Lets get the jokes out of the way first about 10 year old pussys and what not first!
We've not long been in our new house and the Mrs has been dropping hints about wanting a cat for a while now. Ideally we'd love a dog but we aren't home enough for it to be fair on the dog as we're out from 7:30am-4:30pm minimum each day.
Anyway - someone at her work is giving away their cat as they are leaving the country and it needs rehoming. The cat is quite a nice looking tabby cat and is 10 years old.
Now having never had a cat in my life I'm a bit conflicted with getting one as I think it would be good to have a pet in the house and cats being fairly low maintenance I've never looked after a cat before so I don't know what the major commitment is for a cat, let alone a 10 year old one.
We don't have any means of providing a cat flap so the cat would just have to be let out when we go to work and brought back in at night which I've no idea if this is ideal or not. And i'm unsure how well a 10 year old cat would take to being re-homed?
Then there are the health considerations too as i'm not sure how old cats live till or if it has any pre-existing health conditions etc.
Can anyone help me weigh up the pros and cons of the situation?
First off, make sure neither of you have any allergies to cats
If you are both OK around cats then adopting a senior cat can be rewarding but also have drawbacks.
Mostly cats are hassle free animals to own but they can be expensive if things go wrong and you are not prepared.
Not having the ability to let the cat come and go as he pleases may be a problem. However, it depends on the cat. Some cats would be perfectly happy to stay in the house all day then pop out to stretch their legs when you get home, but the trouble is when they go out late in the day they might not roll back up till stupid o' clock at night. But they may pop out, do their business and come straight back again. Depends on the cat really. Generally it is a case of rolling with the punches, but cats can and do start to mould into a regime/pattern if you can enforce it. Our two know when breakfast is, they know they can pop in for a snack in the middle of the afternoon and they know they need to be in for fuss and cuddles by about 10pm and they get locked in for the night. It wasn't always that way but we got there in the end!
Regarding a cat flap, depending on your house, it is possible to bore through a wall and fit a plastic tube with a standard catflap. At one of our old houses we did that and the cat used it no issues. Obviously it has to be quite a large borehole though. I thin ours was about 8-9 inches with the tube fitted.
At first you would be best to keep him locked in for at least a couple of weeks anyway, perhaps more if he isn't settling in. As others have said, pet insurance would be a good idea but be aware of small print regarding existing conditions. Hopefully his current owner will have all the information you need in that regard and you will be able to take out a useful insurance policy (It generally isn't expensive).
As far as upkeep, fuss, food, somewhere to sleep and somewhere to poo. That is pretty much it! Main thing to remember is cats are quite clean animals so if he is using the litter tray, empty his logs daily and change the litter once a week if you can. Likewise make sure you wash his food bowl daily and always leave some fresh water out.
Plenty of fuss and cuddles if he trusts you enough but don't force the issue. Some cats are more affectionate than others. At first you may find him nervous and stand-offish. Just respect his space and let him come to you when he knows he can trust you not to hurt him.
A 10 year old cat may only have a year or two left, or 10. Again it depends on the cat, but a healthcheck would help to give you a better understanding of what his overall condition is.
The main commitment is vet times and holidays. If your cat needs to go to a vet you have to get him there (in the case of an emergency - drop everything and get him there). When you go on holiday you have to make arrangements for his care. I personally don't like using catteries, so we arrange for a neighbour or family to come in a couple of times a day or if nobody is available we use a service called Animals at Home.
Unfortunately older cats tend to be overlooked because they are not cute balls of fluff like kittens are. But having adopted older cats before I can say they are just as affectionate as a younger cat, and in some cases more because they spend more time in the house and they often love laps and fuss!
You can learn your cats mood and understand his body language if you try. You can also do things yourself to communicate to him and show him you are friendly (or that something he is doing is naughty).
One point to consider, though, is your future. If you think you may get a dog as well just consider the impact that will have on your cat in terms of stress and invasion of his home (which is basically what it is). Babies and kids generally don't tend to be a problem if they are properly supervised.
I am pro cat, so clearly I am going to say adopt. But the other reason I want to say do it is because too many older cats get euthanised because of these kinds of circumstances and it is such a shame because it isn't their fault.
First things first, you need to meet the cat in person. See how he responds to you. As stupid as it sounds, animals have keen memory so, for example, if a person resembling you has mistreated him in the past he will be very wary of you and may never settle with you at all. Same if he has been mistreated by kids and you have kids in the house.
For our one cat it is bin lorries. We don't know what happened to him as a kitten but even as an adult cat of 5 years old he is terrified of bin lorries. If you try and pick him up to reassure him and comfort him he will claw you to pieces to get away and hide, usually under the sofa or the bed somewhere and he will stay there for 1-2 hours after the bin lorry has gone. It is just one of the things we have had to accept about him. Any other time you can pick him up, handle him and even rub his belly (which is a massive sign of trust for a cat to let you do that), but on bin days.......
