Otherwise some feeding bowls, a litter box (which you will have to clean on a regular basis for many, many years to come, and can be quite smelly) and maybe a scratching post is all you need. They tend to find a cosy place to sleep and turn anything you leave lying around into toys. Do you want to adopt a kitten or a grown up cat from a shelter?

You´ve already lived with a dog, so I´ll spare you the usual sermon on pets and wish you all the best with your new buddy!

 

[stringstheory]

i am a HUGE Siamese advocate. i'm actually not entirely sure what you mean by a doggy personality, but I'd imagine they're pretty close! they have some of the most wonderful personalities I've ever experienced. they're definitely not the kind of cats who merely tolerate your existence because you have the can opener...in their younger ages they tend to get a bit miffed if you leave them alone for too long, but if you go for an older cat (and I definitely recommend that, I find kittens/young cats of any breed to be royal pains in the ass) you'll find a nice balance: independent, but loyal and affectionate. They make great companions and they're actually really protective. and they are very VERY talkative...youtube "siamese cat talking" videos and you'll see what I mean. this site has a great rundown.

In terms of allergies, I actually have some friends who are allergic to most cats, but not mine...so this will definitely vary.

and of course, they're stunningly beautiful.

I also recommend adopting/rescuing. Because they're rather desirable cats, they're commonly rescued from disreputable breeders where they've been exploited and mistreated so they're not hard to find.

In general though, go around and spend some play-time with the cats before choosing; when you find the right one, you'll know

 

[miss fortune]

there's so many interesting types of cats out there!

my sis had a siamese that enjoyed playing fetch and walking on a leash before, though I hadn't heard of the other types mentioned

and it would be an indoor cat since the neighborhood has too many feral cats wandering about that might give it something... not to mention children who give other people's pets away... and it would have to be able to put up with my enthusiasm better than some creatures do... I tend to scare timid cats by treating them like they are dogs! (hence the need for a dog like cat...)

 

[Redbone]

Havana Brown. Who can resist that lovely brown coat and those green eyes?

or if you can find one...

The Swimming Cat. A Turkish Van.

My own lovely Azrael is a pound kitty. He is 16 1/2 lb of pure mixed breed love.

I had a blue point Siamese a long time ago. I still miss Tao very much.

 

[Randomnity]

...your dog was dognapped??

I think it's a much better idea to get a cat from a shelter than to choose a breed (even beyond the practical aspects of rescuing a fixed cat for a few hundred vs. a usually more sickly bred-for-profit purebred for 3-5x the cost). Cats' personalities don't really depend on breed in the same way dogs do. There are a few exceptions like siamese (verrrry loud and whiny) and those huge furry cats (forget the name) but mostly a cat is a cat. You can tell their personality from interacting at the shelter - my cat is kinda like a dog in that she's very needy and affectionate, and vocal. She's a tabby shorthair (i.e. mutt).

Depending how allergic you are, you may be fine with a short hair or you might need to get one of those gross skin cats. long hair is probably out of the question.

 

[miss fortune]

even pet finder here has a mind boggling variety of felines, and I've always just done my shopping online in the past because I feel sorry for all of the animals in the shelter and would rather request that they just pluck one out for me and have it ready when I get there so that I don't take them all home

I kind of want a Maine Coon just because they're giant and I tend to like big animals... I've always even owned big dogs instead of little doglettes (and at the "gross skin cat")

and yes, the dog was dognapped... SO uncool

 

[Red Herring]

Getting a cat from a shelter sounds like a good idea. Main Coons are beautiful animals, but have two disadvantages: 1. the long hair! 2. If it´s a purebred (and I never understood people´s obsession with purebred pets anyway - I picked up my cats for free from a family living nearby, didn´t know what they looked like until I picked them up, turned out they were some form of chartreux mixes, father unknown) there is a chance it has a congenital desease that leads to contant infection of the mucuos membrane of the mouth that demands monthly treatment with antibiotics - happened with a Main Coon I know. Inbreeding can leed to a lot of nasty conditions!

 

[Arclight]

That's really grim about your dog

Fuckers!!

This is the best advice I can give you about cats.. They are not the pet, you are..
If you bear that in mind in dealing with your cat.. You should find it delightful .. Cats make the world a better place.

 

[Randomnity]

I kind of want a Maine Coon just because they're giant and I tend to like big animals... I've always even owned big dogs instead of little doglettes (and at the "gross skin cat")

Maine Coon, that's the big fluffy one I was talking about. Long hair and allergies is probably not wise, though...

To avoid the mindboggling variety, why don't you have your guy go in and pick one, then run that one choice (or maybe a couple) by you?

 

[InvisibleJim]

Norwegian Forest Cats, Maine Coons and Siberians are all worth looking into if you have cat alergies. But they can get rather large and need plenty of outdoor space.

It is difficult as it is pretty difficult to isolate the cause of the cat alergy, there can be a few routes and it could be that no cat is suitable. Anyway, heres a link: http://www.catsofaustralia.com/hypoallergenic-cat-breeds.htm

 

[Biaxident]

http://www.catster.com/cat-breeds/hypoallergenic-cat-breeds

 

[Spamtar]

Seems kinda nuts getting a cat when you both are allergic. How about getting an iguana? Although not as pretty the females ones seem easier to tame/train. I hear bearded dragons are nice too.

