Help Me Weigh Pros and Cons

janedoe1113a

We rescued a stray kitten from outside the other day.  I haven't taken it to the vet yet because I'm waiting to decide whether we're going to keep it.  We have the option to keep the cat or to have our friend who works at the Humane Society take it and put it into a foster home.I would really like to keep the cat, but I've never really had a cat before.  My parents had some, but they were always outside cats and I was young so I don't know much about them.So, cat ladies, please enlighten me on the pros and cons of cat life.  We already own a 16 pound dog, but I think she would warm up to the cat pretty quickly.  A couple of my concerns are how often you have to change a litter box and also scratching.  We just got new furniture and I'm worried about the cat destroying it.Thanks in advance!

alixzafiris

Litter depends on the cat.My cat doesn't scratch anything. We got her at 5 months and when we took her home, stopped and bought a couple of small scratching posts and trained her to use them. They're the only things she scratches - ever.

lpstl

Cats are very low maintenance, we clean out Zelda's litter box about every 2-3 days, but she happens to be a little finicky about it. I know people who only have to scoop once a week for one cat.She was already declawed when we got her, but I've had clawed cats before and a scratching post has worked well for them.

kate51485

I've had cats without claws, with claws who do not scratch, and with claws who scratched terribly.  Alix is correct, scratching posts are a must!

Brie2010

We scoop our litter boxes 1-2 times a day, which takes all of 30 seconds, and completely change them once a week.  It's not a big deal.Scratching is natural--it's going to happen.  Do not declaw the cat--there are other solutions.  Google SoftPaws, and get a good nail trimming lesson from the vet.  Try out a bunch of scratching posts to find out what she likes.Our cats and dog are fine together.

janedoe1113a

We are definitely not going to declaw.  I was looking into those Soft Paws.  Anyone used them?  Are they any good?

Amaryllis619

I've grown up always having a cat in the house.  Currently we live in an apt and have a cat.  We've had her ever since she was a kitten, and early on got her a few scratching posts and trained her to use them.  Does she still scratch the couch occasionally? yes.  Does she do it often? no.  But whenever I'm home and she does that I squirt her with water, to try and *train* her against it.  She definately has a personality on her (like most cats) and does what she wants, when she wants.  Sometimes I wish we had a dog, because she can be so aloof.  But I couldn't imagine my life without her.  I LOVE my cat. 

ggmae

We have 3 cats and change the litter box 1-2 times a day depending on how full it is. Our cats scratched a lot in the beginning (us and the furniture), but we got them a scratching post and so far, so good. DH showed them how to use it and they caught on really quickly.I had a cat growing up, but my parents took care of it. I had several dogs and had always considered myself more of a dog person until I got my 3. I absolutely love them and while they can be a handful at times, I am so happy we got them.

ggmae

We used kitten Softpaws on one of our cats a few months ago. He was scratching most often and his nails were the longest, so he was our guinea pig. They did work, but fell off easily. You have to pretty much super glue them on their nails and if not done correctly, they are too long. Poor Bear had no idea what we had done to him when we put them on him! Haha.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

You can get cardboard scratching pads at petsmart. They smell like cat nip so the cat will scratch on it. I've never tried these, but there's also something called Soft Paws which are little caps you glue on their nails, like acrylic nails almost, that dull the nails so they don't do damage.I clean my cat box every 4-6 days, depending on schedule and when I start to be able to smell it. My mom scoops her's everyday for one cat, but that's because she's a super huge clean nut with major OCD. Cats are usually pretty easy, especially if you are used to dogs. You can leave them over night, leave food out for them, etc.

ggmae

She definately has a personality on her (like most cats) and does what she wants, when she wants.My Coco does this too, excessively.. My mom calls her Diva.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

FYI I haven't used the soft paws. My cat came declawed and the one we are fostering now is 7 and knowns (pretty much) to only scratch his scratching pad. But when we get another cat I'm definitely going to try them.

Leah&Christian09

It depends on the cat and how you train her. Training a cat isn't like a dog, but they do learn. The younger the, the better. I've never had a dog, so I don't know about getting them to get along. We clean the litter every 1-2 days for our two cats. When I only had one, I did it maybe twice a week. It doesn't get gross that quickly, but their urine smells so awful. We use a flushable wheat litter, so small cleans are just a few quick scoops into the toilet. If you can put it in a basement or someplace, you can probably get away with doing it once a week. They don't eat very much at all. A $7 bag of cat food lasts us 2-3 weeks. They need to get brushed about once a week, and there's still a lot of cat hair in my vacuum. As far as scratching, ours are pretty well trained. We keep their nails trimmed, so that helps. If you start clipping when they are little, they don't mind it. They have a couple of scratching posts, so they're distracted. It took a little bit of training when they were young, but really just a squirt bottle and paying attention for a little while. Kittens go through a nutty period while they are young. They attack everything and anything and aren't quiet about it. It just takes patience, and it helps to spend a lot of time playing with them every day. When my cat was little, she would chase around a laser pointer for hours and still wake me up attacking my feet in the middle of the night. After that, they pretty much chill out and become awesome pets. If you give them a lot of attention and love when they are little, they tend to stay lovey their whole life. After they cross out of kittendom, they really don't need very much attention. My cats entertain themselves with each other an ponytail holders for hours. Compared to dogs, they are a breeze to take care of. You don't have to rush home from work to let them out, they don't get lonely, etc.

