Of Kitties and Leather Sofas

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Originally Posted by JLC

IF/when we get to that point...I'd like to make an effort to choose a breed of cat that is naturally laid back and adaptable to changes, because we move quite often. Is there a way to look for such traits in a kitty?

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Hehe. They're not quite kittens anymore...more like subadults. Did I mention two of them are polydactyl? They have the cutest little white mittens. :D

As far as temperament testing, it's much harder to tell with kittens than adults. Most kittens are naturally curious and playful, and it's hard to tell which ones will grow up to be mellow and outgoing and which will be freaky-deaks. I really like adults more because you already know what you're getting. Anybody that says "I want to raise a kitten so I can control how it turns out" is totally kidding themselves. :-P Environment has some influence but freaky cats come out of well-adjusted homes too.

Okay, nobody flame me for this one, but...in my experience, male cats are waaaay more mellow than females. Especially steer clear of calicos, torties, and torbies. There -are- nice cats in all of these colours (I've even met one or two)...but they're about as rare as getting a nice BP morph for free off of Craigslist, LOL.

Look at a cat who is at the front of the cage, banging his tin cup on the bars and hollering for attention, not crouched down hiding behind the litterbox. You want your cat to embrace the world with open paws. Ask if you can take him to an area he's unfamilar with. Confident cats will jump right down and start exploring everything, rubbing on the vertical objects, tail up, head up, eager. Freaky-deaks will crouch, frozen with fear, or bolt for cover...they skulk along the walls, seeking security and things to hide behind. That will pretty much tell you how your cat will react to new environments, like moving to a new house. Again, these behaviors are a -lot- easier to evaluate in a young adult cat than a kitten.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Okay, nobody flame me for this one, but...in my experience, male cats are waaaay more mellow than females. Especially steer clear of calicos, torties, and torbies. There -are- nice cats in all of these colours (I've even met one or two)...but they're about as rare as getting a nice BP morph for free off of Craigslist, LOL.

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I agree

Most of the cats I've had in the past have been male and all were totally cool. I've never had a crazy male cat (mine have all be neutered though).

I've had a few females and they were sweet as pie until they were spayed. (specifically 1 calico and 1 tortie)
After being spayed they really didn't want anything to do with me and I love on everyone constantly so it was hard for me. They did however decide that my dad/boyfriend/whatever man was around was ok to be around.

I personally think that male cats prefer female humans and vice versa for female cats but that's only from what I've experienced.

My cat is weird; he loves us of course, and a select few people that visit.. but he HATES my mom and sister! They are both animal lovers who have pets.. maybe he smells their dogs and cat on them? Or maybe since they go out of their way to pet him, he feels threatened?

i've had the total opposite experience. all my male cats have sprayed... even though they were fixed. my females have always been an absolute pleasure... which is why we won't even consider bringing males into our home anymore.

one of our cats... was a lovey girl before we moved here... as soon as we moved she became very skittish and has never recovered. the move was just too much for her perhaps??? i have no idea.

i think it's really a matter of the actual cat. some are great, loving, people-cats while others are more aloof and independant.

while you can't guarantee what a kitten will turn out like... if they are more loving as kittens i find them more loving as adults. whereas a skittish, non-loving kitten tends to stay that way. ;) hope that helps somewhat???

so jess... of all your foster cats... which one(s) would you think would make the pet for judy? perhaps you could post some pics so we could all "ooooh and ahhhhh" over them? :please:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i've had the total opposite experience. all my male cats have sprayed... even though they were fixed.

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that's weird, the only cat I've ever had spray was one I was watching for a friend that was not neutered (I told her if she took him in to get neutered I'd pay for it.. after that he never sprayed again)

we get all our cats fixed at 5 months old... as soon as their canine teeth fall out and the new adult ones poke out... we take them in. and we've had horrible experiences with male cats. :( but female cats ROCK in my world :giggle: thank goodness cause i can't imagine living my life without at least one cat!

i'll be that old crazy cat lady (snake/fish/bunny) sitting in her yard beside her pond - drinking too much coffee and complaining about the heat... and never leaving except to buy more cat food. long grey hair piled up on top of her head - and doing the occassional 'readings' on people.

yup... that's me!

sometimes male cats that are fixed will spray when in the presence of or when sharing living quarters with other males.

My male cat never sprays; it is funny; he goes through the motion; a little tail flick, but absolutely nothing comes out.. he is fixed. A spraying cat would not last long in my house!
On a side note, our male cat has nipples; is this normal?

We got our first two kitties shortly after we married and moved to California. They were sub-adults. Definitely not kittens anymore, but still had a wee bit of growing to do. Rescued by a lady who took in abandoned cats...they'd been left behind by someone who moved out of her apt complex. We had only intended to get ONE kitty...but when we went to look at them...we couldn't decide between the two.


One was a gorgeous long-hair calico who sat on the back of the sofa totally prim and proper and looked at us as if trying to decide if we were good enough to be in her presence. The the other comes zipping into the room...a short hair, motley gray kitty with a tail about an inch too short....zooms across the room and dashes up to the top of a ceiling-tall cat-tree. And stares at us as if to say "HA! Let's see you do THAT!"

