Am I about to get murdered: cat visit

[Niel]

What are the qualities you want in a cat, hon?

And why are you getting your first cat now?

Just wondering...

I'd like a cat that's sociable but not necessarily needy. I have a cav, he's already a lap dog I dont need another.

I've always had a desire for a cat, sense I was young. I was not allowed to have one as a child, or in the apartments I've had in school. I was pregnant when I got my first home- and I didn't want to have a new cat new house and first baby. We've been in the house a few years, my husband's warmed up to the idea.
My dog has been getting lonely lately and he needs a little more company at home while we are at work. He is the needy one, so I don't want another dog to keep him company.
My children love Mort and love animals and I think it's sweet to see them interact with other animals.

 

[packrat]

Oooo or find a place where the cats are out and about, that's where mine came from..I had cat hair about 6 inches deep on me when I left but I left w/good kitties. The second time, they had a new greeter cat, and that cat was up and on my shoulder before the door had even closed so I walked around all hunched over for a while b/c she was at home there.

I love cats. The end.

 

[Niel]

Oooo or find a place where the cats are out and about, that's where mine came from..I had cat hair about 6 inches deep on me when I left but I left w/good kitties. The second time, they had a new greeter cat, and that cat was up and on my shoulder before the door had even closed so I walked around all hunched over for a while b/c she was at home there.

I love cats. The end.

2needles suggest a place that sounds like a place I can just go into and walk around. That seems promising.

 

[AdaBeta27]

A cat that lights up for everyone isn't bad, either. The last cat I acquired is on that someone dumped at my place. He absolutely adores all people. Whomever dumped him was a fool. He's a perfect housecat, clean, neat, and a terrific helpmate and companion. Waht Gypsy said about picking a cat who likes you is a good strategy. My big tabby picked me, over several other people who'd walked though the cat room at the shelter. He is the most loving cat, ever.

Back to the original post: Yes, it's "normal" nowadays for a cat rescue to farm out the cats to foster homes while they are advertised for adoption. In fact, it's becoming ever more common as shelters switch to no-kill mode. They have to park those cats someplace. Even the high kill shelters are taking getting so much flak for killing cats that they have started working with people who are willing to take cats off of Death Row and foster them. It cuts down on the killing. I read a lot of stories on the Facebook cat rescue and foster-home pages. There are a lot of people who'll swoop in and grab a few cats off of death row.

Declawing: NO! Don't do it. Those same Facebook pages as well as cat discussions on numerous forums are full of stories about issues with arthritis in older cats who've been declawed. You are aware of just how they declaw, right? It's amputation. So, in addition to loss of protection, you set the cat up for possible arthritis pain later. An older cat with arthritis pain may stop using the litterbox and start using your carpet. There is no need to declaw a cat just because you have a baby. Leave the paws the way God made them. You can clip claws or have a groomer do it, to blunt them. I grew up with cats and none were ever declawed. I have 2 siblings. None of us sustained severe injury from any cat. My sister, however, did get bitten on the face by a neighbor's dog because she bothered it when it was eating. eta: If you love that cat in the original post, then by all means don;t leave her behind because she's been declawed. I am staunchly opposed to declawing cats, though. But I'd not turn my back on one that's declawed. Litterbox issues can be solved, if they arise, and they might never arise. That and possible arthritis are possible issues, but not necessarily probably ones. My sister had her first cat declawed and he lived to good old age and didn't have problems with his paws or the litterbox.

 

[Niel]

A cat that lights up for everyone isn't bad, either. The last cat I acquired is on that someone dumped at my place. He absolutely adores all people. Whomever dumped him was a fool. He's a perfect housecat, clean, neat, and a terrific helpmate and companion. Waht Gypsy said about picking a cat who likes you is a good strategy. My big tabby picked me, over several other people who'd walked though the cat room at the shelter. He is the most loving cat, ever.

Back to the original post: Yes, it's "normal" nowadays for a cat rescue to farm out the cats to foster homes while they are advertised for adoption. In fact, it's becoming ever more common as shelters switch to no-kill mode. They have to park those cats someplace. Even the high kill shelters are taking getting so much flak for killing cats that they have started working with people who are willing to take cats off of Death Row and foster them. It cuts down on the killing. I read a lot of stories on the Facebook cat rescue and foster-home pages. There are a lot of people who'll swoop in and grab a few cats off of death row.

