Cats & Cost and other cat info

I am jumping on the "I wanna cat" bandwagon, maybe. Still much to consider.

On th topic of litter boxes: I used to HATE cleaning it when I lived in PA, now we clean them twice a day at work and it doesn't bother me in the least anymore. Do it frequently, and you just get used to it. Soooo much better to dig one bowel movement out of the box than waiting around and getting a dozen out. Plus, it's so much more sanitary and nice for the cat to always have a clean box.

Customers will tell me that they clean it like onc every two weeks and I think that is just vile. Nobody likes to step in their own poop.

Holy crap.... literally.
I never used to be such a stickler about scooping it -every- day (I used to do it like every other day), but for health purposes I like knowing how often my cat is peeing. lol. A dirty litter box is one of the greatest ways to get your cat to start using the bathroom in inappropriate places!

But yeah, it takes me like an entire 5 seconds to do a quick scooping every night. Not a bad deal and not any worse than picking up dog poo in the yard (I'd rather clean the litter box, fwiw!)

Yeah, if you clean it once a day it's not bad at all. What really makes it gross is all the pee that starts sticking together, But if there are just like three clumps of pee and a turd it's really not gross.

Just commenting on this. but this x10000.

I guess litter boxes wouldn't really be a huge deal to me. I think I'm so turned off by them because my step-mom lets her cats get disgusting and it smells gross all the time up there.

I had tons of cats growing up (at one point we had 7..ish?) and I just LOVE them. Every cat has a different personality, much like dogs. Some of ours were shy and liked to hide away all the time, some were mean (like they'd hiss and claw at you if you walked by them o.o) but MOST of them were very sweet, mellow, and loving. I had one cat that I used to sling around my neck and carry him around like that lol! Several of them were like dogs, and one of my cats knew how to sit, sit up, stand, dance, and speak (with hand cues).

An I agree, clean the box(es) DAILY and you won't have problems with accidents outside the box in most cases. One of our males would spray so we neutered him and it stopped (people debate about that but it worked for us).

I hope you get a kitten, they are awesome! As soon as I get my own place I'm getting a kitten and I told my dad I'm going to become a crazy cat lady since he's deprived me of cats for nearly 8 years LOL!!!

I'd either go to a shelter and meet kitties, or if you have your heart set on a purebred check out purebred cat rescues. I just got 3 gorgeous purebred Ragdolls into rescue, their owner lost their home.

My cats are amazing - but they're just fluffy orange rescue cats that had been dumped at a local farm when they were wee babies. They do have to eat raw though, kibble makes them leave kitty cow-patties all over. So they're more expensive than I thought they'd be.

On the upside, they do kill snakes and bugs and spiders in the basement.

Oh, hell, no. When people only feel like cleaning their litterboxes every other week it's just horrible and disgusting. Most cats won't even stand for that- they'll just go outside of their litterbox, and who can blame them?
The usual "rule" is also one litterbox per cat + 1 (so if you have four cats, get 5 litterboxes), but mine are weird and actually prefer to share one. Since my two cats share a litterbox I clean it 2-3 times a day. It's no big deal. The only time IMO when it's gross is when people don't clean it often enough.

I'm very partial to Siamese, as anyone who's ever talked to me about cats knows.
They're very lovey and interactive, but if you don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night with a cat meowing straight in your ear just wanting some attention, don't get a Siamese, lol.
Shelters have so many fabulous cats, but IME they don't give such a good impression and struggle a bit more with that environment. It's sad, because so often an amazing, affectionate, cuddly cat is hiding unseen behind the mask of a cat cowering in its cage.

Okay, ignore me. This entire post was a ramble.

I have 2 cats and 1 litter box. I do scoop it multiple times a day. The box is in an area I go by alot during the day so I just peek in and and scoop if there's something in there. I change the litter once a week.

I'm terrible about litterbox maintenance. Absolutely terrible. My cats are very tolerant cats, though. Bless them.

If anybody wants a cat, I've got one I'd love to rehome. He's a freaking bully to my other cats and I think everybody'd be happier if he went to a single cat household.

Cats are cats. We have two cats, and the two dogs. Very different critters.

Cats are DEFINITELY less work. Although its not in the "good cat owner" manual, we can and have left them alone for the weekend on many occasions (multiple big bowls of water, dry food (which is all mine eat) and clean litter boxes) and they are just fine. For longer trips, someone just needs to check in once a day, or once every two days . . .

Although cat lovers will kill me for this, cats are just NOT as smart as dogs (or at least, not as smart as smart dogs). Its not a trainability thing . . . the cats just have nowhere near the problem solving capability of the dogs. They are, however, quite good at training you . . . because following you around the house incessantly mewing is a great way to get you to do something.

It depends on the cat, but by and large, they aren't going to bond with you in the same way as a dog. It doesn't mean they don't love you, but its not the same sort of bond at all. Firdaus, my 18 in November cat, is bonded to me, and clearly prefers me to all other humans and obviously enjoys just spending time with me and being petted or even being nearby. I was told that while I was in India she would go to the door every day at the time I used to come home, looking for me. I love her with with all my heart. But its a very different relationship than with either of the dogs, who follow me around quite actively (Firdaus will sometimes follow me . . . sometimes) and look mournful when I leave them (she just goes to sleep). The dogs want/need to be with us. They want to do things for us (or at least are happy to do so). They want to play with us and interact. The cats, even Firdaus, want to be with us when they want to be with us.

