Can we talk about kitties?

[mom4him]

We spent 3 days at a camp that had such a beautiful cat. The kids both fell in love with it and it with them. I have said "NO CATS" as the litter box bothers me really bad. Now saying that, when we had the cats years ago our child that was in charge was not the best at keeping it REALLY clean. It would get cleaned once or twice a week, maybe 3 times some weeks. This was maybe 25+ yrs ago.

We finally gave our two away as I was sick with sinus infection all the time.

 

We had this cat in our cabin for long periods and I never had any problems with it so I really am sure it was the litter box and not the cats themselves.

 

My daughter has committed to cleaning the box twice a day. She is generally pretty good about taking car of her part of the pet duty that she has so I am sure she will follow through with this.

 

Are the litters any better than they were back 25 yrs ago? Do you think we would be safe in getting a kitty for her? I don't want to get one and then find out I simply can't handle the litter at all. If that would happen, how hard is it to train a cat to simply go outside like you do a dog?

 

I really do love cats but had simply written the possibility off until now.

 

Oh, the lady that owns the camp and had the cat recommended that we get two if we are going to get one. We had two but had gotten them at different times and they really never paid much attention to one another. Do you think it is best to get two?

 

Also, she said that with our two parakeets we would need to get a very young kitten. That an older cat brought in to a house with birds would make short work of the birds. Is this true? We had birds when we had the cats and never had a problem with them but they were kittens when we got them.

[milovany]

You'll get a wide variety of thoughts and opinions. Here are mine. ;)

 

You don't necessarily need two cats. We have one and she's happy as a clam. If you are going to get two cats eventually, I'd suggest getting them both at the same time. We tried introducing a kitten in to our home about a month ago, and it didn't sit well with our 7 year old cat (and I didn't want to "lose" her -- she was spending more time outside and was jumpy and hissy). We took him back and thankfully he found a home with two other cats on a farm.

 

You don't have to have a litter box if the cat's going to be indoor/outdoor. We don't have one. We did at first, but then we transitioned her to using it outdoors, then doing away with it all together. She comes in and out during the day, I let her in when I go to bed, and then she goes out first thing in the morning. We've only had an accident once or twice since we've lived here (2+ years). I much prefer the low-accident rate to having a litter box in the house.

 

I don't know about the birds.

[Ellie]

Until we moved to Texas 8 years ago, our cats had always gone outside instead of a litter box. I didn't think it was safe to allow the kitties to go outside in a whole new neighborhood, so I started having them use the litter box. I wish I'd allowed them to go outside :-/ but I've learned to deal with it. Such is life.

 

We've had multiple cats, and we've had onesie cats. We've never had problems either way. It's ok with me if the kitties don't pay attention to each other (as long as they are tolerant), because it's about the kitties and *me*. :D

 

So get one kitty if you want. Do a litter box or not. (Yes, I think litters are better now than they were many years ago.)

[mom4him]

You'll get a wide variety of thoughts and opinions. Here are mine. ;)

 

You don't necessarily need two cats. We have one and she's happy as a clam. If you are going to get two cats eventually, I'd suggest getting them both at the same time. We tried introducing a kitten in to our home about a month ago, and it didn't sit well with our 7 year old cat (and I didn't want to "lose" her -- she was spending more time outside and was jumpy and hissy). We took him back and thankfully he found a home with two other cats on a farm.

 

You don't have to have a litter box if the cat's going to be indoor/outdoor. We don't have one. We did at first, but then we transitioned her to using it outdoors, then doing away with it all together. She comes in and out during the day, I let her in when I go to bed, and then she goes out first thing in the morning. We've only had an accident once or twice since we've lived here (2+ years). I much prefer the low-accident rate to having a litter box in the house.

 

I don't know about the birds.

 

Thanks for your input. Did you use a crate when you were first training your kitty? That is what I have done for years with our dogs but........

[mom4him]

Until we moved to Texas 8 years ago, our cats had always gone outside instead of a litter box. I didn't think it was safe to allow the kitties to go outside in a whole new neighborhood, so I started having them use the litter box. I wish I'd allowed them to go outside :-/ but I've learned to deal with it. Such is life.

