Newcatowner Here With Questions

[newcatowner111]

Hey there,

I owned a cat when I was a kid nearly a decade ago. Now that I'm older I'm a bit more mature and want to own a cat again. I have some questions if you all don't mind. Also I have done some reading about owning cats I just want some confirmation. Just a heads up I'm thinking about buying a Maine Coon as they are somewhat trainable. The biggest dealbreaker is I still live with my parents as a young adult so they might not be cool with my cat breaking things and scratching furniture. I work 40-80 hours a week too so my time is pretty limited and I absolutely cannot babysit/hover over my cat. I can make time to play with it, feed it, clean its litter box, etc. Everything will make sense:

1) I live in a fairly big house (3 floors, 14 rooms) with other members of my family and the last thing I want is for my cat to be locked out on another floor. Is my concern warranted? I also don't want my cat hiding or being inadvertently locked inside a room and there's no way for me to know where it is. This goes back to how I work long hours and after a long day at work I don't want to play hide and seek with my cat to try to feed it.

2) Cats are known to knock things down right? Any way to prevent this? Play with it frequently? I obviously don't want it to touch stoves or anything dangerous.

I have some more questions but I don't want to make this post a tl;dr bore fest. Giving me pointers like how to cat proof at least my room (God forbid my house) may be of use to me. Of course I could adopt an older Maine Coon that's a bit more house broken. Or maybe under my circumstances I shouldn't purchase a cat at all. I unfortunately don't have time to take care of a dog. Thank you all for reading!

 

[tabbytom]

newcatowner111, on behalf of The Catsite community, a warm

to you.

Glad that you’ve joined the site and it’s good that you are asking questions before you get a cat since your last time of owning one.

All cats have different characteristics in their behaviors and not all cats are the same. One thing is to start them young and start them right.

As with new kittens or cats to a new place, it’s always going to take time for them to get use to the surroundings and environment and sounds and people. They may hide for the first few days or weeks. Make a safe room for the kitty and leave her there so that she gets used to the room and if she ever venture out of that room, she knows that she has a safe room to retreat to.

Cats are known to be inquisitive and chances are they may knock things over but maybe not as done on purpose but could be knocked down by running pass the objects. Best is to keep a close watch on the kitty in the beginning and teach her not to knock things over and also beat if can keep breakables out of reach. Speaking of out of reach, Cat proof your room and later the whole house by keeping all medications, chemicals, human foods and plants and flowers out of reach as some plants and flowers are toxic to cats.

It’ll be good that everyone in the family get a part to play in looking after the kitty which will ease your mind tremendously.

If you plan to keep her in your room in the initial stage, cover up all hiding holes, keep windows shut and leave a Cat tree by the window so that she can look out at the birds and bugs while you are gone for the day. Keep her litter away from her food and water and have fresh water all the time.

It takes time , love and commitment and routine but don’t give up and strictly no punishments. Let her own you and the room and people around her and later let her own the house. Restrictions will only delay her confidence to live a happy life.

Some other may be able to chip in more but for Cat behavior, best is to ask your questions here Cat Behavior

Do post photos of your kitty once you get her and show her to us. Feel free to ask questions and post them under the appropriate forum headings and also do check out the many informative articles here too Articles | The Cat Site

Enjoy your stay and see ya around

 

[newcatowner111]

Thank you Tabbytom.

Here's another question:

1) Any way to keep my cat inside my room or no? I figure it may be curious to see what's on the other side. I just don't want to go through the trouble of cat proofing (potentially) my house (3 floors, 14 rooms).

Please do let me know. Before I buy a cat I would definitely buy some containers at the container store to make sure the contents don't get destroyed, scratched, or eaten. I might also have to change the doorknob in my room to that of a lock. Hard living with roommates

Thank you!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Welcome! It is good to see someone taking time to research and gather information before obtaining their new cat! I will caution you about one thing...you won't own a cat. A cat will own you. That's just how that works! We'll look forward to meeting the future kitten/cat when that time comes!

 

[rubysmama]

Welcome to The Cat Site. A kitten is definitely more mischievous than an adult cat. But that doesn't mean adult cats can't get into mischief too. I guess do more research before you adopt, which is why you're here in the first place.

