Should we adopt a cat?

Post Reply New Topic

My younger daughter's BFF's cat has kittens.
Of course the girls want to adopt one.
I have very mixed feelings... I like cats, I used to have two when I lived with my parents. But my EF is poor and I often can't keep the house orderly enough. Introducing yet another mess-producing inhabitant might run me out of spoons.
Any suggestions?

Cats don't actually make much mess like a dog, or rodents (in my experience). I've had cats before and they hardly made a mess around the house, we just had to brush down the couch every so often and just remembered to vacuum more than once a week.

So I'd say get one or two cats. Obviously kittens make more mess so maybe wait until they're at least 9 months old before adopting them?

My impression is that many species of "pedigree cats" are statistically less wild and more clingy than the average house cat. The exception is Savannah cats and other breeds that pursue wildness.

Long-haired and gastrointestinal-vulnerable (typical example: Ragdoll) cats create more trouble.

I have three ragdoll cats in my home. That means you'll find cat hair everywhere you can. For example, on the tableware.
Don't try to expect that you can have a clean black coat. (unless your cat is black. )

An automatic feeder can take some of the hassle out of it, but if they ask for a snack, it's still going to take some work.

If you only allow cats indoors, you may need to have a separate room (and preferably not in a damp place such as the bathroom) for the litter box to avoid odor, otherwise you will need to clean the litter at least twice a day.
Kids can do the job of cleaning up cat litter. This is what my mom made me do when I was at home.


Generally speaking, cats have far less trouble than dogs.

Money can be an issue when you a have a cat.

You need to afford cat food, kitty litter and other things to keep your cat happy and healthy.

You need to be able to afford trips to the vet.

You need to be willing to spay or neuter your cat, which also costs money. There really is no good reason not to spay or neuter them, are are just too many unwanted cats and kittens in the world and it's a real problem.

Cats all have different personalities. Some cats love attention, while others are more independent. Some cats are very active, others are more easygoing. If you get a cat you need to find one with a personality that's right for you. That's hard to tell with kittens, even if they are very easy to fall in love with.

(a) Are they short-haired? That would be much tidier than a longhair. When I and my bride married she had two Ragdoll cats (which are long-haired) and the shed hair was messy...and, being cats, they were constantly licking themselves and had to cough up a lot of hairballs.

(b) Don't take them from their Mother until after she's gotten them litter box trained. My bride's cats had been separated from their Mother before they were fully potty-trained. As a result, they hadn't mastered using the litter box.

(c) When it's time to trim their nails try getting them drunk on catnip, first. (If they don't respond to catnip, good luck!)

Ah, Spoon Theory, a very familiar way of life to those of us in the ME/CFS contingent.

Even though 13 year old Georgie cat is currently snuggled between me and the keyboard & 14 year old Grumman cat is in the sunspot on the windowsill, I can't realistically answer your should question because there are so many variables in both your home, your family, and the cat.

Are already some good thoughts here.

I'm going to recommend a book, and she has various social media & a podcast, by a Canadian cat rescuer named Pamela Merritt, titled The Way of Cats.
Simplest way to reference all of the above is link to her website, https://www.wayofcats.com/blog/

And finally I'll emphasize, absolutely, positively, spay/neuter & keep the cat indoors, for a much longer and healthier lifetime than if allowed to roam outdoors.

In closing,

If you have houseplants they like to go potty in the pots.A solution is to cover the soil with attractive rocks so they can’t dig.
If they climb screens ,or get on the counters, a water gun is a great trainer.
If you let them outside ,they will eat the birds ,frogs chipmunks and other wildlife.If you have a neighbor that feeds the birds ,this can be a big issue.On the plus side ,your home will be rodent free.
If the kids want the kitty ,make sure they are up to the responsibility of cleaning the litter box and feeding kitty or it will be your job.
Pregnant women should never be around the litter.

Or a spray bottle ...

Except when ...

I don't think anyone should adopt a pet unless they DON'T have mixed feeling about it. Its a serious commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly.

Pets can be wonderful. They can also be a burden if you aren't prepared or able to provide for it. Not pet (or Person) should ever have feel like a burden.

For me, the happiness I gain from having a cat far outweighs any stress or mess involved with its upkeep.
And of course it depends on the cat.
I firmly believe cats should choose you, not the other way around.

I've had dogs a couple times when I lived with my parents. I've had a couple different cats since I moved in with my girlfriend. Cass had cats her whole life & had one when we moved in together & got anotehr one after we put her down cuz of kidney problems. I've also had a chinchilla when I moved in with Cass & we have another one now. We had a guinea-pig for a bit before him & we've also had a rabbit briefly. In my experience all those types of pets can be a bit & at times a lot of work. It's a matter of finding the right type of pet that works better for you & your household(I mean You in the general sense for this post). Considering things like allergies is also a good idea.

