I want a cat!!

[bantingm]

HELP!!!! i am completly in love with cats...and i recently moved out from living with my parents (before you all start thiking of god cat lady living at home, how sad, its not like that, im only 19!!) anyway, since moving out i had to leave my cat Peep. I miss her like mad and keep trying to persuad my boyfriend to either bring her down or buy a new cat, like a rescue cat so id ont have to worry about litter training. we do have a little kitten that pops in every now and then for food but doesnt stay long, he did bring his older brother with him the other day, i love it when they wonder through the back door!! anyway...we live in rented accomodation where there is a not pet policy...what can i do!?!? buy a huge bunch of flowers and sweet talk our land lady? i just really want a furry friend to cuddle up to. if not, anyone got any ideas for a smaller pet, i did consider a house rabbit but they bite through things easily!!!
thanks

[Eve]

Have a chat to your landladay and see what she thinks of the idea.

Consider the kind of cat you want in line with the kind of life it would have (though bear in mind an initial period of having to have the cat in.

What kind of hours do you work? If you are not around a large part of the day for the care and feeding kittens need then you would need to look at an older cat.

Kittens can also be destructive.

There are so many cats needing homes in rescue places but make sure you think practically about your choice. A cat may be the cutest one there but you need to make sure it suits your lifestyle as well.

Also bear in mind financing. Many rescue cats may have an unknown medical history or have been in accidents or mistreated or neglected so bear that in mind when choosing so you don't end up with vet bills you can't afford. Decent insurance is always best as well.

Many cat rescue centres have strict rules on getting cats from them like not housing kittens in a house near a busy road or with young children.

Try and find your local one and pop and have a chat with them and they should be able to help you find a cat that will suit you.

Do you know who the kittens who come in belong to? Do they have a proper home where they are being fed as it may not be wise to be feeding them extra and different food or treats if their owner has been trying to get them into a routine at home.

[bantingm]

Hiya Jenna1978

Thanks for your response. i jsut wrote a long reply, but it didnt post so i am writting another shorter one!!

I do feed the litte cat, and i know i shouldnt like you say. but it always seems to come in dirty and starving, im not sure if it has a home. i love animals too much to neglect it. i only give it a few kitten biscuits, so hopefully if it is getting into a routine i wont be too distructive. however it does seem to be sat in the street most of the night, im not sure if it has a home. i have checked our local vets and kept an eye out for flyers incase its lost, but there is nothing to suggest anyone is missing it.

i do agree that i need an older cat, thay have already developed a personality and its easier to know if they will be happy living in our enovironment or not. i currently work full time, however my boyfriend is field based and often popping home once or twice a day for lunch etc.

anyway, thanks for your reply :-D

[Eve]

No worries :) I wish you well with it!

I adopted my gorgeous little monster, Heathcliffe, two and a half weeks ago as I missed having cats so much having grown up with them but living in flats unsuitable for one.

I moved a few weeks ago purposefully to comewhere suitable for a cat and where I'd already got the consent of the Landlord.

He's now a very happy little chappie :)

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=magjf9&s=4

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vcdl5u&s=4

You've found a great place as there are a lot of cat lovers on here on hand with some fantastic advice :)

[bantingm]

oh my goodness, that it just the cuteest cat ever!!! its made me want one of my own even more!

was your landlord quite happy to allow it? the people living next to us (same land lady) have a tortois, and another has a huge iguana in a tank, so hopefully she may allow a cat. i know its a little differnet from a repitle!

thanks for helping me, hope you and heathcliff are very happy!!

[Eve]

Yes, the landlord was fine as he has a cat himself and I said that I'd make sure the cat was suitable for the place, and older cat (he's 2) who is litter trained and housetrained.

I have used the managing agents I let it through before and they know me as a tenant (and in my job as a lawyer) and I've had a hamster in one of their properties before with no problems so they know I'm a responsible pet owner.

He has met him and thinks he's lovely :)

I think that, as long as you're sensible in your choice and show you've thought it through carefully and won't end up with a cat who has toilet training problems or ruins furniture or causes a nuisance then you have a good chance.

[SazzyC0]

I am in rented accommodation with a no pet policy but I (and others there) do still have pets.

[Eve]

Trouble is, if you get a pet without consent, the landlord is entitled to rely on the no pets clause to get the animal removed (and maybe you with it for breach of tenancy).

It wouldn't make for a good reference and it is more difficult to get a place which allows pets as it is.

