HEY CAT OWNERS

[sspadowsky]

I want to get a cat. I need the following info:

-How much does it cost to get them their shots?
-Does their disposition depend more on their breed or how you treat them (meaning, if you are affectionate with them while they are very young [no Michael Jackson jokes, please], will they be affectionate as they grow)?
-How much does de-clawing cost? (not sure I want to do that, but some cats with claws are just fucking destructive)
-Anything else I should know about.

[kellychaos]

I'm not sure how much the type of breed bears on disposition but I have found in my experience that the Siamese seem to be an angry breed of cat. Other than that, I've found it to be a roll of the dice, even within the same litter.

Reconsider de-clawing. They need it for defense and besides, it's like tearing the first joint off a human finger. In other words, I find it inhumane. Get a scratch post. It's sort of like a litter box in the respect that if it's there, they'll use it especially if you introduce them to it at a young age.

Another major concern is the expense of spaying/neuturing. Please consider this if you decide to get a cat.

[Matt Harty]

Reconsider de-clawing. They need it for defense and besides, it's like tearing the first joint off a human finger. In other words, I find it inhumane. Get a scratch post. It's sort of like a litter box in the respect that if it's there, they'll use it especially if you introduce them to it at a young age.



Shut the fuck up, if it's a house cat you clip the nails.

[kellychaos]

A scracth post accomplishes the same thing, you twat. Besides there's a BIG difference between merely clipping the cat's nails and getting them declawed.

[sspadowsky]

The Humane Society here includes spaying/neutering in their adoption fee. It will be a house cat. I know of good house cats that have not been de-clawed, but if the little fucker starts shredding everything, it's chopping time.

[Matt Harty]

Shut the fuck up, if it's a house cat you declaw it if it's naughty. :)

[MisSFiT]

I have two cats and they both have their claws.
So far they just stretch on the furniture and they open their claws to do that.
If you get a male, you should get him fixed a.s.a.p. because they start spraying at a young age and that can be really bad.
I think it only cost me $80.00 to for everything, shots and neutered.

[Matt Harty]

Hi Missfit! What kinda cats do you have? :)

[MisSFiT]

Shut up. >:

[Matt Harty]

Never heard of that kind I have a Calico what are your cats names? :)

[MisSFiT]

Fuck you,
Jackass.

No...
those really are their names.

[Matt Harty]

WHO PUTS COMMAS AND PERIODS IN THEIR CATS NAMES >:

[kellychaos]

Sounds like you're lookin' for the kat seks, Matt. How's about you ask him for an e-mail address so you can get some pics?

[Matt Harty]

I'd rather just have my question answered. :/

[FartinMowler]

get a dog. http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid95/p5da708472d6021808d3b0e8c985eb4e0/fa257923.jpg.thumb.jpg

Dogs are more fun than a cat.

[Jeanette X]

Declawing is considered inhumane nowadays. Vets only do it as a last resort, and it is actually illegal in some countries. Proper training should prevent the cat from shredding you and your home.

I have read that some cat breeds are more affectionate (such as the Ragdoll) and others can be more aggresive and aloof. Overbreeding can result in a bad temperment. But generally speaking, if you raise a kitten with love, it won't try to rip your face off as an adult.

[Supafly345]

Get a calico, they are the best hunters. Never have any problems with vermine ever again. And if you are a good master they will bring you the prizes they catch as a gift to show their love.

[camacazio]

Get a scratching post, and make sure it's not the same color as carpeting or furniture. My cat used to just claw it's blue scratching post, but then we got one that was the same as our carpeting and everything became a scratching post until we replaced the carpet-colored one with a green one.

[AChimp]

If the cat destroys something that you value, you destroy something it values. Like it's hind leg.

I don't see why eye for an eye shouldn't apply to animals, too. Nature is a cruel place. >:

[Rongi]

Don't de-claw them. Get the nails snipped once in a while but declawing isn't natural.

Besides, if you ever get mice, them claws will come in handy

[The Retro Kat]

GET A RETRO KAT!

