Adopting a cat

emzippy

Hi everyone,

Myself and my boyfriend recently moved in together and we are talking about adopting a cat. He grew up having cats in the family whereas I've always had dogs (no I've no cat experience).

We're looking at getting a cat because we really want a pet but neither of us are home during the day.

I suppose I have a few questions. The first one is is it fair to get a cat if you're out all day? He says it's fine. We're home every evening from 5pm and are around at the weekend.

We want to adopt an adult cat from a shelter. Can anyone also give me some tips on what to do before getting the cat, any essentials we may need or any other info you think is helpful when adopting a cat.

Thanks!

miss no stars

If neither of you are home during the day I'd say you don't have the time for a pet. Sorry, OP, but all animals (dogs AND cats) deserve affection and company. It's not right to take a cat from a shelter, bring it to its "forever home", and then feck off out to work all day leaving it alone in a strange environment. It's just not fair on the animal.

mymo

I know of two rescues with older cats 7+looking for homes, at that age the would be more likely to sleep away the day in a warm spot! and be delighted with cuddles all evening.
Older cats are rarely adopted, people want lively kittens and young cats.
Op if you can you could adopt 2 older cats that are used to each other.

Have you tried calling around rescues for advice?

orchidsrpretty

If you would consider getting two cats(just about the same work as one) then it would be fine.
But I guess it will depend on the cat you get. talk to the rescue to see if they can recommend a cat for you. One of mine you can't sit down for a second and she is on your lap and another one will only pay me any attention when he wants food. Every cat is different so its just a case of finding the right one for you. Good luck.

zef

It's great that you want to adopt an adult cat, so many of them needing homes.
Even if you are out during the day a cat would amuse itself looking at birds out the window or snoozing in the sun. A few furry mice and a ball treat dispenser and the cat would be fine.
If you could adopt 2 together, well all the better but it might not suit you space wise? Also double food, litter and vets bills.
Tip- An enclosed litterbox is more pleasant than a traditional litter tray. Also you'll need a scratch post, the small ones are useless to an adult cat so you'd need a big one.
Would your landlord be ok with a cat?
Good luck and happy kitty hunting.

miezekatze

I think a cat would be fine by itself during the day. We are both in work during the day and our cat mostly seems to sleep then, we just make sure to give her lots of attention in the evening and before we leave for work in the morning. She seems happy.

If you are renting, make sure you get written permission from your landlord before going to the rescue. We were renting when we got ours and the rescue wouldn't let us adopt until we had written permission (which makes sense, but we just didn't think of that before first going there). Also think about what kind of a cat you want - old or young, energetic or lazy, outgoing or shy, etc.

Pumpkinseeds

miezekatze wrote: »

I think a cat would be fine by itself during the day. We are both in work during the day and our cat mostly seems to sleep then, we just make sure to give her lots of attention in the evening and before we leave for work in the morning. She seems happy.

If you are renting, make sure you get written permission from your landlord before going to the rescue. We were renting when we got ours and the rescue wouldn't let us adopt until we had written permission (which makes sense, but we just didn't think of that before first going there). Also think about what kind of a cat you want - old or young, energetic or lazy, outgoing or shy, etc.

I'd agree with that. We have 4 cats, all were strays that found us over the years. I don't really understand why some rescues insist on rehoming in pairs. I think a lot of people might find the idea of getting 2 cats/kittens at once a bit overwhelming, especially if they've never had cats before.

emzippy

Thanks for all the really great advice! Particularly re: written permission for renting - didn't think of that at all.

I haven't spoken to my landlord yet as we wanted to be sure that we could take a cat before broaching it with her. She's really lovely though so can't see it being a problem.

We really want to give a cat a good home as we're both huge animal lovers. We'd probably want to stick with one cat (to start anyway) and see how that goes so if the rescue say two then we'd just have to say no.

I think the next step is contacting the rescue centres to see what they say. I'm looking for a cat that's laid back and loves cuddles, hopefully we'll be able to find what we're looking for a give an older cat a loving home.

Thanks again for all the help!

Graces7

emzippy wrote: »

Thanks for all the really great advice! Particularly re: written permission for renting - didn't think of that at all.

I haven't spoken to my landlord yet as we wanted to be sure that we could take a cat before broaching it with her. She's really lovely though so can't see it being a problem.

We really want to give a cat a good home as we're both huge animal lovers. We'd probably want to stick with one cat (to start anyway) and see how that goes so if the rescue say two then we'd just have to say no.

I think the next step is contacting the rescue centres to see what they say. I'm looking for a cat that's laid back and loves cuddles, hopefully we'll be able to find what we're looking for a give an older cat a loving home.

Thanks again for all the help!

Smiling as it sounds really good!

Cats are fine alone all day. I am out maybe twice a week only and leave them asleep on my bed and often they are still there eight hours later and totally happy.

An older cat from a rescue will think it has found heaven with you..

I dont have any of the trimmings others mention and they are fine but then they are indoor/outdoor cats as I live in deep countryside.

Please keep us posted.

boomerang

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

I don't really understand why some rescues insist on rehoming in pairs.

Well, firstly because someone adopting a single, eight or nine week old kitten is generally a bad idea, especially if they can't give it a lot of time. The kitten loses out massively on companionship and opportunities for play (and drives the owner nuts). It's crucial for their socialisation: cats raised singly as kittens tend not to accept other cats joining the family.

