Cats

[Syaoransbear]

Do you have a cat? Do you wish you had a cat?

I wish I did. No cats since father is allergic to them. I will likely get one once I move out. But I better be prepared for that!

That issue doesn't really go away when you move out unfortunately. If you get a cat, then your dad can never come to your place. My dad is allergic to cats and ALL of my dad's siblings and my mom's siblings have cats. That basically means we can't visit my aunts and uncles and my cousins, they all have to come here, and one result of that is my parents are pretty estranged with the members of their families that don't come visit. Holidays and other occasions where there are family gatherings usually end up at my parent's house, or they simply can't attend if it's at someone else's house. So if you move out and get a cat, be prepared to never be able to host anything at your house if you want your dad to attend.

 

I live with my MIL and FIL at the moment and they have two cats(used to have three). My dad can never ever come over here, and even though my MIL and FIL would love to have my parents over for supper and invite them to other occasions, my dad can't come here.

[hazeh]

I wish I did. No cats since father is allergic to them. I will likely get one once I move out. But I better be prepared for that!

That issue doesn't really go away when you move out unfortunately. If you get a cat, then your dad can never come to your place. My dad is allergic to cats and ALL of my dad's siblings and my mom's siblings have cats. That basically means we can't visit my aunts and uncles and my cousins, they all have to come here, and one result of that is my parents are pretty estranged with the members of their families that don't come visit. Holidays and other occasions where there are family gatherings usually end up at my parent's house, or they simply can't attend if it's at someone else's house. So if you move out and get a cat, be prepared to never be able to host anything at your house if you want your dad to attend.

 

I live with my MIL and FIL at the moment and they have two cats(used to have three). My dad can never ever come over here, and even though my MIL and FIL would love to have my parents over for supper and invite them to other occasions, my dad can't come here.

Well it depends on the severity of the allergy. I have aunts and uncles who are all allergic to cats and dogs (cats even more so) but when they come visit, we put the animals in their cages and vacuum/ air out/ de-fur the furniture before they arrive. They don't seem to have many issues at our place when we do that.

There aren't any "true" hypo-allergenic cats, but the Rex cats are known to give people with allergies less issues, and the cleaner the environment the better it is for anyone wishing to visit with an allergy.

[Bacon_Strips]

Well it depends on the severity of the allergy. I have aunts and uncles who are all allergic to cats and dogs (cats even more so) but when they come visit, we put the animals in their cages and vacuum/ air out/ de-fur the furniture before they arrive. They don't seem to have many issues at our place when we do that.

There aren't any "true" hypo-allergenic cats, but the Rex cats are known to give people with allergies less issues, and the cleaner the environment the better it is for anyone wishing to visit with an allergy.

While my father is allergic to cats, it's not very severe or anything. I'd be very willing to clean the house before he arrived. And it's not like he can't be near cats. When we visit my aunt's house, he's around cats at times, and nothing happens to him.

 

Or we could just meet at my brother's.

Edited July 29, 2013 by Bacon_Strips

[thomasgold19]

I like cats pretty well. I actually have a cat that lives in my room. They hate all my other cats so they just live in my room with the door shut and all their needs are met. They also love me.

[rilavision]

LOVE cats, currently have two and have always had a cat as a pet.

[Dimar]

I like cats a lot! My grandparents and my best childhood friend all had a lot of great cats. The only cat I was really close to personally, though, was put down a while ago at the old age of 17. She was great, and once she died my mom and I couldn't get another cat. We don't think we could find another cat to live up to her awesomeness.

 

I'm slightly allergic to cats, but only if I touch my face after touching one. I can pet one and be close to it without any difficulty, if I keep my face away.

[Rin_the_Kaenbyou]

I love cats. I have four of them, and my home wouldn't be the same without them. One of mine loves attention, and will sometimes howl if nobody's around. If I'm home alone and in my room, I'll occasionally hear him.

[sh20000sh]

There are some cats live under my apartment (my house is on 1st floor). I sometimes see them(maybe mother and children) at yard. They are so cute;;

[Cecona]

I volunteer at an animal shelter that has a ton of cats- way more than they have dogs, and the majority of them are so sweet and loving and affectionate and just want to be petted and cuddled. And it's kitten season so there are a lot of little baby kittens too. I love going there because basically my job is socializing the cats and kittens. I go into the rooms and make the cats used to people, and get them to realize that people are good. Though the ones that don't really want to be social always hide on the top shelves they have on the walls and watch. There are a few cats that I adore and would bring home in an instant if I could, like this little tiny calico that's over a year old despite still being the size of a kitten. Her name is Yoko and she is just sooooooooo sweet and loving. You go into the room she is in and she wants to be held and cuddled right away. I actually did get my second cat from the shelter, when I was turning in my application my mom and I saw that three new cats that weren't there before. We went to check them out and the one black cat with long fur just would not let me pet the other cats. I would reach my hand out and he would bump he head into it. We had to take him home >w< and he is so docile and loving, he gets along great with my 12 year old cat (whose birthday was yesterday) and my mom's old fat chihuahua/rat terrier mix. He likes to give him headbutts lol.

 

I just love cats so much, during the worst parts of my life I always had my cat there to comfort me, to lie in my lap and rub his head into my chin... I hate to think that he may not be around much longer. His diabetes is acting up and we need to take him to the vet this weekend to check his levels. My mom is always telling me to prepare myself for when I may have to put Pouncer down, and think about what's best for him. I don't want to though, I would prefer he died naturally.

