What should I know about adopting a cat?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Finally, my Fumando and I have a home we own, and it is (through her hard work) past the painting and renovating stage. Now it’s time for something we’ve both wanted for a long time (her since childhood, me since the last cat my parents had died), a cute little kitty cat of our own.

So what should we know going into this?
I’ve looked at the websites for the local SPCA branch and County Animal Control, and both are pretty equal in pre-adoption care. County specifically states what you get for your adoption fee (Preliminary Exam, Spay/Neuter Surgery, Distemper/Rabies Vaccinations, Worming, License (if applicable)), SPCA a bit more vague (Prices include spay and neuter fees for dogs, cats, and rabbits and initial vaccinations for dogs and cats.) The adoption fees are a bit different (we’re looking for a young cat, one that we will be able to love for a while, and one we can be a little more certain has not been abused), but reasonable at both ($26-$36 at County, depending on gender, and $65-$100 at SPCA, depending on breed). We have decided against declawing any cat we adopt, and will instead opt for Softclaws (it will be an indoor-only cat).

So what else should we know?

  • What procedures/surgeries/vaccinations should we insist upon?
  • Male or female?
  • As young a kitten as they can give us in good conscience, or a few weeks (or months) older?

Once we get a cat:

  • Catproofing the house?
  • Box training?
  • Dry or wet food?
  • Everything else?
2

I just adopted my first cat almost two weeks ago. I’m no expert (you can tell by all the threads I’ve started about him) but I’m really, really glad I didn’t get a kitten. For one thing, the kittens are going to be adopted, and the older cats might not be. For another thing, you can tell what kind of cat an older cat is (although it’s hard in the shelter). And also, no kitten adolescence - Dewey’s nice and calm. You can still get a younger adult cat - mine’s only a year old, he’ll be with me for a long time. Please consider saving an adult cat.

3

Hi,

Congrats on your new house and your impending ownership by a cat :slight_smile:

First of all, I would highly recommend asking your vet (if you don’t have one yet, ask around for a recommendation) on where they would go to adopt a cat. We have several shelters locally and there is one at least that seems to have more “heartbreak” adoption cases- whether its due to volume or poor disease control , I don’t know.

So what else should we know?

  • What procedures/surgeries/vaccinations should we insist upon?>>

Distemper, Rabies, Fel. Leukemia should be done, preferably not for the first time when you are walking out of the door with the cat. Should be spayed/neutered and Fel. Leukemia/FIV tested as well (expect to pay a fair adoption price for this).

  • Male or female?>>

I think its individual preference, I love my boy kittys- they tend to be more cuddly and sweet in my experience. Females can be a bit more touchy about petting and generally are more independent. Really though- pick the one that picks you!

  • As young a kitten as they can give us in good conscience, or a few weeks (or months) older?>>

I wouldn’t get too stuck on age- what I would look for is something that looks extremely healthy and active. Watch out for runny eyes/nose, sneezing , skinny , etc. That being said, I picked a scrawny kitten with a bad eye when I adopted from a shelter and he turned out great (I had no choice, I tried to pick a healthier looking cat but Wily demanded that I take him home). If the shelter offers a complimentary exam at a local vet, take them up on that but wait a few days first. Cats in shelter situations often get Upper Respiratory Infections, mostly not serious, but will probably need some antibiotics. Give that bug a few days to cook (unless you notice symptoms right away) and you will save an extra trip to the vet (make sure you budget some money for meds).

Once we get a cat:

  • Catproofing the house?>>

Mostly watch for string/small items- kittens like to play with string and can get in trouble with that. Make sure kitten has its “happy place” where it can get away. Scratching post and safe toys. Also, kittens like to to squeeze into small spaces, unfortunately have seen a few times where they have gotten into recliners and gotten smushed :frowning: .

  • Box training?>>

Extremely easy compared to housetraining dogs. If the kitten is very small, make sure its easy for them to get in. Show kitten the box, possibly confine kitten near box for a day or two until he/she is routinely using the box and thats about it. Keep box clean, cats will be picky about this!

  • Dry or wet food?>>

I prefer dry food, once the kitten is 8-10 weeks old, canned is not needed. I used to be anti-treat in general but when my Wily got hyperthyroid and had to be given pills twice a day,I realized how lucky I am that he is a whore for treats/food :). So now with my younger cat, he gets a piece of Wily’s Pill Pockets every day so if he is ever sick, no shoving pills down his throat.

