Cat... What kind to get?

[mattdavis11]

Get one that is trainable. There's nothing better than a cat that can fetch and loves lasers!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Talk to the Humane Society or your local chapter of the ASPCA - they’re generally very helpful and are both wonderful organizations.

I have three and would echo the above - awesome pets, loads of fun, great with kids, entertaining, clean and (relatively) low maintenance. As with any pet they can become a big responsibility (plan for their health care, you need to plan how they’ll be cared for if you go on vacation, etc. though they typically fare much better than dogs in this regard and can do fine for a few days if provided food, water, warmth, entertainment / toys). They typically don’t do cars too well but Your mileage may vary... I’ve known a couple of people whose cats loved to ride with them.

All-in-all fantastic companions. They’ll choose you. Just walk through a shelter and spend a little time.

I keep mine exclusively indoors and it has been great for me and them - no worries about cars, stray dogs, hawks, owls, coyotes, ticks and other disease-carriers, etc. Yes, I worry about “holding back their instincts” but I have enough space where they’ve got enough territory to patrol and things (mice) to occasionally catch - the benefits outweigh the costs. Statistically indoor cats live a lot longer. Talk with a vet...

They can melt your heart.

My current clan at La Casa de los Muchos Gatos (doing another one of the things they do best ...):



Black Cats Matter

[Mark Henry]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

Dogs drool, cats rule!! I'm not a dog fan myself. Too much upkeep... Our lifestyle isn't conducive to owning a dog anyway..

I've had both cat's and dog's. I love my pooch, great dog, rescue, border collie mix but when she's gone I won't have another.
Too much work they are like a young kid and we like to RV so a dog is a PITA when you want to go into attractions, etc.

Cat's get an auto feeder and leave the toilet seat up and you can go away for weeks at a time.

All the purebreds you take the chance of getting into a behavior or vet bill nightmare. you have to watch for kitten mills where they breed siblings, makes for a cat with health issues that goes bat ship crazy as it gets older.
My mom used to breed Siamese, she had some great cats, but one was totally bonkers.
That was back in the 70's and she used to get $250+ a kitten back then.
We've had the best luck with rescue cats, $80 fixed from the local shelter.

Really no such thing as a hypo cat, any short hair would work.

[RKDinOKC]

Grew up with Siamese and raising kittens. They were, well, cats. After that family of cats died out my brother brought my mom a siamese. It was okay as a kitten then went nuts and wouldn't let anyone get close to it. Got 3 other siamese after that and they were all the same, loving kittens, then turning into solitary touch me nots. Got a rescue cat in that mix and it was a good cat, but spent most of it's time outside. Seemed like it only came inside to use the litter box.

Tried to toilet train our last cat. It was going really well with one of those training trays. Then elderly Mom put the tray on the toilet with the lid closed once. The cat jumped up there, it slid off the cat paniced. Ended up with litter and poop everywhere in the bathroom. Cat refused to use even a little box after that. We gave the cat away to because our house had become the little box. It lives in a barn now.

In my 20's I got a Golden Retriever. She was so smart, would stay right at my side and only do what I told her was okay. She even used the restroom when and where I said. Took her everywhere with me and without a leash. Even places that said no pets, just showed how well she behaved. Better than a service dog because she was completely off leash. She was more like an appendage than a dog. She lived 18 years and I was heartbroken when she passed. Have not been without a golden since though not nearly as smart. I do have a new puppy with a lot of promise though.

[berettafan]

recently read a study that indicated immunotherapy is considerably more effective for cat allergies than dog allergies.

[unclebilly]

We have some cats on our farm.

The oldest cat, we rescued from a landlord where the tenants moved out and left the cat. The poor guy was starved and was skin and bones. He is an orange tabby that was declawed on all 4 corners and a fairly nice affectionate cat. He gets along well with dogs. He has been a survivor. He catches mice, birds, and voles.

We also have barn cats, SPCA rescues. The first 2 were OK, one was caught by a coyote after about a year. The other, a huge white cat, lasted until about a year ago when a neighbor's dog chased him into a contractor's truck. We never got him back. This was him after he snuck into my daughter's closet...



Last winter, we adopted another all white barn cat from the SPCA. This guy got put into the barn cat program because he bit people at the shelter. He would get over stimulated, purr and purr and then bite... hard. He has bit me a few times but is a really nice cat, very affectionate, goes for walks, tolerates our dog, but he fights with the orange cat.

[Steve Carlton]

I'm not aware of any cats being allergy friendly. I've become quite allergic to them, myself and would never get one again. To me, the best cat on the planet is a Burmese. Sort of like a Siamese without the whining, loaded with personality. I had a great one, Wheatie. He was always near me or on me. I miss him to this day.

