I've always liked cats to dogs, i don't hate either of them, but I grew up with a cat.


Unfortunately I live in an apartment, and am in school, so i might not have too much time on my hands.

That said. I've always liked cats.

so, Sciforumers, Are cats worth getting ?.

Challenger, I can highly recommend Tonkinese as a breed, totally awesome, fun creatures.
Being a cat, if you're away from home during the day, it won't be phased ( unlike a dog which might yap and scream all day long, much to the chagrin of your neighbours).

PM me if you want more info on Tonkinese.

thinking of getting one from the RSPCA,
any recomendations on age ?

They can live up to 20 years old so you can find one that is already housebroken and see its demeanor at about 3 years old or so .

so, Sciforumers, Are cats worth getting ?.

If they are going to be left to themselves most of the time - no.

Challenger, I can highly recommend Tonkinese as a breed, totally awesome, fun creatures. Being a cat, if you're away from home during the day, it won't be phasedCats are not social animals by nature so they tolerate solitude well. Still, they need activity. If a cat is cooped up indoors all day, especially in a small apartment, he'll get a little bored so make sure he has plenty of toys and when you do come home be sure to give him some quality time. Purebred Persian cats (I think British breeders call them "Longhairs") tend to have a more mellow temperament and might do better in confinement. ( unlike a dog which might yap and scream all day long, much to the chagrin of your neighbours). PM me if you want more info on Tonkinese.There are always exceptions. Like the Persian is an exception to the average cat, the Lhasa Apso (which my wife and I breed) is an exception to the average dog. We call them "dogs for cat people." They are very aloof, not terribly gregarious with other dogs, and tend to be couch potatoes. They were bred to be monastery watchdogs in Tibet and they will lie on the sofa all day listening for burglars--it's their job. If you have a postage-stamp size yard with a fence they will exhaust themselves patrolling it and won't need to be "walked."thinking of getting one from the RSPCA, any recomendations on age?Just remember that if you find a full-grown pet in the pound, he's there for a reason. Maybe his owner died or went to prison, but more typically he's got a medical problem or a behavior problem. There's a special place in Heaven for people who adopt these poor souls, but please walk into this experience with your eyes open.

Dogs are pack-social animals and with diligent training can usually adapt to the behavior that you--the pack leader--want from them. Cats are solitary hunters and don't give a damn what you like.

Cats are not social animals by nature so they tolerate solitude well.

Don't count on that.
What FR is saying might be true in general, but not necessarily for every cat.
There are cats that are very social and want a lot of social contact.

In the end, it comes down to the individual animal and the individual circumstances it lives in.

I've always liked cats to dogs, i don't hate either of them, but I grew up with a cat.


Unfortunately I live in an apartment, and am in school, so i might not have too much time on my hands.

That said. I've always liked cats.

so, Sciforumers, Are cats worth getting ?.

i would suggest a norweigien forest cat!

they are lovely, they come when they are called, and they are just so nice

Are cats worth getting ?.

Do you have the time to care for the critter? If you are not going to be able to be home to take care of the critter then do not get one. Remember you're going to have to care for it for over 15 years! Doctors visits as well.

Don't count on that.
What FR is saying might be true in general, but not necessarily for every cat.
There are cats that are very social and want a lot of social contact.

In the end, it comes down to the individual animal and the individual circumstances it lives in.

Some cat breeds like Havana Browns demand a lot of human attention.

"The Havana Brown has a charming, playful manner and a soft, intimate voice. They often extend a paw as a means of contact or attempt to gain the attention of passersby as well as using their paws to investigate curiosities by touching and feeling. A people-oriented breed, they quietly demand human companionship and adapt to most situations. This is the perfect cat for the person who wants a sociable, affectionate and intelligent feline friend. A cat who is as sweet in appearance and color as…chocolate."


I cannot link yet, but Mokolea Cattery is the source.

I always love a good pussy but considering how terribly annoying this cat is becoming I'd say it's best not to bother.

We have a Maine coon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Coon). They are known as being good mousers, and ours sure is. (nothing like stepping on a dead mouse left as a gift outside the bedroom door) But we got another cat to keep her company. They aren't pack animals like dogs, but they do get lonely.

We rescued all of our cats.

I love my kitties.

