Is it hard having a cat as a pet?

Question

Is it hard and exspensive to take care off a cat?
Will a cat ruin my furniture?
Is it safe for a cat if I leave her in my appartment alone?

Answer 1

I think cats are so easy. Unless they get sick all they need is food, water, and a clean litter box. A few toys are good too. I have one cat and a kitten and I haven't had a problem with furniture. And I didn't even have to get them declawed. Cats are very independent so leaving them alone is no problem. Go to your local pet shelter and adopt one. It is a better deal then getting a free one. The kitten I just got cost me 70 dollars and he already had his first year shots and had been neutered. And you will be saving a unwanted animal. You will feel great having the companionship.

Answer 2

It can be expensive you have vaccinations which you should keep up with they need wormed every 4-6 months, then there is the food which can be pricey, other than that all they really want is a stroke and a cuddle and to be played with if you live in an apartment it is best to go for an older cat a young one can go a bit stir crazy if it's left on it's own for a long time if you are out at work all day. Get a scratching pole to try and deter it from using your furniture again if you get an older one it should be past that but all of my cats are of varying ages and some scratch more than the others. At the end of the day they are great company, pop into your nearest vet and ask how much it will cost in total for vaccinations etc then why don't you go to your nearest rescue centre and give an unwanted one a home the people at the rescue centre will know what their behaviour is like and they will be able to tell you weather it is a lap cat or a playful one even if it scratches a lot : )

Answer 3

We had always been dog people but then a couple of years without a dog, a cat decided to move into the yard. This calico has been our pet for the past three years. As hubby would say, cats are lower maintenance. She has a litter box she uses and has to be scooped/cleaned every other day, changing the liner at least once a month and adding more "sand" when it gets low.

If you keep the cat's claws trimmed (you can learn to do it or pay the groomer which I do) and have a scratching post (we have one climber post and a short one), the cat cat be quickly taught NOT to touch the furniture. Ours did it once or twice and my YELLING stopped that in a hurry, putting then next to the scratching post and putting her paws on the post. Every time she scratches we say GOOD girl.

Yes, we leave her alone in the house. Unlike dogs who are pack animals, cats are independent and can be loners. Our Taffe does greet us now, especially since we put some dry food on the top of her climbing tree house when we come home.

Oh, we feed her only dry cat food. Vet said dry is the best and it does not smell.

So, pick the right cat and you will have a fuzzy friend. We are very happy Taffe chose to live with us.

Answer 4

1. Is it hard having a cat as a pet?

Not usually. Cleaning the litterbox and his water dish annoys me, but a cat is very worth it. I think they are pretty low-maintenance, "high-return" animals. (At least a completely indoor one is. I have not had an outdoor cat. Actually, mine is afraid of the outdoors...)

2. Is it hard and expensive?

No. Once you buy the initial litter box, bowls, the cat itself, etc., food is not that expensive and nor is litter, so no. Cleaning the litter box is not that difficult either.

3. Will a cat ruin my furniture?

That is highly possible. 2 ways. The first is the well-known spraying. We neutered ours, so the first way was not a problem. The second, scratching. We declawed his front claws quickly, so that wasn't a problem, but the back were. Whenever he would climb on the couch, even when we cut his claws, holes could be seen in the plastic we put over it. Therefore, we had to declaw his back ones also. Now, all is well. No more ruined furniture.

(I do not believe in declawing though. It was not my decision. I figure what is done is done now, but I didn't like it.)

Is it safe for a cat if I leave her?

Yes. Chances are, she won't knock down a vase or anything, but you may see pawprints on a table when you get back. I think they like to be mischevious, but not get caught ;) . As far as her safety, as long as you don't keep plants around the house that are poisonous (they have lists of plants that must never be eaten by kitty) or strings (mine has a tendency to chew on string and choke....which he has done multiple times... he's really not the brightest star in the sky... so we always keep him locked out of certain rooms when we can't watch him...) she will be fine. :)

Answer 5

It's not hard taking care of a cat you just feed and water them and change their litter boxes every two to three days and give them lots of love . Expensive "YES" every pet is .Ruin your furniture maybe some cats do some don't it depends on the cat and it's personality if they start to claw on your furniture then buy them one of those clawing post.As long as the cat uses a cat box and has food and water down then it should be safe to leave the cat alone in your apartment.I think having a cat is easier than having a dog.I have one male cat which is an outside cat and one female cat which had five kittens 9 weeks which we still have four left which were keeping one of the kittens and still waiting to find homes for the other three.