[camacazio]

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CATS NOT KATS! :lol

[Evil Robot]

I used to have a cat, until I "asigned it a number".

[Zomboid]

We have this one cat right now and the first day it was here, which was like 4 years ago, I scared the shit out of it nonstop. I chased it around the house and terrorized it till it hid in the ceiling (it got in from the furnace room) and ever since it's been scared of everyone it doesn't know very well, so I wouldn't recommend doing that :/

I had a cat that got lost or something a while ago and one that died before him and they were both pampered from the time they were kittens (and they were the kittens of two cats we had before that...one was the scared cat) so when they were older they were very affectionate and didn't cause any problems.

[MisSFiT]

WHO PUTS COMMAS AND PERIODS IN THEIR CATS NAMES >:

Well, obviousley I do. >:

[Sicktodeathmx]

From what I have seen, male cats tend to be nicer than female ones :/

[The Retro Kat]

RETRO KATS ARE THE NICEST!

[Marilyn666]

-How much does it cost to get them their shots? I don't know that.

-Does their disposition depend more on their breed or how you treat them (meaning, if you are affectionate with them while they are very young [no Michael Jackson jokes, please], will they be affectionate as they grow)? It's more on how you treat them.

-How much does de-clawing cost? (not sure I want to do that, but some cats with claws are just fucking destructive) You should declaw the cat only if it's destroying things. My cat was declawed without my premission and he couldn't even walk for a while because he had to wear mittens.
:(
-Anything else I should know about. You shouldn't waste your money on expensive toys, because they only like cheap things.

[Matt Harty]

JUST GET A RETRO KAT! :lol

[Anonymous]

My cat's been declawed, and yet he frequently shows up with dead birds, and even the occassional dead rabbit, and he walks around just fine, so don't let yourself be fooled into thinking that declawing a cat is like breaking a horse's legs.

Then again, maybe he's just an exceptionally resilient feline.

[Akennedy90]

I have 15cats (all of them are ones people have abondoned)
They are all sapyed and neuterd. I dont think declawing is the solution. Just clap or make a semi loud noise when a cat is clawing something he isny supposed to be. My cats learned and they all still like me. And dont get your kitten spayed or nueterd untill they are at least 5months old(they can die from the ansthetic). Most shots only cost around 20$. My mom is a vetrnarian so we give our own shots.Dont give your own shots let a vet do it. BTW we only haev 5 indoor cats the rest live outside.
Oh yah and male cats can get bladder stones very easy so when they are old or you have noticed they havent gone to the bathroom for a while get them urinary tract cat food
Mr.Collins a.k.a Godboy

[Anonymous]

My aunt adopted a cat that was already declawed and it kept falling over in the litterbox.

[Anonymous]

I once saw a cat that had been declawed and the only way it could move was by laying on its side and shimmying back and worth like a Sidewinder.

[glowbelly]

i have 2 males right now and i luuuuuurve them.

here's my advice:

go to the pound, or a petsmart and spend some time checking the kittens out. first find one that you think is cute, then hold it. if the kitty seems really sleepy or insanely crazy, don't pay attention to it. they have been locked in a cage for most of their little lives and they all react differently to it. what you really want to look for is a kitty that purrs when you pet it. also, one that lets you touch it's belly without scratching the fuck out of you is good. this means that they are comfortable with you and in their surroundings. a kitty's belly is their weak spot. they won't show it to you or let you touch it unless they feel comfy with you. :)

make sure the kitten has been tested negative for fiv and feline leukemia. this is very important, especially if you ever plan on getting another cat.

check it's ears and ask if the kitty has been wormed or has had any of it's shots. if you see a buttload of black stuff in it's ears, the baby has ear mites. those can be a pain in the butt to get rid of. the medicine that the vet gives the cat isn't expensive, but sometimes they just keep coming back and you find yourself constantly having to clean out the poor things ears with mineral oil. cats usually don't have worms unless they've had fleas...at least not tapeworm, as that is how most cats get tapeworm. NASTY FLEAS.

kitten shots cost me around $80 total, but i go to a kind of expensive vet because i know he's good. there's usually a first round, a second round about a month later, and then they are good for a year. spay/neutering should be done around 4 to 5 months (and yes, as early as possible in males because they tend to spray). it cost me about $60, to get my one cat neutered. petsmart will give you a certificate to get it done for free, as will most animal protective leagues.