Declawing: NO! Don't do it. Those same Facebook pages as well as cat discussions on numerous forums are full of stories about issues with arthritis in older cats who've been declawed. You are aware of just how they declaw, right? It's amputation. So, in addition to loss of protection, you set the cat up for possible arthritis pain later. An older cat with arthritis pain may stop using the litterbox and start using your carpet. There is no need to declaw a cat just because you have a baby. Leave the paws the way God made them. You can clip claws or have a groomer do it, to blunt them. I grew up with cats and none were ever declawed. I have 2 siblings. None of us sustained severe injury from any cat. My sister, however, did get bitten on the face by a neighbor's dog because she bothered it when it was eating.

Ok I'll say this as clearly as I can as I've said it a few times.


I will not be declawing any cat I adopt

 

[packrat]

So..will you be declawing?

Sorry sorry sorry, couldn't help it. Too much caffeine.

 

[Niel]

So..will you be declawing?

Sorry sorry sorry, couldn't help it. Too much caffeine.

Hmm. Hard to say

 

[AdaBeta27]

Yeah, okay. The arthritis issue hadn't been specifically mentioned, though.

My experience with scratching is cats like status = high places. So, I got mine a couple of carpeted cat trees 4' - 5' tall, and they have scratched the heck out of "their" furniture and they leave mine alone. lol A couple of them like the cardboard scratchers. I also got them a tall scratching post, which I have seen all of them use. Everybody's happy.

 

[Gypsy]

My kids have destroyed some furniture. But then, so have I.

I have gotten really good at anti-cat furniture though.

Like:
Iron Bed.
Wood and Iron Coffee table.
Microfiber couches (synthetics clean up easier)
They are less likely to attack Leather than they are Leather-ette/bonded/vinyl
Outdoor fabric upholstery on the dining set (tightly woven and water resistant, cleans up easy).
No drapes.
And high end vinyl plank flooring. With cowhide rugs (these clean up easy).

Avoid chenille and anything loosely woven.

 

[Gypsy]

Oooo or find a place where the cats are out and about, that's where mine came from..I had cat hair about 6 inches deep on me when I left but I left w/good kitties. The second time, they had a new greeter cat, and that cat was up and on my shoulder before the door had even closed so I walked around all hunched over for a while b/c she was at home there.

I love cats. The end.

2needles suggest a place that sounds like a place I can just go into and walk around. That seems promising.

Yeah, that's what I recommend too.

 

[Gypsy]

What are the qualities you want in a cat, hon?

And why are you getting your first cat now?

Just wondering...

I'd like a cat that's sociable but not necessarily needy. I have a cav, he's already a lap dog I dont need another.

I've always had a desire for a cat, sense I was young. I was not allowed to have one as a child, or in the apartments I've had in school. I was pregnant when I got my first home- and I didn't want to have a new cat new house and first baby. We've been in the house a few years, my husband's warmed up to the idea.
My dog has been getting lonely lately and he needs a little more company at home while we are at work. He is the needy one, so I don't want another dog to keep him company.
My children love Mort and love animals and I think it's sweet to see them interact with other animals.

Good reasons. So the most important thing is that the cat is dog friendly. Make sure you state that to anyone you are talking to.

 

[arkieb1]

Our cat destroyed a new leather piano stool in under 2 hours... We have scratching posts he just thinks new things are his too...

And kid friendly too, if they freak around dogs or kids it's the wrong cat for your family...

 

[CJ2008]

My kids have destroyed some furniture. But then, so have I.

I have gotten really good at anti-cat furniture though.

Like:
Iron Bed.
Wood and Iron Coffee table.
Microfiber couches (synthetics clean up easier)
They are less likely to attack Leather than they are Leather-ette/bonded/vinyl
Outdoor fabric upholstery on the dining set (tightly woven and water resistant, cleans up easy).
No drapes.
And high end vinyl plank flooring. With cowhide rugs (these clean up easy).

Avoid chenille and anything loosely woven.

Was lucky with 2 of my cats showing no interest in leather...

But my little girl...she destroyed our leather couch. Destroyed.

We have a scratching post, a couple of small rugs that are theirs, and a couple of floor scratching surfaces...but she loves scratching on the leather couch.

Partly our fault because we waited way too long to get a couch cover. I don't know what the heck we were waiting for.

Do you find that they are not attracted to scratching on microfiber or could that potentially be a problem?

Couches with covers on them - even an attractive one in the same color as the couch - don't look so hot.