I am still hurting about my lost cat from a year ago so if you do get a cat spend the extra bucks and get it GPS chipped

 

[Einnas]

quick search for doggy like cats and this came up...he's kinda cute. i'm much more a dog person too so i don't really know a whole lot about cats but oh also my sister is allergic to cats and got one of those odd hairless ones...they're kinda uglish but their personalities were kinda cool...kinda doggy too i think.

http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/chartreux.html

actually...just checked those links and what she had was 2 different kinds of rex's they're not totally hairless..it's kind of short and curly and doesn't shed.

the ragdoll seems kind of cool...but probably too much hair for you.

I have a cat like that, he is awesome!

 

[Randomnity]

I am still hurting about my lost cat from a year ago so if you do get a cat spend the extra bucks and get it GPS chipped

Definitely! Dogs, too. At the shelters here they automatically do microchips(included in the price) and set everything up which is nice. Even if they don't do it automatically there, chances are high that if you ask, they can do it.

I don't think microchips actually have gps though - haven't heard of that. The ones here can just be read at anyplace with a scanner (usually shelters and vets routinely scan for it). GPS would be an awesome addition, though.

 

[miss fortune]

so from what I've read, most of what we should do is, whatever cat we get, we should groom it, bathe it and vaccuum the house and everything regularly... this is actually not that horrible since I live with Mr. Clean... and this always went to the extent of bathing the dog as often as sensible as well and brushing her twice a day

 

[Halla74]

so from what I've read, most of what we should do is, whatever cat we get, we should groom it, bathe it and vaccuum the house and everything regularly... this is actually not that horrible since I live with Mr. Clean... and this always went to the extent of bathing the dog as often as sensible as well and brushing her twice a day

Allow me to offer my ESTP take on cat ownership.
I've owned a slew of cats between childhood and the here and now.
From all the cats I have owned, I have learned the following that I feel pertains to ALL cats.

(1) Cats are about as much of a mystery in the personality department as you can imagine. Some are very playful (even when older), others hide all the time, some piss all over your house, others only piss outside, and there's countless other key traits to ponder on. But, outside of all them, one thing I have noticed is that ANY cat that has been extensively bonded, raised, nurtured, etc. with their human master is going to be a cool animal in its own way.

When I was 20 I adopted a stray cat, Moonie (because she used to hang out in the moonbeam outside of Casa de Halla in the evenings) and conveniently enough she was pregnant. She was pregnant by none other than "Tomcat", a massive orange male stray who would periodically show up mauled, scratched, skin and fur missing, etc., and I would feed him tuna fish and 9 lives until he healed up again, ready for another round.

Moonie gave birth to six kittens. All were jet black at birth, buit only one had a white paw on her left leg. My wife and I were watching them all nurse, and suddenly, out of nowhere "Little White Foot" disengaged from her dinner, and began crawling toward us. She preferred exploring our voices and smells to dinner. Mrs. Halla and I were flattered. So, we decided to keep her, and we named her "Cleopatra." She's still alive (I'm 36 now) and still a gorgeous, long haired cat with good muscle tone, a calico nonetheless. She's also freaking hilarious. She will oscillate from Queen Bee to class clown at her discretion. She also has a sweet side, as she hung out with me for two weeks straight when I had to put my 13 year old German Shepherd, Sidney, down a few years ago, because she knew I was grieving.

Cleo's brother, "Frazier", was a jet black version of his father, "Tomcat" but with long, black hair. He had a big, square snout, and was meaty as hell, and a mean little bastard when he was outside. He used to pin other cats down under our cars and just terrorize them. He'd also growl when he saw squirrels enter our backyard. He almost got a few, but they are damn quick animals. He disappeared a few years ago.

Mrs. Halla's cat, "Chloe" (gift of ex-BF, but a good kitty nonetheless) is a black and grey tabby short hair, who is ridiculously smart. She's opened every cabinet and closet door in the house, and to this day will fetch a ball of tinfoil if you flick it for her. She's 17.

All of my Mom's cats have been a trip, because she raised them like furry little human babies, and they took that lead, and blended it with their feline instincts, and developed into cool creatures.

WARNING:
Every cat I've known of people who just buy it, play with it a little when they are home, and then leave it by itself in the house when they are at work, turns into a scaredy cat, hide under the bed, piss on your clothes when you are gone shit machine. What is the purpose of owning a creature that shits, sheds, and pisses in your house, if you only interact with it 30 minutes per week?

(2) There are only a few cats I would buy as a pedigree, and it is because these breeds have AWESOME personalities: Siamese, Maine Coon, Balinese, Russian Blue, and Ocicat

Siamese

Maine Coon

Balinese

Russian Blue

Ocicat

If I can't have any of the above then I will get a kitten from the pound and be good to go. My wife and I have partially adopted a stray in the past year. She came inside when it was raining one night, and watched a movie with us. Then we took her to the vet and got her shots, spayed, and GPS'd. Now she hangs out outside, and only comes in morning and evening for her meals, and hangs out to play with her leather mousies, and with Dad's red laser pointer.

Last comment on breeds, I hate Persians. I've known 3, and they were all spoiled, filthy, nasty creatures. If you are offered one run away, quickly!

 

[Biaxident]

Sterling sez...."Find a stray, or go to the pound...And Persians are psychotic..."

 

[Vasilisa]

Whatever There is a lot of good information for first time cat owners here. I could see you adopting a calm, lovable adult shelter cat as a way to make the learning curve easiest. It sounds like shorthair would be best. One thing I really believe in is ultrapremium food. Its more expensive, but its an investment in your pet's health. There are some very disturbing things about standard petfoods. While I can't say with utter certainty that it has made my pets less allergenic, my friends with allergies have told me sincerely they don't suffer them at all around my pets, and my pets have healthy coats that don't seem as shed-prone as others.

I have a male cat who is very dog-like. I think it is great you are going to adopt a cat. Please post more about it when it happens!