 

We've had multiple cats, and we've had onesie cats. We've never had problems either way. It's ok with me if the kitties don't pay attention to each other (as long as they are tolerant), because it's about the kitties and *me*. :D

 

So get one kitty if you want. Do a litter box or not. (Yes, I think litters are better now than they were many years ago.)

 

Thanks for your response. I just keep thinking the expense of two would be double or close to with food, litter, vet, etc.

 

Is there a brand of litter that you could recommend?

[Teachin'Mine]

If you have an attached garage or basement door, you can put in a cat door and then the litter won't be in the living area. Use one of the well recommended litters - you can even buy a bag before deciding to get the kitty, or kitties, and see how you do. Tidy Cat was one that was highly recommended here. Regarding one or two, I'd suggest two ... or three. :DHope you're thinking of names soon!

[DianeW88]

No, you do not crate train a cat. They don't need it, and they will go bananas trying to escape. Cats are not like dogs...you really can't "train" them.

 

We have 8 kitties (mostly inside) and 5 or 6 outside (depending on which ferals I have visiting). I volunteer with a "no more homeless pets" organization and regularly take ferals to be spayed and neutered.

 

Cats are fine by themselves, they don't really need (or even sometimes want) a friend. If you are getting two, try and get them young and get litter mates. They generally always get along. My four kittens that were litter mates are so sweet with each other and are great friends. The ones that aren't...it's iffy sometimes.

 

Male cats generally have better temperments than females. But you need to make sure you get them young and have them neutered BEFORE they have ever learned that they can spray. Some older cats will still continue to do so, even if they've been fixed.

 

Litter boxes aren't really a big issue. Ours are kept in the basement and I scoop them three times a day. Get a good clumping litter (we use Tidy Cat) and they're easy-peasy to keep clean.

 

If you want them to go outside, make sure they've have been in your house for at least two weeks, or you will lose them. They will not know where you live until they've had time to orient themselves (something about the angle of sun and other things). My kittens all go out, but several prefer to only lounge around for awhile and then come back in. They're really not the "outdoor" type. Some would stay outside day and night if I let them. They really have their own personalities...your kitty will let you know what she prefers. Oh, and do know...it's what SHE prefers. People don't own cats...cats own people. :lol:

[KS_]

 

Is there a brand of litter that you could recommend?

 

I use wood pellets as litter. There are brands that are marketed as cat litter, but it's much less expensive to get wood pellets marketed for pellet stoves or animal bedding. It's much less messy (as far as tracking and dust) than the clay litters and controls the odor very well.

 

Our cat(s) have always been indoor (unless supervised on the patio or something).

[milovany]

Thanks for your input. Did you use a crate when you were first training your kitty? That is what I have done for years with our dogs but........

 

She was five when we moved to this property and she became an indoor/outdoor cat so she was already trained. Before that, she'd been an indoor-only cat and used a litter box. She was so unhappy inside. She's from barn cat stock, so she wanted to be OUT. We think she believes we bought this property just for her -- she loves being outside. But not all cats are like that, some have NO problem being indoors all the time.

 

We have a dog as well. She'll probably be the last dog we own (we've had two). Cats are just so much easier and I like having a kitty on my lap in the evenings.

Edited August 4, 2012 by milovaný

[AK_Mom4]

Yes, cat litter is much better these days. :D

 

After years of hit-and-miss cleaning of the litter box by oldest DD, DH got fed up and bought a self-cleaning litter box. Once or twice a week, I clean out the receptacle and add a bit more litter. No smell, no mess except for a little bit of itter to sweep out that the cat kicks out (I should have told him to pick up the one with the lid). We have one moderate-sized cat (who is perfectly happy as an only-cat, thank you!) who won't go outside in the winter because it gets too cold.

 

The devices are spendy new, but I have since seen several on Craigslist at reasonable prices.

[KarenNC]

We recently got 3 new cats, our other cats having passed away over the last 2 years (at ages 12, 15 and 16---we got them as kittens).

