Posted on 10/11/2013 6:58:47 PM PDT by Perdogg
My experience with getting two animals at the same time is that they lose focus on their owner.I thought cats always lost focus on their owners.... -lol- Maybe it's because we've always had two. :)
That might explain why Winston Churchill liked cats and Hitler liked dogs.
If youve never had the company of a MANX CAT THIS COULD BE A GREAT TIME TO LET ONE ADOPT YOU.
I will not likely ever forget seeing my manx at the distance of nearly a city block bounding along like a rabbit. In fact I though it was a rabbit until I noted its rather abbreviated ears...
I’ve had about 20 cats.
- longest lived, purebred Siamese (20yrs).
- dumbest, purebred Abbysinian, pretty though.
- smartest, purebred Turkish Angora.
The others were all strays or from the pound and were nice pets. They weren’t any healthier than the purebreds. We don’t skimp on care for any animal we own including the ones we get from the pound. My next cat will be a Bengal or two. I like large active pets.
See if you can find a barking cat like this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP3gzee1cps
Once you get a cat do the tape experiment with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mmjCDHzFQ
Cats are at least relatively self-sufficient, clean themselves, and don’t pee all over the place without relentless training.
A dog loves you because it is compelled to by instinct, a cat loves you because it wants to.
That’s called intelligence. Rushing head long into something is not that smart.
i would suggest looking behind an old business or home and find a cat that needs a home. it might be hard to choose though because in many places there can be alot of them. i’m sure there’s an ole turned out house cat or a kitten that might take to you.
Our 2 youngest (from the SPCA) are Siamese (one's a Snowshoe). One's part dog I think, since he loves to play fetch.
Think about where you will keep the litter box. Look at your furniture--be prepared to defend it from becoming a scratching post. Cat toys--they love crumpled cellophane balls for the sound and the activity. Anything trailing or dangling on a string provides hours of entertainment.
One last thing--cats like to jump up on things. They will be on your kitchen counter until they are too old and frail to jump up there anymore, whether you like it or not. Get over it.
Enjoy!
Our cats are so well trained that they wait until they're back in the house to use the litter box.
Stick with short hair cats for minimum maintenance and pick a kitten. Older cats may have more health problems and may have trouble adjusting to a new "family" if they have been adopted previously. Many animal rescue facilities have areas where you can socialize with cats up for adoption. Cats have different personalities and you will likely find one that fits well with you. Our vet recommended premium cat food saying you could buy cheaper food, but use a lot more litter. Many of the premium brands are available discounted from large retailers...ask your vet for recommendations. Vets are mixed about declawing your indoor cat..again ask your vet. Good luck
We have three indoor rescue cats. They run the place. I get up super early for work and the cats expect breakfast at 4:00 a.m.. If I don’t feed them on time they sneak into the bedroom and take turns torturing my wife. Usually she starts hollering after one of them licks her eyebrows...
You know how to get even with a cat? Keep them awake all day long. No napping... After all day they are so tired they have trouble walking. LOL! Then they leave you alone for days... :)
I’ve only had strays, so I’m no help with purebreds. But if you do decide to take in a shelter cat, don’t overlook a mature cat instead of a kitten.
My first cat came from a shelter. I was looking at kittens when I was tapped on the shoulder by an older cat reaching out from her cage. It was like she was saying, you don’t want a kitten who will destroy your house. You want a calm, quiet older cat like me. Well, she won me over. We had a great, loving relationship for 16 years.
Whatever you decide, I wish you years of happiness with your new companion.
I’ll second this one.
For our tenth anniversary (and her birthday), I decided that my wife and I would get a cat. We went to our local shelter and started looking at what they had to offer. The shelter worker took us on a tour, showing us cats they had in the enclosures up front and some in the back of the facility (it serves as sort of an “infirmary”). One in particular that she pointed out was a two-year-old orange tabby female who was in the back being treated for an upper respiratory infection.
The first one we looked at was a pretty little 5-month-old black kitten. She seemed pretty playful, but not terribly fond of being held. When the worker asked if there were any other cats we wanted to see, I said, “Let’s take a look at Apple” (she was the aforementoned orange tabby with the URI).
When the shelter worker brought her out of her cage and handed her to my wife, Apple immediately gave my wife a head bonk on the chin. We knew at that point we had been chosen, and we brought her home.
That is a good-lookin’ cat! Althought he looks like you could knit a sweater from what he would shed in a given year...
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
I think I would call it "self confidence"
The ability to deal with the unknown as it is presented.
That’s sort of how I met my best kitty. Beautiful orange and white female, she looked like a little lion with a fluffy “mane” around her face. She was about 2 when I adopted her. She looked terribly P.O.’ed in the cage but I think it was only despair, because as soon as I opened the door she started purring and made a ton of pies on my shoulder. She was absolutely my baby from that point on, would sleep in my arms under the covers each night like a teddy bear, meet me in the driveway as I came home...and generally was your basic lap fungus. I eventually rescued a neurotic little feral kitten and she was just fine with him.
So Perdogg, perhaps you can get an adult first, since you will be able to know from the outset what the personality will be, then add a baby later on. I think a single kitten alone all day would be too lonesome and afraid, but I agree w/a previous poster that 2 kittens may not become as attached to you specifically if they have each other to bond with.
Oh, and you’ll have to change your Freeper handle to Purrcatt! :P
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