thesuninherhead

At least once a day you'll need to scoop the litter. It's not a big deal, though. As for scratching, you will need to invest in (or make, if you're handy like that) a scratching post or two so that kitten has somewhere 'good' to scratch. Through rewarding them when they do use them, I've found it simple to keep our cats from destroying our furniture. Ours don't even scratch anything other than the posts, actually. I would want to get the kitten vet checked in any case asap to ensure that all is ok.

katiewhompus

I scoops clump once every day or 3 days depending on the week, then fully clean it about once every 2 weeks. You can train cats to now claw. You can also use Soft Claws (they come off quicker on small kittens because they grow, so be prepared for that), or you can use Sticky Paws furniture tape.I love my cat and don't know what I would do without her. She has gotten me through some very dark emotional places in the past and is one of the best things that came into my life. Sure you sometimes will have to deal with potty accidents, cranky days and vet bills, but it's so worth it.I also feel cats are a ton easier to deal with than dogs when it comes to maintenance (cleaning, feeding, etc), so you should be a pro at this in no time

thesuninherhead

Having read the responses- seems most people don't scoop as often as I would. I'm sure you could let it go longer, but the thing is that cats will go outside of their box if it is too dirty, and that can start a habit which is terribly hard to break.

SnShne322

I only have to scoop my cats box every 4-7 day.  Thankfully she's never gone outside her box, and I will just check to see when it needs to be cleaned.My cat scratches a lot.  I fully take responisibility for it though.  They can learn not to if you train them right, I just didn't.I can't think of too many downsides other than allergies.  They are pretty self sufficient!

ggmae

I'm sure you could let it go longer, but the thing is that cats will go outside of their box if it is too dirty, and that can start a habit which is terribly hard to break. This is what our Henry did. We ended up getting an additional box and scooping twice a day on some days instead of once. It's worked well and he is no longer going outside of the box.

jlaroo33

Dang, my cats must be poop machines. I have a seperate litter box for each and scoop them both twice a day.

janedoe1113a

I would want to get the kitten vet checked in any case asap to ensure that all is ok.We're having a friend from the Humane Society come to look at her tomorrow and then if we decide to keep her, we'll get her to the vet next week.

smokeybailey

I have 2 12 year old cats:1.  I scoop the box twice a day2.  I have to give Smokey medicine EVERY day and an enema at least once a week.3.  I have cleaned up vomit, pee and poo in all kinds of places 4.  Bailey would NEVER scratch a piece of furniture.  Smokey is just bad and used to scratch everything.  He dug up the carpet next to my bedroom door in my old place.5.  Smokey is overweight so I buy him expensive food.6.  Smokey just sent to the neurologist for some issues.  $2K7.  Medical care is easily $1000-2000 a year on average for me as they get older.  They have 2 x's a year exams, senior blood panels and dental cleanings8.  My BF cannot get his dog because I would not introduce a dog to them at this point because it's not fair for them.  9.  The cat I grew up with was 18 when she was put down.  She was senile, a little deaf and vomited a lot.  I have probably at least another 6 years with my two.10.  Call my judgey if you will, but I don't believe that cats should be outside (I am not talking about barn cats on a big property; I am talking about cats in the neighborhood).11.  I haven't slept straight through the night at home in about 12 years.Given that...I will probably not get another cat after these guys but I do love them and would NOT trade them for anything.  If you are not sure, then this might not be the commitment you want to make.

thesuninherhead

You do have to be ready for vet bills- as with any pet. Cats are generally very hardy if you keep their immunisations etc up to date, but as Smokey points out, there are always going to be some health issues. Our 3 year old had lymphoma earlier this year and passed away a month after diagnosis. We easily spent $2500 on investigations and treatments. Likewise, Tapi (one of our 8 month olds) has had recurring eye infections, and we spent $450 on investigations alone. It isn't any different to any other pet, though, and for the most part all of the cats I know are quite healthy and live long happy lives. You do need to be prepared for the financial costs- as with any animal- but the emotional rewards are so very fantastic (particularly when you have a snuggly little one! although even our female who isn't a fan of anyone or anything still pulls at our heartstrings).

janedoe1113a

Having a dog, I definitely understand vet bills.

thesuninherhead

It sounds like you're really looking into everything and you are a great furparent. You'll have to post pictures of the kitten in question!

janedoe1113a

This is the cute little kitty.  I named her Freckles.  lol[img]http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs229.snc1/7628_989386419573_5230340_55422725_2008604_n.jpg[/img]I've got cuter ones, but I haven't uploaded them yet.  This was the first night we had her.

thesuninherhead

Can't wait to see more! She looks adorable (and tiny!)

janedoe1113a

She is very, very tiny.

kmmssg

We have 3 cats and everyone has covered just about everything. The one thing I would suggest before you get really attached to freckles is to take her to the vet and get a feline leukemia test done.  I lost a kitten (Goober) at 10 months to that and he had never been outside in his life.  His mother had been an outdoor cat and the vet she must have passed it to Goober.  I was crushed.  There is no cure.We "rescued" a cat from my DS's daycare a couple of years ago.  He was so glad to get away from the little kids.  Before DS knew we were going to do this I took the cat to the vet to be tested for feline leuk.  He came back clear so we took him.We also have a set of twins we got from Petsmart.  They are predominantly Maine Coon so they are huge suckers.  They are both over 16 lbs and the are about a year and a half old.  Dumber than a box of rocks even though we named them Einstein and Newton.  They will NOT cover their poop.We scoop at least once a day, total litter change at least once a week, 2 litter boxes.