# Getting a Cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076 "2008-10-08T21:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/21 "2008-10-11T07:29:44Z")
Another plus for indoor-only cats- only a rare need for flea medication. ---
**Author:** ![jtsPimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@jtsPimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtsPimp)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/22 "2008-10-11T15:32:19Z")
A cat on its own will be lonely. Get at least two. As kittens, they’ll play together and have endless fun. When its bed time, they’ll curl up together and keep each other warm. As they get older, they’ll fight more aggressively. Think carefully about getting their bits chopped or tubes tied. I regret getting our cats done, as they should’ve had kittens! Cats are athletic and acrobatic! Make sure they’ve got plenty of places to run about (don’t close all the doors!) If you ignore that one, the cats will tear stuff up, climb curtains (and even crap in random places in protest! have fun! ---
**Author:** ![Buran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Buran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buran)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/23 "2008-10-12T23:59:17Z")
Thanks for the advice everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/24 "2008-10-13T00:41:42Z")
A couple of thoughts from my perspective: I grew up in a house that never had more than one cat and followed that same model into adulthood while on my own and never observed any issues with it. Some cats don’t mind being alone for long periods of time, while some very much do mind. As noted in earlier posts, they all have very different personalities. Personally, I’d recommend getting a female. They’re much less likely to spray or mark territory, in my experience, which means your life will be much easier, but, again, that depends on the individual cat, I’m sure. I personally recommend very strongly against getting the cat declawed (an issue that hasn’t come up in this thread yet). Lopping an animal’s fingers off at the first knuckle seems like a particularly cruel thing to do, IMO, even if it means your carpets, furniture, curtains, and arms will get fluffed by kitty’s claws. Why bother getting a predator as a pet if you’re gonna take away its ability to hunt? Better you should just get a hamster or some fish if you don’t want to deal with claws. As with the above, YMMV. Beyond that, I like pretty much everything I’ve seen in here – keep kitty indoors; provide food, water, and litter; beat it/them frequently (again, they’re predators – they like to roughhouse!); and get ready for lots of special cat-love! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/25 "2008-10-13T03:40:03Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > \get ready for lots of special cat-love! 🙂 Is it just me or does that sound dirty to anyone else? 😃 I got my cat when she was about 6 months old - I think that’s the perfect age for adopting, especially if you’re working long hours and you don’t want a [del]weapon of mass destruction[/del] kitten in your house all day without you. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/26 "2008-10-13T05:12:22Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Is it just me or does that sound dirty to anyone else? 😃 Sure. Haven’t you seen any of the hysterical news media accounts of _kitty porn_? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076/27 "2008-10-13T18:14:51Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > I personally recommend very strongly against getting the cat declawed (an issue that hasn’t come up in this thread yet). Lopping an animal’s fingers off at the first knuckle seems like a particularly cruel thing to do, IMO, even if it means your carpets, furniture, curtains, and arms will get fluffed by kitty’s claws. [Declawing cats is illegal in the UK.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declawing#United_Kingdom) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-cat/467076.md?page=1)