(ETA my goodness Niel I totally intruded on your thread with my own stuff. Sorry.)

 

[Queenie60]

For scratching - you can now have little plastic nail caps glued to their claws. The vet will do this for you. I have a cat with extreme allergies and he scratches his skin until it's raw. We are not able to figure out what's going on with him after spending about $3,000 over the past 4 years taking him to the vet, even having a holistic vet come to the house to give him acupuncture! Long story short - they now glue these little caps on his hind claws so he can't scratch so hard. He gets a kitty manicure every 3 weeks! Just a thought when it comes to scratching furniture. BTW - the latest is that he may have a mental issue.

 

[Andelain]

Agreed w/Gypsy. When I got our first shelter/rescue tortie, I saw her on petfinder, and spent three months visiting her online and feeling like she was calling to me. I went to meet her and spent almost two hours playing w/all the kitties and talking w/the woman who ran it. In the end, she was the one we went home with. She was meant for me, and I fully believe she came to me to heal my heart after having to put my Bella down. I found out she was brought into the shelter right before we had to make the decision about Bella, and it took a year and a half for me to decide I was ready for another tortie-so she waited for me that whole time and not one person came to see her until I did. Now, our second shelter/rescue tortoiseshell, we went to see one that was on petfinder, I had a name all picked out for her and everything. And I didn't click with her. I spent another couple hours w/the kitties and the woman again, and went home w/a tortoiseshell not even on the website, b/c it just felt right. Now I have my Clementine Isabelle and my Goose Mirabelle and am happy as a clam. Sometimes I think animals can sense something in you..something that they know they can fill or mend or that they just are supposed to be a part of your life.

This I completely understand. I was so heartbroken when I lost my calico baby last year, [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/dust-for-my-sick-kitty-please.198007/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/dust-for-my-sick-kitty-please.198007/[/URL] , and still am. I finally brought another kitty, and Siamese into my life a few months back. She's such fun to be around, and has healed my heart so much.

 

[chemgirl]

I'm a little weirded out by the cat trailer. It doesn't sound like these are well socialized cats.

Are there any rescues in your area that foster cats in homes? I think you would ideally want a cat who is used to children and dogs.

I could be totally off base, it just seems really strange to me that they are in a trailer.

As far as scratching goes, I have 3 cats who all have claws. I make sure to have scratching posts around the house and I trim their nails every 3 weeks or so. I also the crazy lady who scratches all of the furniture in the store before I buy it. If I can feel texture I look for something else. So far no destroyed furniture.

Goodluck! If you end up going, keep your phone close at hand.

 

[Gypsy]

My kids have destroyed some furniture. But then, so have I.

I have gotten really good at anti-cat furniture though.

Like:
Iron Bed.
Wood and Iron Coffee table.
Microfiber couches (synthetics clean up easier)
They are less likely to attack Leather than they are Leather-ette/bonded/vinyl
Outdoor fabric upholstery on the dining set (tightly woven and water resistant, cleans up easy).
No drapes.
And high end vinyl plank flooring. With cowhide rugs (these clean up easy).

Avoid chenille and anything loosely woven.

Was lucky with 2 of my cats showing no interest in leather...

But my little girl...she destroyed our leather couch. Destroyed.

We have a scratching post, a couple of small rugs that are theirs, and a couple of floor scratching surfaces...but she loves scratching on the leather couch.

Partly our fault because we waited way too long to get a couch cover. I don't know what the heck we were waiting for.

Do you find that they are not attracted to scratching on microfiber or could that potentially be a problem?

Couches with covers on them - even an attractive one in the same color as the couch - don't look so hot.

(ETA my goodness Niel I totally intruded on your thread with my own stuff. Sorry.)

All of mind leave my microfiber couch alone except my white cat. And what he does is for some reason, he likes sit while to hook his claws into the back of it (tightback) occasionally. Usually we catch him. And he doesn't do it all the time. But it does have some pulls. Best thing about microfiber is the stain resistance. I just got the couch professionally cleaned and it looks great again, thankfully. So far it's been 4 years with this couch. We are hoping to move it to the 'man cave' next year and replace it. Probably with another microfiber couch, but not with a tight back (so the brat will leave it alone).

 

[Niel]

Someone at work told me to tape balloons to things so if the cat tries to catch them it'll startle the cat.


Smart I thought.