[bantingm]

I have just written a letter to our land lady exaplining our circumstances etc, i made it quite informal and friendly, saying that either way we would be happy to hear her thoughts so hopefully that may make her consider it.

i wouldnt go and do it anyway for fear of being evicted, we have sucha lovely place in a nice area ithat means more to me then an animal at the moment.

thanks guys :-D

[daffy654]

Jenna,your Heathhcliff looks just like a female cat I had a few years ago called Scruffy.She was the dumbest cat I ever met...........I mean that in a loving way btw! She had such personality,and to top it all she had 27 toes(polydactyl).We took her in after my daughter found her in a sorry state on a winter morning,she was covered in dead slugs and mouldy leaves etc.We put flyers up and contacted all local rescue agencies and vets but nobody claimed he so we kept her,she was about 11 weeks old when we found her.I miss her so much!

[QueenOfAmber]

Have you ever considered that cats need attention 24/7. Unless you are at home ALL THE TIME they will completely trash the house. (I know from experience!) They also kill 1 bird every day so if you think about it times how many cats are in your area by 365 (the days in a year) and that's just going to be how many birds each year are killed by cats IN YOUR AREA! Is that sick or what? I love birds! HELP THE BIRDS! :)

[frankofile]

In reply to Queenofamber, Not all cats kill birds. I have 4 rescue cats, who on a daily basis bring in mice, RATS, voles and shrews. but in 6 years we have had a total of 6 birds. As a bird lover, I agree that it is 6 too many, but I suspect it depends on what is available to them. As a point of interest, recently I drove into our driveway to see a cloud of feathers. I immediatly blamed a cat, when suddenly a kestral flew out of the hedge with half a pidgeon in his claws. So don't always blame a cat.

[bensmum]

My cats are left during the day and they have never trashed the house. Neither do they kill a bird every day - they have had birds but I've had maybe 2 or 3 over the whole summer. They do kill mice and I don't like that particularly but they aren't kept in so it's difficult to stop them.
I too live in rented accommodation (unfurnished). Some landlords who let furnished accommodation are concerned about damage (scratching carpets, furniture etc) but cats can be encouraged to use a scratching post.
I wish you luck - there are a lot of lonely cats who need a loving home out there.

[Jugglering]

Queen - I have two gorgeous feline mistresses and as they have lots of warning bells on them, they have NEVER caught or even terrorised a bird in this area. Neither do they trash the house - they are really well behaved and use my garden as their litter tray (not the neighbours). Are you perhaps in the USA, not the UK ?

[Prudentia]

we are privieliged to be owned by the most georgeous cat in the universe, and simply thats how it goes, thousands of cat lovers will tell you the same thing, be owned, enjoy!!!!

[wolf63]

I thought that it was just human little ones that trashed houses. My two feline monsters are really quite good in the house.

And they are usually too busy trying to kill each other to worry about birds and little furry things.

[criminal666]

how about a budgie? they dont make much mess and are sweet you can kiss their little heads and keep them in a cage

low maintaince
quiet
not messy

[bantingm]

i'm dont like birds!!!! plus they poo on the floor around their cage..

a cat is a must...they curl up on your lap, and love you unconditioanlly. i dont like things in cages so a bird is out the question...and fish....!

thanks though

p.s in reply to QueenofAmber, not all cats trash the house!!! i have grown up with three cats all of which are quite happy to be left on their own during the day..means they get to lay on the sofa without being distuburbed...

[criminal666]

well i have 3 cats and i understand your want and need for a cat, how about a cat which is older and house bound, one of my cats is house bound she doesnt like the out doors and is very well behaved doesnt put a pawr out of place..

um, how about something wild...antelope... or perhaps a crocodile you know one of those big nile cros that grow to 18ft? just kidding..

[Nosha123]

Aaah.. I know how you feel Bantingm.. I have one - having just lost his brother in August and already want more.. so am thinking about getting 2 kittens next summer.. once we are back from holiday so I can spend some time with them at home and settling them in.
I agree that a rescue cat who has a good history of being more indoors than outdoors would be good. Take a look at the RSPCS site they have their names and photos on there! I could take them all home with me!!!
I want to get a long haired cat too next time as ours were both part persian and great big vats with great big paws.. Like beasts they were! And Saffy - who we lost recently loved killing birds ! But not all cats do! We always joked that Saff would bring home a dead cow through the cat flap one day!!! His brother caught me a �5 note once though!!!