Hilarity’s method is pretty much foolproof. We have gotten 2 excellent cats that way. ( we did try to find if they had other owners, but none were ever located)
Our Mystery showed up when she was six months old. Just looked out the window one day, and there was a kitten on the porch.
Another vote here for an older cat. They require less time and attention than a kitten - adorable as they are - and I’ve had both and loved both over the years.
It would be an added benefit for you, if you’re away from home for periods of time, to have an older cat. They look after themselves and don’t have to be entertained like a dog does.
And there’s that added just plain feel-good for saving an older cat, which doesn’t get adopted as often as a kitten.
About the dog: any and all visits should be carefully supervised by you. There’s no telling how the dog or the cat will react. Best to have human on hand if things go south.
I like serendipity (it makes for great stories!). I don’t expect to be similarly blessed, though. Moreover, I would not take in a cat off the street because 1) I can’t afford to take care of a cat that may have god-knows-what wrong with it, sight unseen (feline leukemia? mites? rabies? do not want). 2) I don’t want to take the risk that an outdoor cat might want to run away.
I plan to adopt from a shelter (preferably no-kill) a cat that already has its immunizations and is already spayed/neutered. It’s more cost-effective. And I know people may say “don’t get a cat if you can’t afford it amg!” Well, I can afford it. But if I can save money, then I’m going to.
tl;dr I don’t believe that taking in random cats is a good idea, especially since my roommate already has a dog. And I wouldn’t want to infect it with anything either.
Have you searched petfinder? They have lists of available cats online from many shelters in a given area. That’s how we found one of our current cats.
I started off by wanting to adopt a kitten before I adopted my current cat, Olive. She was a year or so old when I got her - still playful, but not half as much trouble as a kitten.
As others have said, kittens are cute, but they are CRAZY. I would not get a kitten unless it was over summer break or something, and I knew I’d be home a lot.
You could try the argument that you should be allowed equal weight of pet(s). If he has a dog weighing 20 pounds, you should be able to have 20 pounds worth of cats. So even with a cat & kitten, you are still under represented.
It might work.
If you’re renting a room, and presumably want to say on your landlady’s good side, I’d recommend an adult cat. With a kitten, there will be a period of some weeks in which you try to teach them that no, they can’t pee anywhere, and that the furniture is not a scratching post, and the drapes are not for climbing up, etc, etc.
True, you might have the same problems with a badly trained adult cat, but it’s less likely, and as they don’t have the same boundless energy as kittens, they’ll get tired quicker.
Good point, each cat went to the vet before being installed.
I love kittens. They are insanely cute. They are also insane.
As I live in a studio, I went to the shelter with the intent of bringing home an adult. I enjoy sleep which I would not get with a kitten, no matter how adorable. My Sapphire was sevenish when I brought her home and bonding and whatnot is not a problem, she took one look at me at the shelter and decided I would take her home.
Another vote for “if you have a choice, choose the adult.”
I just read about this event and thought of you. $5 for any cat 5 months or older. I don’t know if any of these places listed are near you, but there’s quite a few. $5 for an already spayed/neutered cat with shots is a great deal! But it is only good for a few days so you’d have to adopt soon.
Word. A friend of mine just adopted a six-month-old kitten. I’ve gotten so used to my sedate older cat that I’d forgotten they can be like that… she has to shut it out of the bedroom at night, play chicken with it to get out of her front door and not be followed, be constantly on guard for dive-bomb attacks… I was at a party at her place where it was literally running from head to head… the guest’s heads.
It’s darn cute, but also exhausting. Pudding is darn cute without being exhausting.
I adopted an adult cat from a rescue group a few months ago. They gave me an estimated age of 5 years (she was a former stray, so they really had no idea) and the vet I took her to later estimated that she’s about 10 years old. She is absolutely the sweetest and most loving cat I’ve ever met. We didn’t have any problems bonding. I’m really glad I picked her instead of a kitten.
I would recommend caution on adopting declawed cats. My first cat adopted from a shelter was declawed and we had to work out an issue where he tended to go for a stronger bite when paw swats didn’t get it done.
The kitten I got to keep him company was definitely insane. She was semi-feral at 3-4 mos old and it took over a year to get her moderately socialized. In the meantime, if something could support her weight, she climbed it in 4 paw drive mode.
She’s 21 now. 
In my experience, it’s six of one, or a half-dozen of the other.
I’ve brought cats of various ages, from kittens to crotchety old toms, into my house over the years, and have bonded well with all of them. Cats are no more cookie-cutter than dogs, and if you’re prepared to deal with each of them on their own terms and merits, your path is fairly clear.
Since you don’t seem to have a preference, go for an adult cat. Also, since you are adamant that you won’t get a second cat ask for cats that prefer to be the only cat. I see a lot of cats given up because they don’t get along with other cats in the house. They can be great with people, just not their own kind. Most cat people already have at least one other cat so the cat-hating cat will be less likely to be adopted.
I’ve adopted two adult cats on separate occasions. Both times, when I specified that I wanted a cat that was a year or two old, the adoption people practically fell over themselves to help me out and get me paired up with a kitty I liked. I think there were two reasons for that: 1) Adult cats are harder to adopt, as they’re not as cute as wittle kittens and 2) People looking for a grown cat just look like more “serious” pet owners.
I bonded with both my cats wonderfully. They both follow me and my boyfriend from room to room in the apartment, sit on laps, like to be petted, are total love-sluts.
With cats, there’s a big advantage to buying used instead of new- used cats are already adults, and so you can predict how they’ll act more easily. With kittens, it can be difficult to tell if the little furball is going to grow up to be a snuggly, loving kind of a cat or a reclusive, foot-attacking monster who likes to howl for food*. A cat older than two won’t change a lot over its life, so you know what you’re getting.
*Not mutually exclusive.
Right, get a older cat. Try the “lap test” assuming you want a lap cat, see if he will sit quietly in your lap, purring.
Wow, our process seems to be the reverse:
Step 1: Cat appears.
Step 2: Grudgingly decide it’s time for a cat.