[86 ssinit]

My two cents. I was a cat person for years have had six and still have one. Only two that was truly domesticated were a bluePersian and a Himalayan. The blue I bought from a breeder. Great cat was very dog like played fetch met me at the door.... All the rest and the one I have now were just typical cats. Cats are pretty much hit or miss. Most kittens you get are from strays so there not really domesticated and as they get older they can be disasters in the house. They may use there litter pail every day and than one day just stop and pee all over your house. As for hypoallergenic I had no idea there were any cats that are hypoallergenic. Dogs are better get a small dog from a breeder. Someone who has been breading through the AKC for years and there are reviews from previous buyers. Same if you do buy a cat read reviews. No reviews on strays from a shelter it’s just a crap shoot.

[86 ssinit]

As for allergies sometimes when you own a cat your body adjusts to the cat and your allergies stop. That’s what happens with me I can live with the one I have but can’t stay in a house with cats I’m very allergic.

[sc_rufctr]

[SCadaddle]

Originally Posted by hcoles

Be aware that very often cats you get at a pound/etc. have a particular serious disease. My son got two very nice young cats recently. They had to put one down and the other one is starting to not do very well. So far they have spent $4k and probably both will not make it. This is after they both got an early diagnosis and treatment. I can get the name of the disease if you want. IMHO cats have a good ratio of love/entertainment out per work put in.

If you want your cat to be healthy keep it inside. If you like sick and injured cat drama and vet bills then let it go out.

Let me introduce myself: I am a single white male, smoker in my mid 50's, NO health insurance and I just happen to be up for adoption. I'll even supply my pedigree from Ancestry.com if that will help close the deal.

[Reiver]

Smoked...the jerky kind is too tough.

[TheMentat]

I'll second the Abyssinian...

I've had them since I was a kid (until my allergic wife got into the picture). They have extremely outgoing personalities.

Kinda like dogs, but are able to take care of themselves!

[scottmandue]

Another cat person, also like the Asian cats... yes they are chatty but never had a problem with one going on and on... matter of fact I thought it was cool we could have conversations.
Probably my favorite was a big orange/white Tabby.
Never had a problem with a pound cat but my parents had cats and I have always had cats so when I go to the pound I don't just pick out a pretty one. I look for a healthy appearance and a friendly demeanor, I get it out of the cage and press it to my ear and listen to its breathing and heart beat, then examine it's ears/nose/mouth/teeth.
One lady looked at me funny and asked if I was a Vet.
But hey, you should get a PPI if you are going to buy a car right?

And people are allergic to cat saliva not cat hair, so maybe the bath thing would help. but start them early, Bathing a full grown cat that is not used to it is no fun (and may require welding gloves).

[widebody911]

My recommendation is a non-purebred mongrel kitten. Rescuing an animal from the pound is a noble endeavor, but we always seem to get behaviorally-defective examples.

[Oracle]

We had a hypo-allergenic cat without knowing.. (my son is allergic to cats but he was fine with ours).

What you want is the one with the lowest Fel d 1 Level:
https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2015/08/21/10-hypoallergenic-cat-breeds.aspx

In our case our cat was a Birman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birman

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Another cat person, also like the Asian cats... yes they are chatty but never had a problem with one going on and on... matter of fact I thought it was cool we could have conversations.

My Tonk, Maximillian, was a horror show. Awesome cat, loved him but he just never shut up. People would call on the phone and ask "who's over with a newborn"

Sometimes he would not come inside before bedtime and the neighbors would call at 3 AM "....get that F'n cat inside....

He would literally wake the whole block.

We used to sleep with earplugs.

I've got one now, she screams, she will do crap like leave the room you are both in, go to the farthest part of the house and scream bloody murder

She does not want attention, as in petting or anything, she wants you to acknowledge she exists and worship her.

That one is a Diva

[RM512]

We've had cats for years, all kinds. Abyssinian was the most friendly. But by far the best cats have been the rescue's. They seem to sense you've helped them out of a jam!!

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by 86 ssinit

As for allergies sometimes when you own a cat your body adjusts to the cat and your allergies stop. That’s what happens with me I can live with the one I have but can’t stay in a house with cats I’m very allergic.

I have found this to be true of people who are allergic but get a kitten.

They remain allergic to all other cats except their own.

My theory is kittens can still induce allergic reactions but with far less severity than an adult and their owners are able to build up a tolerance as the cat grows /matures.

[Steve Carlton]

When my cat died, my allergies improved dramatically.