 

1. litter---we have 2 boxes, which my daughter cleans twice a day. Our favorite litter is Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat ultra multicat scoopable litter. It clumps hard, so bits don't stay in and start to smell. This is important as we only have a laundry alcove in the middle of the house and that's the only place to realistically keep the cat boxes. We've tried multiple others, but this has been the best for us. It still tracks somewhat, but that's a fact of life with clumping litter. I can handle the need to vacuum a little more often better than the smell.

 

2. indoor/outdoor---all my cats have always been indoor-only. It's much safer for them, they live longer and they are less likely to have issues with fleas.

 

3. singleton vs. only cat---you could go either way. I would strongly suggest going to your local humane society and talk with them. That's where all of ours have come from. The staff there can usually point you toward a cat that would make a better single cat, as some do best on their own, or that has been fostered with birds. Many groups now have websites where you can learn more about the animals they have up for adoption. A plus side of many humane societies and no-kill shelters is that you sign an agreement that you will bring back the animal to them if, at any point, you are unable to keep it.

For kittens, yes, I think 2 is better than one because a young kitten is really high energy and does better with a playmate. Getting them at the same time avoids the established cat feeling the new cat is a threat to her territory.

[KarenNC]

Yes, cat litter is much better these days. :D

 

After years of hit-and-miss cleaning of the litter box by oldest DD, DH got fed up and bought a self-cleaning litter box. Once or twice a week, I clean out the receptacle and add a bit more litter. No smell, no mess except for a little bit of itter to sweep out that the cat kicks out (I should have told him to pick up the one with the lid). We have one moderate-sized cat (who is perfectly happy as an only-cat, thank you!) who won't go outside in the winter because it gets too cold.

 

The devices are spendy new, but I have since seen several on Craigslist at reasonable prices.

 

We did try one of these a few years ago, but it freaked out one of our cats. She would "guard" it whenever it came on and didn't want to use it. Now she was an older cat (probably 7 or 8) when we tried to use it, so a kitten might adjust much better.

[milovany]

2. indoor/outdoor---all my cats have always been indoor-only. It's much safer for them, they live longer and they are less likely to have issues with fleas.

 

This is true. When we moved here, we talked about how it was more likely now that our cat would die sooner than she would if we kept her strictly indoors. For this particular cat, and in our situation, the tradeoff is worth it. She's much happier than she was when we were making her stay inside (again, I'm speaking about our specific cat, not speaking generally). I'm talking about a night-and-day difference. Before, we couldn't hold her, she'd skulk around and we were always on our guard because she'd swipe at us. Now, while we've learned not to approach her when she's outside (because she's in queen of the jungle mode out there), she'll come sleep on my lap quite often when she's inside in the evenings.

 

We've not had a problem with fleas at all. I have pulled a tick off her once. Cats must be pretty adept at getting ticks off of themselves -- what do other cat owners think? Our dog gets them, we've gotten them and with as much crawling around in the brush and up trees as our cat does I can't imagine she's only had one these past three summers. We've had to remove the ticks from ourselves and the dog, but I've only removed that one from the cat.

Edited August 4, 2012 by milovaný

[Lizzie in Ma]

Cat litter is so much better, the scoopable stuff makes life a lot easier. We use the Arm and Hammer one, scoop out stuff daily and add a bit then empty our and completely clean the box once a month.

 

I am not an outdoor cat person anymore, too dangerous for the cat never mind the birds outside. I can't bear loosing another cat, our last outdoor cat simply disappeared. I am guessing coyotes.

 

Also, we have guinea pigs, birds, hamsters, other cats and a dog and everyone gets along fine. Obviously the birds are caged as is the hamster for safety's sake. But my old parrot was always out with 3 cats, they learned not to screw with her fast. ;)

 

About having two? It depends, sometimes they play and sleep together, sometimes they hate each other and never hang out together, one never knows when you add a new one to the mix. BUT, I have never had a situation where it was a real problem.

[Plucky]

No, you do not crate train a cat. They don't need it, and they will go bananas trying to escape. Cats are not like dogs...you really can't "train" them.

 

People don't own cats...cats own people. :lol:

 

Cats train their people. They are benevolent dictators. I have 4 and love mine.

