Re: Cats
Pony,
Definitely go the the humane society together to pick one out. You will get a feeling about a particular cat. There really are none to stay away from. Some Siamese can be noisy so if you don't like them talking to you, you may want to shy away from a siamese.
All cats have different personalities, that is what you need to try to find out while picking the cat. It is hard to know the personality when the cats are in a cage, but plan to spend a good amount of time at the humane society with each cat. You will get the feel for their personality.
Make sure you get a litter box, litter, litter scoop, food and water bowl, food, and a cat toy or two. I highly recommend the Scoop Away brand of cat litter. It is a little cheaper, it clumps tight and does not break apart. Use a good quality food and your cat will do well. Get a cat toy with a handle and string (can be a furry string) that way you can play with the cat one-on-one which is good way to bond with your cat.
Most Humane societies will not let you get a cat unless it is already spayed/neutered. They spay and neuter cats very young now depending on the technique. I believe I was told they can do it as early as 5 weeks.
I have lived all my life with cats with only a break for a couple years in the dorms at college. That makes 42 years living with cats.
You may need to make the decision to declaw the cat. None of the cats I have had, would ever use a scratching post. All would use the furniture and they can make short work of furniture. I know this is a big controversy. My opinion is that if declawing a cat gets it adopted, it is better that euthanizing. In addition, once the cat is used to not having claws, they don't miss them.
A declawed cat will not turn mean or start to bite. That is a fallacy spread by people opposed to declawing. If your cat is going to be an outside cat, don't declaw. They need the claws for defense and to climb trees to stay out of danger.
I recommend that you keep your cat indoors. They are happy indoors and you don't find them dead in the road or never find them again because a coyote ate them.
I currently live with 4 cats. All cats I have ever had are from the humane society. All 4 cats are delcawed. One is missing an eye and one has 6 and 7 toes on each foot. They all are very different. The smallest female cat with one eye is the boss. She was trapped in the wild as a kitten. She had an infected eye that had to be removed.
The reason the small cat is the boss is because she is like the terminator. She does not stop, she does not feel remorse. She will go after the 12 lb males and just keep going after them. The dominate male held her down one day and swatted her a couple times to teach her. She got right back up and went after him and he was done.
Good luck with your choice. In no time, the cat will be a part of your family you will never want to part with. Be carefull though, I went to the Humane Society to get two cats and ended up getting a 3rd who just did not want us to leave without him. He is one of the best cats I have had and is a great mouser, and bat catcher. He will catch them right out of the air. He has caught at least 5 bats out of the air and never been bitten.
Then I out my foot down at 3 cats. Somehow, my wife and son talked me into bringing home a 4th. How did that happen? I actually paid the humane society fee and brought the cat home in a cage myself. I think they used subliminal messaging or played a recording while I was alseep. Oh well, the more the merrier.
