Ethics of choosing a new cat

[mishventurer]

Oh yes. They are more prone to behavioral problems such as scratching on furniture and peeing on things. Beyond this they are so incredibly needy. They have to be played with, picked up, and taken care of all the time. It isn't like adult cats cannot act like this also. But almost all kittens are annoying until they get to be a bit more mature. It is like having a baby. They wake you up at night, they need all kinds of training, and if you aren't home for most of the day you're really making it hard for them to grow up to be well adjusted cats. They have endless energy which is really hard for a lot of people to deal with. These are all the reasons that they get returned to us often. 

This really hits the spot for me. I had the same dilemma and I decided on a kitten. But as much as I love my little Reiko, her endless energy and neediness (and destructiveness) makes me wish I had gotten an older cat who is more calm.

I'd say get an older cat, at least 3 years or older. Trust me.

 

[kittylove14]

i see your point. based on watching my kittens grow, a nice sweet spot and compromise is 6months to a year. they get bigger and a tad "uglier" and are growing out of kitten phase at this point. and they somewhat have developed into their "true personality.". good luck

 

[arouetta]

 
I personally prefer seniors to kittens or cats - although I foster kittens.  As to litter training, you really don't need to worry about that.  Unless your house is 5Ksf,  the cat will find the litter box (a smart person puts 2-3 down when they are very young).   Until you are ready to adopt, shelve any discussion of kitten vs adult.  When the time is right to adopt, I would take hubby to visit many shelters, especially if they have open rooms with free roaming cats you can visit.  Sit on the floor and see who speaks to your heart.  That is the BEST way to find your new best friend.  At our shelter we have 2 rooms of free roaming cats that love visitors.  Sitting on the floor is a great way to get to know them.  Personally, I adore seniors - I'd rather have a cat I adore for 2-3 years than a snit for 15.  Trust me, I've had both!  With an older adult its WYSIWYG - what you see is what you get.  They are more settled, more trained, more set in their ways.  A kitten may or may not grow up to be a lap cat.  An adult either is or isn't (for the most part).  Give me a senior or older adult any day - that's just my two cents.  

Now having said all this - a key to marital bliss (I have been married for almost 32 years now) is to sometimes give in and let go.  Why not choose 2 next - an older adult and a younger boy or girl.  Chances are they will become friends and there will be peace in the kingdom.

My mom had cats that had kittens.  Far too many memories of itty bitty kittens peeing all over and having to teach them to use a litter box by carrying them there while they were still doing the deed.  Never, ever, ever again.

And as far as marital bills by getting two, the problem is still the same - when Shadow goes, we'll still have Montressor and Midway.  Adding two more cats for a total of 4 just can't be done, especially since we're renters and are already smuggling in the one extra cat.

 

[howmany]

I think you shouldn't worry about it now! The most reasonable thing to do is be a 2 cat house until the time when your housings situation changes. And I once got a replacement third,and number 2 was out of sorts and then went missing (at11 years) so we got another kitten. Well everyone got on okay a 1 year old a baby and the 16 but then 8 months later everyone got ill and of all different things so we had to put down two very ill cats after much expense in trying to save them and the youngest had surgery to remove a button. That was so expensive a time that you think we would of learned our lesson. Right now we have 7 it really to many so much shedding and litter box cleaning. Sometimes twi is just the right amount