I would say it would be difficult to confine an adult cat to one room. It would eventually want to explore, and in fact, would probably either cry to be let out, or try to escape every time you opened the door. It would probably be better to keep doors closed to the rooms you didn't want it to go into.

 

[Boris Diamond]

Welcome to The Cat Site, newcatowner111!

There are many articles here that might answer your questions. If you can't find the information you need, the best place to post these kinds of questions is in the Cat Behavior forum as mentioned by tabbytom

 

[newcatowner111]

Thank you everybody for answering....I figured the cat will try to explore other areas of my house. It's just a matter of where does it stop with exploration (go to other floors, outside to the yard, etc). I REALLY do not want to have to catproof my house, let alone the floor where I live. My mom has a strange habit of leaving food out uncovered and I don't want my cat to eat something it's not supposed to eat. Hate to sound like such a control freak but that's just the costs of living with my parents I guess haha.

Yes, I am doing other reading and talking with other people I know in real life. I'm not just going to do an impulse buy as I plan on taking care of a complex animal for years to come.

Thank you everybody! I still have more questions so I will come back a while from now.

 

[newcatowner111]

Well now that I think of it here's just one question:

If I were to let my cat out to explore is there some way I can let it stay in a certain room? So if my main room is where it stays can I just let it explore my brother's room while I monitor it? After a while I'll bring it back to my room...

Maybe this is just wishful thinking but I don't know about cats that much. I just don't want it to get hurt and I don't want to expend too much energy in catproofing potentially my entire house.

 

[tabbytom]

Well now that I think of it here's just one question:

If I were to let my cat out to explore is there some way I can let it stay in a certain room? So if my main room is where it stays can I just let it explore my brother's room while I monitor it? After a while I'll bring it back to my room...

Maybe this is just wishful thinking but I don't know about cats that much. I just don't want it to get hurt and I don't want to expend too much energy in catproofing potentially my entire house.

Best is slowly let your cat explore the whole house on his own time. He may be too afraid to venture out in the beginning so make a safe room for him to retreat to. Give him lots of towels or blankets or toys and let him rub his scents on them. Slowly, after gathering his courage, you’ll see him coming out to explore.

To make him feel more secure, Place one or two of the towels with his scents around the outside of the room or another room or around the house. Also you may leave your clean up wash clothings as they have your scents on them and all the scents will give him confidence as he move around.

Do not force him to stay in a room that he does not want to enter meet him enter at his own time and best is he is under supervision.

As for the other room, you can have the doors closed so that he does not enter without anyone’s knowing that he went in else he’ll be shut in accidentally.

Best is if you can cat proof the whole house and that will put your mind at ease and make sure there’s no escape route, no hides holes and no toxic stuffs around and all curtain cords safely bundled up out of his reach.

Don’t worry so much, feel free to ask questions and enjoy your kitten

 

[newcatowner111]

Hey! I'm back. I read Cats for Dummies, talked with cat people in real life, yet still have a couple more questions.

1) I have it in my heart to buy a kitten so here's my questions:
* It is almost certainly very likely that I will have to pay for emergency care correct? Any pointers/general advice for this? Money isn't so much a problem but if I have to call off of work suddenly that may be a hassle. I obviously don't want to get fired.
* How much time will I have to spend with my kitten? While I do work, I can make cuts in my personal life like not spend 5 hours a week playing sports.

2) Once my cat matures:
* How much time will I have to spend with it?
* Is it possible to make a compromise with my cat where I let it roam around my house when I'm at home and when I'm not it stays in my room? The people I talked to gave me conflicting messages on this one.

Remember, I'm still in the process of deciding. There's still some things I want to know before I potentially get blindsided by something I should have done more reading on. I appreciate your replies!

 

[tabbytom]

Hi there again,
1) Please adopt if you can, don’t buy! Many shelters have lots of cats waiting to go to a fur-ever loving home. Many shelters euthanize cats that are not taken. Have mercy on them

You have to set aside cash for emergencies which can run up to quite a bit depending on case to case basis. On top of that, from kitten onwards, there’s yearly vaccinations.

Have toys and cat trees by the windows for them while you are at work. Whenever you are home, please play with them spending at least 15 minutes for each play session. The more you play with them, the closer they get to you and by playing also drain their energy so that they sleep more and well.

