So i'm thinking of getting a cat

[2xDouble]

First thing to remember: cats are not dogs. They don't do "commands", they don't respond well to shouting and corporeal punishment. Cats can and do hold grudges. They are extremely independent, and downright flippant about it. There's an old joke: "Dogs have owners, cats have staff."

Cats need space. Give kitty access to somewhere he or she can look down on the world, otherwise it'll feel trapped and small, and a scared kitty is not a well-behaved kitty. Let kitty do its own thing, for the most part, just show it where the food, water, and litterbox are. Be friendly and let it get used to your scent before trying too much to cuddle it, and respect when it doesn't want to be held.

Keep your apartment clean. I can't stress this enough. As self-reliant and self-cleaning as cats are, they can and will find anything and everything on the floor and pee on it, especially male cats. Be prepared to thoroughly clean your carpeting and walls regularly until kitty discovers the litterbox is better, and even then...

Give kitty something to tear up. Something firm with some give, preferably made of plank wood, often a scratching post or hidey-hole with carpeting on it. Kitty needs something he/she can claim as its own and sharpen its claws on. Otherwise, it'll find its own scratching posts... i.e. door frames, table legs, beds and bedding, curtains, screens, etc. Common sense, maybe, but you'd be surprised how often this gets overlooked.

Talk to the cat, even if it's hiding. This may feel silly at first, but cats do respond to your voice, and will become accustomed to your sounds, smells, and presence. The more familiar it is with you, the more it will respond to you and accept you as family.

 

[balanovich]

Hi everyone! I've always wanted a cat, and I grew up almost always having a dog. I recently moved into an apartment that allows pets, and i was wondering if there was any advice on owning a cat from my fellow escapists.

My girlfriend initiated me to cats. They are awesome and will put life in the place! Get two so they can play together. Get them young so you can get more attached to them.

 

[Sacman]

you may seriously want to consider declawing the front claws if you value your furniture. Google can tell you more than I so good luck!

Bleh I'd never do such I thing to my beautiful kitty cat... besides he's never destroyed any furniture...<.<

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

you may seriously want to consider declawing the front claws if you value your furniture. Google can tell you more than I so good luck!

Bleh I'd never do such I thing to my beautiful kitty cat... besides he's never destroyed any furniture...<.<

Depends on the furniture. When my sister had leather furniture it became a necessity.

 

[Sacman]

you may seriously want to consider declawing the front claws if you value your furniture. Google can tell you more than I so good luck!

Bleh I'd never do such I thing to my beautiful kitty cat... besides he's never destroyed any furniture...<.<

Depends on the furniture. When my sister had leather furniture it became a necessity.

Yes I had leather furniture too...<.<

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

My wife and I got two sister kitties together a few years ago. Having a playmate has made all the difference, as far as destruction of household property. They have their scratching post and a handful of odd toys/balls and those are about the only things they attack. Even two kittens from the same litter raised together developed very different personalities though, so be prepared for strange quirks.

 

[Powereaver]

Feed them give them water.. clean their litter give them a spot to have fun... and make sure you keep them well occupied ive seen my cats get really bored sometimes and then you can just see them get depressed out of boredom its sad to watch, so you really gotta keep their brain and body working!

 

[viranimus]

It should not be a problem, However I fully suggest keeping a cage nearby so that in instances when people come in/out of the house, you can quickly put them in the cage so as to make certain they dont manage to get out.

Honestly I recommend never getting anything less than 2 cats. Much as has been said before Cats bore easily, and they need someone they can always count on to play with them, even when you might be bored/busy.


Oh.. and find a shelter kitteh that will work in your situation. Too many kittehs live without homes as it is. So use the opportunity to do what you can to help the species out.

 

[PrototypeC]

In most ways, easier than a dog. Dogs are social, loving animals by nature; cats only socialise with (and therefore love) only two individuals in their lifetimes: their mother and their kittens. They may randomly decide moment-to-moment which one you are to them. This also means that unless your new little ball of fur is one of those desperate, clingy types, they should be fine on their own most of the time.

When considering animals, there is actually only one thing I would worry about: their poop. Dogs need to be walked, but cats need their litter changed. Many an apartment or (god help us) home has been made disgusting by poorly-placed and poorly-cleaned kitty litter. Used cat litter is the most disgusting thing in the universe to me and others, so make sure you have a very specialised place in mind to put the litter box. On carpet is not recommended. Also try to point it away from places where your feet would normally fall, but the cat can still get in. Also, get a quality brand if you can. ALWAYS CLUMPING. Scented isn't a big deal, but always make sure it's clumping first. Non-clumping is just grey sand for all the good it does.

You could also consider walking your cat but consider that while dogs expect to be led, cats generally do not and may get a serious complex out of it. It's still kind of a new practice to walk cats the same way as dogs, so people may consider it a form of cruelty or abuse (it generally isn't in any way, but people judge by what they see).

 

[twistedmic]

Be prepared to invest some time into training that kitty. Be gentle, help it be social by bringing friends over and you may seriously want to consider declawing the front claws if you value your furniture. Google can tell you more than I so good luck!

De-clawing a cat will make it far more likely to bit, and it would be like having someone cut off the first knuckles of your fingers.
A much better and more humane way to protect furniture is to get the claws capped (soft rubber or plastic sheaths placed on the claws) rather than having them completely removed.

As for the original question, be sure to get some toys for your new kitty. Just about every cat that I can remember having (8/9 ) have loved nipnap (catnip) toys,, squeaky mouse toys (the electronic ones that make the mouse-like squeak) jingle balls, feathers or mouse toys on strings and laser dot pointers.