Answer 6

I don't think having a cat is hard at all. You just have to realize even though cats are self sufficient animals - if something happens you need to be able to provide them with appropriate care. I don't mean to preach but so many people get cats because they don't require a lot of work...and then something happens to them and they dump them.

It can be expensive to take care of a cat...especially if they're outdoors. If you're going to get a cat and you live in the city I would highly recommend making it an indoor cat only.

Depending on what you're ready for you might to check out any local shelters and find out what animals they have available. Usually they've already been checked for all cat diseases, vaccinated, wormed and spayed or neutered - definite plus!

Once all of this is complete you should rarely have to take your cat to the vet other than annual maintenance.

Will the cat ruin your furniture? Not as long as you train them at a young age.

Again...this is where you need to decide what cat age is right for you. Kittens are fantastic! They will make you laugh and you will just want to hold them forever. However...they do require more attention during those first 6 months than an older cat would.

Older cats make great pets as well because they're pretty well set in their ways. You usually don't have an older waking you up at 4 AM to play!

Either way...cats can be trained to not ruin your furniture. A squirt gun diluted with a touch of lemon juice - does the trick perfectly! My cats hate the squirt gun - and I have leather furniture.

Can you leave your cat in the apartment alone? Yes...but not for super extended periods of time. If you have a kitten - it's best not to leave it alone in a large area for a long time. If you decide to go with a kitten if you have to leave for work etc. put in a small room - and close the door. This way you know where the kitten is when you get home and there's less danger.

Cat's are wonderful because they can stay by themselves for a couple of days. I wouldn't go more than 1-2 at the MOST by themselves. They are living creatures and they do get lonely just like humans.

I personally think cats are fantastic and they are great companions.

Good Luck to you!

Answer 7

cats are not that expensive. the litter is about $10 the food bowl you can find for about $5 or less and the litter box is about $25-$30. i have owned 3 cats at a time and still did not pay more than $50 a month for them. food can be cheap but just be careful on what brands and whether to buy dry or wet food. some cats are particular. depending on the cat, they might riun things. my cat never clawed on things untill i got a little kitten and he started clawing at my couch. now my cat i have had forever is doing it too. but hey it is a consiquence im willing to take. and yes you can leave a cat alone as long as they have fresh water all the time. and oh always try to keep the litter box as clean as you can because if its not clean........dont get mad if the cat finds another place to go to the bathroom. hope you do consider getting a cat because for the most part, they are a great companion and friend.

Answer 8

I have a male kitten of 8 months and no I don't think its difficult to keep a cat as a pet, they are much easier than dogs ( as they do not need walking!!) Cats are cool, they are the only domestic animal to be both affectionate( when they want something usually food!!) and aloof!
As for the expense - they do not cost much ( cans of cat food ) but kittens need a set of injections which can be pricey.
A cat has sharp claws which they tend to sharpen all over the place yes including your chairs and stuff!! get him/her a scratching post - that helps.

You can leave your cat in alone but bear in mind they can (especially a young cat) get bored and may start wrecking things if left TOO long on they own.

Answer 9

No it is not expensive to have a cat. Well it depends on what you find expensive. The start up is the hard part. You can usually find a kitten for free but then you need to take her to get all her shots and to get fixed, buy the bowls and litter boxes (I suggest getting two at the start). You don't need to declaw, some people do. If you don't want to declaw you need to tray her to use a scratching pole. Don't get one with carpet on it if you have carpet because they may think that the carpet is acceptable. When you see them use the scratching pole immediately give a treat to re-enforce it. When you first get her I suggest putting her in a small crate while you are out just to make sure that she is comfortable in the house before letting her roam alone. They should be fine alone but some cats get lonely. Maybe after you get used to the one you may consider getting them a buddy. Then they wont get lonely.

Answer 10

This is my first cat, and she has been the easiest pet I have ever owned (I have always had dogs). I feed her and clean out her litter box every day. But I spend much more time than that enjoying her and having her around me. My cat has never clawed my furniture, but she used to scratch the carpet. I bought her a cat tree, now she claws and scratches that. And I leave her alone in my house each day when I go to work. In the evenings when I come home, she is meowing for me when I open the door. I love her and couldn't imagine my life before her. Good luck!