DO NOT DECLAW YOUR KITTY. PLEASE. I'M BEGGING YOU. IT IS INSANELY INHUMANE AND PAINFUL AND CAN LEAD TO YOUR CAT ACTING OUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS SUCH AS BITING. i solve the problem of the cats scratching stuff by keeping their scratching limited to one area. i don't have a scratching post yet, but i have an old beat up chair. i let them scratch the shit out of that thing. if they go to scratch anything else, they get yelled at. :(

i don't think the breed really matters. i've had many different types of cats and they've all been good animals. it's all in how you treat them. the one thing that i do know is that siamese kitties are very vocal, which can be cute or annoying, depending on how you feel about that.

oh yes, and i haven't noticed anything about males being more affectionate than females. like i said, i have 2 males right now. one is extremely affectionate and one only wants to play fetch ALL THE TIME. you met the last 3 cats i had. they were all females. one was super affectionate, one was insane and one was aloof.

i hope i helped some.

[Jeanette X]

Don't buy it from a pet store. Seriously. Pet store kittens usually come from unethical breeders and are very prone to health problems. Either get it from a shelter or from a licensed, proffesional breeder.

[Protoclown]

My parents have had four cats over the years, three of them siamese. I love siamese cats, they tend to be a bit ornery and I think they're hilarious. All of the cats I've ever had have been declawed, and since they aren't allowed outside, that doesn't seem to be a problem for them aside from the initial soreness after the surgery. Anyway, it was never my choice but if I were to get a cat today for myself I would almost certainly get it declawed so it didn't destroy everything or scratch the fuck out of me.

[ziggytrix]

declawed cats give better massages.

[MisSFiT]

I was in Petsmart one time and on the cages it reads "DO NOT PUT FINGERS IN CAGES" so I did, and I got yelled at by an old ass lady, she told me "IF YOU PUT YOUR FINGER IN THESE CAGES YOU CAN TRANSFER COLDS TO THE CATS AND THE ONE ON THE BOTTOM HAS PINK EYE"
I told her to shut up because she was an old miserable bitch and she just shook her head and stared at me.

The moral of my story is...
Don't buy cats from Petsmart because they are diseased.

[MEATMAN]

I love kats. Wanna swap recipes? :yum

[glowbelly]

every single vet i have ever gone to has strongly recommended that i do not declaw my cats. petsmart, who obtains their kittens from local animal shelters in the area, makes you sign a contract of sorts promising that you will not declaw your kitty.

it's a horrid, unnecessary surgical procedure.

here's a link: http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm

do your own research. i can almost guarantee that you won't find one article stating that it's a good thing to rip your cat's claws out of it's toes.

[Protoclown]

IT'S THE WAY I WAS RAISED, I DON'T KNOW NO BETTER :(

[ProfessorCool]

We have 3 Cats

Booze: found licking rum in my my aunt's glass.

Rio: Adopted, 2 years old.

Cat: Found, we could never figure out a name, so we just call it Cat. He responds to it.

Booze and Rio is declawed, all of them are Neutred by their previous owners.

We feed them, give them sleeping quaters, and let them be. Rio and Booze hate toys and Cat is afraid of them. They just like lying around, right now they seem to be adpated to sleeping under the christmas tree.

[ziggytrix]

nice names :)

[Blue]

IF you can get a cat that was raised somewhere rural.. They normally arent a lap cat but they are very independant and can feed themsleves real well.. Dont declaw your cat just belt it if you catch it scratching shit. They need to be able to fuck up other cats if they end up in a tight spot and if they have no claws they cant do that.. Make sure you buy a bitch too.. Toms are temperemental and lazy as hell once you desex them .

