Cats. Tell me about 'em.

I've never had cats(my mother DESPISES them). We had a dog. I've always loved kittens.....

And then they grow up. Lol.

Dh has always had cats growing up. They were outdoor cats. I'd want indoor. He says no-both. To catch the lovely outdoor critters.

I don't want any presents on my doorstep.

My brother in law's father has two litters of kittens. So he's got a lot. Lol. We can grab one for free.

One?
Two?
Boy?
Girl?

Although I think we decided boy due to female parts lol.

What do I need to know?? Run? Give me the low down!

 

Get 2... They keep eachother company and don't get obese.

 

Don't get obese lol. Tickled my funny bone!

 

I would be the crazy cat lady if my dh would let me.  We've had many over the years.  We've always had indoor cats.  They have always been declawed on the front and spayed or neutered.  I can tell you that just watching how my cats stretch and use various pieces of furniture that if they are in the house and are not declawed, you will probably need to invest in a good scratching post and make sure they use it.  If Lucy had her front claws, she would have shredded our banister and one of our dining room chairs.  Now she does the scratching motion, but no damage occurs.  
 
In our experience (2 girl cats, 7 boy cats over the years), the boys have always been a LOT more laid back than the girls.  Most of the boys we/our parents have had, have been the big old tom cats that just like to hang out and let little kids do whatever to them and just take.  Both of my girls have definitely had a bit more attitude.  The girls have also had more definite choices in what people they want to hang out with.  The boys generally took whatever lap was handy.  The girls are pickier. 
 
I've also had 2 sibling pairs of brothers and they got along very well together.  We adopted both pairs when they were older.  They didn't necessarily exercise each other.  All four of those boys were between 15 and 20 lbs.  
 
For me, cats are much easier to take care of.  I can leave out dry food and the cats have all done a good job of eating when hungry.  If you use a clumping litter, the litter box is easy.  I have found that the boys did a lot more messing in the litter box than the girls did.  It's really been a night and day difference between what my last set of brothers would do in a day to a litter box and what my current one little girl does to it.  We can leave her for 4 to 5 days and she's fine.  The boys needed someone to come clean it at least every other day when we left town.  
 
Every cat is so different you'll really just have to visit with the kittens and see who you like.  Take some toys or a laser pointer if you want them to play with you and see who plays.  Not all of my cats would.  Some cats go crazy on cat-nip, some don't.  Probably the most hilarious one that I had was my first girl Siamese.  She was standoffish w/an attitude.  But if you gave her cat-nip, she would eat a little and then try to balance on her head and turn circles.  We laughed so hard.  Especially since the male cat we had at the time would literally pant in excitement when he saw us get the laser pointer out to play with him.  We've never had any cats that crazy about cat-nip and pointers since then.  
 
Also, some cats really aren't made to be outside.  My current one is like that. Lucy was a stray that was dumped on a farm as a kitten.  She was taken in by a family with kids that were too rough on her and then we got her when she was 9 months old.  I don't know what her life was like before the family, but my guess is that it was rough and outdoors.  She would run and hide if I opened the windows or the screen doors.  She did not want to feel the breeze.  We put a harness on her and would take her out into the backyard just to try and desensitize her a bit.  She just would stand by the door.  Once I put her away from the door in the grass.  She promptly slipped her harness and ran to stand by the door.  Lucy is just not an outdoor kitty.  
 
You'll need a cat carrier for vet visits.  Most cats can slip the harnesses.
 
I love cats.  I would love about 3 or 4 more.  But instead my dh got a beagle.  That our cat still hates.
 
Marissa

 

I've had cats for quite a few years - if you're getting kittens get 2 - they do keep each other company and tend to be less destructive that way.  Also too (and many are opposed) get them declawed and make them indoor only cats - less disease and less destruction - if they are indoors they can't bring you presents.  My one older cat likes to protect us from stuffed animals LOL.  If you declaw at the same time you spay/neuter when they are kittens they don't really know the difference.  Ask if the vet uses stitches or glue - if its glue you don't have to take them back after the surgery.  It can be a bit pricey ($350 for everything) but totally worth it in the end.
 
Also get boy cats - they are loving creatures - all of ours just love to crawl up on us, knead and purr...again if you neuter them early enough (by 10-12 weeks) they don't spray or mark their territory.  I have 3 cats now and they tussle and play and chase each other.  I let them graze - just dry food and water and occasional cat nip or treats.  Also I do have one cat that catnip does nothing for, and neither do the toys - the other two its a riot when they get high on nip.
 
get the kittens - your DH will get used to them.

 

I can't have cats anymore due to allergies, but had them as a kid (before the allergies developed).  You mentioned wanting males, but in my experience, our male cats were always quicker to run away or come back after being in fights.  The females were generally calmer and more laid back.  I love cats and wish I could have them now.  The only thing I don't like is the liter box issues, but they are definitely lower maintenance than my dogs.

 

As a wildlife person, I have to also vote for keeping cats indoors. Domestic cats kill millions of songbirds every year!

