questions about getting a cat

HI,
I have a few questions, i hope this is the right area.
We are thinking about getting a cat but my biggest thing stopping me is the previous owners of our townhouse, their cat peed or sprayed in lots of places, its taken alot but we got the smell gone, so im wondering if we were to get a cat or kitten will it be more likely to pee/ spray in those areas?
(I did read in the one post about the tea bag in the area )
Also would it be harder to train a kitten or would it be better to get a adult cat? we have 2 boys under 5.
thanks so much for your help.
thanks
V

Is the smell in carpet or wood floors? If in carpet, you can replace it and the padding. If its in wood, you probably will not get it all out and even if you can't smell it, dogs and cats CAN smell it.

How quiet/aggressive are your kids? How do they react around animals now? Do they know how to properly pet and pick up a cat?

I know some of our nieces/nephews would be good pet owners and others I would not want them around my dog/cats!

With kids that age, I recommend an older kitty - 6/7 months or older (depending on the size of the cat).

My kids seem to be ok with cats and dogs that our relatives have, i just cant trust them to much with the hamsters.
oh in our bedroom it was in the carpet, we got rid of the smell but did not replace the carpet. and in the basement it seems like its on some of the panneling.
if thats the case of other cats being able to smell it and we cant i think we should wait till we get a house then.
Any other oppinions?
our biggest worry is the new cat peeing.

You're better off waiting. Definitely! If we can't get the smell 'out' of a sheet vinyl floor, it'll NEVER come out of a carpet.

Thanks!
I know i would love a cat right now, but i dont want to be stressed out by worrieing about the cat spraying where the other cat sprayed.
thanks for your help
V

Try treating the stains with an odor neutralizer like nature's miracle. When I moved to a home where cats had lived before (thankfully they don't seem to have been sprayers) my cats had no problem, and I have added kitties since then. Just make sure kitty is neutered/spayed or will be at an appropriate age.

There are two ways at looking at the "peeing" issue. If you get a kitten you will be training it to use a litter box and it shouldn't bother the areas that had bee used in the past. I got bakker about 14 months ago and he spends time in my computer/office/craft room. This carpeting has been soiled by my oldest cat and bakker doesn't seem to notice it. That said I wouldn't really recommend a young kitten for your boys. Unless its have the right personality (not a shy cat!!) This cat will be played with quite a bit so you would like a friendly one!!! Remember too that their claws are quite sharp so the boys might end up with some small scratches if they play rough with the kitten.
If you get an older cat-it may smell those prior areas however I believe that they would not use that spot-speaking from yrs of experience. An older cat would not have to be litter trained either -just show them the litter box!!
Again the cats personality should help you make a decision if the cat is right for you.
You again wouldn't want a cat that is skittish but friendly and playful. Pick the cat up how does it handle people??? When my neighbor's kids would come over when they were little (they are in 2nd and 4th grade) they always wanted to play with my cats. A couple of the cats loved it-the others didn't.
Good luck on your decision.

oh cool, that actually helps alot thanks.
I thought for sure it would go where the cat peed b4.
i might change my mind again. lol.
iv been debating between getting a cat and getting gerbils.
thanks for all your help.

HI All,
I decided we will wait to get a cat just incase of it peeing and if the boys are 2 rough with it.
thanks for all your input and help.