Interested in a Cat

[longleaf]

I'm interested in getting a cat for several reasons. One, my dog loves cats :D (seriously, he grew up with them), I need a good mouser as I'm anticipating mice here and I like cats in general.

I need recomendations, do I go to the local pet jail, Petco, Craigslist? Just get any cat? How do I know if THEY like dogs? Any special breeds to look for? Etc..

Need some advice.

[cwj]

Hey Longleaf.
You'll likely get many different suggestions on where to get a cat.
Might I recommend that you perhaps get an adult cat? Kittens are fast sellers and one shouldn't worry about them finding a home.

Some benefits of an adult cat are that they are usually already fixed, litter trained, vaccinated/tested, etc. Also, personality wise, what you see is what you get. It's next to impossible to know what type of cat a kitten will grow up to be. At least, that has been my personal experience.

Best of luck to ya :) And remember: there are no bad cats, only bad dogs :D (I'm kidding of course)

[austrianalps]

Cats are great pets. I have two and one is an inside/outside cat and catches mice
all day long-along with snakes, rabbits and sometimes birds (we don't like him to kill birds, so he wears a bell).

Here is some places to start:
Briggs Adoption Center is an awesome place.
Petco in town has adoption cats-Girlyjeep and Wormdoc know more about
those.
Both these are non-kill.

If you go to the county shelter or Loudoun County shelter you can ask to see
the ones that are due to be killed next and save a life!!!!

Adult cats are the way to go for several reasons. One, you
"know" what you are getting-kittens can grow up to be monsters or totally
shy. With an adult you go in and the way they act in the shelter setting is
usually very similar to at home. If they swat and hiss or purr and rub on
you... you get the idea.

Also: no need to get them fixed and initial shots, which are usually a couple
hundred bucks saved.

Lastly, kittens are more likely to find homes, whereas adult cats are more
likely euthanized in a kill shelter. (-oops - what cwj said--- :-))

I would not go for specific breed-just whatever is sweet and happy. Pure breeds tend to have more health issues. If you want a mouser I would go with an active one-not the 15# purring machine :-) Honestly, all black male kitties that I have met so far had the best personality. Maybe its just cause I have one, but I remember 3 working in the vet that were just awesome cats.

I hope you find a good kitty-really it should not be hard. They are all over
the place and multiply like crazy.
We tried to catch some more recently, but could not get our hands on the
black kitty in the walmart parking lot. Feral boy that was so curious and
sweet, but just would not let me pick him up. There is a million ferals behind
the staples building if you want a free cat. We counted 12 the other night.
It would be so nice to get them all fixed. I will go back to see if that black boy
is still there-he had serious personality.

[tine043]

i have 3 cats left that i need good homes for i am trying to avoid taking them to the shelter. they are very friendly from where we play with them they are almost 5 months old and very cute one black and white one and one gray and white and one gray. they definitely need good homes

[lar]

Those feral cats behind Staples are the ones we try and get close to. There was a black and white one I took a shine too, but TONY convinced me a feral was not the way to go.

I ended up getting a kitten from my sister, I enjoy having a cat, we are great buds during the day while the kids are in school.

[MountainCGirl]

Tine04 cats are great. We got two out of her litter. They keep us laughing all the time and already rule the house. I love them young cause they grow into your family plus they are so fun. :)

[Tony]

My only recommendation would be to make it an indoor cat.

There really aren't any good reasons to let it outside, and dozens of reasons not to (most relating to it's health, and your neighbor's rights).

[nhgirl]

I would HIGHLY recommend Briggs! They are neutered, up to date on shots and microchipped. If for any reason you can't keep a pet from there, they will take it back, even years later. The cat building is wonderful! No cages, catwalks, waterfalls to drink out of, toys, beds, pillows. You just go in and sit or walk around, spend as much time as you like. One word of caution, you may find more than one;).

[longleaf]

Thanks for all of the advice and the PMs....getting closer.

I sure hope that after I pick one, that others are not upset that I didn't pick theirs, as I can only handle one cat for now :)

[Jenniffer]

We have four 16 week old kittens from an accidental May litter looking for a home. They've just weaned in the last week or so (very patient mama!)

These were taken a few minutes ago:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3909388627_789fbfbf8e_m.jpg
Fluffy black girl. We call her Hermione

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3446/3910173586_3ae7b3925b_m.jpg
This is Ron

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3910172266_d4fbd99543_m.jpg
Harry

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2196/3910169272_33fbb2c274_m.jpg
and Luna, another black girl, but short-haired

[Marty]

I would HIGHLY recommend Briggs! They are neutered, up to date on shots and microchipped. If for any reason you can't keep a pet from there, they will take it back, even years later. The cat building is wonderful! No cages, catwalks, waterfalls to drink out of, toys, beds, pillows. You just go in and sit or walk around, spend as much time as you like. One word of caution, you may find more than one;).