I'm going catting tomorrow, so I'll update with any interesting info

 

[Gypsy]

Someone at work told me to tape balloons to things so if the cat tries to catch them it'll startle the cat.


Smart I thought.

I'm going catting tomorrow, so I'll update with any interesting info

Only works on certain cats, though. I had one that LIKED loud bangs and sounds and would actually knock stuff down and break stuff to watch it fall and wouldn't startle worth a damn.

Also, my white cat has the self preservation instincts of a lemming. Wouldn't faze him at all either.

 

[arkieb1]

I agree our inside cat likes balloons, and when they pop he and our 7 year old think it's really funny the only person it startles is me. And come to think of it he also likes knocking things down and smashing stuff as well

So did you get a cat????

 

[missy]

Good luck Niel. I hope you find a wonderful cat to join your family.

It is heartbreaking people still declaw their cats knowing how awful it is to do so or just not caring. Now I am thinking of that poor cat that is up for adoption who is declawed. I hope he gets a good home.

 

[CJ2008]

My kids have destroyed some furniture. But then, so have I.

I have gotten really good at anti-cat furniture though.

Like:
Iron Bed.
Wood and Iron Coffee table.
Microfiber couches (synthetics clean up easier)
They are less likely to attack Leather than they are Leather-ette/bonded/vinyl
Outdoor fabric upholstery on the dining set (tightly woven and water resistant, cleans up easy).
No drapes.
And high end vinyl plank flooring. With cowhide rugs (these clean up easy).

Avoid chenille and anything loosely woven.

Was lucky with 2 of my cats showing no interest in leather...

But my little girl...she destroyed our leather couch. Destroyed.

We have a scratching post, a couple of small rugs that are theirs, and a couple of floor scratching surfaces...but she loves scratching on the leather couch.

Partly our fault because we waited way too long to get a couch cover. I don't know what the heck we were waiting for.

Do you find that they are not attracted to scratching on microfiber or could that potentially be a problem?

Couches with covers on them - even an attractive one in the same color as the couch - don't look so hot.

(ETA my goodness Niel I totally intruded on your thread with my own stuff. Sorry.)

All of mind leave my microfiber couch alone except my white cat. And what he does is for some reason, he likes sit while to hook his claws into the back of it (tightback) occasionally. Usually we catch him. And he doesn't do it all the time. But it does have some pulls. Best thing about microfiber is the stain resistance. I just got the couch professionally cleaned and it looks great again, thankfully. So far it's been 4 years with this couch. We are hoping to move it to the 'man cave' next year and replace it. Probably with another microfiber couch, but not with a tight back (so the brat will leave it alone).

The reason is because that's just how things are, why have it be easy

My boy eats fabric, my girl shreds paper to pieces. So nothing is safe.

We prefer the look of leather, but if we were to replace this couch (and I really really don't feel like spending $ on this right now) we'd have to immediately cover it it so that the same thing doesn't happen.

(I don't know what a tight back is but will look it up.)

 

[NOYFB]

They rescued the cat at 4 weeks-DOB June, 2015 and she already is declawed? I did not think that rescue shelters declawed. I am a dog person but have rescued two cats since we can not have a dog. I thought I would declaw until I read about the procedure and psychological effects afterward. Thankfully our cat is not a scratcher. He is black and white short hair and likes to playbite- a lot.

I looked through quite a few of the other kitties bios as well and most of them are front declawed. That in and of itself would make me wary of this particular rescue shelter. Why are they declawing all of their kitties????

 

[Niel]

I went to the friend2felines that 2needles suggested and it was such a good idea. They had 7 rooms and then cats also roaming the halls because one was getting cleaned. They had one cat that I went in thinking I would get. Who was adorable, but couldn't care less about me. The woman let me stroll through each room. I tried to just sit there and see if any came up to me, then ask if they were gold with kids and dogs.

There where two cats I really liked, a few others I may have liked but I didn't adopt them for one reason or another. One had fiv, one had very long hair, or had trouble with its eyes.

The two that where nice to me where both beautiful. The one I left there had anxiety issues and was returned once already. She was a sweetheart but u didn't think my lifestyle with kids and a dog would be helpful to her.

The last one I did adopt! She warmed right up to me, lete hold her, got on my lap but didn't seem needy. They say she's good with dogs or cats but so far she doesn't like Mort. It's a lot to take in for her though so I'm acclimating them slowly. She is all black save one spot under her neck. I suspect that why she was still there as for some reason I guess people don't like black cats?