My heart breaks to think of rescues that adopt out kittens singly when they are that young, particularly if the new owners are out working. It's plain wrong. It wouldn't be acceptable for a puppy but it's okay to do it to a kitten?

Secondly, siblings that have stayed together over time are incredibly bonded.

We find great homes for pairs when necessary so we'll keep doing what we're doing.

Pumpkinseeds

boomerang wrote: »

Well, firstly because someone adopting a single, eight or nine week old kitten is generally a bad idea, especially if they can't give it a lot of time. The kitten loses out massively on companionship and opportunities for play (and drives the owner nuts). It's crucial for their socialisation: cats raised singly as kittens tend not to accept other cats joining the family.

My heart breaks to think of rescues that adopt out kittens singly when they are that young, particularly if the new owners are out working. It's plain wrong. It wouldn't be acceptable for a puppy but it's okay to do it to a kitten?

Secondly, siblings that have stayed together over time are incredibly bonded.

We find great homes for pairs when necessary so we'll keep doing what we're doing.

I agree completely about very young kittens and bonded pairs, but in some cases certain rescues won't allow older kittens to be rehomed singly, which I think is a mistake. Sadly the older the kittens get the harder it is to find homes for them. Oh yeah, you guys do fantastic work, so def keep doing what you do:)

Zapperzy

Cats mostly sleep all day anyways, my 9 year old cat basically just walks from one bed to another, looks out the window sometimes and asks for cuddles. Kittens are more active and inquisitive and need more supervision but certainly an older kitten or cat will fit in fine to your situation. Just keep in mind where your going to keep him or her during the day(indoors or outdoors?), do you mind a litter tray in the house? And of course landlord permission. Keep in mind too cats regularly live up to mid to late teens so you've to fit him or her into your plans for that length of time.

Good luck :-)

OldNotWIse

I disagree with posters saying you dont have time for an animal. If you were considering a dog I would agree but cats are different. OP will the cat be in or out when you are out of the house? The average cat sleeps 16 hours a day. I know ours (who started as a stray and gradually wormed her way in!) is happy to be out during the day and come in when its evening, have her feed and sleep for the rest of the night on the sofa. When you compare it to the lives of a lot of cats with nobody to look after them, its not bad. There are thousands of cats waiting to be homed and OP the very fact that you are here doing your research and want to take on a rescue as opposed to a cute fluffy kitten says you will be a good owner!

emzippy

OldNotWIse wrote: »

I disagree with posters saying you dont have time for an animal. If you were considering a dog I would agree but cats are different. OP will the cat be in or out when you are out of the house? The average cat sleeps 16 hours a day. I know ours (who started as a stray and gradually wormed her way in!) is happy to be out during the day and come in when its evening, have her feed and sleep for the rest of the night on the sofa. When you compare it to the lives of a lot of cats with nobody to look after them, its not bad. There are thousands of cats waiting to be homed and OP the very fact that you are here doing your research and want to take on a rescue as opposed to a cute fluffy kitten says you will be a good owner!

The indoor vs outdoor scenario is something that I'm still a little confused about. I'm happy to have an indoor cat but my boyfriend grew up with outdoor cats and thinks it's fairer on the cat to let it get out and about while we're gone. We also have a shed that we could leave open and put a bed in there for when we're out during the day.

I suppose it depends on the cat but I was thinking more to keep the cat indoors while we're gone so that she'd be nice and warm.

I've emailed the local shelter and filled out their questionnaire and stated the above about indoor vs outdoor so hopefully they can advise on what's best.

So excited to be matched to a new friend! Will keep you posted of details.

Thanks again for all the advice!

Alicat

If you're renting, having an outdoor cat might cause problems down the line, if you decide to move. The cat will struggle to adjust to a new location and may try to get back to the original area it knows. You can't just explain to the cat that you've changed address!

We started with one cat (indoors) and she used to drive us demented following us around the house ALL the time. If we closed a door on her, she would wail and cry and scratch at the door. We got another cat to keep her company and it helped a lot. I also don't feel so bad about being out all day because they comfort each other.

Alun

Alicat wrote: »

We started with one cat (indoors) and she used to drive us demented following us around the house ALL the time. If we closed a door on her, she would wail and cry and scratch at the door.

Cats and closed doors don't mix in my experience

Alicat

Alun wrote: »

Cats and closed doors don't mix in my experience

Pumpkinseeds

knucklehead6

I'm surprised no one has said it yet but you don't adopt a cat. A cat adopts you!

emzippy

The rescue got back to us and sent us two pics of two gorgeous 9 month olds!

Now we just have to choose! So excited!

Will post pics when our new addition arrives.

Nody

emzippy wrote: »

The rescue got back to us and sent us two pics of two gorgeous 9 month olds!

Now we just have to choose! So excited!

Will post pics when our new addition arrives.

If possible try to visit them before deciding; you may find the choice being made for you

sillysmiles

Pick both :-)

emzippy

Nody wrote: »

If possible try to visit them before deciding; you may find the choice being made for you

We're going to visit Oreo (love the name) first. It's not actually a shelter, the cats are all fostered until someone adopts them so we can only visit one at a time.

I will make sure that he fits with us before we take him. Hopefully he'll approve and want to adopt us

emzippy

Hi All,

Just wanted to say a huge thanks for all the advice from this thread.

This is Bemo (previously Oreo). Delighted to have him in his new home.

I think it was love at first sight for me

Pumpkinseeds

He is soooo gorgeous, I love the tuxedos, we have 2:)