I'm going to join the world of cat owners!!!!

meritaten

I, for one, cannot wait to find out what you bring home! don't forget the pics!

gettingready

waiting here too - hurry up

martin2345uk

Blimey, the new door isn't being installed until May 15th..! Hehe, maybe I was a bit premature in starting this thread, I was just quite excited! :T

gettingready

Where in UK are you anyway?

gettingready

martin2345uk wrote: »

Blimey, the new door isn't being installed until May 15th..! Hehe, maybe I was a bit premature in starting this thread, I was just quite excited! :T

Fantastic timing as for the first few weeks you will need to keep the kitty in so he/she/they get used to where they live - by the time they do.. wohoooo a door with cat flap will be ready

gettingready

in case you are in/around London...

http://www.celiahammond.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=9&MMN_position=16:16

martin2345uk

Aww thank you - I'm actually in sunny (?) Manchester, though originally from Chelmsford, Essex (woohoo).

When one gets a cat, assuming it's an adult cat, is it best to, say, get it on a friday, so you can spend the weekend at home with it... or is that not enough? Should you book some time off work (mon-fri job) so that you can "bond" with it...?

Iain_L

Hi Martin, welcome to the minority world of crazy cat men.....all that you need now is to get roped into volunteering for your local rescue and your life will be on its way to being complete.

If you get an adult cat then a Friday collection may be a good idea, as long as you're not planning any big get-togethers in the house that weekend. You may find that when you first bring the cat home it doesn't appear sociable as it is a big change for it. I would advise not to rush it. Stick with your normal routine and suddenly you'll feel this furry monster rubbing against your ankles, or that little thump as a visitor jumps up onto your lap or bed.

Seriously, make sure your new arrival has a safe place that it can go without being bothered just in case it is feeling a bit stressed.

Like many on here I would go for 2 if you can, particularly if they are young adults that play. Bear in mind though, that you may choose 2 and then feel that they are not really bonding - it can be a bit of a gamble as to whether you get a pair that play together, sleep together or just 2 for whom the best the relationship gets is a tolerance of each other. Local rescues may well have cats that have been living together and need homing together - certainly we are getting several of those in at the moment.

Thinking practicalities here, the general recommendation is one litter tray per cat plus one extra. We have 3 cats at the moment, and have only one tray which works for us, although obviously it needs a lot of cleaning. This is because we live rurally, and our cats are flitting in and out all day/evening (although in at night because of the foxes and badgers that visit then). Have you got room to seperate the litter trays from the food - after all, you wouldn't want to eat in the toilet would you?

Finally, a plea for the older cats; cats can easily live into the very late teens/early 20s. Please don't ignore the older ones because they need loving homes (which it sounds like they'll get with you) just as much. I work abroad at the moment, and because I missed the company I adopted a 10 year old, who was going to be put to sleep because his owner of 9 1/2 years didn't want to bring him back to UK. He is now 13, and loves running around the flat playing.

Sorry for going on in this post - just get passionate about my animals.

:beer:

Iain

PS, black cats are harder to home, but just think of them as little black panthers - who can resist them....

Swampy3k

See now here I have a dilemna, I am a dog man at heart, can could think of nothing more blissful than having a German Shepherd or a Husky and taking it with me for runs around the local loch or getting my faithful companion in the front seat of the car as I disappear up north for a few days camping... but no.

I inherited a black female cat who is about 2/3 years old when my girlfriend moved in. The reasoning behind this was "both of us or none of us". talk about held to ransom. Now I admit I was not keen on the idea and lets just say we didn't gel well as I didn't like it when she tried to sit beside me on the couch (the cat not the girlfriend!) so with a gentle *nudge* of the toes, she was off.

4 months later, like today for example, I know the cat is probably lying sleeping next to my girlfriend as I am working nightshift, she leaves for work at 8, I arrive home at half 8. the cat will get up, stretch off, eat some food, lick herself, then I come in, 15 mins later I am in bed and she will most likely be sleeping in the crook of my arm or wierdly as she likes to do sleep on my chest... and I find myself thinking does she get lonely when no one is in and contemplating a 2nd moggie...

Girlfriend seen me coming....

Iain_L

Davie-G wrote: »

See now here I have a dilemna, I am a dog man at heart, can could think of nothing more blissful than having a German Shepherd or a Husky and taking it with me for runs around the local loch or getting my faithful companion in the front seat of the car as I disappear up north for a few days camping... but no.

I inherited a black female cat who is about 2/3 years old when my girlfriend moved in. The reasoning behind this was "both of us or none of us". talk about held to ransom. Now I admit I was not keen on the idea and lets just say we didn't gel well as I didn't like it when she tried to sit beside me on the couch (the cat not the girlfriend!) so with a gentle *nudge* of the toes, she was off.

4 months later, like today for example, I know the cat is probably lying sleeping next to my girlfriend as I am working nightshift, she leaves for work at 8, I arrive home at half 8. the cat will get up, stretch off, eat some food, lick herself, then I come in, 15 mins later I am in bed and she will most likely be sleeping in the crook of my arm or wierdly as she likes to do sleep on my chest... and I find myself thinking does she get lonely when no one is in and contemplating a 2nd moggie...

Girlfriend seen me coming....

Davie, our Shepherd just loves all our cats - there is something about watching such a big powerful dog gently washing the ears of one of our cats, and the cats just sitting there with this "Oh what the heck it'll stop soon" expression its face.

It'd just be the vanishing for a few days camping you miss out on.

Iain