Beautiful and prim? Or homely and hyper? Who can choose??? So we took both. Named them Sugar and Spice. They were both actually very sweet, affectionate kitties. Sugar would sit up on her hind legs with her front paws hanging down over her belly to look out the screen-door window. I called her her Weasle Pose. Spice would stand on the bathtub fixtures and try to catch the drips and LOVED to drink water out of the faucet and would sleep in the bathroom sink.

At first they were indoor cats, but gradually became indoor/outdoor kitties. We moved to Tucson, AZ and lived there for many years...started having children...which neither cat appreciated, but Sugar in particular didn't care for the competition for affection. But we managed and everyone got along.

Just a couple months before we were scheduled to move again, Spice, the little gray one...was attacked and killed by a coyote. :rainon: And then we moved to TX. And I think between the kids being born...her sister leaving her...and moving to a new house that was WAY bigger than anything she'd ever lived in before...was just too much for her. She was such a sad kitty after that. We'd had issues with her peeing on the baby's things in the past...but now she was peeing on everything. And shedding like never before, even in the desert summers.

And the rest of the story, I've already told. :(

I miss my kitties SO much.

I dunno why I typed all that out...'cept everyone was sharing cat stories and my heart is really getting into this thread, so I thought I'd share. I don't have any digitized photos of them, because we had them so long ago...everything is just regular pictures on paper. And all those are buried in a box somewhere right now. But one of these days, I'll find them and scan some and share some pics of my two beautiful, silly, goofball, wonderful kitties.

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Hehe. They're not quite kittens anymore...more like subadults. Did I mention two of them are polydactyl? They have the cutest little white mittens. :D

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I'd be fine with sub-adults again. And my mom has a kitty with six toes...TOO cute!

I agree that it would probably be best for us to choose a young adult (or sub-adult) cat...so we can have a decent chance of knowing how well it would tolerate changes to its environment. Of course, the "kitten appeal" is very strong...but then again, so is the puppy appeal...and the snake appeal....and the tortiose appeal.... LOL But kitten-hood is a temporary phase...its the CAT that you fall in love with and live with for years and years.

~sigh~ This all started out with me seriously just sort of wondering how to reconcile kitty claws with new leather furniture. Who knew it would turn into such an in depth discussion and leave me feeling so lonely for my old kitties?

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

and judy... i saw a cat with those soft claws on... they looked like they wore nail polish LOL - so you'll have to get a female cat... any self-respecting male cat would not be caught dead with them on :rofl: unless of course... he liked that sort of thing :P

*just teasing*

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yes, they do come in interesting colors, as well as clear!

My new couch isn't leather but a velveteen. And yes, now that I've had it in the middle of the livingroom, instead of up against a wall, they've clawed small (and some NOT so small :mad: ) snags on the back and the top.

When we had the 3, it wasn't much to keep them off the back, but now w/four and Norman being the bully that he is, the couch is getting it. :( I clip their claws, but have been remiss recently and they need to be done again. I'm also looking to get a kitty condo, to add to our two current scratching posts. I'm hoping have MORE / individual scratchers will help control the amount they use the couch. I use the keep-off spray, and vinegar-water to spray the couch, but that doesn't last very long. And some days, I'm not home all day long. *sigh*

In the apt. I used the wide, doublestick tape, (on the door jambs, my MK carry-all/soft storage) and that worked really well. I'm just VERY reluctant to use it on the couch.

As for the allergies, there are MANY practices that can be used to minimize the affects of a known trigger.

Good luck, and let us know how things go! :hug:

RuLyn

you must miss your kitties terribly. i know i would if anything happen to either of mine.

my male never sprays either--he does a tail flick thing but doesn't spray--which is good because that wouldn't go over so well! he has nipples also gin--i think that all male cats do. not sure why, but then so do male humans. :)

i've never had a kitten and really that's okay with me. like has been said--getting an adult or subadult is safer because you can tell more about how their personality will turn out. i got both my kitties when they were about 8 months old and they still had (and nigel still has) plenty of kitten left in them. both had been abandoned at my old apartment complex and had obviously been someone's pets at one time.

kittens are cute judy, but that part of a cat's life is so short. a subadult still has plenty kitten left in them--energy and spunk and all the goodness of a kitten but bigger. at 8 months both my kitties were total kittens still, but already had most of their adult personalities. i think that's a very good age to aquire a cat. i must have gotten lucky that both mine happened to be that age when i got them. i think you might have to go visit jess's kitties soon judy. :D

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Originally Posted by mlededee

.........he has nipples also gin--i think that all male cats do. not sure why, but then so do male humans. :)...........

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Bulls and boars have teats, (among other animals) etc., etc., ...........they just don't "do the job", :giggle: so it's normal for your male cat to have nipples.

