Should I get a cat?

Question

I live alone and it'd be nice to have a companion. But, I have concerns.

- Claws? Will they ruin me and my house?
- Cost? What are we talking?
- I work. Will they be lonely for 10 hours a day?

Answer 1

Two cats are better than one. They keep each other company. Many people recommend it and so do I - especially if you get a kitten you'd be crazy not to because a bored kitten is a destructive kitten. When there is two they can keep each other occupied. If you want a cat without claws - get one from a shelter that is already declawed. I would never recommend anyone to get a cat declawed that already wasn't, because it's a terrible procedure. You can't keep them from scratching, but I do trim my cats nails and you can encourage them to use a post - but you can't force them. Cat's are pretty cheap. Even if you feed your cat premium cat food (get the big size bags as that is most econimical) you are probably looking at only a dollar a day and that includes clumping litter. Of course, if you have vet bills that gets into more so you will want a couple hundred dollars set aside for a possible emergency and hopefully you will never have one. Cats are great companions and I am sure that you will never regret it.

Answer 2

I would say YES! Get a cat!
You can leave them for 10 hours a day. They sleep most of that time anyway! The cost is minimal. Food and litter!
Of course you'll want to spay or neuter which is a one time expense. Most vets charge a very reasonable fee. Shots once a year.
If you are concerned about the claws just wait and see if your kitty will be a problem in that area. If it's a problem get the cat declawed. ( OH YES!!! I always get the thumbs down for that one...but it has been the ABSOLUTE best thing we've ever done.)
I think a cat would be a wonderful companion for you!
Good luck!
Happy pet finding!!

Answer 3

you should def get a cat.
Claws- you can train your cat not to scratch things or you can get it declawed.
Cost- all you really NEED is food and litter, there will be other expenses but most of the time those are optional. Some shelters sell cats at and adoption fee of $100 and they come spayed/neutered and flee dipped. Just last year we got an 8 yr old cat at the shelter and it was 100 bucks but it came with spaying/neutering, a flee dip, microchipping, and it was well trained.
You work- Dont worry about leaving the cat alone for a long time. The good thing about cats is they sleep a lot during the day! And unlike puppies who shouldnt be left alone, kittens dont need care 24/7.
Good Luck finding a cat.

Answer 4

Umm...well they tend to scratch on the couches but you could trim their nails & also you could buy those little cover things that they sell @ petco that goes over their claws. Or you can even try the water spray thing, if they do something bad spray them in the face with water...and hopefully they will stop. Make sure they have toys so they can keep themselves busy that way they wont get bored & scratch couches =]

It wont cost you much. First time vet they get all the shots...might cost maybe $75-200 depending on where you go. Then from then not counting your cat getting sick you might spend between 25-30 bucks in litter & food.

There is no problem leaving your cats alone. I secretely think they like being alone sometimes. Just leave plenty of food out & fresh water. And hopefully if your cat does its business in the litter boy all you'll have to do is scoop it out when you get home.

Cats are awesome, they dont require much attention. I say you go for it!! =]

Answer 5

Claws: There are many options to this. If you plan to keep it indoors, getting it declawed would be an expensive way to keep it from being destructive...but if you let it be, you can skip the declawing and buy a scratching post to keep kitty from scratching furniture. As for curtains (another commonly detroyed object) you will need to elevate your curtains to keep playful kittens from climbing it. And thats pretty much it.

Cost: Cat's are very cheap to take care of. Just food, kitty litter and a scratching post. Don't buy toys because there are plenty of toys around the house that cats love to play with more than store bought items. Simple things like soda boxes, paper or plastic bags, running a long twig across the floor, string...etc.

Medical costs: For cat's there are less emergency trips to the vet. They don't USUALLY eat foreign objects like dogs and puppies will do. Cats are very cheap to get spaid and neutered at the SPCA. (a place where you should probably find your new best friend too)

Work: The most IMPORTANT thing you can do for a growing kitty is to socialize a kitten as much as possible. The only thing I worry about then you work 10 hours a day is that it might be missing valuble socializing skills. It might grow up to be a grumpy little house cat. So to curb this try reading this article about socializing kitties.(http://www.cyberpet.com/cats/articles/behavior/catsoc.htm)

More tips: Limit yourself to only 2 cats. More than 2 cats you will find yourself cleaning the cat litter ALL THE TIME and it get's stinky really fast.

