am i suitable to have a cat?

Question

I'm a commuting university student so I'm usually out of the house by 8am and back around 6:30 (sometimes around 9:30 on the days i work), and usually up till 11~1pm. Most of the time before 11pm would be occupied by studying and artwork.

I have a large room in the basement, furniture that I don't mind having scratch marks on (pingpong table, ikea shelves, tilted drafting table..), carpet floor, lots of light... My parents said they won't allow a cat upstairs, but I'll give the cat access to the whole basement (all carpetted).

I will clean my room of idle objects lying about, but is it still okay to have the printer out?

This will be my first time having a cat, so thorough answers will be appreciated. As well as other tips such as kitten vs older cat to like claw trimming or litter training...

Thanks a lot! I really want a cat/kitten ><

Answer 1

Oh yeah... a cat would be perfect for you. Cats are pretty good to have when your not home a lot. When you are home, just shower your cat with attention. I recommend you get a male cat. They are very lovable.

You don't have to do anything special for a cat in your room. (Your printer is fine.)



Cats LOVE to play. If you have room... put a climbing tree in a corner of your basement room. Just find an old tree branch that you cut to fit your space and prop it up to where it is very stable and won't fall over. Get one of those hooks for the ceiling and tie the thing up with rope. The more rope you use the better... as they like to play with the rope as much as they like to climb the 'tree'.



Give them dangly things for them to play with and destroy or kill. They think they are very mighty, especially when they are kittens, and they have a need to show a shoe lace or a ball on springs that they are the KING of the world. They will play constantly when they are little.



***I recommend that you do NOT have your cat declawed. The cavity left where the claw once was can get cat litter trapped inside. It hurts them and makes them defenseless. I hate when people have their cats declawed. I think it is cruel.



The thing that my cat does that makes me nutzo, is when I am typing... he will lay on the keyboard....lol. He is fat and this is a problem, as my fingers get crunched into the keyboard. Hee Hee.... But it is then that I realize that he just needs me to pet and scratch his neck for awhile.



Okay... so back to you....

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CARE OF YOUR CAT

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Buy these things:

Two small bowls, one for water, one for food.

Get a small metal trash can with a lid. Keep his food in this because if not, he will rip the bag open and food will spill out everywhere.

Buy a litter box... with plastic litter box liners.... and a quality clay litter. This will need to be emptied every three to four days so use the litter sparingly. Only fill the litter box half full to save on litter. (Even less when in 'kitten stage') The bigger the cat becomes the more litter it will need to have in the litter box.

Put a plastic runner under the litter box. These are the clear things you lay down with the spikey things on the bottom to protect a carpet from getting worn by doorways and such. This is good under a litter box so that you can sweep up and wipe off around a messy litter box.



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FEEDING YOUR CAT

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Do not give your cat table scraps.

Do not give your cat milk.

Just feed them dry cat food and water.

A little nibble every now and then of table scraps won't hurt a thing, but it really isn't good for them, so try not to make a habit of it.

I like Meow Mix cat food. You can buy the really expensive stuff, but it really isn't necessary.

You need to make sure your cat ALWAYS has plenty of water because cats are prone to have kidney problems. WATER IS A MUST. In your situation... you might want to keep ice trays around and just put them in a bowl to let them melt all day. That way your kitty will have fresh water all the time.



Here are some websites to help you from the Humane Society:



The HUMANE SOCIETY of the United States

http://www.hsus.org/



Protect Your Pet from Common Household Dangers

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/protect_your_pet_from_common_household_dangers/



Keep Your Pets Safe on Halloween

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/keep_your_pets_safe_on_halloween.html



Allergies to Pets

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/allergies_to_pets/



Pet Adoption Information..

