# Hello Everyone! Am I suitable to own a cat?



## Germorean (Sep 6, 2013)

Hello fellow cat fans. I'm hoping to gather some thoughts and opinions from experienced cat owners. Any help would be much appreciated.

Recently, I've been wanting to purchase/adopt a pet for companionship. I'm wondering if it's 'right' for me to purchase/adopt a kitten? I'm single, work full-time, and live in a small(ish) apartment (around 650 sqft). I'm worried that I won't have enough time for a kitten/cat. I typically leave the house around 7:30AM and get home around 6:30PM. Will a kitten be alright being alone during this time? I'm normally free during evenings, so I could give he/she attention when I get home from work. As for weekends, I'm typically around.

Thoughts? I would appreciate a companion around the house, but I don't want to be selfish and have a bored/miserable cat around.

I've been doing research, but I'd like to hear from cat owners on a more intimate level, instead of a sterile E-How article or something like that.

Sorry this is a bit wordy, and any advice would be appreciated. Also, I apologize in advance if this topic has been discussed ad nauseum. 

Cheers,

Ryan


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Welcome, Ryan,

Your hours and square footage are fine. Cats typically sleep most of the time during the day. Adopting an adult cat who needs to be an only cat would be great. Kittens are hard, take it from me.

If you've never lived with a cat before, I think it would be a good idea to visit the Behavior and Health forums to see all the problems that can come up, and consider how you would deal with them. What if the new cat bites your wires or scratches your furniture? Is that a deal breaker? What if they get diarrhea or throw up? Are you willing to deal with that and take your cat to the vet and have patience cleaning up after them?

Taking a cat from a shelter and giving them a home is wonderful, and the payoff is you'll have a buddy and entertainment and someone who loves you unconditionally. You just have to know it's not all wine and roses. Actually, at this house, it IS a lot of wine........


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## TinyPaws (Jun 23, 2013)

I agree there too. I think an adult cat would be ideal for you. Kittens are a little mad and hyper and need a lot of attention. There are so many older cats in shelters waiting for a loving quiet home.

The cost is a serious consideration too. I worked out the other day it costs me about £7 per week per cat (about $11). It does vary from person to person but what I'm trying to say is that there is serious cost involved. Plus there is all the potential vet care costs that come with owning a cat too.

However what you put out in the care for a cat you get far much more back in love and companionship.

Welcome to the forum Ryan and will be exciting to see what you decide!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Definitely an adult cat. One who will sleep most of the day and be content to sit by a window the few hours he is awake. He will spend a few hours with you in the evening when you are home then sleep most of the night. Someone over 3. You would be doing a HUGE disservice to a kitten, but you would be a savior - a knight in shining armor - to an older adult cat and you will have many, many years together. There is someone out there that needs you.

_"Saving just one cat won't change the world, but surely it will change the world for that one cat."_


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## Wannabe Catlady (Aug 6, 2012)

Agreed on the adult cat. I worked similar hours when I adopted an 8 week old kitten, and I really regret doing that. It was very unfair to the kitten to be alone all day, and he developed a lot of destructive habits that have been a lot of work to get under control. Definitely look into adopted a calm older cat though! If you go to the adoption center and describe your situation, I'm sure the staff can point out many cats that would fit your lifestyle 


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Welcome Ryan! The fact that you are doing your research and asking questions about what, considering your lifestyle, is 'right' for a potential cat indicates to me that you would probably make a very good, responsible pet owner. An adult cat would be a great option for you! As adorable as kittens are, they're a lot of work and can be quite destructive when bored. Also, kittens' personalities often change as they get older, so, unfortunately, you can't assume that a friendly, cuddly kitten will grow up to be a friendly, cuddly cat--especially if you don't have a lot of time to spend interacting with the kitten. If you do decide to get a cat, Wannabe Catlady's suggestion of describing your living situation and time constraints to the staff at a shelter is a good one; the volunteers interact with the shelter cats on a daily basis, and will be able to offer suggestions about which cats would be best suited to your current lifestyle.


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## DeafDogs&Cat (Mar 27, 2013)

I certainly wouldn't want a kitten that was alone that much. I adopted an 8 month old and boy did I come home to alot of mess, even with three dogs to play with, he got into such trouble! An adult cat, passed it's idiotic teenager stage would likely suit you best. And they're often alot cheaper, already vaccinated, neutered, and all that.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Hi Ryan! It sounds like to me, you'll be a great cat owner! Once you decide on a cat! 
You're doing some research first, and taking into consideration your hours and amount of time you have available to interact with your new Fur Buddy!
An older cat, is what I'd vote for to!
And just a thought...if you were to find two older cats that were bonded, you could take both...Company for each other and neither would have to suffer the trauma from being separated from each other!
And two cats aren't any harder to take care of!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

7cats2dogs said:


> Hi Ryan! It sounds like to me, you'll be a great cat owner! Once you decide on a cat!
> You're doing some research first, and taking into consideration your hours and amount of time you have available to interact with your new Fur Buddy!
> An older cat, is what I'd vote for to!
> *And just a thought...if you were to find two older cats that were bonded, you could take both...Company for each other and neither would have to suffer the trauma from being separated from each other!*
> *And two cats aren't any harder to take care of!*


GREAT thinking Sharon!!! What a GREAT idea! Yes, even though the house is small, two cats - a bonded pair - will be a wonderful addition! Wish I'd thought of that, but super glad you did!!