 

aww and here he comes to cuddle up in my lap ♥

[Nearzilla]

I love cats so much. O_O

Ive got 5 right now.. (slowly turning into a crazy cat lady). I love every single kind of cat! I want all the cats. Hehehe

[Kira-san]

Ahhhh I LOVE cats! >w< Wish I had my own! So cute and cuddlyyy <3

[NinjaKrill]

 

That's William. He's a Sealpoint Ragdoll cat, and he looks awfully small in that photo o3o

Edited October 27, 2013 by NinjaKrill

[little-phobic-strawberry]

I have two cats! Called Jessie and Boris! Boris is a ginger tomcat and Jessie has a sort of tortoiseshell coat on her :3

This is Boris with my dog, Timmy,

And this is Boris and Jessie in Jessie's bed, Boris always steals her beds -.-

Edited October 27, 2013 by little-phobic-strawberry

[KoalaNoob]

Aw... They're so cute!

[Twilight_Pink]

Cats are best creature ^^ and I swear they're gonna take over the world one day

[Andy12]

Haha I love cats they are amazing! As of now I have two.

[Dimar]

My family recently adopted another cat, and at first I was a bit opposed to it but I've ended up loving her. I was really close to our last cat, and when she was put down it was really hard on me. So I didn't think we could replace her... but our new cat, Sophie, is fantastic. She's really sweet and loves attention from people, plus she's just two years old so she's still very active and playful. I'm sad that I can't see her often, since I live on my college campus, but I do get to see her when I visit home and I just adore her.

 

Sophie on a chair:

Edited December 9, 2013 by Dimar

[Amazing_Grace]

With the risk of my mother being called a crazy cat lady; after I moved out, she has been adopted by 13 cats.

[tnoelemaK]

Crazy cat lady in the making here. I'm hoping to become a (Maine Coon) breeder within the next couple of years once I've gained more experience and knowledge of the breed.

I currently have a solid blue 5 year old housecat and a red tabby 7 month old Maine Coon. He's 4 months in the photo and has since doubled in size; at 7 months he's bigger than my fully grown housecat.

Edited January 9, 2014 by tnoelemaK

[Beldarius]

We got our first cat back in 2000 - she lived with us for 11 years until her kidneys failed and we had to put her down. She was nearly 18 years old at the time of her death.

 

We got our second cat half a year later - he's a seal bicolor ragdoll with an askew mask. He's a little weird: hyperactive, picky about his food and doesn't like petting (his back always bends when you touch it) - instead, if you go to pet his back, he simply keels over and demands you rub his belly. He also chases after objects if you throw them, and doesn't stop when he hits walls or doors - he also takes incredible spurts at times (as if he was on a sugar rush) and sometimes does what I call "stalking" (goes into hiding, looks at you as you go by and when you come near enough, he wiggles his butt and takes off at a sprint).

 

 

Mr. Fluffybutt says hello. We call him Santtu - it's better than the original name his breeder had given him (they called him Syltty... it means "head cheese / brawn" in Finnish).

 

 

...This is what he does when he demands his belly rubs. He always keels over with a thud and spread-eagles all over the floor.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Beldarius

[Lila]

I needz advice!!

 

So, I have yet to spay my cat (I plan to, so I don't need that lecture), but in the meantime, she does go through her estrus cycles. What can I do to relieve her stress, if at all, when she is calling?

[TikindiDragon]

I needz advice!!

 

So, I have yet to spay my cat (I plan to, so I don't need that lecture), but in the meantime, she does go through her estrus cycles. What can I do to relieve her stress, if at all, when she is calling?

Honest answer? Not much. There *are* drugs she can be given to supress the cycle, but I think you'll find it's cheaper to spay than it is to get hold of those. They're only really of any use if you've got a breeding queen and want to space her litters out so it's not over-taxing her system. But, yeah, a calling queen is a calling queen. The only way to stop her 'stress' is to stop her calling in the first place.

[Bex]

I needz advice!!

 

So, I have yet to spay my cat (I plan to, so I don't need that lecture), but in the meantime, she does go through her estrus cycles. What can I do to relieve her stress, if at all, when she is calling?

Honestly, there really is nothing you can do. During the typical feline breeding season, female cats will go into estrus (heat) for about 7-10 days, and this will repeat every 2-3 weeks during the entire beginning of the year. Some female cats will continue to go into heat constantly for years at a time when they are young. Pheramone behavioural controls such as Feliway plugins and sprays may help a tiny bit, but evidence for this with regard to feline estrus is anecdotal at best (no good studies).

 

There are some medications out there that have been known to help suppress the feline heat cycle, but not only are most of these approved for use only in human women (and therefore most Veterinarians may be unwilling to prescribe them for your cat) they are also very likely to cause chronic health problems with your cat. Disease such as diabetes, kidney and liver disease, and uterine cancer are common complications of these drugs.

 

The healthiest option for your cat is simply to get her spayed ASAP before the recurring heat cycles either a) increase her risk of mammary cancer and pyometra or lead her outside to get pregnant.

[TikindiDragon]

The healthiest option for your cat is simply to get her spayed ASAP before the recurring heat cycles either a) increase her risk of mammary cancer and pyometra or lead her outside to get pregnant.

Following up to this - if she's calling you *do* need to be aware of the symptoms of pyometra. It can and does kill cats (as well as other species - it's not limited to cats only). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyometra If you suspect pyometra take her to the vet *immediately*.

[Lila]

Following up to this - if she's calling you *do* need to be aware of the symptoms of pyometra. It can and does kill cats (as well as other species - it's not limited to cats only). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyometra If you suspect pyometra take her to the vet *immediately*.

Thank you for this! I was aware of the disease but not of its symptoms. Anyway she is scheduled for a spay in the near future (as much as I would love little kittens running around).