Bathtime: NEVER dunk a cat in water, or spray or leave a faucet running. The best way to clean a cat is to fill a large storage container with warm water (when the cat is out of the room) bring the cat into the bathroom and hold it in an EMPTY bath tub or keep in an empty walk in in shower stall (walk in shower is the best) (DO NOT put the cat in the storage container...it's only to scoop warm water out of) Then take a large bowl, scoop water from the storage container and pour gently over the kitty, then lather with shampoo and then rinse. It really is that easy as long as you don't traumatize it my putting kitty in a body of water. It's a VERY common mistake people do.

I hope these mini-guide helps!! :)

Answer 6

Cats can be trained not to claw up things. If you aren't going to teach her/him not to claw things up, then please don't declaw them, that is extremely cruel. It's better to not get a cat if you are going to resort to declawing.

Cats don't cost much at all, especially if you feed them a good dry cat food instead of buy the canned stuff. The initial costs of litter box and shots are the main costs, and a few toys, but after that it's not much. And toys can be made of things like shoe strings and empty toilet paper rolls if you'd like.

I had a cat and went to school and worked, a total of 14 hours a day I'd be gone. Cats can get along fine by themselves, just give them some love and attention when you get back, and let them sleep in the bed with you at night.

Answer 7

yeah cats are always great pets to have and if you cant be home with them everyday thats fine all they need is there litter box and food and water and they will be fine. The claws you can either have them declawed at a vet or you could clip his nails short with regular nail clippers from home or buy a scratch post for them. Cats dont coast a lot to have either the cat food is maybe 6 bucks a bag at the most and can last a long time if you dont over feed the cat. Kittens need food left out at all times to eat when they need to eat and adult cats only need to eat maybe twice a day and not very big amounts either. Kitty litter is the biggest coast because you use a lot of it but you can even find that cheap at some places. And of course they need their shots from the vet but thats not to bad either if you look around first. I say get a cat they make great pets for people who work a lot like you and they are awsome when your lonley.

Answer 8

Yes. Cats are great. Only get one, though if you're sure you'll care for it. The claws do grow sharp and they will tend to scratch usually on furniture, but please don't declaw- that's cruel. Just buy small animal nail clippers (inexpensive) and trim his claws carefully every month and it'll be fine. Cats are not expensive- go to the Humane Society and adopt. You can probably get one for around $50-$75 (this price includes the neutering/ spaying and most likely the years worth of care/ shots). Just leave food, water & clean litter and give the cat as much attention when you can. Cats are solitary anyway, so I don't think it would mind being alone.

Answer 9

If you are serious about getting a cat and willing to take on the responsibilities, then you will definitely be rewarded by owning a cat. But don't be misled that cats do not require attention as dogs do. They are quite needy animals as well. Try going to a local animal shelter and getting an older cat (1 year) that will be potty and scratch post trained. That way you don't have to do it yourself. I would never de-claw a cat, I read an article long time ago about it and it made my stomach turn. I believe it is inhumane to do it.

As for your particular questions:
- they do scratch, no matter what, but if you provide them with enough scratching posts and trim their nails as often as possible, they will stay away from your couch/carpet :)

- depends on what you are getting, but if you get a cat from animal shelter I believe it is around $80 but includes spay/neuter, vaccines and training

- my cat is alone the whole day as well. I make sure she has plenty of toys (paper balls are the best) and I play with her for 20 minutes at least when I get home

Also, if you like to travel or plan going away for a while, make sure you have a friend/family member that is willing to take care of your pet while you are gone :)

Answer 10

Claws? Yes, unfortunately they like to scratch things. You can mitigate that by getting a scratching post or my spraying them with a spray bottle every time they do it. They can be trained not to.

Cost? Not very much, for one cat figure on maybe $20-$40 a month. You really only need food and litter and one cat doesn't use a lot of either. Buy in bulk to save money.

I work all day too, and my cats are fine. The average cat spends most of its time sleeping, so it will most likely sleep while you are gone.