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Lol! I love your responses 7cats2dogs and Marcia:

No Ryan, you are _not_ suitable to own a cat... You are suitable to own _2 cats!_ 

All joking aside, it's a good suggestion if you're worried about a cat getting lonely while you're at work, provided that you were comfortable with the idea and the additional cost. Bonded pairs are harder to adopt out because most people looking to adopt a cat only want one.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I'm almost ready to pick out the names for him, anyone else?? =D


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## dt8thd (Jan 7, 2013)

Marcia said:


> I'm almost ready to pick out the names for him, anyone else?? =D


Ooh, I've always wanted to name a cat Mercutio!


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Germorean said:


> Recently, I've been wanting to purchase/adopt a pet for companionship. I'm wondering if it's 'right' for me to purchase/adopt a kitten? I'm single, work full-time, and live in a small(ish) apartment (around 650 sqft). I'm worried that I won't have enough time for a kitten/cat. I typically leave the house around 7:30AM and get home around 6:30PM. Will a kitten be alright being alone during this time? I'm normally free during evenings, so I could give he/she attention when I get home from work. As for weekends, I'm typically around.


Yeah, this sounds familiar.

This was my exact situation when I first adopted 7 years ago. I adopted a single adult male cat, Simon, from a shelter and he and I went on to be best friends, a wonderful relationship.

Simon died young and I never found out why. Like many pet people, I had feelings of guilt at his death and connected it to maybe I left him alone too long. Irrational for sure, but it was how I felt.

So now I have two - lovely adult/senior females, also from the shelter.

My advice would be to visit local shelters/rescues/sanctuaries and ask for a pair of bonded adults. I am a shelter volunteer now and we have bonded pairs that we will not allow to be adopted singly. For whatever reasons, pairs do not adopt as fast as singles.

But even more important than getting a pair or single, cat or kitten, long hair or short hair ... is spending time with the cat(s) and finding out who picks you. You'll know when they do.


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## Lotu (Apr 26, 2013)

rcatThis all sounds like great advice and I also am impressed with your research and concern as to whether you should have a pet cat (or two!) We have 2 kittens and really they do entertain each other when we are not home, but still very much interested in us as a humans. I don't work, so am home a bit more and we spent a lot of time inside the house during the kids' summer break. Do you have any rescues around? The rescue where we got our kittens were really helpful and want to make a good match. You could express all your concerns and they would be able to recommend a good match or remember you for when a good match comes up. Cats are an added expense and you can read different topics here to learn more about that. Our rescue required that the cats remain indoor-only and never be declawed, so be prepared to know how you feel about those issues. Have you been around cats enough to know whether you might be allergic? Do you travel much? Keep us posted on what you decide. I'd be interested in hearing what you are thinking and the process and it could be a good reference for someone else thinking about a cat as a companion.


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## Germorean (Sep 6, 2013)

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. I'm not gonna lie, it is a little disappointing to read that a kitten isn't ideal for me, those little guys are the most adorable things on the planet. I'll probably have to reconsider; The main thing I want to avoid is getting a kitten, and then having to give them up to a shelter. 

I haven't really considered adopting adult cats, but I'll definitely look into it. Will the adult cats form a bond with me? I have no experience with this. I'm most afraid of bringing a cat home that has behavioral problems.

I read that it is common to adopt two cats so that they can keep each other occupied. For some reason, the thought of going zero cats to two cats is intimidating to me, but I'll also consider this option.

To answer previously asked questions: 

I do have some experience with pets. Growing up we had cats and dogs, and our cat had a litter of kittens. I'm familiar with how mischievous a kitten can be, but at the time I believe I was in middle school, so I had a lot of spare time to spend with the little guys.
I'm financially stable enough so that cost shouldn't be too much of a problem.
I've already thought of a few names ;-)
I live in a large city (Houston), and there are quite a few shelters in the area. I need to make a trip out and visit some of them to get an idea of what's out there.

Thanks everyone for the great input :thumb. It looks like I've got a little bit more thinking to do. This seems like a very friendly and helpful online community, so I'll definitely let everyone know if I end up getting a companion!