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/



This site will take you to all these important topics:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/cat_care/

Caring for Your Cat: The Top Ten Essentials

Cat Behavior Tip Sheets

Common Cat Hazards

Communicating with Your Cat

Declawing Cats: More Than Just a Manicure

Favorite Hiding Places

Feeding Your Cat

Fence Me In

How to Trim a Cat's Claws

Keep Your Cat Safe at Home: HSUS's Safe Cats Campaign

Keeping Your Cat Happy Indoors

Keys to a Healthy Cat

Supplies That Every Cat Household Needs

Answer 2

At a shelter you can meet all the cats and see what cat you think will work best for you. Although I fully support shelter adoption there is always the point that you don't really know a cats background. If you want more assurance research some different breeds to see what personality traits you are looking for. Obviously a cat from a breeder is going to be more expensive as well. If you google "Cat Breeders" and your state you should find some breeder lists that will explain some different breeds. You might even be able to find a breed specific rescue group if you find a breed you like. Then you can have the best of both worlds. You say you you don't want to rush into anything but also that you want to adopt a cat quickly. Take your time. Do your research and do not rush into anything! That is a much better plan than to "adopt quickly."

Answer 3

Cats sleep a lot so, he wouldn't really even care if your gone or not. Thats why it's better to have a cat than a dog if your going to be gone a lot. Cats/kittens are a lot more independent & will do what they gotta do as long as you provide what they need. Kittens, all the ones I've had, are pretty easy to potty train. A lot easier than doing it for a dog. My cat use to poop/pee in the same spot and I'd put a short little box there. It's about like a dollar or so. I also had 2 cats and one was older than my other one. The older one was already potty trained so she "helped" my younger cat. Another good way to do it is if he/she poops on the floor, scoop it up & put it in the litter box. A cat I had before thought it was just a play toy & would just scoop the litter everywhere. Another thing you must be ready for is all the vet expences!



A cat/kitten would be a GREAT thing for you. Exspecially since you'll be gone a lot. Just know that in your free time spend lots & lots of time w/ her so it'll make up for the time lost. Cats are independent but, they also like to have social interaction. They'll give you lots of love if you care & love for her/him.



Goodluck!

Answer 4

Sounds like you're suitable for a cat but your parents not allowing it upstairs concerns me. They obviously don't like cats. If you're a student, who's going to pay for quality food, supplies and vet bills? And what happens when you move out - will you take the cat with you? The shelter I volunteer with doesn't adopt out to college students as their lives can often change quite quickly. In fact, I just adopted a cat that was surrendered to the shelter when the daughter went off to college.



If you do get a cat get a CAT - not a kitten. A little kitten would be lonely and very afraid to be left alone all day long like that. It's also smaller and more curious than an adult cat which could get him/her into trouble with you not around to see what it's getting into.

Answer 5

Try to get a cat that's already litter trained. It's not hard to train them but if they are it's a bonus. The most important things that I have found for owning a cat is do you have space for the food and litter. And can you love an animal on his or her terms. A cat is a great pet. I don't trim my cat's claws at all but he has his scratching post, and most cat's will find something to play with, some will play with their toys others will play with whatever you don't want them to play with. Just be patient and expect mischief

Answer 6

You are definately the right person to get a cat(tho i would say that to everyone). Cats are independent most of the time but if you get a kitten you would need to be home a little more often. You will need to fill up the food bowl before you leave and clean the water when you come back.Get toys to keep him/her busy and a nice bed where it can sleep during the day. for the 1st couple of days, you need to be there constantly so it will get used to ur house. then (it) should be fine alone.good luck!

Answer 7

I'd say you are, but the problem is you're in a situation where you're probably not going to be able to give a lot of attention to the cat, which is OK if it's grown but generally if you don't handle and play with kittens a lot, they grow up to be kinda nasty/shy. If you want a really friendly cat to greet you when you come home, you should try handling your kitten as much as possible whenever you can.

Answer 8

Well, sounds like a good area, except for the carpet... If you get a kitten I would start out somewhere hard floor, tile or Wood for litter box training. They will make a MESS!

Answer 9

Cats sleep alot, so they wouldn't mind your absence a bit. A kitten needs reassurance and gets lonely by itself tho. Mosts cats are real easy to litter train. And one thing to keep in mind, who's boss. When it comes to cats, unlike dogs, they "think" they rule the nest. I have 4!

Answer 10

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Answer 11

I would suggest an older cat they are easier to take care of are litter trained etc and dont require alot of pay attention to me like kittens do

Answer 12

Cats can tolerate a lot of absence but it doesn't sound like you have enough time to give it any time at all. I'd wait till you have a bit more time for a pet.