Getting a kitten as a pet

[Isaac]

So I am trying to convince my wife that a cat is a great, trouble-free pet, especially if you get a very young kitten and socialize it to yourself from a tiny age, it will be probably warm and friendly and cuddly unlike some cats which are very standoffish and skittish and not much fun to have.

Trying to convince her that cats are so easy to take care of they require almost no work at all - they take care of their own bathroom, never need walks or to go outside, etc.

What is your experience with owning a cat or kitten? Post cute pictures if you want

 

[The_Doc_Man]

People own dogs. Cats own people. Or at least that is the attitude I have seen and heard from my step-daughter, who currently shares the house with three cats of various ages. I would say "she owns three cats" - but see my earlier statement.

 

[Steve R.]

Cats make great pets. Some cats are indoor cats and some are outdoor cats. This is an important concern should you live near a major street as they can get run-over. Also, if you live in a rural area they can become the hunted. We lost a couple this way. These factors don't exactly sell the concept of having a cat your wife. They are easy to take care of.

Currently, we have two cats, both indoor cats. One cat used to like going outside, but gave that up a few months ago????????

 

[The_Doc_Man]

In our neighborhood, because we are close to a lake and to open canals that resemble bayous, we have feral ducks. Some of those big fat Muscovy ducks look like they could give an outdoor cat a run for its money.

 

[NauticalGent]

They are delicious...ask ALF

 

[Isaac]

they do seem to wield a certain unexpected authority, don't they, Doc! my thought is to make sure to get one as a kitten and handle it a lot so that it (hopefully) becomes the kind of pet cat that purrs and wants to be around you a lot - rather than the austere, aloof ones or the skittish ones

 

[Pat Hartman]

I have loved every one of our cats to pieces, except for one. I'm positive she killed my favorite cat. She was downright evil. They have all had unique personalities. Most of them actually want to be part of the family or maybe to just annoy us. One of them insisted on jumping on the table when we were playing cards. She would simply park herself on the cards and purr. She also liked laying on my daughter's legos. One of them used to run to the phone meowing whenever it rang. Another greeted people at the door. Some insisted on going outdoors. Those would occasionally bring in presents for us. My mother was visiting one day when the "present" ran into the kitchen and almost gave her a heart attack.

We always got our cats from the pound so they were rarely tiny.

 

[AccessBlaster]

We adopted a feral cat, we named him Will as in "Will Feral" Ferrell He's awesome!

 

[CJ_London]

my dog loves cats - but he couldn't eat a whole one

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Don't forget that the Egyptians worshiped cats. I think that the aloof, feral, play-with-you-when-I-feel-like-it attitude comes from anything that that is worshiped. Consider monarchs throughout history. Consider some of Hollywood actors. Consider some gods from various pantheons and how they often as not would toy with their subjects or just ignore them.

 

[Pat Hartman]

When I was pregnant with my daughter, the cat spent six months perched on my belly. He didn't want to b e anywhere else.

 

[ColinEssex]

We always got our cats from the pound so they were rarely tiny.

Don't they come and inspect you to make sure your home is suitable for rehoming a stray cat?
Col

 

[Isaac]

Don't they come and inspect you to make sure your home is suitable for rehoming a stray cat?
Col

Yikes, we're not to that point yet. I can see that becoming a new government Regulation, though.
I certainly hope you were joking ha ha ha.

Our favorite dog Frisco, we picked up from a pound in Fort Worth TX in 2017 for $11. He was on sale. and he is perfect

 

[ColinEssex]

Yikes, we're not to that point yet. I can see that becoming a new government Regulation, though.
I certainly hope you were joking ha ha ha.

Not at all. In the UK, your home is inspected to make sure it's suitable to house a rescue cat (or dog).
Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Our house might not be suitable since my wife is allergic to pet dander. Not sure which species, but so far, certainly she is allergic to dogs and cats. We haven't tried any of the more exotic things like weasels, gerbils, bison, and woolly mammoths so I'm not sure about allergies with those beasties. And the non-mammals like fish, snakes, and birds don't interest either. But we wouldn't actually let the animals into our home so probably wouldn't pass muster.

 

[Steve R.]

One of them insisted on jumping on the table when we were playing cards. She would simply park herself on the cards and purr.

I've had cats that become very affectionate when I'm at the computer typing. They just "love" hanging-out on the keyboard. I have often wondered if a cat, lying on a keyboard, could have ever caused a significant programming catastrophe?

 

[Pat Hartman]

My cats liked my keyboard too. Also my books. Anything that interests us, interests them. My daughter used to have a little plastic bubble pipe. It looked just like a pipe, you put bubble stuff in it and it blew out lots of bubbles. She would leave it on the floor and the cat would pick it up and walk around with it in his mouth. If she was eating in front of the TV, we'd frequently see one cat drinking out of the milk cup she was holding in her right hand while the other cat was nibbling on the cheese sandwich in her left hand.

You really can't imagine how entertaining cats are unless you live with them. They would like you to believe that you are irrelevant to them but they get very upset if you leave them for too long. My Dad's cat used to love to go sailing with him but if he was taking friends out, he would leave the cat home to avoid having her underfoot. The cat always knew when he and my step-mother were going sailing though and would hover in the front hall as the stuff they were taking piled up. He noticed a couple of times that his ashtray was wet when he got home. After a while he figured out she was peeing in his ashtray because she was mad that she didn't get to go sailing.

The cats were always good with the kids. They recognized small children as youngsters and although we never allowed the children to hurt the cats intentionally, sometimes they did by accident but the cats were always pretty tolerant. Once the kids got older, the cat might use his teeth to make a point but never with intent to injure. When the kids were still babies, the cats used to sit and guard them when they were sleeping.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I have often wondered if a cat, lying on a keyboard, could have ever caused a significant programming catastrophe?

If his butt was on the keyboard, would that have been a cat-ass-trophy?