[CalicoKat]

I just learned that my dd 5 sometimes poops in the litter box too.

:blink:

 

I was telling DH how I'd discovered that she'd pooped in the bucket we keep in the bathroom. He laughed and mentioned the cat box.

[Annie Laurie]

No, you do not crate train a cat. They don't need it, and they will go bananas trying to escape. Cats are not like dogs...you really can't "train" them.

 

We have 8 kitties (mostly inside) and 5 or 6 outside (depending on which ferals I have visiting). I volunteer with a "no more homeless pets" organization and regularly take ferals to be spayed and neutered.

 

Cats are fine by themselves, they don't really need (or even sometimes want) a friend. If you are getting two, try and get them young and get litter mates. They generally always get along. My four kittens that were litter mates are so sweet with each other and are great friends. The ones that aren't...it's iffy sometimes.

 

Male cats generally have better temperments than females. But you need to make sure you get them young and have them neutered BEFORE they have ever learned that they can spray. Some older cats will still continue to do so, even if they've been fixed.

 

Litter boxes aren't really a big issue. Ours are kept in the basement and I scoop them three times a day. Get a good clumping litter (we use Tidy Cat) and they're easy-peasy to keep clean.

 

If you want them to go outside, make sure they've have been in your house for at least two weeks, or you will lose them. They will not know where you live until they've had time to orient themselves (something about the angle of sun and other things). My kittens all go out, but several prefer to only lounge around for awhile and then come back in. They're really not the "outdoor" type. Some would stay outside day and night if I let them. They really have their own personalities...your kitty will let you know what she prefers. Oh, and do know...it's what SHE prefers. People don't own cats...cats own people. :lol:

 

Completely agree with all of this.

 

Right now we have 2 male cats and 1 female. The female is a huge pain, I will never have a female cat after this again. The males are playful and she gets very upset, spitting and hissing, but the two males can play with each other without a problem. If she gets upset, she pees or poops in the house. She just peed on a $180 Britax car seat that was sitting in my foyer the other day. :glare: She is so high strung. I realize some of it is just individual cat personality though.

 

And on that note, if you get a kitten you'll have no idea what kind of personality they'll have. But then on the plus side, you can socialize them while they're young and kittens are a lot of fun. With an adult cat, you can judge it's temperament better before taking it home. I have a male cat who is so sweet, he gives hugs and he is so tolerant of the toddler, so much so that I have to go rescue him from the toddler. But the other male cat has a temperamental streak and will bite sometimes.

 

My male cats have never sprayed, but they were all neutered as soon as possible. We keep the litter boxes in the garage, they have a cat door that leads to the laundry room.

[TechWife]

Is there a brand of litter that you could recommend?

 

We use Fresh Step Clay Cat Litter. It is not scoopable. The dust from the scoopable litter bothered my husband's asthma. I find the box easy to clean because the urine evaporates instead of clumping, so I don't have to dig it out.

[KS_]

I've had the opposite experience from the previous posters on male/female cats. Both male cats I had had issues with marking and not using their litterboxes (2 completely separate time periods/houses/etc.). Both my female cats have been great. Our current cat (female) is 16 and she has always loved my dc (she's not cuddly, but has always been very interested in them and spends a lot of time with them). Although she's not a lap cat, she's very people oriented.

[Plucky]

I've had the opposite experience from the previous posters on male/female cats. Both male cats I had had issues with marking and not using their litterboxes (2 completely separate time periods/houses/etc.). Both my female cats have been great. Our current cat (female) is 16 and she has always loved my dc (she's not cuddly, but has always been very interested in them and spends a lot of time with them). Although she's not a lap cat, she's very people oriented.

 

Well, I have boys and girls and they are all friendly. I will say that my long-haired cat is a bit of a diva. She also gets poop stuck in her pantaloons. Very annoying.

[Starr]

We use Fresh Step Clay Cat Litter. It is not scoopable. The dust from the scoopable litter bothered my husband's asthma. I find the box easy to clean because the urine evaporates instead of clumping, so I don't have to dig it out.

