I really want a cat. And, no, it’s not just so I can take pics of it and show them to my fellow Dopers.
OK, that’s part of it (I feel so left out).
Years ago, as I made my way through school, I lived with my mom. She got a cat (Ashley - sorry, the only pic I have is on my desk, and I don’t have a way to scan it onto the computer). I had never been a “cat” person, having always had dogs, but Ashley and I bonded.
She was awesome (still is, in fact)! She’s only cat I’ve ever known who would follow you around the house (when I was in the bathroom, she’d wait outside, with a paw under the door). We’d play hide-and-seek around the house. At night, she’d make herself comfortable on my chest as we both went to sleep. When I visit now, I get the cold shoulder for a little while, but just one cat nap on my chest always makes me feel like the trip was worth it.
So, since Ashley invaded my heart, and I just moved to a new apartment that allows animals, I want a cat.
Problem is, my mom has ruined me on animals. She works from home, and lives on 2 acres. Her animals (1 dog and 2 cats, with 2 horses in the back yard) have the run of the place. When someone wants to go outside, they meow. When they want to come inside, they bang on a window or a door. And then there’s the hunting (Ashley is so proud when she brings home a snake or a bird, although lizards are her usual fare).
I’m worried, then, about the logistics of living with a cat in a small (about 680 square feet) apartment. I mean, I realize that there are many happy cats who live in suburbia, but I’m not sure how they do it.
Can I ever let the cat outside? If so, how do I ensure it can make it back okay (I’ve thought about cutting a small hole in the screen on my porch)? Are cats content to spend all day inside, only to roam at night? Also, I’d hate to declaw the kitten (how would you like having your nails ripped from your hand?), but I also have to prevent the apartment from being torn up.
Any advice on these topics, or any other first-time cat basics (does it matter their color? My mom seems to think that different colors indicate differences in demeanor), are much appreciated.
OK, before World War 3 starts, and believe me, it will soon enough, some of my opinions on the matter:
Kinda a small apartment, because you should really have 2 cats, so they can keep each other company while you are gone.
Don’t ever let the cats outside. They should be indoor only kitties.
Don’t ever declaw a cat. If you can’t stand the idea that maybe some of your stuff will get torn up in the process of being owned by cats, then you shouldn’t be owned by any. Get them a good-sized scratching post and force them to use it. Squirt guns are handy here.
Look up the local shelter and let some abandoned cats adopt you. Good karma all around.
We now take you to our next poster, who has the totally opposite opinion. 
The cat will be healthier and longer of life if it’s strictly an indoor cat. If it never knows any different, this shouldn’t be a problem, although you do have to learn a certain door-opening technique if the cat is the curious type.
If you clip their nails, even though they might scratch they won’t hurt much. You can train them not to scratch and use things like double sided tape. I am not promising you this will work.
Get a cat. They can be inside just fine, the litter box isn’t much of a real problem, and they’re generally awesome. In fact, get two. They’re hilarious when they play together.
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My two cats are indoor cats, and they seem pretty happy, judging from how much purring they do. I’d trade my lifestyle for theirs in a second, in fact.
Having two cats is a good deal- they’re not much more work than one, the vast majority of the time, and they keep each other from getting bored during the day when we’re at work.
You can (and should) get scratching posts and toys for the cats, which will make them less likely to scratch your carpets or furniture.
Some people think color affects cat temperament, some don’t. I think what’s much more important is to never take home a cat that you haven’t met and hit it off pretty well with. Don’t let a friend or family member pick out a kitten for you, and definitely don’t let the person who is trying to find homes for cats pick out a cat for you. You are the only person who can possibly pick out a cat for you. And you should choose based on temperament- it is the most important thing (with the possible exception of health) about any cat you’ll get as a pet- more important than looks, color, breed, age, sex, or what have you.
Also, consider an adult cat. They’re calmer, they have the looks and personality they’ll have for the rest of their lives (although it’s hard to tell in a shelter), and you’re doing them a favor.
You might do like we did: Went to the local shelter, sat down in the middle of the cat room and waited until somebody decided to check us out. Didn’t take more than 3 seconds before Havoc was in my lap, purring. When I stood up her sister Pixel reached out from the kitty condo and grabbed my shoulder. That’s how we were adopted.
A story on the news last night brought back to mind what I knew as a kid. If you count the number of cricket chirps in 14 seconds and add 38, it will be the exact Fahrenheit temperature.
I never can remember the damn formula for converting F-to-C. So, for those enlightened countries that use the metric system, can some genetic scientist develop a Celsius cricket? Save a fortune on thermometers.
I’m pretty sure my cats would play with and eventually eat a Celsius cricket the same way they do with other bugs. They don’t listen when I tell them that eating bugs is gross.
I live in a roughly 750 sq.ft. pad and have three indoor-only kitties, so it can be done. I think it’s important to have more than one, especially if they are indoor-only. Cats have a reputation for being loners but they are actually pretty social creatures. My three are actually a family group and are very close (Kitt was an accident - he was born 2 months to the day from Rubicante getting fixed.)
They all keep each other pretty entertained but I play with them a lot. If you can provide entertainment in the form of a bird feeder outside a window, they will enjoy it immensely. Sometimes we have “psychedelic birdie night”, wherein they are all given as much catnip as they can handle. I then put on a track of birdsong and go to town with one of these babies. It keeps them pretty entertained and mostly healthy - except for Rubicante, who’s a fat slob. An not-bored kitty is a happy kitty.