Kittens are energetic so they play a lot.

Have your kitten neutered or spayed when they are at the right age :-
Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
How Much Time Does It Take To Care For A Cat?

2) When your cat matures, depending on the breed, some mature at 1 year and some breeds take up to 4 years, life for them will slow down especially if they are neutered or spayed. Having said that, they still need interactions and play time and affections.

As long as your house is cat safe, let her roam and own the house. This will give her confidence around the house if no one is around. Else, make a safe room for her to be in when you go to work. Have her litter box and water and food in there.

 

[newcatowner111]

Thanks, I know about kitten mills. I have time to spend at least 15 minutes. I'll shoot for at least an hour, I just have to rearrange my schedule. Like I said I ask these questions so I don't get blindsided. Thank you!

Hi there again,
1) Please adopt if you can, don’t buy! Many shelters have lots of cats waiting to go to a fur-ever loving home. Many shelters euthanize cats that are not taken. Have mercy on them

You have to set aside cash for emergencies which can run up to quite a bit depending on case to case basis. On top of that, from kitten onwards, there’s yearly vaccinations.

Have toys and cat trees by the windows for them while you are at work. Whenever you are home, please play with them spending at least 15 minutes for each play session. The more you play with them, the closer they get to you and by playing also drain their energy so that they sleep more and well.

Kittens are energetic so they play a lot.

Have your kitten neutered or spayed when they are at the right age :-
Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats
Bringing Home A New Cat - The Complete Guide
How Much Time Does It Take To Care For A Cat?

2) When your cat matures, depending on the breed, some mature at 1 year and some breeds take up to 4 years, life for them will slow down especially if they are neutered or spayed. Having said that, they still need interactions and play time and affections.

As long as your house is cat safe, let her roam and own the house. This will give her confidence around the house if no one is around. Else, make a safe room for her to be in when you go to work. Have her litter box and water and food in there.

 

[rubysmama]

My comments in red ...

Hey! I'm back. I read Cats for Dummies, talked with cat people in real life, yet still have a couple more questions.

Welcome back!

1) I have it in my heart to buy a kitten so here's my questions:
* It is almost certainly very likely that I will have to pay for emergency care correct? Any pointers/general advice for this? Money isn't so much a problem but if I have to call off of work suddenly that may be a hassle. I obviously don't want to get fired.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but generally kittens are healthy and only need yearly vet checkups for several years. It's usually when cats age that medical emergencies occur. But, of course, like humans, cats can get ill at any age.

To prepare for vet expenses, you could set up a fund and put money into it on a regular basis. Or you could look into pet insurance. It's not cheap, and won't cover everything, but if you get it when a cat is young, I think the premiums are lowest.

* How much time will I have to spend with my kitten? While I do work, I can make cuts in my personal life like not spend 5 hours a week playing sports.

I don't think there's a set amount of time you have to spend with your kitten. Basically you live your life, and spend time with your pets when you can. However, at the same time, you don't want it to be alone both weekdays and weekends, daytime and evening. If you don't except to have a lot of time to spend with your kitten, maybe consider getting 2. Then they would have each other for company.

2) Once my cat matures:
* How much time will I have to spend with it?
Once your cat matures, it will begin to sleep more. But you will still want to spend time playing with it. But cats are not like dogs. They are more independent and are often happy to just spend time with you on their terms. Course all cats are different and some crave affection and attention more than others.

* Is it possible to make a compromise with my cat where I let it roam around my house when I'm at home and when I'm not it stays in my room? The people I talked to gave me conflicting messages on this one.

Possibly. In fact, friends of mine are debating that question right now. They got a kitten in the summer and have been confining him to "his room" when they are at work or leave the house. His room has a nice cat condo, a window, toys, food and water, and litterbox. He doesn't hate it there. In fact sometimes goes there when they're home. I guess time will tell if they can keep doing this indefinitely or not.

Remember, I'm still in the process of deciding. There's still some things I want to know before I potentially get blindsided by something I should have done more reading on. I appreciate your replies!

Getting a pet is a big responsibility. Good for you for doing your research before just impulsively getting a cat.