I can attest - we went to Briggs a year ago July hoping to adopt one cat after our cat Bubbee passed away, and we ended up with four truly wonderful cats. (And now we have five cats, having taking in an injured feral kitten last spring.) Anyway, nhgirl is right, the Briggs cattery is fantastic.

Those Jen cats sure look cute too.

[cjb]

Jenn,
Any of these cat's play with your dog??


We have four 16 week old kittens from an accidental May litter looking for a home. They've just weaned in the last week or so (very patient mama!)

[Jenniffer]

Jenn,
Any of these cat's play with your dog??They all sleep with/around Fargo, who is a lug and not the least big playful while indoors (as one romp from him would demolish the room he was in). Midnight was their mama when they were wee and would lick them to death (I wondered if he was tasting them like a lollipop, but then he would get all concerned and nervous if they made any noise of distress). Now when they come around him, he sniffs them politely and removes himself from the area. I think now that they're grown he wonders if they're gonna be like those other cats and take a swipe at him when he walks by ;) They wind b/w his feet when he walks and try to trip him, they sleep in his bed and he sleeps on the hard floor. Darn kittens. I think chances are high that they would play with a playful dog, given the time to form that kind of relationship. They tear after one another around the house and try to engage our canines to little effect.

[cwj]

My only recommendation would be to make it an indoor cat.

There really aren't any good reasons to let it outside, and dozens of reasons not to (most relating to it's health, and your neighbor's rights).

I most definitely agree. Although my parents had an indoor/outdoor cat, Opal, who lived to be 23. She was no doubt the exception and not the rule.
I read somewhere that completely feral, outdoor-only cats have an average lifespan of 3 years. Indoor-only cats, I believe, average 12-15 years.

[longleaf]

We have four 16 week old kittens from an accidental May litter looking for a home. They've just weaned in the last week or so (very patient mama!)

These were taken a few minutes ago:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3426/3909388627_789fbfbf8e_m.jpg


This is my new cat :D

Thanks a bunch, Jennifer!

[Jenniffer]

This is my new cat :D

Thanks a bunch, Jennifer!

My pleasure :) I'm happy to see her in such a nice new home :)

[grafxgirl]

I know you already have a cat, but I also wanted to let you know that Petco in Ranson, works with the Animal Welfare Society of Jefferson County to adopt out cats/kittens. It's 80 dollars to adopt and the cats are already fixed and have up to date shots. We found our Calico, Juniper, there and she has been an absolute sweetie! Whenever we are in the shopping center, we make it a point to stop in and see the kitties. Who knows? We may come across another one sometime.

[KemCam2]

We had 3 indoor outdoor cats growing up that all lived to be 17 + years old.

And we have one now but I wont speak of him since that will jinx him. I will say that we found him as a baby outside where he had been living since birth and we chose not to take that away from him. Just like people, when it's their time, it's their time. ;)

[Jenniffer]

Remember Spay Today (http://www.baacs.org//sections/view/179) when it comes time to spay and neuter. You just click on your vet, print out the form, send in the adjusted payment to Spay Today and they'll send you a voucher to bring to your vet. Apple Tree's spay and neuter prices are unbelievably affordable.

[KemCam2]

Adding to what Jenniffer is saying...

We went through Briggs to do this and were able to choose our vet.
I hated Apple Tree, so I liked having the option through Briggs. They make it totally affordable also including shots.

[Jenniffer]

Our regular vet is Hillside, but with three kittens and a mama needing fixed, can't turn down half the cost at Apple Tree (v. Hillside).

[KemCam2]

Our regular vet is Hillside, but with three kittens and a mama needing fixed, can't turn down half the cost at Apple Tree (v. Hillside).


But did you go through birggs? Because we got about half price at hillside. There were 3 or 4 (maybe more?) different vets we were able to choose from.

[Jenniffer]

But did you go through birggs? Because we got about half price at hillside. There were 3 or 4 (maybe more?) different vets we were able to choose from.

$83 to spay a cat through briggs at Hillside, $58 at Apple Tree. Not half, but enough to make a big difference when you multiply the savings by 4

[KemCam2]

Guess prices have gone up. I didn't pay that for the cat or the dog.

[catsmom]

We had 3 indoor outdoor cats growing up that all lived to be 17 + years old.



I had one calico, Orba, she lived to be 19yrs, 11mos, and 8 days. She died last year on Mar. 28. She was special to me as she was a calico. I have 9 cats still otherwise I would get another calico. A photo or her is my screen saver and she was an indoor cat. In fact all 9 are indoors, safe and happy.

[cwj]

I had one calico, Orba, she lived to be 19yrs, 11mos, and 8 days. She died last year on Mar. 28. She was special to me as she was a calico. I have 9 cats still otherwise I would get another calico. A photo or her is my screen saver and she was an indoor cat. In fact all 9 are indoors, safe and happy.

That's interesting in that Opal, who passed at 23, was also a female calico.