Good luck - and thank you for giving a kitty a home (get two!).
My first kitty lived to be 22 years old and was perfectly content to not have to deal with the hazards of the outside world unattended. I say ‘unattended’ because I harness-trained her immediately (at 8 weeks old) and she knew she wasn’t allowed outside without her harness. She’d stand patiently at the door while I hooked the contraption up, and when we got back in, she’d stand patiently while I unhooked it, waiting until I said, “OK, duck!” before pulling her head out of the loop and running off to do her thing.
Our current kitty is also more than happy to be indoors only, but having adopted her when she was already 5 years old, she isn’t at all interested in being put on a harness, so she simply doesn’t go out.
As for scratching, you might also find a scratching box like this one a good alternative to a vertical scratching post. Our Emma LOVES hers, even just to curl up and sleep on sometimes! They’re way less expensive than the carpeted ones, and the inserts are replaceable when they get too shredded.
Also, we found that when Emma tried scratching on the arm of a new chair we bought (she’d otherwise never bothered any piece of furniture in the house before!), we just covered the arms in aluminum foil to deter her (they HATE stepping on foil!). It only took a few days for her to realize scratching there was a no-no.
Eh, I don’t necessarily agree. My first kitty was a gift from my sisters that my mom and sister picked out for me, and it was love at first sight. In fact, even though they had her with them the bulk of the day, when they brought her to my house that evening, she immediately came to me, then proceeded to follow me around at my heels wherever I went. She was instantly my cat. Heck, technically I didn’t even pick Emma, as she was my husband’s choice, but she’s a mamma’s girl just the same, whom I absolutely adore.
I’m not suggesting yours isn’t a great idea, but I just don’t believe that picking out your own cat is the most important thing in the world wrt owning and loving one.
Again, I don’t necessarily agree. I tried numerous times to have a multi-cat household with our first, and Mew hated all other cats and simply wouldn’t tolerate having them around. She much preferred being an only cat, and again, lived a very long and happy life with just her human companions.
And with Emma, we adopted her from a multi-cat environment where she was being tormented by the other cats, and returned to the rescue group as a quivering, terrified mess. She, too, (obviously) prefers being an only cat; never exhibiting a single symptom of the stress she had at her previous owners’ (peeing throughout the house, cowering in closets, etc.).
Multi-cat homes can be great for some pets (and some owners), but they aren’t necessarily the ideal in all circumstances, so no one should feel bad about having a single cat if that’s all they feel they can take care of or take responsibility for.
It can work out, but it’s a crapshoot.
This isn’t like picking a sweater for someone- if you choose a young cat, you are getting something you should be willing to live with and care for for the next 10-15 years, possibly even longer. And if it’s not working out and you want to take the cat back, surrendering the cat to most shelters means it’s quite likely to die (especially if it’s older or has behavioral problems). Those aren’t things a caring person should take lightly. Someone looking for a cat should put some thought into it.
If you live in a civilized area (by the Californian’s Metric of Civilization), you might be able to get one like that cheaper from Trader Joe’s. Our cats like to lie on the double-wide ones.
Hey - I said it *can *be done, not that it will necessarily work out that way! 
Is 680sf really that small? IIRC that was about the size of the one bedroom I had before I got married. There was an amply sized living/dining area, the bedroom was of good size, and one of the best things was that there was a longish hallway between the living area and the bedroom, which (a) gave me more room to hang pictures and (b) made the place seem bigger. I could easily have kept a couple of cats there.
Ditto on the two cats. Managing humans is a tough job; it sometimes takes two cats.
Like I said, I’m not suggesting it isn’t a great idea to pick your own cat, I just don’t want her to feel bad if, for instance, she tells her mom she wants a cat and her mom goes out and gets her one. There’s really no reason in the world she can’t love a kitty just because someone else picked it out. No, it doesn’t always work out, but neither does picking your own, as often their behavior in the environment they come from is different from how they respond at your home.
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean. I do live in a civilized area, and in fact, had you clicked on the picture of my cat laying on her box, you might have actually recognized it as the ones they sell at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s, however, doesn’t offer images of their merchandise on their website, so I linked to the first hit I found that had a picture of what I was talking about when I said, “a scratching box like this one.”
It’s a joke- I have learned to love Trader Joe’s since moving to California, and whether a place had a Trader Joe’s was a factor when Mr. Neville was looking for astronomy positions in other cities. He’d say to me, “It’s civilized- there are Trader Joe’s there”.
You’ve got the same scratcher we do, in fact. I’ve only got one problem with them- they’re lightweight and move around when leapt on, as cats tend to do. Our Luna has one on my desk that she likes to lie on, and she’s knocked it off the desk a few times.
I appreciate the advice from everyone. Ashley the cat has a “brother” named Andy, and its always been a joy to watch them play (cat kung fu is especially entertaining). I will seriously consider getting my cats in two’s.
As an aside, Shayna, I’m a dude.
A link to the Broward County Humane Society adoptable pets page ( you’ll note you get a price break if you adopt two cats/kittens at the same time 
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My apologies to all here. I don’t know how in the hell I posted in this thread when I intended this as a new post. I wondered why i didn’t see it. :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: