Kitties?

[spryng]

Ever since Lady discovered she's no longer allergic to cats, the largest hurdle to our ever owning one has become purely a logistics issue. We live in an apartment, we're transient, and cats cost money. Plus hair, everywhere.

But but but. the_verb knows someone who has two kitties who need a home. And even if someone more suitable steps in for them, there are all those older cats out there who need to be adopted. Vaccines taken care of. Already litter box trained. Cute. Non-demons. And cats don't need round-the-clock supervision or running-homes to take them for a walk.

I want cats. I've wanted cats since I had a friend who had cats. It just wasn't ever going to happen 'cause my family was allergic and then Lady was allergic. But now she's not and I suppose we run the risk of her allergies coming back, but kitties! I know I am currently blinded by confirmation bias when it comes to looking at the downside of kittens. So tell me what I should be aware of, if we do end up doing this. Vet bills, yes, and that damn pet deposit. But are there other things we should be aware of?

Ultimately the decision will be made by me and Lady, but any input would help a lot.

Oh, and also, if kittens are gotten, you guys will be suffering from the flood of obligatory my-cat-is-the-cutest photos. Just FYI.


KITTIES

Comments

[whirlwynd.livejournal.com]

XD I, for one, would look forward to "my-cat-is-the-cutest" photos. I've always wanted a cat myself, but couldn't for pretty much the same reasons as you.

[delete-the-star.livejournal.com]

Cats-yes, very good.

Kittens-Demons from hell. Destroyers of things. 4:15am wake up. Get stuck in weird places (between the screen door and the wooden door). Super cute but less so when attacking your feet from under the couch.

Get old cats, they need homes badly. I'm a sucker and I ended up with two four year old, fluffy, FIV+, boy cats. Best boys ever. One passed recently due to his compromised immune system. It was crazy expensive but even though I had him less than a year, it was worth it. He was a total love bug.

[thezhen.livejournal.com]

Cats are awesome. That being said, if I were to do it all over again, I'd avoid male kittens altogether (but a chill older male cat might be OK). Boy cats get crazy if you introduce another pet into the mix, and they spray foul smelling urine all over their territory.

The biggest decision is about de-clawing. If it's a indoor cat, and will always be an indoor cat, it should be considered. But if there's the slightest chance this cat could end up outdoors, if even for a little bit each day, the claws should stay.

The fluffy ones are cute, but they get massive hairballs (kitty puke with hair in it, on your carpet) and Sarah's allergies might get aggravated.

Only other concern is who keeps watch if you guys go on a trip. There are catteries and such, but maybe you have a nice friend or neighbor willing to check in on your kitty while you're away.

[the-verb.livejournal.com]

Cats: pretty easy, as they do a lot for you. They wake you up in the morning (Tiny is my alarm clock), they tell you when they're hungry, and they know by instinct where to poop.

I've always thought female cats were bitchy, as my best experiences have been with males (Faf, Odin, Lucky, etc.) Tiny's been great, though. Males don't usually spray unless they're unaltered, and I've always spayed/neutered my pets young enough so that marking hasn't been an issue. But your cats are girls!

I don't ever declaw. Ever (though I've seriously considered it for, say, Tiki, who knows how to use her claws and scratches up EVERYTHING). Double-sided sticky tape and water are pretty good deterrents to scratching furniture. I know some people swear by declawing their cats, but from what I've read, you're essentially making sure your cat is unable to fully stretch their paw muscles or anchor/steady themselves. Indoor cats also occasionally get out - they have no way to defend themselves against other strays/coyotes/etc.

[audesapere.livejournal.com]

I am pro-kitties.

[audesapere.livejournal.com]

+1 on all of this.

Also, this may be because my cats are wimps who see me as Ultimate Mother, but I use nail clippers to trim their claws. I get them when they're sleepy and they're okay with it because I began to do it, as per the advice of my vet, when they were young. It minimizes the damages a lot, htough not totally.

[caloris.livejournal.com]

nyan. :3

[pennywhistle.livejournal.com]

No, seriously. HAIR EVERYWHERE.

Um...kittens are exuberant? They will pounce on your toes. Also, if you train them to have treats in the morning, they will wake you up as soon as the sun comes up at 5am and you just want to sleep in. Or maybe that's just mine.

Since they have each other to play with, they shouldn't be too bad. Sabrina was seriously crazy when she was a single kitten; she would bite us ALL THE TIME. We got Bat and it calmed her down a lot.

KITTENS!!! I WANT TO PET THEM!!

[mockturtlesoup.livejournal.com]

As a counter to Barbara's comment, I personally like females about the same as males, but they are often more distant with strangers and more tightly bonded to their people, in my experience. i liked having one of each. soon i'll be living with 2 females, i just hope theyre ok together. cats are such individuals and it's damn hard to predict.


i really just wanted to say, if you get kittens, i believe in regular maulings of kittens. I think the best way to end up with an adult cat that will let you do whatever you want to it is to give it to a toddler, haha. if you don't have a toddler, make the kitten put up with being lightly manhandled. i think it's like physical socializing. physicalizing. it sure makes things like claw trimming and vet visits a lot easier later on.

[mockturtlesoup.livejournal.com]

heh just read the rest of the comments and want to comment.

I guess I should say i like neutered males. I've never had one spray if it was fixed at a very young age.

never ever ever feed them first thing in the morning and they won't wake you up, but if you want a furry alarm clock, go for it.

yes and kittens can absolutely be demons from hell, but when it's over you'll look back on it fondly. their antics are amusing enough that i think it's (almost always) worth it. (almost always because i've met a couple kittens who were TOO much, but most of them wont make you bleed too often.)

[the-verb.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, Faf struggles like I'm trying to decapitate him when he sees the nail clippers coming. I use the scissor versions, then sit on him. That's about the only way the claws get clipped. Tiny's much better about it, as she's been to so many vets and was manhandled so much as a kitten that it no longer phases her.