Getting a cat. Help me out

regulus

regulus

regulus

Soldato
Joined
18 Aug 2006
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ChCh, NZ
Basically, I want a cat, the girlfriend is a bit iffy, saying it's a huge decision. We've talked about this to death, brought it back to life and killed it again. There is nothing left to say or argue about apart from getting the damn thing, or never speak about it again. She reckons it's a big enough decision to compare it with upping sticks and moving to Vladivostok to work as a jam maker, I reckon it's no biggie and it would make the home more complete.

Growing up her family never had any pets nor cared too much for them, I grew up, thrown under by the amount of pets we had, so I'm used to it. Every time we visit my parents home she fusses over the cats, but somehow can't bring herself to agree to getting one for us.

Anyway, I don't want to ramble on, the question is short is .. Was getting and looking after a cat a massive deal for any of you? Did you find it to be a huge time and money investment?
 
no it wasnt a massive deal and i cant see why it would be aslong as you have time/money to look after it correctly. which im sure you do as theyre a pretty hassle free pet!
 
it's a big deal in that you need to be able to take care of it, give it the right environment and care it needs. But if you had lots of pets growing up, i can only assume you have the knowledge and experience to have no trouble with it.

Insurance is also a must-have as far as i'm concerned. Our poor female cat had so many troubles recently and without the insurance we just wouldnt have been able to afford the operations and night-time vet emergency care, but she's healthy and happy now so all is well :)

If, like me, you love cats, then you'll find they're very independent, easy to take care of.. it is an investment though so, make sure you can support it.
 
Girls want kids.
Your girl will want a kid with you someday.
Having a cat is a good test of whether you're up to it.

So tell her if you can't handle a cat, you'd never be able to handle a kid.
 
billysielu said:
Girls want kids.
Your girl will want a kid with you someday.
Having a cat is a good test of whether you're up to it.

So tell her if you can't handle a cat, you'd never be able to handle a kid.
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Either that, or (and sorry for the negativity OP) she's intending to split up with you so doesn't want any extra commitments.

Obviously you know your relationship better than I do but I just thought I'd throw that out there :p
 
billysielu said:
Girls want kids.
Your girl will want a kid with you someday.
Click to expand...

:eek: I've got a household of pets, I never want a household of kids!

Getting our first cat wasn't such a big decision, basically I went with his parents when they were getting a cat. I saw Jasper and had to have him, he came right up and sat on my knee as soon as I walked in, I couldn't not take him home.

The bigger decision was getting our 2nd cat. I felt Jasper needed company when he was in the house alone so wanted to get him a friend. After looking and looking on the rescue pages I found a kitten that I thought would be great for him but was scared in case he got jealous and attacked him. We also had to think about getting different kinds of cat food, bowls, etc. Luckily, intos went real smooth and Charlie is now an an addition.

I've also had lots of rats (currently got 6) and a hamster and because I knew I was in a position to look after them and take them to the vets if they needed treatment I never had second thoughts about giving them a home.
 
looking at the insurance thing from another point of view our moggy lived till 21/22 and only ever went to the vets once . infact only one of our cats ever has needed to go but shed been poisoned and had liver failure :(. all outdoor cats too
 
Get two cats - not one. Always have at least two. They are great company for each other and their play antics will amuse you for hours. Cats are also low maintenance. Unlike kids and wimin.

And.... stick to cats. Don't bother with the kids.

And... Vladivostok is lovely at this time of year.
 
ideally you want to get 2 kittens from the same litter as one cat will get lonely

they pretty much look after themselves aslong as you give them water+food
 
Cats are great, they probably make the homes they live in.

I've had my cat since I was 7, got him at a few weeks old, He'll be 14 this September.

He's incredibly healthy, he went though a bit of a "sick" phase which worried me a bit, but we took him off "cat food" a year ago and we cook chicken for him now.

He's gone quite "big" and quite heavy, though not fat, his fur's gone really shiny and he's just all round a more perky and happy cat.

Also have him on mineral water (for those who might claim it's pointless, he ABSOLUTELY will not touch tap water at all. He actually cries for mineral water and sprints to his bowl when he sees the bottle come out.

Oh yeah, the thread.

Get a cat, I don't think you'll regret it. My "missus" is really apprehensive of animals, but she loves my cat a lot (though we don't live together, yet).

I'd say get a cat, she'll grow to love your cat.
 
One of the best ways to convince your other half is to go to the cat rescue centre near you and have a look around. There will be at least one that needs rescuing..
Job done.
Dave
 
My opinion is in any relationship if one person wants something and the other doesn't, you maintain the status quo and give it a miss. Either both parties get behind the idea or it doesn't happen.
 
HangTime said:
My opinion is in any relationship if one person wants something and the other doesn't, you maintain the status quo and give it a miss. Either both parties get behind the idea or it doesn't happen.
Click to expand...

How do you deal with one person being unfairly unreasonable?
 
regulus said:
I reckon it's no biggie and it would make the home more complete.
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I agree. Cats pretty much take care of themselves. Once it's house trained, which wasn't an issue when I got a kitten, you only need to feed it and give it some attention every now and then. The only issue would be vets bills.
 
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