So tell me about cats?

[Ginger]

he is sooooo beautiful! well done freya, great choice! and the boys look like they love him too

[Freya]

He just captured my heart from the moment I saw him even though I was actually there to look at another cat in particular.

The boys are stoked and wont leave the poor thing alone so he has retreated to the laundry to hide behind my clothes basket lol He has been so so patient with them carrying him and hugging him and trying to feed him spaghetti bolognaise. Def made a good choice with his placid temprament. All he has done is played a little with me and then slept.

[Kazbah]

He looks lovely Freya! Already has the "long suffering" look! I hope you all have a lovely time together for ages.

[Jellybean29]

thanks for linking the pic. What a gorgeous kitty! Well done!

[Ozziehoffy]

Awww how cute is he!!!! The boys look soooooo happy I think he'll fit in just right from what you've said

[Starfish]

Aww, he's gorgeous.

My main concern is that I've heard cats and babies can be a bad combination - horror stories about cats smothering bub's and things like that, or cat hair being so fine it gets in baby's airways etc.

Also - FYI - this is a myth and an old wives tale. I don't know where it started but there has never been a documented case of anything like this happening. I find that cats have zero interest in babies and usually stay away.

[Mel_B1981]

As a cat breeder I thought I might be able to help with a couple of these questions

Where did you get your cat from? Was it a kitty or an older cat?

Breeder....and definately a kitten. Kittens are much easier to take on and teach them YOUR rules.

What kind of cat do you have?

Siamese & Orientals

Do they shed really bad?

Depends on the breed, there are some breeds that not only shed lots, but also need lots of maitenance just to keep the cat in good condition and knot free.

What about litter training (because cleaning up poo from a cat and kids would kill me!)?

A cat that has been with it's mother until AT LEAST 8 weeks will not have an issue with litter training as their mother would have already taught them this.
The main thing is to show the kitten where the litter tray is REGULARLY after you bring it home and make sure you buy the same litter as the breeder/shelter.
If you decide to change litter type, do it gradually, cats can be very fussy and if you buy something completely different and just swap it straight over you may find their protest in the middle of the loungeroom floor.

Do your kids like your cat (if you have them)?

My kids don't cause I don't have any - but my step kids and nephews won't leave them alone.....which is lucky for me as it means kittens I sell are bomb proof! LOL

Do they go outside at all or are they stricly inside? (my pet peeve is random cats using my yard as a litter box so I would not want to have our cat wandering the city)....

Strictly inside. I even have it written in my contract of sale I ask kitten buyers to sign that they MUST keep their cat inside 24/7 or have a suitable outdoor enclosure for their cat. There are far too many risks with freeroaming - the main one: FIV, the feline equivalent to HIV

[Loveinamist]

I have always had a cat.

Where did you get your cat from? Was it a kitty or an older cat?
We got our current cat from the vets as a rescue kitten

What kind of cat do you have?
plain old domestic tabby

Do they shed really bad?
Yes but not as bad as our dog

What about litter training (because cleaning up poo from a cat and kids would kill me!)?
Just show a kitten a litter tray, put them in it, hold their paw and do a scratching motion with it in the tray and like magic you have a litter trained cat.


Do your kids like your cat (if you have them)?
DS loves her and she is a psycho (due to being way too young when she lost her mother and she didn't get her good manners training from her mum) She is pretty good with him though. She has calmed down with age.

Do they go outside at all or are they stricly inside? (my pet peeve is random cats using my yard as a litter box so I would not want to have our cat wandering the city).
She has free rein but we live in the UK so not as much of a problem with native wildlife i.e less endangered species for her to catch. (although there are some here she mainly only gets to mice etc)

[Netix]

I am thinking of getting a cat. Okay, kitten. As kids growing up we had a cat, we tormented him with love, and he was a lovely moggy. I think we are more dog people, even though we had a few kitties in the years before children. We were worried about the cats sleeping in the cot and being tormented by the baby as they got bigger and more mobile, so we rehomed the kitties.

We have one dog, who comes inside every now and again, but she is an outside pooch. The kids have said numerous times they would like a cat, and its often on my mind. For a while I wondered if it was a metaphysical thing (and should I be aware of what messages a cat was bringing me), but I wonder if its just me wanting a cat. I am now a SAHM, and probably will be for quite some time after bubs is born. will I have my hands too full with kids, baby and cat? Would I be better off getting two cats (kittens) to keep eachother company? The wuestion of getting or not to get is further made difficult because there are so many kitten for sale/to good home signs around town.

And would I be better off getting male or female kittehs? (to be desexed of course)

[Caz_88]

Hi Netix!