  • Everything else?>>

Be prepared to enter a state of slavery…

4

Big decision is long hair vs short hair, and how old. I suggest a younger cat, but one who isn’t a kitten. However, here’s what should happen- you’ll go down to the Human soc or a petstore that is running a cat adoption program. You’ll go over the cats- and one will bond with you. You’ll know that cat is yours. Sometimes it can be a set of two cats- if you get a bonded set of two brothers or something, that’s great also.

Don’t worry about what shots to give him- they’ll have him fully inoculated.

“Free Feed” a good brand of dry food. Not some crap grocery store brand. “Free Feed” means leave a more or less full bowl out all the time. On the first day, keep the new cat in one room- maybe a bathroom, where the litter box is going to be. Sit in there, pet, play and talk to him. Make sure the house is escape proof.

Another good source is specific breed “rescue cats”. These are good if you want a specific breed, such as a Maine Coon.

5

The vet will know what you need to do with regard to vaccines. Follow his lead.

Males (in my experience) spray more than females. I have one boy and three girls at present and my boy, who was a young adult and NOT neutered when we got him, is not a sprayer (WooHOO!). Girls are generally smaller than boys, if that has any bearing on what kind of kitty you want to get. Boys whine about going out more than girls (again, personal experience).

Cat-proofing is very simple. Don’t own any nice furniture and don’t put poison out for them to get into. Other than that, you’re already cat-proofed.

Show the kitty where the box is and they will naturally go there. I don’t know how they know, but they are predisposed to going in litter (for the most part. Some kitties like to mix it up a little). Clean it at least daily.

I swear by dry food. It’s cheap and my cats live to be 20+ years old. And their poo isn’t as stinky.

Remember that you don’t own the cat. The cat owns you. Never forget that.

6

Please consider getting two kitties who get along with each other. I can tell you my male cat’s favorite toy is his sister.

It’s not much more expensive than one kitty, and that way they always have a friend to play with. Plus, you’ll save twice the kitty!

  • What procedures/surgeries/vaccinations should we insist upon?

I’m with Smokinjbc on this one.

  • Male or female?

Not as important as general disposition since the kitty will be fixed. When you go to pick out your kitty, pick the one that speaks to you. Gender won’t matter much!

  • As young a kitten as they can give us in good conscience, or a few weeks (or months) older?

See above answer. Keep your mind open about an older cat though - a cat that’s a year or two old still has many years in front of him but is likely to be harder to place, and consequently more at risk in a kill shelter.

Once we get a cat:

  • Catproofing the house?

They’ll find the damnedest toys. Not much you can do to stop them :slight_smile: Generally though not much catproofing will need to be done - or can be done before you see in what way your cat is mental.

  • Box training?

Actually, the kitty will probably be box trained from the shelter. Every kitty I’ve gotten from a shelter has come to me box trained.

  • Dry or wet food?

Dry. Wet food only as a special treat. Better for the teeth, less messy and stinky in the catbox, perfectly nutritious.

7

I’ll go along with the above advice - go to every shelter in your area - a cat will pick you. You will know when your feline overlord has chosen you.

I have 8 cats, 4 boys and 4 girls. in general, the boys love me best and the girls love Mr. SCL best, but there are exceptions - Cricket (female) loves me best (I think she knows I saved her life) and Bill the Cat (male) loves Mr. SCL best (I think he knows I would have given him up for adoption with his sister after I bottle raised them, but Mr. SCL insisted that we keep him because he was so ugly he’d never get adopted).

If both of you work/are gone for long periods of time, I highly recommend getting two. A bored cat is much more likely to be destructive than one who has a playmate.

Dry food only is best, in my experience. The water off the tuna or salmon for a treat is fine, as is an occasional can of food. (Mine get canned food at Christmas) Don’t feed anything cheaper than Purina, and higher quality if you can afford it. You can really tell the difference in the litter box.

High-side litterboxes are great, and keep the litter mostly in the box.

If a male cat has started spraying before he is neutered, he may not stop.

I hope you’ll post pictures when you get your baby!

8

I’ll second the recommendation of getting two cats, especially if there’s no one home during the day.

Don’t sweat male/female or color or breed issues as much as personality- find a cat that has a good temperament, however you define that.

Whatever you get, if it isn’t already spayed or neutered, do that ASAP. There’s absolutely no reason these days to wait until a female goes into heat for the first time. The people at the shelter can probably give you a recommendation for a vet who does early spay/neuter.