No idea if they are cheaper. The supplies are, I guess, but I feed superpremium to the cats too. But I've spent a lot of money on vet bills and such over the years . . . and I was pretty much broke until I started working at the firm, so the dogs came right when I had some money to spend, and thus they got a lot spent on them. I'd say cats are somewhat cheaper, but they do get sick, and because they hide it, they may be VERY sick by the time you get them to the vet . . . and that's a big bill.

But don't get a cat if you want another dog. Get a cat because you want a cat. There are dog-like cats (and cat-like dogs) but most cats, are well, cats.

Notably, all my cats have been rescues and I've never seen a need for a purebred cat.

I have never considered the breed playing into the temperament of my cats, actually. All of my cats have been rescues and I just thought of them as individuals. I have always LOVED MY CATS. I have always been a dog person but I have always absolutely loved my kitties. I seriously suggest you adopt a kitten from the pound, if you have yet to visit a few cat rooms in animal shelters, it is heartbreaking how many cats and kittens there are and disgusting how many of them are put to sleep. The shelters around here give adult cats away for free and kittens are $50. You would have no problem finding a kitten you love at an animal shelter. They easier than dogs IMO just change the litter box twice a week. As long as they don't pee or spray all over your house! (I highly doubt a kitten would do that though).

No killing. But I do disagree. IME cats are extremely intelligent animals, smarter than dogs, absolutely not. But as smart as dogs (in most ways, not all), yes. My cats (well, cat. One of them is dumb, I won't deny that, lol) can open any door, including rooms around the house, cupboards, the refrigerator. They know how to open boxes using the "human" way of pulling back flaps, not even just chewing through them. Seeing as they started out having a problem (no access to those places and inside food boxes) and came up with a solution, I think that's pretty good problem solving.
I've taught them tricks, but that really goes along with trainability, and you won't find any argument from me denying cats are not as trainable as dogs. They just aren't.

Whoever said they are less demanding than dogs, I respectfully disagree.

My 3 are needy little buggers. Just because they may cost less than dogs or the same isn't a reason to get one IMO. You either love them or you don't.

The only thing I don't like about owning them is cleaning litterboxes, but if you scoop every day you shouldn't have a problem with smelly litterboxes. I scoop the 3 I have every day and wash them atleast once a week. It is a sacrifice you make. I wish they would use the toilet, lol. I may be more of a dog person and I will admit to that, but I ADORE my 3 and love them as much as I do my dogs.

Personally, my boys are more affectionate than my female and they like to go to bed with me. She wants to play at night, of course she will be 3 next month and Miagi is around 10 and Tiger is 11-12 so they don't feel the need to play at night.

Also all of my kitties are mixes of unknown origin, I find the males more affectionate than females atleast in my experience. But then it depends on the personality of the cat; not always the gender. I really have a soft spot for the tabbies (Miagi is one) and the bengals as Tiger is a tabby/bengal mix.

It's up to you to decide though and come on cats are pretty clever too. Yeah some can be kinda dingy trying to instigate a dog that wants to eat them but that doesn't make them dumb. There is this cat that is just a dork at the shelter and she is the office cat.

She likes to instigate dogs but will not move if they want to eat her. Of course we have control of the dog's leash so they will not eat her. But, I do not call her dumb. She is just weird.

My two cats are awesome! I was never a cat person but then Pumpkin just showed up at our doorstep one day. He looked skinny, we couldn't find the owners (I think he was abandoned since we lived in a military town and that seems to be quite common, unfortunately), there was a hurricane approaching... So we took him in. And he's the best! He is like a little dog. Very needy. Josephine is also needy and the most loyal little thing.

Most cats I know are a bit less demanding than dogs, but one my cats is just as much into following me, sitting in my lap, and demanding of attention as my dogs.
Your post brings me to one of my biggest pet peeves. A person wants a dog but they work 15 hours a day, don't have time for grooming or exercise, don't feel like training, they just generally are not the right people for dogs, and ask what breed would be good for them. So someone always says, "A dog doesn't sound good, get a cat." Like cats are stuffed animals that don't deserve the time of day. I despise that!

Oh yeah definately, that bothers me too!

Oh man, I love when people get a ferret because they "don't have time for a dog" :rofl1: oh man, my ferrets take the same or more time from me than any dog I've met. And Rosey was NEEDY as a pup (hell, she still is, but not as time filling )

I always suggest they get a rock. Or a fish.

Haha, that's one reason I don't have a ferret. I've heard some EPIC trouble-making stories when you don't occupy them properly, and sometimes even when you do. I think they're fabulous critters, though. I'll have one or two someday.

ETA: If it's really bad I think a fish would be even too much trouble. You know, cleaning a tank and all. Pet rocks and stuffed animals are the way to go in those situations.