My work is done here.
Avoid tortitude, unless you want a really temperamental cat who rules the roost.
My roommate had a cat that became very old and died. Vel(cro) didn’t like anyone but her. She would let me stroke her occasionally though, and surprised my now-roommate by jumping up on my lap a couple of times. After Vel died, roomie didn’t really want another cat. I don’t remember why she was at a shelter (maybe looking for a dog?) but a blac-and-white tuxedo cat grabbed her attention. She decided that if he’d been declawed, she’d take him. Ha! Impossible condition! Only he did have his front claws removed, so she wound up with Harvey for the past six years or so.
They’ve been living here almost two months. Harvey likes the house, and he’s very considerate. He knows not to wake the humans. He doesn’t demand a lot of attention, though he’ll prowl in the evenings looking for a brief petting. If we’re lying on the couches, he likes to be with us. He’ll curl up by roomie’s feet, but he likes lying in the crook of my knees (or curling up by my feet). He does get insistent when he decides it’s time for one of us to go to bed. I go to bed first, and he jumps up for a little petting before curling up at my feet. Roomie’s working nights now (she’s due home any minute), so it looks like he’ll be sleeping with me at night and with her in the daytime.
Sweet cat, Harvey.
I’ve had three torties in my life. First one was the spawn of satan lite. Subsequent two are friendlier, but have other personality quirks.
At any good shelter the staff will be able to tell you about the personality of most of their cats. The shelter nearest to me has all the males in one room, where you can simply sit down and see which one you want to take home. They’re all so attention-starved that I’ve had three cats on my lap and one on my shoulders within minutes of sitting down. It’s a good way to test-drive them.
I have always found , been given, or rescued my cats.
Boris my fairly long hair cat is a brat.But I have had lots of cats in my life and never had trouble acclimating one.
Boris eats Fancy Feast every day. We buy packages with 3 different flavors because if he gets tired of a food he will shove the bowl on the floor. He will push everything off the desk too. He is a brat.
I like an animal with attitude.
You can have my daughter’s short-haired adult, fixed male for free. He’s a total love-bug…lives to cuddle, is sweet as can be, lots of personality. He just poops and pees outside the box as much as he does inside. I’m at my wit’s end. I love him dearly, but he needs a new home. Maybe one where he can be outside part of the time. He gets along great with other cats and dogs.
I’ve fed every single cat we’ve owned Purina and have never had a problem. We use clumping litter.
Go to a shelter and get an adult cat. There are so many that need adoption, and they are kittens for so short a time. Plus, you can get a good idea of their personality right away.
My shelter kitty isn’t much to look at - short black coat, nothing fancy - but he was the one meowing loudly and waving his paw out of the cage. I picked him up, and he got so happy that he drooled all over me and purred louder than I’ve ever heard a cat purr. Turned out he was in the shelter for 8 months! No wonder he was so frantic to get someone to pet him. I felt bad for him and he seemed to have a great personality, so I took him home and I was right. Even better, it turns out the drooling isn’t typical - he only does that now when I clean his ears. Yay!
Petfinder’s a good place to start. I find that local shelters can vary, but cat adoption fees should be reasonable. Animal control and rural shelters seem to be the least expensive and they get a ton of cats.
I use the Purina Sensitive Formula - he needs the sensitive stomach food according to the shelter, but I switched him off Science Diet after awhile.
If you like uninterrupted sleep, I’d strongly recommend the La Bistro automatic cat feeder. Instead of complaining to me, he goes to the basement and whines at the machine. Perfect. My mom got one for her neurotic cat and it’s worked wonders. Just fill it up with food and you’re good to go for weeks at a time.
Go to the Geauga Humane Society (Rescue Village). I just had to take a stray cat there and their facilities and staff impressed the hell out of me.
Wish I could recommend the sweetie I dropped off, but he was adopted within a week!
Do what I did and pick the one who tried to follow you home. Worked like a charm. 