[GlendaleViper]

Hey folks. Looking for opinions here. I've lived with cats my whole life. When I moved out recently (from the folks place), I left my cat behind. She's been there her whole life and I really didn't want to break her up from my sister's cat or the family.

Now, of course, I have a dillemma. I have no cat and it's a giant hole in my life (if you think this is sappy, then you've never lived with animals). The problem is, I'm living in a very small bachelor apartment. The apartment has lots of light, but no real space for a cat to roam.

I'm ok with keeping an indoor cat, but I'm thinking it would be cruel to keep her 25 floors up with only about 500 square feet to play around in.

I'd love to adopt a little monster from the local pound, but is it a better life? HELP!

 

[Pm@c]

Its a cat.. not a dog. They dont need tons of room to run around. They sleep like 20 hours a day anyways. I'd say its a better life, they probably dont get the attention you could give it in the local pound.

 

[boomana]

You could adopt an older cat (4-5 years old) that's been living in a cage for the past however long. It's a win-win. You save a cat's life, and get it out of miserable conditions to a better life, and you also get a friendly (well after a few weeks) pet to love. Getting a kitten or a young cat would probably be cruel. They need space and things to do all the time.

 

[Thelonious Monk]

get a large cat that doesn't move a lot. no joke, we had a little fatty a while back and she was content with waddling from the litter box to her food and back to whichever family member she wanted to cuddle with at the moment.

in fact, we've never had a full grown cat that did much besides that. except when we had two, and... yeah, i won't go into detail.

i say that any cat besides a kitten would be fine. i've never had a cat who is anything like my dog. my dog enjoys running around in circles around the couch really really fast and then stopping, barking at me, starting again, then jumping on my head and scurrying out to the hard wood floor in the hallway, where he would scurry around a bit until his claws slipped on the floor and made him slide into the wall head-first. he would then get back up and run outside to catch a squirrel, come back in, ask for a walk, then change his mind and want some Alpo, then go to sleep in his cage (he liked to sleep in the cage he came in). that was a blast... i think

edit: oh, and old cat is alternative to big fat cat, like boomana said.

 

[Pm@c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelonious Monk /img/forum/go_quote.gif get a large cat that doesn't move a lot. no joke, we had a little fatty a while back and she was content with waddling from the litter box to her food and back to whichever family member she wanted to cuddle with at the moment. in fact, we've never had a full grown cat that did much besides that. except when we had two, and... yeah, i won't go into detail. i say that any cat besides a kitten would be fine. i've never had a cat who is anything like my dog. my dog enjoys running around in circles around the couch really really fast and then stopping, barking at me, starting again, then jumping on my head and scurrying out to the hard wood floor in the hallway, where he would scurry around a bit until his claws slipped on the floor and made him slide into the wall head-first. he would then get back up and run outside to catch a squirrel, come back in, ask for a walk, then change his mind and want some Alpo, then go to sleep in his cage (he liked to sleep in the cage he came in). that was a blast... i think edit: oh, and old cat is alternative to big fat cat, like boomana said.

Quite the story. My dog likes to fight (and well, I give it to her). She bites my ankles when she wants to fight, so I pick her up over my shoulder and carry her around. Or I start punching her. For some reason she likes to be punched in the mouth, she opens her mouth and lets you do it, then she starts to run away and then runs back and bites the ankle of ur pants again and jumps up on you. Oh and for all you people who are going to complain and tell me to stop beating my dog, well Im not really beating her. Its not like im punching her full force like I would in a fight. Just playful punching. So yeah.. dont threaten to call animal services or anything.

Oh yeah and right after you let her in from doing her duty (especially in the winter, since she is cold and warming up) she will run into the living room, and chase her tail for about 10 minutes.

 

[beerguy0]

I say go for the cat. I'd definitely avoid a kitten. An older cat would probably be best. Arrange it so he/she can see out the window and they're set.

We have three, and two were adopted three weeks apart. One was four months, the other eight weeks with a severe feline URI. They were a major handful when they were really young- broken lamps, dishes, etc. Getting them integrated with our older cat hasn't gone so well, but so far, no actual bloodshed.

Pictures of our kitties:

http://beerguy.smugmug.com/gallery/2217452/1/138021138

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pm@c /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quite the story. My dog likes to fight (and well, I give it to her). She bites my ankles when she wants to fight, so I pick her up over my shoulder and carry her around. Or I start punching her. For some reason she likes to be punched in the mouth, she opens her mouth and lets you do it, then she starts to run away and then runs back and bites the ankle of ur pants again and jumps up on you. Oh and for all you people who are going to complain and tell me to stop beating my dog, well Im not really beating her. Its not like im punching her full force like I would in a fight. Just playful punching. So yeah.. dont threaten to call animal services or anything. Oh yeah and right after you let her in from doing her duty (especially in the winter, since she is cold and warming up) she will run into the living room, and chase her tail for about 10 minutes.

Meh, just toss her into the cozy fire.

Yes, playful punching is the best way to train a dog.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Oh, and for the OP. When adopting a cat, look into one that is known to be fine living indoors all the time. A more wild stray will be a lot of work and will really cause problems with furniture destruction, marking, etc.

Check out http://www.petfinder.com

You can search for a cat to adopt there. Get in contact with a rescuer, and they can help you find a cat that will fit your lifestyle perfectly.

That is how I came to adopt my dog.

-Ed

 

[GlendaleViper]

Ed, c'mon pal. We're on our way to having two animal related threads locked!

 

[Davesrose]

I've got a 950 sq ft apartment and a 57 lb dog. So even if your cat is 20 lbs, I'd still have more animal to square footage ratio then you

My dog doesn't mind the snug quarters at all.....there's still plenty of room for us to play his favorite game of fetch.

 

[GlendaleViper]

Heheh. You know, that's a pretty good example for perspective! My cats do have a habit of getting porky though...

 

[Pm@c]

Hmm I wonder if theres a way to smack some sense into you Edwood? You feel the need to attack every one of my posts.

Yep definately looks like I have beaten and abused her eh? Shes a playful dog, she likes to play a little rougher than most dogs. Doesnt mean I beat her. And no, I wouldnt throw her into a fire. Is it possible for you to drop that? If not, I can link you to every post I make from now on and you can drop that line on all of them. In fact, I made a thread about alcohol suggestions. Perhaps you want to drop in and tell me to put my scotch in the fire? I also made a BSG finale thread, wanna tell me to put the BSG finale in the fire? Grow up man..

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlendaleViper /img/forum/go_quote.gif Heheh. You know, that's a pretty good example for perspective! My cats do have a habit of getting porky though...

What's funny is that my dog is very scared of cats....doesn't matter if they're mere kittens. A good test to see if a place is too small for my dog would be to put a cat in the room

OK, your animal to apartment ratio might exceed mine if you produce the world's fattest cat (currently close to 50 lbs)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2787627.stm

 

[Edwood]

Also, consider your path in life right now.

Having a Cat (or dog) will bring more responsibility and inconveniences. Do you travel a lot? Can you get someone to care for your cat when you are away for a long time? Getting a cat will limit your housing choices. I don't know how it is in Toronto, but it's always been a PITA to find an apt for rent that would allow pets. Then there are vet bills to consider.

The reason why there are so many cats (and dogs) in shelters, is because people do not consider these questions.

-Ed

 

[GlendaleViper]

Thankfully, my travelling life is restricted mainly to weekend camping and finding rentals in Toronto that accept pets hasn't been too bad.

It's a tough decision, but ultimately I think I'll just suck it up and make the most of it when I go visit my cats... er, parents.