Hi! New member with a lot of questions!

Welcome to TheCatSite,

First let me say that you are wise to learn as much as you can before deciding to bring a cat into your life...
I think that most members here will agree that it would be impossible to imagine a life without our cats.

A couple of questions come to mind about your lifestyle that might influence your decision about adopting a cat...
no need to answer here, but just think about them.
- Are you ready to provide a home for your kitty for it's full lifetime, which on average is 16 years, sometimes longer?
- Do you have the financial resources to provide at least basic vet care for a cat? Remember, if illness happens, vet care can become expensive fast.

I suggest that you read some of the sticky threads in our Health and Behavior forums.
They should give you a good overview about life with a cat.

My guess is that because you are here...
you are a smart, caring person.
I suspect that when the time is right, a shelter cat will have the good fortune to become your dear companion.

Please make yourself at home.

I don't see why you should keep the laundry room doors closed or drains covered, unless maybe you end up having a curious kitten and have a large drain without a grate over it somewhere in your house.

More important to me in the world of cat-proofing your house is
1. A trash can WITH A LID that your cat can't easily tip over
2. Until your kitten is big enough to climb out of the toilet if he/she falls in, leave the lid down
3. Removing as many dangly things (cords, wires, ceiling decorations, etc) as far from their access as possible.
4. Obviously, keep all dangerous cleaning chemicals out of their reach.

Other than that, I can't really think of anything that could harm a kitten. I'm thinking that chances are you'll be around enough to watch it and make sure it doesn't get into anything TOO harmful.

Now... do you plan on getting just one cat, or two? A cat from a shelter, or a breeder? A kitten or an adult cat? All of these things have to be considered carefully, as they all create different situations.

If you're planning on getting a kitten, I recommend getting two, preferably from the same litter (although this is not an absolute, it just makes the transition to your new home easier. Really, any two kittens will do as long as they're roughly the same age). They usually grow up much easier, as they have another kitten with whom to express all their energy. They can become destructive if they don't have an outlet for their energy -- think like a puppy tearing apart things in your house. Kittens can do that too. Generally speaking, the closer a cat is in age to its companion, the better it they will get along.

If you're getting an adult cat, I recommend asking the shelter or breeder whether or not they get along with other cats. Cats ARE generally social creatures, and most of them enjoy (or at least tolerate) another cat in the house, but there are the few out there who need to be an only cat.

Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of cat ownership!! Please keep posting, we all love answering questions.

No, not that I can tell. Other members might have different opinions though. And, for the record, I have two male cats, one 5 months old and the other 1 year old.

Oh, one thing about gender differences -- this might seem obvious, but you really need to get your cat spayed (if female) or neutered (if male) if it isn't already when you get it. If you don't a whole host of problems can occur, especially if you plan to let your kitty outside (think lots and lots of kittens).

Hi there and welcome! Do you have any specific questions? People here are very knowledgeable on a lot of subjects related to cats/kittens and I have learned a great deal just by reading around the forum. Things such as nutrition, introducing a kitten to your home, etc. About the baby proofing- kittens like to climb things, try not to keep things they can knock over and break such as glass. Keep electrical cords, blind cords (or any dangly stuff), and cleaners out of reach. I was told by the shelter to stop cleaning with pine-sol or cleaners with amonia. About the difference in sexes- if your pet is spayed/nuetered there is pretty much no difference. I recommend you get a litter box on the bigger size, I learned the hard way lol. I'm sure people will come along with more advice

