General Discussion

@Zebi Most of what the tread here covered a lot of stuff so here is my advice that won't repeat stuff. Give LOTS of love. It may take a while for them to get used to you but with enough love and attention they will accept you as their companion. When you get it for the first time, don't show frustration when trying to bond with it. Cats are sensitive to human emotion. If they feel your frustration they might get scared or annoyed.

Oh wow ;u; I wasn't expecting so much feedback! Thank you, this has been very helpful!
I still have a lot of questions though, heh. I don't wanna bug people who didn't ask to be pinged so if you'd like, you can sub to the thread. :)

@quincely

My house is pretty large, and we do have a lot of plants though. I guess maybe I could move them into a room where the cat isn't allowed...

Also how high can they jump and how persistent would they be to get into certain areas? Could I maybe just use a dog exercise pen to block off where the couch is?

Another thing I forgot to ask is do all male cats spray? Sounds like some cats can just be a mess to deal with and others are well behaved and easy to care for. What should I look for in a shelter cat if I don't know how they'll act at home?

And yeah I'll definitely try to keep it inside. My neighbor has outdoor cats and three have died that way. Maybe more, actually. They've had a lot of cats. Two I know just didn't come back one days, and one was hit by a car. Honestly it really worries me that the cat would slip out and open door. Maybe I could keep the cat upstairs, block off the stairwell?

@Zebi

Cats are notorious plant eaters. Deterrent spray will probably work, just don't use lemon juice (i've seen it suggested before and it's really toxic to cats/dogs! probably the amount on a plant isnt enough to do damage, but it's better to be safe than sorry) BUT make sure to keep toxic plants out of their way. Lillies are the most toxic I can think of rn

Cats can jump... really high. But it does depend a bit on your cat and how desperate they are to get somewhere. Some cats are really relaxed, others are adventurous (again, an older cat would be less likely to 'adventure' in this case). A dog exercise pen may not work if the cat REALLY wants to get over there. It'd deter them, but it won't stop them. If it has holes in it, the cat can also use that to climb!

If you really don't want a cat on the couch/scratching it, you could start with the pen and just make that area of the house is Not Interesting... like put a bunch of toys & food in other areas. If you're in that area a lot, though, your cat will want your attention and probably get in... cats are not untrainable, though. if you stop/correct them from getting on the couch/scratching it, they will learn.

Male cats can't spray if they're fixed! Just another wonderful reason to get them neutered lol. Cat pee does NOT smell good

Again, usually with adult cats (2-3+ years), you often get what you see. By that age, they've calmed down a bit and settled into a personality. Kittens are wild and you have no clue what they'll be like. Plus, older cats sometimes are already "trained" by previous owners (not to scratch on certain things, litterbox, etc). If you're really worried about it, you could look for a cat that's in a foster home. The foster owner could tell you a lot about how they act, since they pretty much own them!

Again, some cats are adventurous and others are not. One of my old cats LOVED to try to sneak out, and the other tried to every now and then but didn't care quite as much. the cat I have now must've had her share of the outdoors as a feral, because we tried to get her outside in the fenced-in yard for a bit and she was NOT having it. Just watch your door, make sure there's no hiding places right by it the cat can sprint from. The people i used to babysit for have a little table by their door and the cat would hide underneath it to sprint outside.

if you have any more questions, feel free to ask! if I can't answer them i can at least put you in the right direction :] i love cats so much

Dont pick a cat, let the cat pick you!! <3













Please click the hatchlings!! They will die in 12 hours!!

@zebi
like some other people said, don't let your cat outside. not only is it harmful to the ecosystem, but your cat could get run over by a car or eaten by a coyote or fox and die a horrible death. (if you live near coyotes/foxes) also, i would recommend adopting an adult cat from a rescue shelter. they are often living in better conditions than a cat from a pet store. oh, and never declaw the cat. they will act real mean for the rest of their life, plus it's really bad for their health. once my aunt had her cat declawed, and she hated any human coming close to her. putting that cat deterrent spray on your furniture is a much better option for the cat.
edit: and, make sure the cat is spayed/neutered.

@Zebi

My grandparents used to have a farm with a barn. Outdoor cats were good then cause they caught the mice. Also, good to remember that cats domesticated themselves, and did come from the wild. ..but it all depends on where you live.
My current cat is indoors, but that's because she doesn't even like going out. She also doesn't like wearing collars, and the flea medicine I had to put on her made he twitch, so I stopped using it.

As for how my cat behaves-
-She doesn't scratch furniture really. She did the corners of one chair, but stopped after we got a proper scratching post. She scratched the carpet under my door because she doesn't like when I close her into a room. She also scratches the stairsteps for some reason.
We don't trim her nails because she really hated it, and it was hard not to hurt her while doing it.

-She's not picky about her cat food, but she likes to refuse other treats we'll try to give her, like fish or chicken. She's not big on milk either, but she'll lick a little of it.. but basically you can leave food out and she won't bother it.
She chewed my one bamboo plant once, but that's the only plant she ever did.
She vomits occasionally- not hairballs, but food if she eats too fast.
Also, we have mice occasionally. She catches them and will eat them if not taken away from her, so she's a hunter.

-Behaviorally, she's nice, but not cuddly. She likes to be near people, but doesn't like to be held. She will not bite or scratch though. Pet her and she'll start to lick you.
Only time she does scratch is when we play. She doesn't know to put her claws away.
Though I will say, as good as she is, keep the litterbox clean. Sometimes she will take offense to it being dirty and urinate outside of it.

She's from a shelter, and turned out pretty fine, but it's hard to say with cats. They're all individuals. I'm heard of some cats that chew cords, so I'm glad she doesn't do that.

@Zebi

My cat doesn't intentionally scratch my couch, but she does scratch the carpet. Her claws also grow very fast and she gets them "caught" in the couch often and I have to clip them. If you have tall chairs that are leather they will show claw marks from the cat jumping and gripping with their claws.

So even if they don't intentionally scratch, they still might do it as part of normal walking/jumping/exploring.

I would recommend an older cat, since they are less likely to jump and are generally more settled. My cat is 17 and very chill. She mostly ignores plants that aren't grass; however, make sure that any plants you have aren't poisonous to cats.

And if it's any comfort, I don't think it's "replacing" your old pup to get another dog after he passes. They will definitely be individuals personality wise, so a new dog could never replace your old guy :) Steph Davis has a really nice piece talking about her experience after her first dog died.

A smart this to do with cats is to leave them in a single room so they get used to the house and it's smells. Put a few scratching posts in too so that it gets more used to scratching those instead of furniture.
Cat's are awesome and chill, you shouldn't worry too much. I had one cat that was always stressed and freaked out, but that was because she didn't like living with the other four cats (Yes, I'm a crazy weirdo cat lady :p). Cats love to sleep and play and chill with you, so I think you'll be fine.
For us, we have one of those durable leather couches that can't get bruised up by a cat's claws, so you there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Also, cats have an awesome sense of direction. The first time I let my newest cat out, she stayed away for the whole day, but came back before night to get fed. You shouldn't worry too much about cats getting lost. As for a permanent indoor cat, I'm not sure how to help you there.
@Zebi