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## CatMonkeys (Sep 27, 2012)

Ryan, is there an animal shelter near where you live? Before you commit to a cat (or two!), you could always try fostering first. I'm in a pretty similar situation- live alone, gone similar hours, my apartment is a little smaller than yours, and I have two cats who are perfectly happy. I wasn't sure about getting cats, so I decided to foster two kittens for my local shelter last year. After having the kittens for about 4 weeks, they were old enough to bring to adoption days at the shelter. However, I was completely enamored with them and ended up adopting them myself (that's called a foster failure  ). I hadn't had any pets of my own before (just family pets) and honestly, it was nice to have that fostering time before I fully committed to adopting. Another benefit to fostering is you get to see if the cat works with your personality; it could be very personable in the shelter but become aloof at home. If you foster, you get a chance to see how the cat is outside of a shelter environment.

As others have said, an adult cat sounds perfect for you. If you get kittens, you really ought to get two so they can play together instead of destroying your house while you're at work. You don't need to worry so much about an adult cat being bored- they sleep quite a bit, plus there are many who would actually prefer to be an "only child." If you get a young adult, you will have plenty of happy years together without the psychotic kitten period. 

You sound like you'd be a great cat owner, especially since you're doing research ahead of time. I would go to a shelter or two to meet the cats and talk to the shelter staff about what you're looking for and I'm sure they will be able to help you find the perfect cat (or cats) for you


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## Tiliqua (Jan 22, 2013)

Adult cats most definitely will form a bond! I foster cats (in addition to my two sibling boys that I've had since they were kittens), and I had two ladies form such a strong bond with me after just a couple months in foster care that I HAD to adopt them. 

Kittens are cute and a ton of fun, but destructive little forces and you have no idea how their personalities will turn out. Adults are a little less crazy and like someone mentioned, you will be the knight in shining armour. Adults usually wait much longer than kittens to be adopted, so you will be saving them from a small cage and possibly euthanasia. The two adults I fostered bonded with me very quickly even though they were terrified of people in the beginning and now are probably cuddlier and more appreciative than the two boys I got as kittens. I have another adult foster that has only been here 1.5 weeks and she is very snuggly and sleeps on my bed every night - she's just very happy not to be in a pet store / cage!

Adults also play and are a lot of fun - the cats I have are two X 1.5 years, one that is 3 years and one that is about 7 plus a foster that is around 6 years old and they still play like kittens and run around and chase each other - just not as often and they aren't as destructive. But they are lots of fun and very entertaining... just not quite as crazy and they know about scratching posts and are happy to sleep all day while I'm away. 

I'd definitely look into getting one or two adults - you'd be saving them and the right cats would bond with you very quickly.


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## Lotu (Apr 26, 2013)

I was a little timid about getting 2 as well (again we have a family of 4, so more people to give attention). We got our kittens around 11 weeks but were able to many pics of them on the rescue's facebook page. I did a lot of research and I think our kittens had almost the best scenario for being well behaved...their mom was an owner surrender (so not feral/stray) gave birth to 6 kittens and only in the shelter for a couple days before a rescue took her in to a foster home. This rescue seems great!! The foster was experienced and handled them and got them used to human behavior. They were with mom 8 or 9 weeks and then w/ littermates a couple more before we took 2. Originally I had only wanted one too. I was kind of set on a kitten too...knowing that they really do grow up fast...kitten sized only a few months. They are 6 months now and feel more like cats than kittens. They are wonderfully behaved kittens. When they first came to our house, I expected them to hide, but they just started playing with each other and were not afraid of us. I think if we just got the one it would have been more "freaked out", but don't know. 

Would you have time to foster some kittens w/ a momma? That was a wonderful idea by CatMonkeys. I think the foster who raised our kittens mentioned that she takes in a batch maybe once a year and gets her kitten fix.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I actually look for the senior cats when I adopt (those over 8 and most often over 12 years old), so yes, a very strong bond can develop. It may take a bit longer with some kitties - like any adult or senior, some relationships are harder to form, but it will happen and it can be absolutely the most rewarding thing you can do!! Plus if you are one to take work home with you, they require less attention and are happy to occupy your lap or laptop while you work!

I think all of us old timers here think a kitten just would not be right under the circumstances. They take supervision and guidance and you just won't be able do this on a routine basis. It's just unfair to a baby. An older, more mature cat(s) will be ideal and you not need about bonding - that will happen in short order.


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## Manue (Jan 3, 2013)

I adopted a an adult cat from the shelter about 9 months ago and since then I cannot even move from one room to the next without her following me! Bonded you say? There may be such a thing a too much kitty love.
The best thing about adults is that, mostly, what you see is what you get, so the shelter can really help you find a good match.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

All four adult cats I've brought home bonded with me the very first night. And since the average old age of cats is about 14-16 (depending on which study you read), adopting a 1-4 year old cat is still very young. Adopting two adult bonded cats would be wonderful for them, so often they're split up once they get to a shelter.


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