Unless you get a really young kitten that can't be left to its own devices at night, I would advise keeping the litter box away from its food water and bed. Cat's are very clean animals and many won't go potty next to its food. If you're going to keep it secluded to a single room at night, having a litter box across the room from the food should be okay. Kittens aren't usually as picky as adults but young kittens shouldn't left free to wander the whole place at night. Some people get a large crate to have them sleep in until they can be trusted. I heard many keep them in a bathroom at night so they have more room. Just be sure to close the toilet lid and make sure all chemicals are stored out of reach. If you have them under the sink, make sure you block the doors. Some kitties are extra smart and will open cabinents and get into stuff. If you get an older kitten. Lets say around 3 months and up, unless they are totally freaked out in the new home or they're constantly getting into stuff, they should be fine to be left loose. Just make sure it knows where its litter box is and that its using it. Also depending on the litter that kitten is use to, you need to make a decision to use the same little or if you want to change it to another litter. If you decide to use a new litter, watch your kitten very carefully. Some cats won't recognize a box with different litter as an exceptable bathroom. We had to use the turd method for Chacho when we got him. We had my parents bring over a cat turd in a baggy to place in our litter box because Chacho didn't know that's where he was suppose to go. We stuck the turd in the box and Chacho soon went poo examining the litter box with a turd in it. (You should really only do this if the cats the turd is from has had their vaccinations and that are healthy.)
You also need to decide if you're going to let your kitten sleep with you which is another option. Chacho slept with us until he found out that he can crawl into the box mattress after he pulled a corner of the canvas bottom open. Once we borrow my dad's staple gun and staple the canvas back up, he'll be back to sleeping with us. Many cat owners that I've personally known, including my parents have had this problem and some will take planks of wood and block any access to under the bed and then hide the boards with a bed sham/bedskirt. If you decide to not let the kitty sleep with you then I would buy a bed for them. A crate with some padding or old clothes will work. Some cats actually prefer a cardboard box with some old rags in it to a nice bed from a pet store lol.
Be carefull if you change their food too. If you do, be sure to slowly introduce the new food. Usually shelters will give you a bag of food the cat is use to so all you need to do is buy new food then start with 90% old food to 10% new. Then slowly use more of the new food and less of the old food. Cat's can get sick if you switch food all at once.

How lovely that you are going to get a rescue cat. One advantage of getting a slightly older cat is that you will have some idea of personality and energy level. i.e how much time do you spend at home, kittens need stimulation and training if you want to avoid unwanted behaviours such as jumping on kitchen counters or going through the trash. Kitten's love running up curtains and getting into mischief. Defo keep the toilet lid shut in case it can't get out, kitties often fall in the toilet. whatever you choose I'm sure you are going to get lots of love and joy from your kitty and may even end up getting another one. x

Wherever the hell it wants. If your cat bonds with and you are really lucky, then the cat will feel completely relaxed around at you. At this point, sleeping locations may include the following

1. Your bed
2. Inside your bed
3. On your head
4. Around your shoulders

Purring noses are placed, for preference, inside your ear, although I woke up the other day with the most surreal experience - a kitten's nose purring inside my mouth. Presumably I had been snoring and she just plugged the gap!

Good luck with a cat bed. They will probably look at you with amusement and then jump on your bed. Some people have luck with dedicated pet beds but they are more of a dog thing. Cats are a bit more independent

The cat will find somewhere warm where they feel safe and sleep there. Give them a few options and let them find their place. They won't want to sleep near their litterbox (do you sleep near your toilet) but food and especially water do need to be available.

A cat makes a wonderful companion, but get ready to have your life turned upside down

There is actually some evidence that male cats tend to bond more strongly with female humans, especially in certain pedigree breeds, but mostly cats are cats. They all, as you say, have a unique personality which I promise you will find at times adorable, comforting, cute, friendly, sneaky, destructive and downright evil. I woke up yesterday and my first words to my kitten were "awww you're so beautiful Eva". This morning my first words were "jesus christ you evil cow!" as the kitten was experimenting with waking me up by inserting a claw into my nose.

Hi and welcome to TCS .

You will get plenty of advice on cat care from this site. If you "hang around" long enough you will find out if a cat is right for you.

I would also recommend you go to local shelters, meet other cat owners in person and so on. This will help you decide if a cat is "right for you".

Well said...

Kitties love to climb..
a stable cat tree is always a worth while investment and don't forget scratching posts.

If you get a longhair kitty, definitely have a brush ready when they come home. You don't want to have to remember to go get one when they develop mats.

Other than that, I can't think of anything else you'd need except a tape roller for when guests come over unexpectedly and you need to de-fur your couch in a snap.

If you really want to make your kitty feel special, try a very soft, fleecy blanket for their bedding area. Boots has a favorite purple blanket that's very soft, and he'll only make biscuits on that blanket. He sleeps there too.