I have 2 gorgeous ragdoll fur-babies.....they are absolutely bomb proof if you let kids at them lol. Both of my boy have been absolutely mollycoddled..... by me! no kids here lol. My boys LOVE strangers and will cuddle up to anyones lap.The idea of a rescue kitten is nice, and I had both moggies and purebreds growing up, but after doing a heap of research I decided that I wanted a purebred cat, who I knew was healthy and didnt have or carry any of the feline nasty diseases. They are expensive. no getting around that. BUT I have found that they are worth every cent!
My boys both love being carried like a baby on their backs..... this seems to be almost bred into them, Ive never met a ragdoll that didnt like being carried this way. The breeder of my second boy has many photos of young kids putting the kittens into prams, wrapping them in blankets, carting them around over their shoulders etc..... Ragdolls are extremely tolerant, and are less inclined to run away from children than your average moggie. I'm absolutely addicted to them, but all their really good points are due to some of their self preservation instincts being reduced in this breed, I had it explained to me that ragdolls needed to be indoor cats, simply because they are likely to walk into the street and try to make friends with the passing traffic.

Kittens are very cute, but I would suggest that the kitten enters your house after the baby...... a little less stress on everyone I would think, That little kitty deserves to have plenty of caring adult attention when it is a baby, so that grows into the best possible pet for your family.

I would NEVER get two kittens at a time, especially from the same litter. The kitties dont tend to form as strong of a bond to their humans if this happens.... they can just continue being best buddies with their brother/sister and ignore everyone else! Our 2 boys are about 9-10months different in ages and that seemed to work well. There is alot of stereotypes around about boy/girl kittens and their temperament. These "temperamental" behaviours are often learnt and hormonal, and the truth is, if the kitten is desexed young (10-13weeks old, which is actually better for them than older!!!!!!!) none of the hormones have kicked in at all, and boys and girls are much the same! We chose boys simply because they are larger and more sturdy. I must say though, our second boy, who is now 7 months old, is a stud cat (but will be desexed before he turns 1) He is very different to my smoochy neuter boy, this started at about 4-5 months old when the hormones started kicking in...... I just HOPE that he mellows out a bit after he is desexed..... but either way I love him to pieces!

Ragdolls are also very low maintenance coats, they are unique in that although they are semi-long haired, matting is extremely rare, and my boys have never had a matt, and they are only given a quick brush once a week (mainly to reduce shedding)

I know I'm totally biased here, but I did a huge amount of research before I chose the breed I bought home......and I hope that helps at least a little with your questions

Oh and just as a last note, please, please, if you choose a purebred make sure it is a registered breeder, who attends shows regularly and your kitten comes with papers.....A good breeder never advertises their animals for sale in classifieds. There are so many backyard breeders around selling "knock off" purebreds, and these cats might appear to be cheaper, but do not include health checks, vaccines, microchips and desexing, which means these kittens end up costing more. I recently encountered a poor couple who had bought a "purebred" ragdoll off a classifieds site...... they are now in the grips of treating their 6 month old kitten with FIV (kitty HIV). So sad

[Netix]

Thanks Caz, Ragdoll's seem to be the way to go! I will try to hold off until after baby arrives, then look around then.... Thank you, a lot of great points and info!

[AngelPants]

i would recomend a shelter or rescue organisation to get your cat from as they are finishing kitten season and are overrun with cats ATM. they health check all kittens and cats before rehoming.
for the kids i would recomend a kitten because they find it easier to adjust to your home situation and arent set in their ways already. moggies are the best! but thats my rather biased opinion!
i find my cat sheds mainly going into hot weather from winter. but other than that not any worse than the dog.
most kittens are litter trained by 8weeks but like little kids might have accidents.
DS LOVES our cat and bugs her to death lol
our cat goes has free access to outside during the day but is always within calling distance of the laudry door (and is more often found alseep in DS wardrobe), but tom cats will roam even when desexed. she comes inside for dinner and the laundry door gets shut, she also has an avairy type cage in the corner of the kitchen where she can escape DS and any visitors and she sleeps at night in there in a hammock.
with kittens you need to keep them inside until they are bigger but i cant remember the age, until they can fend for themselves anyway. you can also buy things so they cant eat the wildlife it is a triangle of wetsuit fabric attached to their collar with velcro that interferes with their pouncing, we doubled our kitty's food intake after we bought it :/

[Ginger]

Angelpants can you please tell me more about the thing you put on their collar to stop them eating wildlife? sorry to be OT, but i am really interested in this.

[AngelPants]

Ginger I PMd you

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[Caz_88]

GL Netix!

Just as a little tip, and to lull the kitten cluckyness, start having a look at the ragdoll colours and patterns, you will no doubt have a favourite when you start looking Also, when you are doing this make sure you are looking at Adult cats, they dont look anything like they do as kittens! (especially seal colour)
As a starter
Colours; Seal, Blue, Lilac, Chocolate, Red & Cream
Patterns; Point, Mitted, Bi-colour
Sub-patterns; Lynx (tabby), and Tortie

Any colour and any pattern can combine, and any of those combinations can be tabby and tortie. (The longest combo Ive seen in a "Blue/Cream tabby tortie point)

My boys are a Blue Bicolour and a Red tabby point. I actually prefer the bi-colour pattern, and the only colour im not a fan of is the seal.

If you really like a certain pattern/colour it would be quite a good idea to join a waiting list so when the one you want comes along, you are at the top of the list. Im not sure where you are from, but if you want the name of some good/ reputable breeders in your area, let me know!


Hopefully I will see you in the happy state of Ragdoll addiction soon! all the best x