[ProfessorCool]

nice names :)

Thanks

[Jeanette X]

We feed them, give them sleeping quaters, and let them be. Rio and Booze hate toys and Cat is afraid of them. They just like lying around, right now they seem to be adpated to sleeping under the christmas tree.

Try catnip toys. Most cats go crazy for those.

[ProfessorCool]

Tried it, none of them respond to it. The only thing they do go crazy for is Tuna, even when i say the word tuna they rush to the kitchen.

[Jeanette X]

Try honeysuckle toys then. Some cats who won't respond to catnip go crazy for honeysuckle.

[glowbelly]

or the white pack wrigley's gum, whatever that flavor of mint is called.

blue: remove yourself from this earth immediately. you don't "belt" cats. the closest i come to hitting my kitties is to tap them on the nose when they are doing something bad. a loud hissing noise or clap usually sends them flying...and there's always the option of spraying them with a water bottle or gun. they hate that.

[Supafly345]

Yelling at them in an angry voice works too. If you are normally a kind owner, an angry voice really lets them know that they did something wrong. Remember, it is just the voice. You could be saying "banana bulbs into lefted hand size cracker money" and they will still learn a lesson.

[Blue]

I didnt mean smash the fuck out of them. >:

[ziggytrix]

my roommate threw away his cat's scratching post because it absolutely would not use anything other than the couch.

it also likes eating plastic (trash liners, grocery bags, or whatever it can get its paws on) and throwing up all over the place.

it is offically the dumbest cat i know. :/

http://brotherjames.net/hosted/gizmo.jpg
THE FUZZY FACE OF EVIL

[Schimid]

IT'S SEXUAL, BABY :lol

[ultra perfect cell]

I have 2 cats with me right now. I would have three, but I had to put one to sleep in October. Her name was Snowball. She had feline leuckimeia and got cancer :( :wah :wah And Kiki, my first cat, she got cancer too. :wah :wah :( Nermal is one of my current cats. He is such a crazy ass. Once, he brought a fuckin' RABBIT in the house in his mouth! LOLOLOLOLOL!! It was kind of sad, because the rabbit kept crying out. It was really young, too. :( One time, Simba, my other cat, he climbed up the Christmas tree last year! :lol LOL! IT WAS SO FUNNY! Also, Simba climbed up a HUGE tree, and he was cryin' and cryin' and cryin'..... but then, NERMAL TO THE RESCUE! Nermal climbed the tree and showed Simba how to climb down. So you know, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, DECLAW OR HIT YOUR CAT! My garndparents have a cat named Bootsie, and she was a fairly nice cat, and she got declawed, and now she hates everything that moves toward her. Sometimes she's very nice, though. If you hit your cat, you will most likely, have a sad cat, and a hurt cat, that cat will feel betrayed, ya know what I mean? I never, ever EVER hit my cats. EVER! My two cats are the nicest all around. (To me, anyway. :) ) By the way, what's this about an "old ass lady?" Man, if they gave the cats their darn vaccines, maybe it wouldn't HAVE pink eye. Tell me the whole story about this "Petsmart's miserable old bitch" it sounds interesting. How old are you, anyway,MisSFiT? Just curious. P.S. Glowbelly, you are EXCELLENT with cats! Hell, you might be better than me with the cute furry guys....the closest I'VE been to hitting my babies is a nose tap as well....but hey. Glowbelly, my point is, you know a LOT about kitties! YOU ROCK!

[glowbelly]

i'm glad that we're on the same page about all of this.

who are you again?

[Anonymous]

CELL, DO YOU PLAY FURCADIA? ^_^ IF NOT YOU SHOULD!!! OKAY I'M OUT, SEE YOU LATER ^^;; *scampers off into forest*

[Vibecrewangel]

I didn't read the whole thread so I don't know if this was listed, but there is a website that sells a product that is a grat alternative to declawing....

www.softpaws.com

I use these on my indoor kitty and they are wonderful!

[Blue]

You could try downloading catz from www.petz.com. If you cant look after a computer kitty you can forget about buying a real one.. (cheap way to get program is on edonkey)