Judy I'd think probably the best route would be to contact local private cat rescue groups (rather than a larger shelter). Explain the situation and ask about fostering a nice sub-adult, spayed/neutered kitty or even a previously declawed adult. Best that way so you can have it a week or so and see how hubby does with it. I always trimmed my cats claws and it did help somewhat but they do tend to claw or grip when jumping/climbing so I'd just encourage the cat to not be on your sofa at all. Have hubby build a nice multi-level cat climber with a spot for a bowl of treats, a dish of water and a hidey hole. Lace it with some catnip and most cats will love their spot and leave your stuff alone. If you can, have an older cloth chair or something in the room that they are allowed on and sit in that chair to cuddle with them. Don't bring them on to the leather furniture even on your lap. When they climb into the old chair, give them a lovely treat and a very positive reaction, when they approach the leather give them a strong negative reaction. They will get the difference pretty quickly.

Things like a spritz of water, a can full of small rocks to shake at them or even a bunch of balloons left on the couch (they jump, a balloon breaks and cats HATE this...just make sure to quickly remove the scraps of balloon of course) will usually deter a cat from going where it's not supposed to be. Once they know the thing that indicates NO, leave it on the table by the furniture. All mine had to do was see a spray bottle and they ditched LOL. I had two cats for 16 and 18 years and they quickly figured out the house rules. My male was a bit stubborn so I learned to imitate a big cat HISS and he got the idea I wasn't fooling around and he was not to be on the counters or table tops. Had to speak his language I guess LOL.

Cats can learn rules and boundaries, not perhaps as dogs do but any smart cat will quickly figure out what's in it's own best interest. :)

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Okay, nobody flame me for this one, but...in my experience, male cats are waaaay more mellow than females. Especially steer clear of calicos, torties, and torbies. There -are- nice cats in all of these colours (I've even met one or two)...but they're about as rare as getting a nice BP morph for free off of Craigslist, LOL.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

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Really? Every calico that I've ever met has been a sweetheart. My long haired calico thinks she's a dog - has never met an enemy and would probably walk right up to a dog that would rather eat her than look at her. I call her my "Odie" cat.

She's the most laid back kitty I've ever owned!

I recommend that with allergy concerns you try to get your cat directly from a breeder. Visit the breeder and spend time with the cats there that are the same breed. Different breeds will trigger allergies differently.

This will allow you to find a breed that does not bother your husband *before* you commit.
We did that and were surprised at how different the allergic reactions were between breeds. For example, Burmese were really high-allergy but Bengals were not.

Also, when dealing with a reputable breeder, you can take your kitten home and then return it within a few weeks if things do not go well allergy-wise.

as for the furniture....there's no telling what will happen over the months and years. if you are worried about it then it's probably a good idea not to get a cat.

It's probably very fitting that I'm typing this with my three kitties sprawled over various parts of me watching me type.
I just now finished reading this entire post. I can see very much what Jenn was trying to get across and what Jess posted as well. So many times I browse CL and see 'MUST BE GONE BY WEEKEND' and open it up to find the animal is being 'rehomed' due to allergies or a baby or the third most often reason "a move".
While I can understand wanting a critter to cuddle and love there are so very many that are needing homes as it is.
You said that your husband generally knows within an hour if his allergies are going to rear up yes? Well, in my experience I talk longer then that when going to meet a new prospective pet. So, if you don't want to go with fostering why not contact a person (or better yet a rescue) where you'd be interested in getting a kitten (or one of the many subadult-adult cats needing homes) from, go meet some then stick your husband in a room with the prospects while you all chat.
As for the furniture. I clip my kitties nails since I am very much against declawing (working in a vet clinic for years and washing all the cat toes down the drain will do it to you, I just can't wait until the US makes it illegal like most other countries) but I have used the claw covers. Hudson (my avatar) gets blue, Cooper gets green and Shiloe will get orange when I get new ones(he does a great halloween kitty impression when stretching). They walk funny for a few minutes after I apply them but they stay on pretty well. I'm thinking of being mean next time and getting everyone purple.
I have a few cat trees for them, tons of toys, it seems every time I go out I come back with a new toy for them. Spoiled creatures.
As for your couch, no matter how many steps you take to keep it safe there will always be a chance it can and will be damaged. If this is acceptable to you then I say go for it, if not then I'd possibly re-evaluate what you want.

Devon Rex cats are known to be rather friendly to people with allergies but you'd have to go with a breeder rather then a rescue. Then of course there are hairless Sphinx cats but you were saying something about fuzzy. :)

Also Judy, some people don't say things as eloquently as others but I hope you understand it comes from a love and passion for our pets. You've always been a great person to talk to, I don't think anyone intended to come across as saying otherwise.

And, Jess's kittens/young cats are downright adorable! If we would have had more room one would most definately have come home with us along with Shiloe.


Edited because I had three "Also" lines... crazy me.

Thanks for the kind words. :)


And just to update and set everyone's minds at ease...I had a talk with my hubby last night...and together we decided that its still not a good time for us to bring a kitty into the home.

Someday, though...