Young cats can be a good bet- they’re not going to be as into everything as kittens, nor are they as fragile, but they’re still pretty adaptable. Our Katya was about five months old when we got her- she was just out of that cute-kitten stage where they’re easy to adopt. Luna was 8 months. I think we sort of got the best of both worlds, of a kitten and an adult cat. If you do go with a kitten, try to get one that was with its mother until 8 weeks. They tend to be healthier and better socialized.

Runny eyes/nose or sneezing can be just a kitty cold- it’s not uncommon for cats to get those in shelters (or anywhere where they’re exposed to a lot of other cats). My Luna had a kitty cold when we first got her, but she got better pretty quickly. I’d put more emphasis on being sure to get a FeLV/FIV negative cat.

Get rabies shots for your cat or cats on schedule, whether the law requires it or not. (Someone in a rabies-free country or state, like Australia or Hawaii, wouldn’t have to do this, of course) If your cat bites someone, and isn’t up-to-date on its rabies shots, they will have your cat killed so it can be tested for rabies. That’s a chance I’m not willing to take with my precious baby kitties, so I get them rabies shots, even though the law doesn’t require it here (It does IIRC in Maryland, don’t know about DC or Virginia).

Be sure to get rid of any houseplants that are poisonous to cats, or replant them outside. Bear in mind that, if you do have potted plants, the cat might use the pot as a litter box.

Keep your toilet lids down. The Neville kitties are fascinated by the toilets, and we don’t want them drinking out of them or splashing toilet water all over (ick!).

Keep rubber bands and string where your cats can’t get them. They can die from eating those. Eating coins isn’t good for them, either (we had a recent thread on that).

9

Most shelters or other places where you can adopt a cat will only send them out already neutered.

Right- rubber bands and elastic (like those hair bands some girls wear) are one of the few things even an older cat will chew and swallow.

10

The main thing you need to know is, late at night, when you’re half asleep, the cat will swallow your soul.

11

That must be why mine yowls at dawn - my soul tastes nasty.

12

I can’t stress this enough: Only Feed Them At Night!

If you feed them in the morning, when you are about to leave for work, you’ll never get to sleep past 7AM on a Saturday or Sunday again for as long as they live.

13

But never feed them after midnight.

14

and don’t get them wet.

Seriously, there are wonderful flea-control products available from your vet - do not buy the over-the-counter crap sold at Walmart or PetsMart. That stuff can kill your cat. Since they’re indoor only you shouldn’t have to treat every month as the product recommends. I treat about every other month in the summer and every three months in the winter.

15

My indoor only cats have only been treated once in their life. They only had fleas (and it was a very small infestattion) once. We’re pretty sure that the fleas came from a human friend who allows their cat to go outdoors- the cat is infested with fleas and is miserable. And, is treated.

16

You’ve been told about the Siamese right?

Siamese cats offer a most unique twist on pet adoption and you shouldn’t progress in that direction unless fully informed.

It was explained to me –as a point of comparison- that a pet dog takes the subservient position. He knows the owner is the master, what his position is and acts accordingly.

Cats tend to view their owners as equals. They figure that if you feed and shelter them, they’ll provide the necessary affection but only on their terms.

Siamese however take the approach that you are there to serve them. They outline the conditions of co-residency and are more than vocal when it comes to enforcing it. You meet their demands or suffer dire consequences. I kid but little.

Seriously you should know that the Siamese are “talkers” and can turn a household wrong side out if you’re not into living with that type of animal.

Oh and as to flea protection, we got from our vet a product called Program that you mixed with your cat food –that is your cat’s cat food- once a month that worked with 100% efficiency. Having dealt once with a nasty flea infestation, this provided miracle-like relief.

17

We were infested once. Took the kids to the vet, bombed the house, and we’ve been fine ever since (like 16 years or so). And we have an inny-outty, too!

You don’t need to treat for fleas if you don’t have fleas.

18

I cannot stress too strongly NO PENNIES! Cats should NOT eat pennies. Nobody told me this before I got my babies. So, in short, pennies are very, very bad for cats!!!

19

Just a couple things no one has mentioned:

You can check the newspaper for giveaways. That’s how we got our Squeakers (That’s right, Squeakers. He doesn’t meow, he squeals like a guinea pig). It was a nice family with young kids. He was very healthy and well adjusted. His ownership of us is now complete.

20

Aaaaaand. I was going to mention that the idea of having two cats to keep each other company does not always work out. Years ago we adopted two farm kittens. We wound up sending them back, because they were so into each other that they completely failed to bond with us. They were untrainable because because they gave jack shit about us. Even a typically aloof cat should have some sort of interaction with you.

And one more picture of our cutie.