 

:iagree:

 

My youngest was 12 or 13 when we got 2 female litter mates from the shelter. They were from a home, not feral. The kids clean the catbox once a day and completely change it once a week. We have never had a problem. I do remind them that if they want to keep the cats they have to do the work. Our kitters are sociable and love to help with math. :D I was cleaning catboxes and picking fleas when I was 9.

[mom4him]

Thanks, everyone. You have been so helpful. I am thinking I will start looking for a kitty/kitties and see what we find.

 

If anyone else has input I am still reading.

 

I have to say many of you made me chuckle. When it comes to training cats I will say I did train the two we had to NEVER go into the kitchen nor get on counters or tables. Neither of them did. At the time we had them we were state lic. and even having animals at that time in the facility was a stretch but if the state inspector would have ever come in and found one of our pets in the kitchen or on a resident dinning table we would have been written up big time and probably had to get rid of all the pets. They trained very easily to not be there though. :001_smile:

[DianeW88]

Thanks, everyone. You have been so helpful. I am thinking I will start looking for a kitty/kitties and see what we find.

 

If anyone else has input I am still reading.

 

I have to say many of you made me chuckle. When it comes to training cats I will say I did train the two we had to NEVER go into the kitchen nor get on counters or tables. Neither of them did. At the time we had them we were state lic. and even having animals at that time in the facility was a stretch but if the state inspector would have ever come in and found one of our pets in the kitchen or on a resident dinning table we would have been written up big time and probably had to get rid of all the pets. They trained very easily to not be there though. :001_smile:

 

We supposedly "trained" our cats to stay off the counter, too. We never, EVER saw them there after the squirt bottle training. One day, one of my kiddos spilled a little flour on the counter. When we came home that night, no cats were even in the kitchen, but we found a trail of flour dusted paw prints on the counters, the kitchen table, the top of the fridge, etc. :glare: The only thing they learned was to stay off the counters if people were around. Stupid cats. :D

[Kaleidoscope]

I use wood pellets as litter. There are brands that are marketed as cat litter, but it's much less expensive to get wood pellets marketed for pellet stoves or animal bedding. It's much less messy (as far as tracking and dust) than the clay litters and controls the odor very well..

 

Just switched to wood pellets and love it. The smell of the litter bothered dh but he likes the more natural smell of the wood. I'll ahve to look for some for pellet stoves/bedding.

 

We supposedly "trained" our cats to stay off the counter, too. We never, EVER saw them there after the squirt bottle training. One day, one of my kiddos spilled a little flour on the counter. When we came home that night, no cats were even in the kitchen, but we found a trail of flour dusted paw prints on the counters, the kitchen table, the top of the fridge, etc. :glare: The only thing they learned was to stay off the counters if people were around. Stupid cats. :D

 

That's hilarious!

 

We have a cat we brought in as a stray.... and now we have 4 kittens. The kids want to keep them all but that will never happen. I do hope we can keep 2 of them though. I love having cats! We also have 2 dogs but will probably switch to just cats when our dogs are gone. Cats seem so much easier.

[Plucky]

Thanks, everyone. You have been so helpful. I am thinking I will start looking for a kitty/kitties and see what we find.

 

If anyone else has input I am still reading.

 

I have to say many of you made me chuckle. When it comes to training cats I will say I did train the two we had to NEVER go into the kitchen nor get on counters or tables. Neither of them did. At the time we had them we were state lic. and even having animals at that time in the facility was a stretch but if the state inspector would have ever come in and found one of our pets in the kitchen or on a resident dinning table we would have been written up big time and probably had to get rid of all the pets. They trained very easily to not be there though. :001_smile:

 

See if your local animal shelter covers spay & neuters. I get my cats & kittens from there because for the price of the adoption fee $65 the surgery is included. A free cat/kitten costs me upward of $100 to fix. Something to consider.

[mom4him]

We supposedly "trained" our cats to stay off the counter, too. We never, EVER saw them there after the squirt bottle training. One day, one of my kiddos spilled a little flour on the counter. When we came home that night, no cats were even in the kitchen, but we found a trail of flour dusted paw prints on the counters, the kitchen table, the top of the fridge, etc. :glare: The only thing they learned was to stay off the counters if people were around. Stupid cats. :D

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol: That is funny. It may well be that they just knew to not be there when people were around. At least that way they avoided the inspectors.:lol::lol:

[mom4him]

See if your local animal shelter covers spay & neuters. I get my cats & kittens from there because for the price of the adoption fee $65 the surgery is included. A free cat/kitten costs me upward of $100 to fix. Something to consider.