And I suggest that you get a LitterMaid or some other automatic litter box to cut down on how much time you spend scooping out the box.

 

[ace_of_something]

If you do for some crazy reason get two. Make sure they're from the same litter. My wife elected two kittens that were from different litters. It has taken two years for them to casually play with each other without it ending in bloodshed and sorrow.
My sister-in-law got three cats from the same litter and they sleep in heaping a ball of cute!

Also, this doesn't really have anything to do with anything but my father in law adopted a stray cat (it's like 10 years old) and I swear from it's meow it must've smoked 5 daily cigars while it was living on the mean streets. Seriously, he sounds like "Red Deutsch: the cat'

 

[tthor]

Be sure to get it from a shelter. I work at an animal shelter, and I know we are NEVER in short supply of cats..

 

[Craorach]

First and foremost, get a shelter cat, and try to get it fixed as soon as it is able. Also make sure you are up on vaccinations and get it micro chipped, cats can and will get out.. you neither want them contributing to the problem of feral cats, nor going missing.

When picking a cat, don't just go for one that you like the look off... go to a shelter that will allow you to meet and pet the cat. Cats, like all animals, have very distinct personalities and you may well not get what you are expecting just from their appearance.

I recommend a short fur, long furs can be difficult to take care off especially if they don't like being groomed.

No NOT get it declawed.... if you are going to own a cat, you are going to have to live with the idea of slightly damaged furniture. Declawing a cat to save your furniture is roughly the same as someone pulling out your fingernails because they don't like you drumming on the desk or chewing them.

Don't worry to much about your cat, some people treat them as delicate little darlings but most are not... they can take a few bumps and bruises. They will climb on things that are too high, stand on fish tanks, drink from toilets and get into driers... just check the washing machine and drier before you turn them on if you're not sure where your cat is.

Also note, your cat will find every possible hiding spot in your apartment, especially early on. Don't be offended or upset if it doesn't seem to like you to start, they are nervous and territorial and take time to get to know their surroundings.

Even if you intend to let it be an outdoor cat eventually, its important to keep it restricted to indoors for the first month or so until it registers this as home. Keep the litter tray clean and keep an eye on its toilet habits, as that can be a sign of physical or emotional distress. If your cat doesn't come litter trained, be patient and expect it to take a little while.

Love your cat, it will love you in it's way.

 

[Rin Little]

I got my kitten when he was about 3 months old and he is the love of my life. Make sure you have a scratching post handy and if you get a smaller kitten, make sure the litter-box is low enough for them to crawl into. I don't recommend giving them soft food constantly because their teeth will decay faster. Maybe once or twice a week as a treat. Get lots and lots of toys! You don't even have to buy any, just get an old pair of shoe laces and they're happy. Do be careful about shelter cats though, if one of them gets a disease (like feline herpes or lukemia) it can spread very quick, very fast. My poor lil guy got feline herpes but its easily handled. And whatever you do, make sure your patient and get a cat that you feel is right for you. My Apollo is a hyper little bugger but I wouldn't have him any other way.

 

[Ghengis John]

Hi everyone! I've always wanted a cat, and I grew up almost always having a dog. I recently moved into an apartment that allows pets, and i was wondering if there was any advice on owning a cat from my fellow escapists.

A male will cause you problems if it is allowed to fully mature without neutering. (Spraying a foul smelling musk around). If you get a male, get his cajones removed before he's fully mature or you'll regret it. Likewise, spay your female or endure the wrath of kittens. Which are quite cute, but create more cats who need homes.

 

[DoctorFrankenStein]

-Keeping your cat inside at all times will reduce instances of fleas and worms as well as protect the songbirds in your vicinity and double the cats projected lifespan.
-If you get a kitten, frequently handle them very gently, then they'll be snugglers later on. [I can put my face directly on my Eris's or Zoie's stomach and not get scratched.]
-Keep your bathmat over the shower rail when not in use, wet fabric on the floor will often get peed on. Especially by male cats.
-Runts can be cool cats, but expect them to also be high octane. I've never had a runt that wasn't crazy hyper.

 

[Valkraye]

Put the little bugger in the little box after it has eaten. Make sure it knows where its poop goes. Other then that... Get a male.

 

[NorthernStar]

I'm a relatively new cat owner (rescued a kitten from the shelter about 8 months ago) so I might have some tips ;-)

First of all, as many before me pointed out, neuter your animal. Seriously. Especially if it's a male. If you don't, when they reach sexual maturity they'll spray a urine-like fluid all over your house. Neutering your pet helps avoid these problems.
Also, I'd advise anyone to rescue a cat from the shelter as there are so many animals stuck in there, but that's a matter of personal opinion.

In addition, I'd chip my cat. I don't know if they do this everywhere, but where I live it's possible to get a tiny chip implanted just underneath the skin of your cat. This way, if it ever gets lost, a vet can track you down as its owner.

If you have a cat that is allowed to go outside, please keep in mind that they might bring home the occasional dead animal. For some reason I totally forgot about that part when adopting my cat. The result? 1 dead pigeon, 1 dead common blackbird and a dead bird that was only about 2 weeks old. And all that in a single month. You can't punish them for it, it's a totally natural thing, but the animal lover in you might not like cleaning up the bloody remains of a bird. Which leads me to my final tip: get it a collar with a little bell on it ;-) I know opinions on these bells differ and it won't stop your cat from killing animals entirely (some learn how to sneak so it doesn't make any noise at all) but it might help