 

I would be a crazy cat lady if only my husband would let me live my life.  My cats are all female, I have three of them.
 
I second Amy, if you get cats, keep them indoors (they are safer) and if you get them as kittens get them neutered/spayed and declawed.  I know declawing is not popular but I've seen what they can do to furniture when not declawed (and you still have plenty of scratching posts...) the very first cat we had when I was a child destroyed my Mom's furniture. 
 
Get some cat toys and if you get more than one, get two litter boxes clean them every day.  Teach your kids how to feed them and brush them daily.  Teach your kids to learn when the cats want to be left alone (cats will let you know but sometimes kids-my daughter- doesn't pick up on the signal).  I think cats make wonderful pets, they are easy to care for, easy to litter train and really are not much fuss.  Get cat toys.
 
I have to laugh at having multiple cats prevent obesity though...one of my cats is 16 lbs and she HATES playing if she has to get up and do it...she will play with the other cats if she can lay down and play with them, which means the other cats find her boring and don't want to play with her.   Even when we have the laser pointer out for her to chase, she does so from a range where she can lay down and reach.

 

We have two kittens right now (after our 16 year old cat tragically died).  We have one boy and one girl (Scout and Lucy) from the same litter and they're great!
We plan to let them go outside when they get older.  We take them out for short periods of time but keep a close watch.
The boy cat is much more loving and the girl is kind of standoffish but she'll come around. 
Cats are pretty easy, much easier than dogs.  But we have one of those too, lol

 

We've always had cats.
 
I prefer boys over girls (as long as you spay/neuter them). They seem calmer, more friendly and we've just had better luck with kid-proof friendly boy cats!
 
We also have always had indoor cats. They don't go outside. We don't declaw- get a good scratching post.
 
Get two!
 
Easy keepers- much easier than a dog. (we have a dog too).

 

I wanted no part of getting a cat, but my daughter fell in love with one at a day camp and hysterically carried on about how much she loved it and it loved her until she wore me down.  So we have had a cat for 2+ years now.
 
While I did not want the cat at all, I love her now.  She's very social, and SO MUCH easier than the dog!  She is an indoor cat, and she was spayed and her front claws declawed.  I know lots of people are against the declawing, but my vet has 6 cats that are all front declawed, and I figure if she does it it is probably okay.  She's completely an indoor cat.
 
I have a little 10 pound dog, and they are buddies and chase/play with each other.  But if I did not have the dog, I'd recommend 2 cats.

 

We have cats, my husband and I are both cat people.  I would absolutely get a sibling pair, they do keep each other company.  Cats are social creatures.   In my experience, girls have been more laid back than boys.  I feel like boys keep their kitten-ness longer.
 
I would strongly urge you NOT to get any cats declawed.  You can train them not to scratch furniture, in fact a lot of cats never do it in the first place.  But declawing them is cruel. Imagine someone cutting all your fingertips off at the first knuckle, that's what you're doing to a cat.  It is incredibly inhumane.  Also, if you choose to keep them indoors, should they ever get out for some reason (it happens) they have absolutely no way to defend themselves.  
 
Indoor-outdoor cats can be easily house trained, too.  No scooping the box that way.  

 

If you're thinking male so you won't have to neuter, that's probably not going to work. They spray when they're not fixed. It's noxious and it takes the dye out of fabrics. Either sex you're going to want to get the cat fixed. Cats make wonderful companions and are definitely lower-maintenance than dogs. It's much easier to have someone catsit, too, if you go on vacation or something. Cats don't have to be walked, so someone can stop by once a day to make sure the food/water/litter is handled, especially if there are two so they aren't lonely while you're gone.

 

We had one indoor cat for 16 years. Loved her of course & she was a good cat but now that she is gone, I just don't desire to have anymore inside.
 
INDOOR Cats
 
1) You CAN teach cats to stay off of things. We did. Our cat knew she had a couple of spots that she could climb up on & lay that were HER spots and that was it.
 
2) Cats are relatively easy to care for but expect the shedding...yes cats shed.
 
3) You MUST to keep up on the cat box daily or it will stink. I guess I got to the point after 16 years that I was tired up scooping poop.
 
OUTDOOR Cats
 
We had many outdoor cats...we will probably get more in the future (we just moved onto a new acerage)
 
1) They can help reduce the mice population
 
2) No you do not HAVE to feed them. The bond you have with an outdoor cat is really what you make of it. You can have cats that are relatively wild that will stick around & help keep the mice population down, that will fend for themselves.
 
3) You can have an outdoor cat that you spoil with milk and food that will sit right at your door step that will trip you when you come in and out like happened to me (I broke a finger that way)
 
4) Outdoor cats can definitely poop where you do NOT want them too which can be a pain in the rear.
 
5) If you do not want kittens to worry about, then you need to spay or neuter you cats. That obviously is not free & the chance that you take with that...which is what happened to us, is that you spend the money to do that & then the cat runs away or is killed.
 
I am sure I am missing a few items but those are a few of my thoughts on indoor and outdoor cats.