 

Good point. I did look at the shelter in the city about 30 miles from us. After the rally is over and you can more around a bit easier we may make a trip and check them out.

[mom4him]

We have a cat we brought in as a stray.... and now we have 4 kittens. The kids want to keep them all but that will never happen. I do hope we can keep 2 of them though. I love having cats! We also have 2 dogs but will probably switch to just cats when our dogs are gone. Cats seem so much easier.

 

Wish you lived close to the Black Hills of SD.

[Kaleidoscope]

Wish you lived close to the Black Hills of SD.

 

Me too!

[SW in IL]

I've had quite a few cats over the years and from my experience, I have to say that I pretty much agree with the majority of posters...

 

We've had indoor, outdoor, and indoor/outdoor cats. Our cats made it clear to us that they wanted out (or had no interest in going out). Our first cat would run outside every time a door was opened. We soon learned that if left to her own devices, she'd come home when she had enough of the great outdoors. We did make sure to keep a collar on her with a bell to warn the wildlife that Cleo was on the loose again. On the other end of the spectrum, we had one cat who would howl whenever you took him outside and keep it up until he was safely indoors. It is a trade-off as far as lifespan goes - Cleo died at the age of 10; the howler lived to 20.

 

The best litters we have found (for us and for ease of cleaning for DS) were Tidy Cat and Fresh Step - clumping. Sometimes a cat shows a preference for one type or brand over another. We found that Cleo wanted an enclosed litter box while a few of our other cats wouldn't use it with the cover on. A friend uses one of those self-cleaning boxes and swears by it; another friend's cats are afraid of it. And yet another friend has a self-cleaning box that 2 of their cats use and a regular box for the third cat. For our last cat, scooping the box once/day (every night about an hour after he was fed) was sufficient. Cleo was picky - her box had to be scooped out immediately after she vacated the littler box and the room it was in.

 

Cleo had to be an only cat. She was a bully and would terrorize any other cat in the house. On the other hand, we've had up to 5 cats at once. It seems like littermates do make the best of friends, but usually if you get a younger cat they are more adaptable to and appreciative of a playmate.

 

One of my friends has 2 budgies. He cat-sat for us and our (older) cat was alterately afraid of and aggressive towards the birds.

 

We've had hamsters many times around our cats. Some of the cats have been content watching the hamsters, most of the cats ignored the hamsters (which were normally kept in a closed-off room where the cats couldn't get at them), but one cat managed to sneak into my son's bedroom, open the cage, and killed one of our hammies.

 

I recommend getting one or two young kitties. I, personally, don't care much for kittens. I want them to outgrow the "attack everything that moves" mentality. Cleo was probably our best cat - we got her when she was about 1-1/2 years old (from a no-kill shelter).

 

Sue

 

Edited to add: DS was about 13 when he found a cat. Before that he wasn't ready for the responsibility of taking care of a pet by himself. He did great with Midnight - a long-hair black cat that he literally found in a tree in the park (I climbed up and pulled 3 kittens out of the tree). Unfortunately, Midnight escaped from the car when we were moving and was never seen again.

Edited August 5, 2012 by SW in IL

[Remudamom]

You CAN crate train kitties. We found an abandoned kitten three weeks ago and she has been sleeping in a crate by my bed every night so I can keep an eye on her. She sleeps in there very nicely and doesn't fuss at all. I put her in there around 11:00 and first thing in the morning I put her with her kitty box.

 

Our grown cats have a kitty door into the garage where their litter box is so they can come and go, but mostly they ask to go outside so I don't have to clean litter all the time. Get clumping litter.

[Aunty Social]

.