I've always liked cats to dogs, i don't hate either of them, but I grew up with a cat.


Unfortunately I live in an apartment, and am in school, so i might not have too much time on my hands.

That said. I've always liked cats.

so, Sciforumers, Are cats worth getting ?.

Absolutely, although it kind of depends on what you expect from a cat of course.

I've got plenty of time if i need it, but I am mainly an indoor kinda guy.

I'd be lost without my cats - Weasel and Charlie. They are both love sluts, and I have to pet them often. That's fine with me. They never get offended when I tell them they're just a couple of goddamn pussies. And Charlie was a feral cat that I rescued, so he's an excellent mouser.

I don't have room or time for a dog, so I just have to pet other people's dogs when I can.

I've always liked cats to dogs, i don't hate either of them, but I grew up with a cat.


Unfortunately I live in an apartment, and am in school, so i might not have too much time on my hands.

That said. I've always liked cats.

so, Sciforumers, Are cats worth getting ?.

If you don't have alot of time then get 2 cats so they can keep each other company... and lots of toys, posts, and hiding furniture.

Meat grinder anyone?

http://petsorfood.com/

I've got plenty of time if i need it, but I am mainly an indoor kinda guy.

It is especially important to spend a lot of time with the new pet when you first bring it home, for a month or so.

...And Charlie was a feral cat that I rescued, so he's an excellent mouser.....

Was he someone's abandoned pet who went feral or a cat born in the wild and feral from day one?
We accidentally tried the feral route and it was scary. As soon as the Humane Society got them out of the vents and trapped, back they went (after they were fixed).

Was he someone's abandoned pet who went feral or a cat born in the wild and feral from day one?
We accidentally tried the feral route and it was scary. As soon as the Humane Society got them out of the vents and trapped, back they went (after they were fixed).


you haven't got to get cats fixxed, not all of them spray your house up, and i still say norweigen forest cats are the best!

http://www.vontimest.de/Memory/Diana/diana1997500.jpg


that one looks like my loki,

but they take a fair bit of grooming

Your cats aren't fixed? They never leave the house then?

Ahh! Challenger, I was gonna PM but WTF I'll wax about Tonkies for all.

My partner ( Spud Empress) is a really smart cookie and loves to research shit before doing it, anyway after cajoling me for ages, with help from Grommets, to get a moggy, I finally agree.
Her best research indicates Tonkinese are the beast for us, fairly active with young kids about.
Creaky arrived, very young but absolutely full of character from the start, He's true to breed, i.e, playful, smoochy, relaxed, unpretentious, plays fetch like a dog, rides around on your shoulder, shit like that.
Got a sense of humour, loves red wine, loves to fight and plans sneaky attacks. This cat had every dog in the neighbourhood under his thumb before he was 8 months old, absolutely fearless. Stares dogs down, then turns his back and walks away ( then eats their food.)
He's very, very friendly, talks to everyone, loves the beach. And he's bloody fine to look at, absolutely rippling athlete.
He is a bit scruffy, which I love, you know rolls in the dirt, doesn't mind getting wet, loves being roughed up.
He is fantastic with kids. The little one (5) gets away with murder, but he still lets her know when she oversteps the mark.

All round, a great cat.
I can put you in touch with breeders if you like, They're in Melb. but ours came on the plane. Short flight, Mog wasn't too fazed.

Your cats aren't fixed? They never leave the house then?

no my cats are not fixxed! and yes they do leave the house, well loki does anyway, unfortunatly we had to have archie put to sleep just a few weeks ago, Loki is not fixxed because i intend to breed from him when he is old enough, (in anouther 4 months) he is a pedigree cat, complete with pink slips!

I like these ones. Strong and Calm.
The Chartreux Cat.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Chartreux_cat_V_adult_female_001.jpg/480px-Chartreux_cat_V_adult_female_001.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc46/Spudemperor/MW024.jpg

Creaky

no my cats are not fixxed! and yes they do leave the house, well loki does anyway, unfortunatly we had to have archie put to sleep just a few weeks ago, Loki is not fixxed because i intend to breed from him when he is old enough, (in anouther 4 months) he is a pedigree cat, complete with pink slips!

so he's just out making baby cats all over the neighborhood? Don't you worry that someone will take him or he will get hit by a car?