Rodents like chinchillas & guinea-pigs stay in a cage most of the time so their mess can be contained some & they won't get in the way in their cage. If their cage has a wire bottom, you could line it with newspaper & catalogues which you might get for free but there needs to be plenty of things for the rodent to climb on in there so they can get off the wire, haymats & wide skinny flat rocks are good. If the cage doesn't have a wire bottom, it's a good idea to have bedding like cedar-chips which makes cleaning their cage more work & adds to the cost more. Rodents also need chew toys cuz their teeth are constantly growing. Rabbits need a bit of space & they'll poo anywhere so I would advise against em if your worried about mess. Chinchillas, guinea-pigs, & rabbits eat hay which can be messy & some people are allergic to it. Dogs can be trained some & if you have a yard & a decent fence, you can just open the door & let them go outside on their own to use the bathroom or run around when they want out. If you don't have a yard, you would have to take the dog for a walk to use the bathroom & pick up after it & put down newspaper or something inside for them to go on when you cant take them out. A smaller dog would be better if you have a small place. A major complaint I hear about dogs is that they're too needy & in the way but both cats I've had are the same way. Cass's parents had a cat named Undie because he was always underfoot & getting in the way so I don't get why people think that dogs get in the way a lot more than cats do Perhaps it's a matter of which type of pet you would rather accidentally step on/bump into Cats can climb so it's easier for them to get into things they shouldn't. Cat-litter can leave a mess of sand around the litter-box & can get expensive, especially if you get good quality cat-litter so the litter-box doesn't have to be fully cleaned as often. Landlords are more likely to allow cats than dogs & in some areas(like here) it's a lot easier to find cats to adopt than dogs. Shelters here charge a lot to adopt a dog but alot less to adopt a cat. The shelters here also want references before adopting cats & dogs.

Having pets can be good for kids but some would not handle the responsibility well & not do the work. I've had a guinea-pig when I was in about 4th grade. My 3rd grade class had one & I sometimes had to clean the cage when I was punished & had to stay in during recess(I missed a bit of recesses). I wanted a guinea-pig but I hated doing the work to take care of him at home. I was majorly stressed out from being at school & it took me a long time to do my homework due to learning problems & I needed all my free time to wind down watching TV, playing with toys, or playing Super Nintendo. Me & mom had lots of fights about me not cleaning the guinea-pig's cage & we ended up giving him away which I supported at the time & never had any ill feelings about. I'm a tad more responsible at home these days than I was then We gave him to the people who babysat him when we went on vacation.

Based on your original post, if you believe a cat would introduce more trouble around the house, definitely dont adopt a cat just yet. I would say, do that only if you think it would provide enough benefit to be worth the mess a cat can make. In your case, it sounds like you shouldnt adopt a cat. But the bigger problem is, if you dont feel like a cat can bring happiness to you, then dont bring it into your house. It would be a big problem and might even make you more depressed by the fact you didnt really want a cat in the first place.

For me personally, cats are animals, not human beings. They cant replace a human being. If you live alone, a cat wont help treating your loneliness. If you're sad, a cat wont necessarily make you happier. And so on.

How much mess do cats really make though? If it has a litter box it'll poop in there, and well how old are the kids? could they maybe help with some of the looking after the cat like they can get a cat if they will help. Like if they want a cat they should be willing to help clean the litter box and feed them but not sure if you are talking about toddlers or older kids. But idk if you think they are mature enough to be responsible to help take care of the cat it may not be terrible to consider and you may end up really liking the cat.

Idk I have had cats and one thing I like is they are not nearly as messy as dogs, they do shed some hair but they don't roll around in wet mud or eat each others poop like dogs do at times. Though I suppose some cats like to roll around in dry dirt.

1. I don't live alone and I'm far from lonely. There are me, my husband and two daughters, aged 9 and 10.
2. Mess I fear: dropping things from shelves, peeing in shoes, damaging house plants.
3. We've been considering a cat in some future but my younger daughter's BFF's cat has kittens now...
4. Money is not a problem, we may not be super rich but cat food, litterbox fill and vet visits are securely affordable for us.
5. I like cats. I used to have two back when living with my parents.
6. My older daughter - the Aspie one - connects to animals. A hamster made a great difference to her and I think a smarter animal like a cat would be even better.

Sterilization can effectively improve the problem of peeing anywhere. Although ultimately what level can be achieved is determined by the individual cat.
It's a good idea to first make sure that the mother cat has taught the kittens how to use the litter box.

Spray water mixed with citrus peel oil to prevent cats from biting on certain items.

Those less "wild" breeds rarely push items off the shelf.


My mom bought the second cat to ease my depression - and it worked.

For cat people, cats are wonderful!

While I was growing up my best friend was our indoor/outdoor cat. He didn't make a mess in the house unless he was accidentally locked in and in a part of the house with no litter box. Even then he did his best (for instance, in the bathtub or in the magazine bucket).

And my bride had two cats when we married. One became my girlfriend. She liked to be around me, would follow me around, and couldn't keep her paws off me. My bride felt a bit betrayed because her cat fell in love with me and seemed to not want to share.

If a daughter is a cat person then a cat might become a good friend.

But, I repeat, do not get a kitten until their Mom has finished litter-box training them.