Edited March 18, 2013 by Aunty Social
Spelling

[2cents]

I personally would not have an outdoor cat. Mine are strictly indoor with lanai rights. If you allow them to roam the neighborhood, they are at risk for picking up parasites/illnesses and bringing them home. They also will bring home more allergy producing material on their fur. Kittens can be easily trained to be indoor cats with no problems. I would NOT let a cat be outdoor to avoid litter box duties-that's a good way to make your neighbors angry. Scoopable litter makes it easier to clean the boxes. There are automatic litter boxes too that make clean up even easer. Two cats is not necessary as long as a solitary cat has enough human play and stimulation. :)

[mom4him]

You guys have been great. The biggest hurdle is a place to put the litter box. The down stairs in rented, our garage isn't attached, don't have any porches, have to keep the door to the utility room closed all the time, don't want it in one of the bed rooms........ Does anyone have one 'hidden' behind a chair in the living room?

 

It really is a BIG hurdle.:tongue_smilie:

[Katy]

Tidy Cat scoopable litter with the teal blue, not the red, smells really good, and works great. If you scoop it once a day it never smells bad.

 

 

I highly, HIGHLY recommend you look into a breed called Ragdoll.

 

Many people in my family are highly allergic to cats, but no one has ever had a reaction to mine.

 

They do have a lot of fur, however. They need a few minutes of combing once a day or you're going to have snarls and hairballs.

 

They are really lovely creatures. You only need one. Show him where his litterbox is when you bring him home, keep him in the room with the litterbox for a day or so while he gets used to his surroundings, and he'll never forget.

 

If you're going to scoop twice a day you may only need one litterbox, but there is a guideline that you should have one more box than you have cats. You might want to consider that.

[Kaleidoscope]

You guys have been great. The biggest hurdle is a place to put the litter box. The down stairs in rented, our garage isn't attached, don't have any porches, have to keep the door to the utility room closed all the time, don't want it in one of the bed rooms........ Does anyone have one 'hidden' behind a chair in the living room?

 

It really is a BIG hurdle.:tongue_smilie:

 

That's exactly where ours is located.

[Remudamom]

What about the laundry room? Right now the baby's box is in our mud bathroom in the shower. No one ever uses that bathroom except me or maybe the guys will wash up in there.

[mom4him]

That's exactly where ours is located.

 

YOU HAVE YOUR LITTER BOX IN YOUR LIVING ROOM!?!?!:hurray::hurray::hurray:

Ok, I can now consider this a real possibility!:D

 

We are working on my DH and my oldest DS.:glare::toetap05: Like either of them does anything for the pets we have now.:confused:

 

I can officially tell them that at least one person has the litter box in the living room though.:001_smile:

[mom4him]

What about the laundry room? Right now the baby's box is in our mud bathroom in the shower. No one ever uses that bathroom except me or maybe the guys will wash up in there.

 

Well, our main bathroom is where we lock our dogs up at night and when we are gone. Don't think that would be a good plan. There is a couple of spots but......:)

 

The only other bath room we have is our oldest son's mainly and there really isn't a place it could sit that would be out of the way for him in his chair.:tongue_smilie:

[mom4him]

Tidy Cat scoopable litter with the teal blue, not the red, smells really good, and works great. If you scoop it once a day it never smells bad.

 

 

I highly, HIGHLY recommend you look into a breed called Ragdoll.

 

Many people in my family are highly allergic to cats, but no one has ever had a reaction to mine.

 

They do have a lot of fur, however. They need a few minutes of combing once a day or you're going to have snarls and hairballs.

 

They are really lovely creatures. You only need one. Show him where his litterbox is when you bring him home, keep him in the room with the litterbox for a day or so while he gets used to his surroundings, and he'll never forget.

 

If you're going to scoop twice a day you may only need one litterbox, but there is a guideline that you should have one more box than you have cats. You might want to consider that.

 

They look like beautiful kitties but we would never be able to afford one. The prices I saw were $850 and up plus shipping.

[milovany]

 

 

Want me to tell you how to get that pesky

out of your signature? :D

[DianeW88]

You can find some amazing shelter kitties. Two of our kitties are part Siamese...and they're feral. I snatched them from their mommy at 6 weeks. I've since caught and spayed her as well (she was a crafty one :glare:). Here is a photo of two them at 4 weeks when they were still with Mommy...but living on my back porch.