Either way, we've named her Emoji, she's very good with my three year old already and I think will be a nice addition

Photos are extremely difficult at this time.lol

 

[Niel]

Here's one terrible photo

 

[CJ2008]

She is so so cute.

 

[canuk-gal]

adorable!

 

[packrat]

Yay! I'm so glad you found a kitty! Emoji is very pretty! I like black kitties. My brother adopted a couple years ago from the Humane Society in the city and he went specifically for a black cat b/c they're I guess considered the least adoptable.

When I brought Clementine home, she went and hid and I just left her for a few hours. I figured she'd sniff out where the food/water/litter was if she needed it and I wanted to not chase after and force myself on her. (Love me! LOOOOVE MEEEEEE) After a while..gosh I want to think it was like that night, I went to look for her and she was under my bed. I just stretched out on the floor and looked at her for a few minutes, did the slow blinking (which when I started watching My Cat From Hell I found out was a good thing, but I just did it b/c that's how cats blink at me so I thought that was a regular thing) and then I called "kitty kitty kitty" in a soft voice and Clem sprinted to me, all hunched over b/c she was under the bed-she came out and just was ALL over me. I stayed on the floor for a while and she just spent all that time rubbing her face all over mine. Britta was furious and spent a couple days in Trappers closet. She still hasn't warmed up to her and it's been 3 years. She's not been the same since we lost Bella, so we just don't force it. Opilio wasn't happy at first but after a couple days they would get closer-lay on the same bed but not together..then they would lay a little more next to each other, and after a couple weeks they were curled up together. I did the same thing w/Goose. She took a little longer to accept us and to accept the other kitties, but then she was fine. Clem and Opilio would hiss and not want to be by Goose, and I'd tell Clem that wasn't very nice b/c she used to be the new girl too. After a short period of time, all three of them would be in a pile on the bed. And even now, Britta will be on the bed too, but not snuggle w/the others.

Our dog Chicken is very submissive, so the girls would get low and hiss a couple times and Chicken would just look at them, so now sometimes we have the cats piled up on top of the dog.

I know you're supposed to introduce pets differently but I never have.

 

[Niel]

Yay! I'm so glad you found a kitty! Emoji is very pretty! I like black kitties. My brother adopted a couple years ago from the Humane Society in the city and he went specifically for a black cat b/c they're I guess considered the least adoptable.

When I brought Clementine home, she went and hid and I just left her for a few hours. I figured she'd sniff out where the food/water/litter was if she needed it and I wanted to not chase after and force myself on her. (Love me! LOOOOVE MEEEEEE) After a while..gosh I want to think it was like that night, I went to look for her and she was under my bed. I just stretched out on the floor and looked at her for a few minutes, did the slow blinking (which when I started watching My Cat From Hell I found out was a good thing, but I just did it b/c that's how cats blink at me so I thought that was a regular thing) and then I called "kitty kitty kitty" in a soft voice and Clem sprinted to me, all hunched over b/c she was under the bed-she came out and just was ALL over me. I stayed on the floor for a while and she just spent all that time rubbing her face all over mine. Britta was furious and spent a couple days in Trappers closet. She still hasn't warmed up to her and it's been 3 years. She's not been the same since we lost Bella, so we just don't force it. Opilio wasn't happy at first but after a couple days they would get closer-lay on the same bed but not together..then they would lay a little more next to each other, and after a couple weeks they were curled up together. I did the same thing w/Goose. She took a little longer to accept us and to accept the other kitties, but then she was fine. Clem and Opilio would hiss and not want to be by Goose, and I'd tell Clem that wasn't very nice b/c she used to be the new girl too. After a short period of time, all three of them would be in a pile on the bed. And even now, Britta will be on the bed too, but not snuggle w/the others.

Our dog Chicken is very submissive, so the girls would get low and hiss a couple times and Chicken would just look at them, so now sometimes we have the cats piled up on top of the dog.

I know you're supposed to introduce pets differently but I never have.

Thank you for the info, for sure!

He's just curious and she's afraid of him. It'll just take time I think. We have a finished basement with a child gate at the stairs so she has the downstairs for now and we let her come up to see us if she wants. My kids are crazy about her

My 10 mo old is even a fan lol. I'm keeping the baby gate for them too so they don't love it to death.

 

[packrat]

Ooo I like this last picture! Such pretty eyes!