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So, my girlfriend and I have finally decided to buy a cat. It will happen in the next week, hopefully in the next few days.

I wanted a Bengal cat, but since they're a bit expensive, and require lots of outdoors and nature, we've settled for a tabby. Hopefully one with grey and white strpies, so that when I'm stoned, it looks a bit like a tiger, and isn't this what it's all about, fundamentally? Probably not, but anywho. I really wanted to call him Zizou, after the one and only Zidane, but she wasn't too keen on that. So we've settled on Ernesto, for obvious reasons, and also because it sounds quite smart for a cat.

When I told my boss this morning, he laughed and asked me if I'd had one before. I said I hadn't, and he laughed again. When I asked why it was so funnny, he said he'd let me find out for myself, but that it would change my life. And I don't think he meant it in the good way. So what's the deal? I thought it was kids that ruined your life, not cats. Anyone here owns a cat? What should I be careful/worried about? Will he do anything else than lounge around and sometimes puke on the sofa?

So come on, cats stories.

Let's hear it.

We're thinking male.

I can't actually remember the reason why, but the gf had some strong arguments for it.

Males are particularly difficult. They spray.


It takes a thimble of this spray to stink up the house, they'll leave a gallon.



About 6 months from birth your male cat will be sexually mature. Neutering them around 6 months (no ealier than 5) will reduce if not eliminate the desire to escape out of the house, urine in places they shouldn't, and fighting with any other animals in the residence. Neutering will remove the desire to spray.

Outside of that, cat's psychology does not work as it does with dogs.

Male cats tend to be loners through adolescence, but as maturity sets in, you'll have the most affectionate cat on earth.

Do not discipline your cat via spankings, beatings, or any other thing of the like. I found what works best if your cat misbehaves is pick them up, and lock them in the room that their catbox is in.

Loneliness is murder to a cat. They desire to be around their owners so being forcefully seperated from their owners sends a clear message. IF your cat ***** up, immediately remove them to their cat room. Pay no attention to their whines. After an hour let them out.

Cat's love to play. They love to chase things. The cheapest cat toys are the best. Got a piece of string and an empty box? That's hours of entertainment for you feline.

Catnip: Some cats are responsive to it, while others are not. If your cat is responsive to it, it may cause undesirable behavior.

If you think your cat sleeps a lot, it's normal. A cat typically spends 12-16 hours a day sleeping.

While this works with dogs quite well, it doesn't work with cats.



Cats assume dominance, there is no hierarchy, it's them then everyone else.


Teaching a cat what is acceptable and unacceptable is much more difficult than it is with dogs.

The supposed theory is that canines learn to do things (or not do them) because their alpha leader wants them to and its their job as pack animals to listen to the alpha.

Cats pretty much just learn not to do things because of unpleasant consequences (such as a squirt of water whenever they go on the couch). They don't give a damn about you, they just figure they'll be wet and unhappy if they do it.

How many cats love to drink out of the sink? For the longest time, I thought my goofball cat would die of thirst since it would refuse the water bowl--even one of those prissy fountain ones.

Edited, Jan 12th 2009 9:35am by sweetumssama

My cat drinks from his bowl but my mother's will seemingly only drink from the sink/bathtub taps.

On the other hand, I've never heard of a housecat dying from dehydration because no one turned the tub's tap on. Supposedly, owing to their desert dwelling lineage, domestic cats need less water than you'd think (so they can ignore their water bowl longer than what seems comfortable to you before giving in) but it's always good to keep a source of fresh water available at all times.

Edited, Jan 12th 2009 9:46am by Jophiel

Most important tips have already been given (neutering being the first one, don't wait all too long after he hits 6 months), some additional ones that might be helpful.

If you are going to allow the cat to wander outside, do not clip his nails. Declawing is definitely a no-no (comparable to having the tops of your fingers cut off) but cats need their nails for defence and getting away real fast. The cat should pick a tree or strong bush to sharpen his nails, along with a decent scratchpole and some training and your furniture should be safe.

Definitely give him the necessary shots if you allow him outside, best to take him to the vet to check him out even if he comes from a cattery (mine actually had a crooked mouth which the cattery conveniently forgot to mention). If not from a cattery, best to deworm him (those are a pain to get rid off, even after six month my other cat, dumped by some jerk along with the rest of his litter, still isn't worm free.) and check for flees. (equally a pest to get rid of)


If the cat is too unruly and is seemingly a hyperactive cat (which mine was, the dumped cat), you could consider getting a second cat. Kittens tend to get along with pretty much every other kitten, after the initial hissing and fighting ofcourse, and they'll waste their energy on hunting each other, mostly anyway. When acquiring a cat at later age, things might be more difficult to get them to get along. Although by no means impossible.

Ofcourse, with a kitten as psycho as mine, getting another one can produce rather heartbreaking scenes when one tries to get away by climbing on top of the scratching pole, but being too slow and actually get dragged off of it by the other one so he can bite him some more. Still, they seem to like each other.

Definitely spend time with the cat, get some string and a couple of balls and mice to chase around the house (the textile version naturally) and after a couple of days, you should be playing quite a lot.

Some things will get broken by the cat, try to scare him away from electric wires asap, be careful with your plants (some are poisonous to cats), don't try feeding him milk (most cats can't process this well, rather unpleasant consequences), try to get him used to brooming and possible nail clipping at a young age...

And might be best to not let the cat sleep in your bedroom. Especially at a young age, they can become rather unruly during the night and it's not fun to have to chase a cat in the middle of the night, mostly because they consider that part of the game anyway. Cats can get quite active at dusk, their hunting time I believe.

But mostly, have fun with your cat!

Yes, indoor cats should stay inside. If they taste blood and freedom, they'll not be satisfied with indoor life.

Is this a kitten? If so, make sure you have lots of spray bottles about - it's the best way to discipline them as kittens.

Have a scratching post or something you can train them to scratch on.

Vet bills will come and they will not leave. There will be the regular check-ups, shots, spaying/neutering/declawing, as well as curing all the little infections they seem to catch, mending broken parts, etc.

I wouldn't say cat ownership is a 'life-changer' like having a kid or something. If you don't like the experience it's easy enough to get rid of a cat. And if you ***** up in raising a cat it probably won't cause nightmares.

You've already named this cat before even meeting him?

Why not? We name babies without meeting them and I dare say the kid's name matters more than the cat's.

Not like he'll know or care what his name is anyway.

The difference - A cat is not a child. It's not a member of my family and never-ever would I put the well being of one of my family members on a level playing field with a non-human animal. We eat animals, we're ok with that. And while I'd probably not resort to 'eating' my pet cat if I no longer wanted it in my house, they are easy enough to get rid of without 'dumping' them.





Edited, Jan 12th 2009 5:33pm by Elinda