Creaky looks like he needs "Fixing"

The Chartreux Cat.


Is she yours Kremmen?

Looks like a nice mog.

Creaky looks like he needs "Fixing"

Fixed already, poor bugger, still got that evil glint in his eye though .

Is she yours Kremmen?

Looks like a nice mog.

No. But I am an admirer of the breed.
Wonderful looking animals.

Creaky isn't your cat is it?
That's a very well taken photograph.

(Added after Spuds Reply)
Don't want to drag the thread off topic,
so I'll add it here.
That is a really good photo.
Try it in a competition.
Would you mind if I accessed your other photos from the same source?

Creaky isn't your cat is it?
That's a very well taken photograph.

Yep, my cat, my lobsters and my abalone.
My camera, Nikon d70, nice piece of work.
It's not so hard, auto focus, compose and go click.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc46/Spudemperor/MW041.jpg

so he's just out making baby cats all over the neighborhood? Don't you worry that someone will take him or he will get hit by a car?

he doesnt leave the garden!

seriously, he just sits in the garden and licks himself!

Yep, my cat, my lobsters and my abalone.

Someone likes lobsters...

Was he someone's abandoned pet who went feral or a cat born in the wild and feral from day one?
We accidentally tried the feral route and it was scary. As soon as the Humane Society got them out of the vents and trapped, back they went (after they were fixed).

Some kittens were dumped out here. My neighbor's daughters adopted two of them. One was still running loose. All three were very small, and he was crying for his mother. I tried to catch him, and had him cornered once. But he was all teeth and claws. When they are that small, they will become tame remarkably fast, but they will be ferocious at first. I left, and came back with my motorcycle gloves, but I was never able to corner him again.

I tried setting up a trap with my cat carrier, some fishing line to pull the door closed, and some cat food to lure him inside. Just when it looked as though it would work, my landlady's dog Sparky came running over and scared off the cat (and ate the food).

For a time it seemed as though he had disappeared. I began to think maybe an owl got him. But then I began to see him around the neighbor's cats. They fed their cats outside, and Charlie would mooch. He would spend time around the cats, and play with them. But though the other two cats were tame, you couldn't get close to Charlie.

That's how it was for close to a year. Then my neighbors moved away. I didn't see Charlie for a while, so I wasn't sure what had happened to him. Then I began to see him around. He was getting pretty thin, so I began to feed him. I would put down a plate of food near where I was sitting on my front steps. And I would just sit there while he noisily scarfed it down. Every day, I would have the plate a little bit closer to where I was sitting. I think it took about two weeks before he let me pet him. Getting him used to coming in the house was another big project. The first time I tried, I had overestimated his tameness. He freaked out, and crawled into a space in the bottom of a bookshelf and hissed at me. I had a heck of a time getting him out. I had to put my inside cat in the bathroom, and leave the front door open so he could come in and eat, but not freak out as though he were trapped. He would have rather that I continued to feed him outside, but after I gave it enough time, he realized that being inside isn't some form of torture. But I do have to let him out every morning; he has to go outside, no matter how bad the weather.

I've had him fixed, and he's had all of his shots. He loves attention, and sleeps on my bed almost every night. He's turned out to be one of the best cats I've ever had.

(Added after Spuds Reply)
Don't want to drag the thread off topic,
so I'll add it here.
That is a really good photo.
Try it in a competition.
Would you mind if I accessed your other photos from the same source?

Hi Captain, I tried to PM you but apparently you're not set up to receive. I'm sure I can email you some pics of the groggy moggie, flick me a PM with your details, Cheers.

Cats are manipulative and seditious little bitches. They are dirty little creatures that spread filth everywhere they go.

I own two and love them very much.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5682/milo1di9.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=milo1di9.jpg)

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/8964/oliver3xe5.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oliver3xe5.jpg)

~String

Forest cat? Wow, that sounds cool.

