I'll try and make this short, but detailed.
Hopefully, if all goes right, I will be the owner of two new cats with in the month. Here's my basic story:
I grew up in a house without pets, and really don't remember having much exposure to them growing up. My one grandmother did have cats when I was younger, but most friends and family did not have pets. As a result, I never thought much about it and never really thought I'd have one.
Fast forward to this year, when I began giving some thought to getting a cat. My girlfriend is a pet lover, particularly cats, and started a spark in me that has grown over the months. Not to let you think I'm getting a cat because of her. She actually had no idea I was seriously thinking about it until recently. After some deliberation, I decided that I wanted to go ahead and adopt. I hadn't intended to adopt so soon, but found a girl at a local shelter in early October that was adorable. For better or worse, I did not get her. She was about 5 months old, and had I got her I intended to adopt a second cat as well (as I'd be working during the day and didn't want my cat to be lonely). I actually would have got her, but she was missing the first time I went to the shelter and the volunteers thought she had been already adopted. Turned out she was just sick and in isolation, and the second time I came I missed out on her by mere hours (although I did get to play with her). It was disappointing, but partially a good thing.
The good part of not adopting then is that I had plenty of time to clean up my place and get fully prepared for the new cats arrival. I had a spare bedroom that I'd like to use as the cat's homebase if you will, and it really needed to be cleaned out. I spent the last few weeks trying to prepare and did a massive clean-out this past weekend. Actually the entire house has been getting cleaned out, which was much needed, cat or not. So that's a side bonus. Now things are almost perfect for a new guy/gal.
Last weekend I also met with a foster mom, who had many cats up for adoption. I was impressed by many of them, but narrowed the selection down to three guys from the same litter (at least they think they're guys). The little ones are about 8 weeks old now and won't be ready to leave for a few weeks still. But as long as I get approved by the agency I'm in line for first choice of the litter.
If you want to see who the potentials are, petfinder has them listed here:
http://search.petfinder.com/shelterS...=Cat&preview=1
I'm basically choosing between Dustin, Truman, and Champ (who made quite the impression when I visited).
I've read up a lot on cat care and products and have already gotten the major accesories needed (i.e. litter box, scratching post, cat tree, feeder, etc...). My research is what led me to this site. I lurked for a while reading the posts and finally decided I should join.
So I wanted to say hi and hopefully within a few weeks have new cats and photos to post. Any advice is welcomed as I go through this new experience. And I'm sure I'll keep coming back for advice in the coming weeks and months.
Hopefully, if all goes right, I will be the owner of two new cats with in the month. Here's my basic story:
I grew up in a house without pets, and really don't remember having much exposure to them growing up. My one grandmother did have cats when I was younger, but most friends and family did not have pets. As a result, I never thought much about it and never really thought I'd have one.
Fast forward to this year, when I began giving some thought to getting a cat. My girlfriend is a pet lover, particularly cats, and started a spark in me that has grown over the months. Not to let you think I'm getting a cat because of her. She actually had no idea I was seriously thinking about it until recently. After some deliberation, I decided that I wanted to go ahead and adopt. I hadn't intended to adopt so soon, but found a girl at a local shelter in early October that was adorable. For better or worse, I did not get her. She was about 5 months old, and had I got her I intended to adopt a second cat as well (as I'd be working during the day and didn't want my cat to be lonely). I actually would have got her, but she was missing the first time I went to the shelter and the volunteers thought she had been already adopted. Turned out she was just sick and in isolation, and the second time I came I missed out on her by mere hours (although I did get to play with her). It was disappointing, but partially a good thing.
The good part of not adopting then is that I had plenty of time to clean up my place and get fully prepared for the new cats arrival. I had a spare bedroom that I'd like to use as the cat's homebase if you will, and it really needed to be cleaned out. I spent the last few weeks trying to prepare and did a massive clean-out this past weekend. Actually the entire house has been getting cleaned out, which was much needed, cat or not. So that's a side bonus. Now things are almost perfect for a new guy/gal.
Last weekend I also met with a foster mom, who had many cats up for adoption. I was impressed by many of them, but narrowed the selection down to three guys from the same litter (at least they think they're guys). The little ones are about 8 weeks old now and won't be ready to leave for a few weeks still. But as long as I get approved by the agency I'm in line for first choice of the litter.
If you want to see who the potentials are, petfinder has them listed here:
http://search.petfinder.com/shelterS...=Cat&preview=1
I'm basically choosing between Dustin, Truman, and Champ (who made quite the impression when I visited).
I've read up a lot on cat care and products and have already gotten the major accesories needed (i.e. litter box, scratching post, cat tree, feeder, etc...). My research is what led me to this site. I lurked for a while reading the posts and finally decided I should join.
So I wanted to say hi and hopefully within a few weeks have new cats and photos to post. Any advice is welcomed as I go through this new experience. And I'm sure I'll keep coming back for advice in the coming weeks and months.
