# I'm getting a cat, but that doesn't make me a cat person **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 24, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810 "2006-07-24T13:14:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/61 "2006-07-26T17:44:27Z")
I’ve found that with wet food, the cat will tell you how much they can eat. My cat can’t eat more than a quarter can of cat food (tuna can sized, not the small ones) in a day, otherwise she leaves a lot of it in the dish. Keep an eye out for how much is left and that will give you an idea of how much he’ll eat. Of course, you should still be reasonable and not leave out three cans a day even if he eats all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/62 "2006-07-26T17:56:03Z")
What do you guys even feed the things? The cat came with some Science Diet kibble, and I had picked up some Iams for it because it seemed fairly decent. My dog gets Purina One Senior Formula, FYI. I assume that the better the food, the less onerous the litter box thing is? How good a food should I get? At what point do you get diminishing returns on your investment? This stuff is all second nature with the dog, but with the cat it seems new and scary. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/63 "2006-07-26T18:34:17Z")
I’m insanely jealous of you cat people. Being deathly allergic, I’ll never know what it’s like being controlled by the little fuzzballs. I do love my two doggies oodles, but damn I wish I could have a kitty. **Zsofia** , Dewey is a cutie schnoogle. It’s so nice that you rescued him. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/64 "2006-07-26T18:42:35Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] What do you guys even feed the things? The cat came with some Science Diet kibble, and I had picked up some Iams for it because it seemed fairly decent. My dog gets Purina One Senior Formula, FYI. I assume that the better the food, the less onerous the litter box thing is? How good a food should I get? At what point do you get diminishing returns on your investment? This stuff is all second nature with the dog, but with the cat it seems new and scary. [/QUOTE] I feed mine the Puriana House Cat formula. Basically, you find something your cat will eat, and then you stick with it, because _trust me_, they’d rather _starve_ than eat the el cheapo store brand (Made with 75% ash!) If your kitty’s happy with Iams, and you don’t mind the price, then that’s good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/65 "2006-07-26T18:46:15Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] What do you guys even feed the things? The cat came with some Science Diet kibble, and I had picked up some Iams for it because it seemed fairly decent. My dog gets Purina One Senior Formula, FYI. I assume that the better the food, the less onerous the litter box thing is? How good a food should I get? At what point do you get diminishing returns on your investment? [/QUOTE] Supermarket kibble is reputed to be pretty much junk. But any of the better quality cat foods should be fine. I feed mine Science Diet Adult cat. The litter box is noticeably neater (one instance where diminishing returns are a good thing.) I continuous feed – just keep a bowl of kibble out all the time in the kitchen. Don’t know how possible that is with a dog in the house. I recommend covered litter boxes if your cat will use them. Much less odor and an improvement aesthetically as well. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/66 "2006-07-26T18:54:06Z")
[QUOTE=Honey] I’m insanely jealous of you cat people. Being deathly allergic, I’ll never know what it’s like being controlled by the little fuzzballs. I do love my two doggies oodles, but damn I wish I could have a kitty. [/QUOTE] [Wish no more!](http://www.allerca.com/html/hypoallergenic.html) > [@](#): > > ALLERCA has produced the world’s first scientifically-proven hypoallergenic cats. These cats allow some of the millions of people with feline allergies to finally enjoy the love and companionship of a household pet without suffering from allergic symptoms. > > The cat allergen is a potent protein secreted by the cat’s skin and salivary glands. ALLERCA has focused on naturally occurring genetic divergences (GD) already present in cats that do no harm to the cats in any way. The resulting ALLERCA GD hypoallergenic cats will now improve the health and quality of life for millions of cat-allergy sufferers. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/67 "2006-07-26T19:07:03Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] [Wish no more!](http://www.allerca.com/html/hypoallergenic.html) [/QUOTE] Well, I’ll be damned. But holy hell, $3,950 for one of those babies!! And that cute white kitten on the right on the home page appears to have waaay more toes than it should. :eek: Am I just seeing things? Or, am I being whooshed? That is a real cite right? ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/68 "2006-07-26T19:15:36Z")
I am a dog lover who ended up with 2 cats because they fit into my current lifestyle better. The kitties are great, but I have to admit that I still think of myself as a dog person at heart. Personally, I prefer the litterboxes that come with a sifting tray that you can just lift up so you dont have to scoop through the whole thing by hand. I keep a trash can outside on my balcony that I dump the mess right into. In addition to having a sifting tray, the kind of litterbox I use is covered (it also came with a little swinging door but I took that off because I figured the cats probably wouldn’t like it). The cats accepting the covered box without any trouble and it seems to have stopped the problem of mess ending up outside of the box. For food, my cats were on Science Diet when I brought them home from the shelter and I thought it was perfectly fine. However, after comparing the ingredients, I decided to switch to Eukanuba. The downside is that Eukanuba’s pretty expensive, but it seemed to have more real meat in it and my perception is that there is less litterbox mess from it, so I felt it was worth it. One of my cats is pretty fussy about what she’ll eat, while the other one is a glutton that will eat anything anytime (he’s rather plump). However, when you do find a food that the cat likes, they do seem to be pretty food-motivated. I haven’t tried to train my cats to do much, but giving food rewards did seem to help the gluttonous one learn to respond to his name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/69 "2006-07-26T19:16:02Z")
[QUOTE=Honey] Well, I’ll be damned. But holy hell, $3,950 for one of those babies!! And that cute white kitten on the right on the home page appears to have waaay more toes than it should. :eek: Am I just seeing things? Or, am I being whooshed? That is a real cite right? [/QUOTE] Pedigree animals are **expensive,** so I wouldn’t be surprised about the price. The kitten may be a [polydactyl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyl_cat), they really aren’t too rare. Ernest Hemingway had dozens of them. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/70 "2006-07-26T19:27:28Z")