 

 

[milovany]

Oh, we're doing pictures now? Beautiful cats, Diane. Here's our kitty ~ this was when she was sitting on my lap; I took it with my cell phone.

 

And we really did try to make her an indoor kitty from the beginning. We got her as a kitten and for the five years we lived in town, we didn't let her out, but she would escape when she could and it was hard to get her back in. And when she was in, she was jumpy and feisty. We had scratches to prove it. When we moved here, she became a different cat. We know her life could be shortened, and while that would be sad for us, she's living a much more satisfying life and to me, that's more important. (We're in a pretty cat-friendly neighborhood .... cats are part of the neighborhood life around here.)

Edited August 5, 2012 by milovaný

[bobbeym]

We have 5 kitties, 2 girls and 3 boys ranging from 1.5-5yo (momma, daddy, and their 3 babies). They all have a wide range of personalities and some are a lot more friendly than the others. Our littlest girl, is a complete brat IMO but DS18 loves her and she loves him.

 

We use the Tidy Cat Breeze litter box system from Petsmart. We have 3 of them (all in kids' rooms) and scoop them 2x/daily. The kitty pad is changed weekly and more pellets added as needed. DH is bothered by the ammonia smell but since switching to this one, the only times he has problems is when the DS doesn't change the pads like he should.

 

Photos: Sarge (orange tabby), Waffles (the brat) and Ginny (calico momma) behind the screen, Rory (daddy) and Grayson

[mom4him]

milovaný, I would love for you to tell me how to get rid of my pesky 'center'.:tongue_smilie:

 

You all have beautiful kitties. bobbeym, I love the one of yours that is looking out the screen. It is like you can see the wheels turning wondering if he could possibly make it through one of those little holes. :D:D

[2cents]

They look like beautiful kitties but we would never be able to afford one. The prices I saw were $850 and up plus shipping.

 

Ragdolls are great cats! We have one and he is so mellow and loveable. We have had allergy issues with him though. There are no truly hypo-allergenic cats, but allergy can be minimized. I give my ragdoll a LION CUT in the summer to lessen shedding and dander. Any long hair cat can have a lion cut. Whether they will let you do it is another story. I have gjiven them to my ragdoll since he was a kitten. He just goes to sleep during the shaving. He loves his cut especially in the hot summer months. Do a Google of LION CUT FOR CATS and you can see pictures.

 

Btw, if you are looking into this breed, there are ragdoll rescues that periodically have them.

[Katy]

...Btw, if you are looking into this breed, there are ragdoll rescues that periodically have them.

 

I found mine on a Ragdoll rescue website. The previous owner's wife didn't want their cats anymore because they were too snuggly and she was afraid for their new baby. I emailed and one of the cats was still available. They shipped one of the cats to someone 800 miles away, but I just drove a couple of hours to get him. They gave me the cat, a cat tree, a bunch of toys, food and water dishes, a bunch of food, and a carrier.

 

The whole extended family loves this cat so much we're not going to ever get another breed of cat.

[Katy]

Ragdoll rescue site: http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/ragdoll-rehoming

[mom4him]

Ragdoll rescue site: http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/ragdoll-rehoming

 

In looking there isn't anything close to us at all. They do sound like lovely cats though.

[Annie Laurie]

Ooh, I want to play!

 

This is my 3 year old male who is so much fun, he is still very kittenish and playful. I think he must be at least part Maine Coon. Dh found him on the side of the freeway when he was only around 6 weeks old, shivering in the rain.

 

 

 

This is my tortie. She's 7 yrs old and was part of a litter from a stray cat we took in. We had her mother spayed and found her a home. This girl is high-strung but very loving, likes to cuddle.

 

 

And this is my sweetie. A 7 yr old male tabby who gives me hugs and follows me around like a loyal little dog all day. He's on the right, unfortunately I don't have a very good photo of him online. He has ongoing skin problems, unfortunately. They don't usually look this rumpled. My tabby is from the same litter as the tortie.

 

 

 

I think my cats are beautiful and they were all just homeless strays.