I like these ones. Strong and Calm.
The Chartreux Cat.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Chartreux_cat_V_adult_female_001.jpg/480px-Chartreux_cat_V_adult_female_001.jpg


It looks fat.
:bugeye:

Sitting in my back room one day and I hear a little 'meow' from behind the shed. I go out to see what it was and I found these wee fellas...
http://www.awooga.org/images/7pwz4ltb7z5ya92iaai.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)


They were feral kittens and their mum had gone missing so instead of taking a stroll down to the local river I started to feed them...bless

http://www.awooga.org/images/7bm55t1uwxtccuqgpb51.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)

...and it rained one day, and they looked all pathetic, standing at the door soaked, hungry and miserable, so I let them in....and they havent left

From left: Alan, Frank and Gloria

http://www.awooga.org/images/maoghyqogsr7z99ys55g.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)

Sitting in my back room one day and I hear a little 'meow' from behind the shed. I go out to see what it was and I found these wee fellas...
http://www.awooga.org/images/7pwz4ltb7z5ya92iaai.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)


They were feral kittens and their mum had gone missing so instead of taking a stroll down to the local river I started to feed them...bless

http://www.awooga.org/images/7bm55t1uwxtccuqgpb51.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)

...and it rained one day, and they looked all pathetic, standing at the door soaked, hungry and miserable, so I let them in....and they havent left

From left: Alan, Frank and Gloria

http://www.awooga.org/images/maoghyqogsr7z99ys55g.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)

Good for you for adopting them. Looking at those photos of adorable kittens, I can't understand how one could do anything else (unless you have no more room for animals), but there are many people out there who would immediately take them to the animal shelter (or worse).

Quite a few years ago, I was home one night when I kept hearing kittens calling for their mother. Apparently mom wasn't coming home, so I decided to try and catch them. They were about the size of the ones in your first photo, and they were feral, so I had to chase them down and catch them. They can run surprisingly fast! I only managed to catch two out of however many there were. They hissed and spit and chewed on my motorcycle gloves at first, but when they are that small, they will calm down and be friendly in a matter of minutes if you hold them and pet them (and give them something to eat).

Of the two, the one I liked the best disappeared after a few weeks. I gave the other one to a friend, and he had a good home. You cannot save them all, you just have to do what you can.

http://www.awooga.org/images/maoghyqogsr7z99ys55g.jpg

Aww they are so sweet.

Challenger:

If you want a cat but it will be left alone for long periods, I suggest you get two.

Two cats will entertain themselves very well and need no other company.

They also won't get jealous and possessive and proprietorial as one will.

It looks fat.
http://www.etoiledusoir.com/chat%20souriant.jpg

me, fat?

I think almost every kitten or puppy can suck almost anybody in, even if they are not big animal lovers.

I think almost every kitten or puppy can suck almost anybody in, even if they are not big animal lovers.

You right about that, but when dogs grow up, I still like them; however, when cats grow up, I can't stand them! You can't teach them anything, you may "love" them, but do they show any legitimate affection for you? Other than rubbing themselves onto your leg? Even so, the main reason I dislike cats is because I'm allergic to them.

I guess people have their reasons to get cats and I have my reasons not to. :)

You right about that, but when dogs grow up, I still like them; however, when cats grow up, I can't stand them! You can't teach them anything, you may "love" them, but do they show any legitimate affection for you? Other than rubbing themselves onto your leg? Even so, the main reason I dislike cats is because I'm allergic to them.

I guess people have their reasons to get cats and I have my reasons not to. :)

I tend to agree. I prefer dogs much more. I used to have cats when I was younger, and it is true it just isn't the same as having a dog. I also detested cleaning out the cat litter box! Playing catch and teaching them tricks, going for walks...it's different. Even if i wanted to get another cat someday my older son is also allergic to them.

why do a cats eyes change from blue to gold?

why do a cats eyes change from blue to gold?

I hear stuff like this all the time, but personally have never seen it. I've even heard that white blue eyed cats are deaf and white cats with a blue eye and a green eye are deaf on the side with the blue eye. We had found a litter of white kittens with blue eyes (four of them, two males and females). None of them were deaf, none of their blue blue eyes changed color. Only two of them stayed with us for a long time (5 years) their eyes and hearing were the same.

http://www.awooga.org/images/7pwz4ltb7z5ya92iaai.jpg (http://www.awooga.org/)



Joaquin,
do they still have blue eyes?

Alan and Frank's havent changed colour, but Gloria's have.

Bad ass Joaquin...you rock.

Nice pics, Joaquin,

Thanks SAM, will be visiting the shelter next week....

Thanx for the comments ppl. Anyways as we are talking about cats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wwA4tywdaw&NR=1