Oh yeah, and another thing…if you really did feel attached to that Romeo cat you saw, you _may_ want to consider getting another kitty. Personally, I don’t feel that taking care of two cats is that much harder than taking care of one, and if they get along they can keep each other entertained while you’re away from home. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/71 "2006-07-26T19:38:34Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] [Wish no more!](http://www.allerca.com/html/hypoallergenic.html) [/QUOTE] That has to be a joke. Like, is this a wholly owned subsidiary of Genpets, Inc. or something? Anyway, as to the subject of food, my kitties mostly eat kibble – in my case, they love Whiskas, the ones with the crunchy bits with the meaty-type centers. I also feed them a can of wet food once every few days – I have four, and they each get about a quarter of a smalll (85g) tin, which they have informed me is plenty. I keep looking for healthier alternatives that also don’t require a line of credit but I’m still not wholly convinced that they really are that much better. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/72 "2006-07-26T21:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=lavenderviolet] Oh yeah, and another thing…if you really did feel attached to that Romeo cat you saw, you _may_ want to consider getting another kitty. Personally, I don’t feel that taking care of two cats is that much harder than taking care of one, and if they get along they can keep each other entertained while you’re away from home. [/QUOTE] It’s not incredibly unthinkable that I would get another cat, but since I’m pretty inexperienced at the cat game I think I ought to just start with Dewey. He seems to be a pretty easy cat. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/73 "2006-07-27T07:28:50Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] That has to be a joke. Like, is this a wholly owned subsidiary of Genpets, Inc. or something? [/QUOTE] [If it is, the CNN’s been suckered in by it.](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/10/27/biotechnology.cats/) > [@](#): > > A California biotechnology company has started taking orders for a hypoallergenic cat for pet lovers prone to allergies. > > The genetically engineered feline, which is expected to be available from 2007, is the first in a planned series of lifestyle pets, Los Angeles-based Allerca said in a press release. > > Allerca hopes to attract customers among the millions of people worldwide who suffer from cat allergies. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/74 "2006-07-27T11:05:33Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] [If it is, the CNN’s been suckered in by it.](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/10/27/biotechnology.cats/) [/QUOTE] :eek: I mean, great news for (rich) animal lovers afflicted with cat allergies, but jeez. It’s like Gattaca with cats. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/75 "2006-07-27T16:00:59Z")
About the wet cat food: If he will eat dry food it is much better for his teeth. Cats and dogs who have been on wet food develop much more tartar buildup (which causes problems as they age) and have worse breath than those on dry food. Cats don’t eat all that much; I would spring for a high-end dry food. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/76 "2006-07-27T16:35:48Z")
I’m compelled to post because Dewey reminds me of Aleksandra, who’s alas pretty sick right now so the cheering up was good. Anyway, yeah, I notice WAY fewer litterbox uses when I’m feeding a good-quality dry food, and as a bonus they tend to need to eat less of it to maintain weight. Right now, Alex is on Purina One because she needs something higher-calorie and generally fattier, but on a day-to-day basis I find the best balance between quality and price is Natural Balance or Purina Pro Plan, for me anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/77 "2006-07-27T18:13:27Z")
I’ve been suprised at how much he’s been eating. His bowl is usually empty by the next morning, and I’ve been giving a bit of wet food at night to make him sleepy. Finally found a toy he likes - one of those weighted things with the flexible stick and the feathery thing at the end. He drags it around with him like a dog! Which is cute except when he woke me up this morning with it. However, I may have won the battle of the bed, and he didn’t miaow at me this morning either. Instead, he got up on the windowsill behind my bed, which looks out on the deck. Where the dog was. He did not escape the dog’s notice. I didn’t sleep in. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/78 "2006-07-28T03:18:11Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Any opinions on that supposedly flushable litter? (I can’t call my plumber in again, last time I did he had to dig up my whole yard and part of my neighbor’s to run new sewer line and he may no longer be speaking to me.) [/QUOTE] No opinions on that, I haven’t seen it here, but what we do is what our local Cat Protection Society does, and it works quite well for our three. We use a handful of recycled paper-type kitty litter on a sheet of newspaper. When its soiled, the whole thing goes in the trash. (Just pick up the edges of the newspaper and dump it in the trash that way.) We find its less messy and keeps the smell down a lot. Also, we find we use less kitty litter, and the cats don’t get made and do “big business”\* else because their box is full. It sounds like more work, but isn’t. Instead of scooping we start with a fresh box three times a day. Cheers, G ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/79 "2006-07-28T03:24:20Z")
There really is a difference in dry cat foods. I ran out of Iams one weekend (years ago, before it was available in grocery stores). I bought a bag of something from the grocery store. Monday, I _ran_ to get more Iams and made sure I never ran out again. There was a noticeable differance in the amount and the aroma of the litter boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810/80 "2006-07-28T04:09:41Z")
I had a very unpleasant experience once when my kitten jumped onto my naked lap. Fotunately, my quick wit almost instantly created a training regimen that still pays off today. I screamed and repeatedly whimpered, “Owwym Owwy, Owwy”, while apruptly (very abruptly) removing her from my lap. Damn clever. :dubious: Actually, every time after that when my my kitten junped up on to bare skin, I feigned pain and distress and put her down. She learned really quickly only to jump up on me when I was clothed, whether I was sitting or stretched out on the couch or bed. This is a REALLY good thing to do if you don’t declaw. The training has held really well – she’s 7 now. We’ve actually trained each other. Sometimes I will be working at my desk in a pair of shorts, and she will fidget around my feet, until I put a towel over my legs, and shw will jump on that, [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-getting-a-cat-but-that-doesnt-make-me-a-cat-person/365810.md?page=5)