To all the people who have and love cats.....

My daughter has been begging me since she was about 6 to get a kitten. She is now 14 and is asking for one for Christmas (again). She has done a lot of research and wants a "Ragdoll" kitten. They are supposedly very good family cats, don't shed a lot. etc.

I am so not a cat person. I really don't want one, but I am willing to give it a try for my daughter. It would have to be an indoor cat -- I do not want an outdoor cat.

We already have a small dog, but he is old and I don't really think he'll care.

Anyway, please tell me what to expect and what we would need besides a litter box. Do we want to go the male or female route? Do cats have accidents? Does anyone know anything about Ragdoll cats? Declawing is inhumane, right? My daughter says they make special covers that go over the nails. Are cats hard to train?

If anyone tell me anything I would appreciate it!!

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

Declawing is inhumane- I don't even know if vets will do it anymore. I think there is something you can have done where they cap the nails and the caps need to be replaced every so often as the nails grow, but I am not too sure about that. I have had 4 cats in my lidetime and my cats have never been declawed. I never had a problem with them. Get a scratch post and "train" him/her to use it. In my experience, I think cats are very smart. I never had to train my cats to do anything. They just just seem to know what to do. I had female cats and one male. Even though the male was neutered, he still spayed sometimes. I wouldn't not get another male, but I would look into that. I can understand your hesitation, but I really wouldn't worry.

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

We have a male and a female. Our male has never sprayed, he's 10. I was told if they get fixed early enough they won't spray, dunno how true it is though.

We clip our cats nails. If you get a cat early enough you can get them used to being handled. We clip their claws front and back.

We use a loud noise or the threat of the water bottle when our cats misbehave. They're both very good. They don't scratch furniture, they use their scratching board or the carpet. They do not go on our counters, so long as their water is filled and fresh.

Cats are very low maintenance for the most part. Give them love, a clean water dish, food (and treats on occasion!) and a clean litter box and they'll be your best friend.

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

Cats are pretty much born liter trained so you won't have to worry about that.
It's their natural instinct to dig a hole to bury their pee and poop so as long as you show it where the liter box is, you are good to go.

I suggest a male, only because males GENERALLY have calmer, more affectionate tempermants...but there are exceptions to this rule, of course.

Yes, declawing is inhumane and I would never do it. They do sell something called soft claws which slip over the nails, but I would imagine they'd be hard to use.
I trim my cats' nails frequently and provide them scratching posts, etc and they have been ok with not scratching furniture.

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

ive had 5 cats....4 males and 1 female...

training is not what it sounds like... when you first get them home you have to physically place them in the litter box once or twice just to show them where it is and they just know to go there after that.

as for scratching... as long as they have adequate things of their own to scratch they will pretty much leave your furniture alone. you will have to figure out if they like to scratch vertically or horizontally to know which type of scratcher to get.. either a post or one that lays on the floor.

none of my cats ever went on the coffee table, dining room table, kitchen counters... its just about catching them and catching them early. a spray bottle with water or a can of pennys/coffee beans (anything that makes noise) works great to correct "bad" behavior.

declawing is inhumane, its not only painful but cats actually use their claws for balance... i have always cut all my cats nails (front & back) by myself. again its just getting them used to it at a young age, mine barely move now.

as far as accidents go... yes they do have them.. but its normally because something is wrong. if a cat is suddenly not using the litter box... did you change the type of litter? did you move the litter box? are they sick? etc...

they can be very picky.. i have one male now that only likes ONE flavor of ONE brand of cat food... and it has to be chilled....

overall they are very independent but can also be your best friend! and ragdolls are awesome, ive never owned one but have had friends with them...very docile but also fairly large up to 20 lbs

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

We have a male tabby cat, he's my first cat. When we got him, we got a box and scratching post, then we ended up getting scratching boxes and a cat condo, so far he has not scratched up our furniture because he has things to scratch and does not get bored.

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

cats are like people....some are great...and some are a holes lol
i have had sooo many cats and all their personalities are different.

my view is this.... cats shed no matter what unless they are hairless lol and the longer the haired cat the more work for you via brushing and hair balls lol

male or female cats....all the same to me.

i always beieve in getting the cat fixed asap when the vet says so.

most of my cats were front declawed bc the first one my parents got was adopted from a shelter and was declawed...so when we got other pets it wasnt fair to the first one..so they got declawed as well. but only the front.
to me..... is it inhumane.. y es. but...its also inhumane to cut testicles off as well. lol
please dont flame!!!!!! i look at it this way... so many animals need homes....and if you must declaw bc of other animals etc...its better than leaving the animal in a shelter kwim?
so i digress...

yes you must place the kitty in the litter box over and over and over....to train...

and the biggest advice i could give you is to kitty proof your house.... cats love to eat string etc and can get sick soo easily from that.

the right cat is such a blessing gl!! xoxo

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

I just brought home my cat today. (Got her from a wonderful rescue shelter in Speonk called LIKitties you can check them out)
So ok since I'm on day 1 I've seen her for 5 minutes. She won't come out from under my bed. She's just scared, she's been in a cage since birth and never had an owner so I know it's new. She's super sweet and friendly, when I chose her I touched and felt every single cat until I knew she was the one. My suggestion is use a place that's warm and friendly like that this way it doesn't matter on the gender it's who steals your heart (or your daughther)
GL!

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

Here's my advice. Pick a kitty based on their temperment, not their breed. Kitties tend to develop their personalities closer to 12 weeks old. Go down to the shelter/rescue and visit. See which one "talks to you." i would also consider what your plan is going to be for when your daughter goes off to college. You say you're not a cat person but I assume you will be the one responsible for caring for it when she is gone.

Declawing is painful and inhumane. They actually amputate their cute little kitty paws up to their first joint (or if a human, their knuckle).

I would not even bother with putting anything on their claws. Invest in a good scratching post and they will leave your furniture alone. We got our first cat when she was tiny and "trained" her not to go on the counters or tables. We used a spray bottle of water to reinforce it. Our second kitty was older when we got him but he has never had a desire to jump on furniture. Neither cat required litterbox training. Even tiny little sushi when we got her. We just put her in the box and she knew what to do.

If your kitty has a litterbox issue then there is something wrong (dirty box, doesnt like the litter, sick).

As far as male v. female, I have been told that males overall are more affectionate. In my house this is the case. However, i dont know that it is specifically the rule of thumb.

If you have any more questions, let me know and good luck in finding the right kitty for you and your daughter! (make sure to post pictures).

P.S. it should also be noted that I was NEVER a cat person UNTIL I actually got one

Message edited 11/16/2011 8:31:35 PM.

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

besides a litter box, all cats need are food and water bowls, a scratching post and toys.

i was never a cat person until we got our cats... now i love them!

we have a boy and a girl right now, and the girl is more affectionate. it really depends on the cat... some are friendly, some aren't. you can usually tell when you meet one whether they're friendly and affectionate or not.

as for breed - go for personality over breed. there are many cats that are super friendly and aren't ragdoll cats!

Re: To all the people who have and love cats.....

I've had cats all of my life and they're super easy pets. I know because I'm very lazy.
They do take some training...but it's very little...and it's usually pretty easy to do.
All that they need to survive is food, water, a littler box, scratching post, and a laser pointer. And hands to pet them and laps to curl up in.

They make great pets! And they have amazingly different personalities!