Cats

[grainweevil]

Too bad you want a kitten, as I have my recently deceased father's Ragdoll looking for a home, and cowardice is his middle name. He's frequently browbeaten by everything from my parrots to the wren in the back garden, poor sap. Couldn't catch a cold.

As for what breeds to look for, from long experience it's really down to the individual cat more than the breed. Except for Bengals - they're all universally nuts.

 

[Falstaff]

Ragdoll's named after their behaviour, especially when picked up or held. Usually a very big but very docile laid back cat. Grainweevil's offer sounds ideal for you.

 

[Tengu]

Give him a chance; if hes a Ragdoll he will be a poorly animated soft toy; not a cat.

 

[TLM]

Hmmm ... The World Wide Cat Distributing System has not answered yet?

 

[PoppyD]

Thankyou all peoples. Madly I got more decent information off you lot than I did on the cat forums.

Persian or Ragdoll seems the way to go. And I hear you Chris when you say mention the squished nose debacle. But Clive was do cute and adorable with his little grumpy face. He had no issues apart from the odd stray hair in his one eye. I have loads to think about now. But the path is clearer.

 

[Tengu]

shall I email my ragdoll friend?

 

[PoppyD]

shall I email my ragdoll friend?

Thankyou, but I still need to think carefully. It is a long commitment so I need to take care and think it through
a lot.

 

[demographic]

Female cats generally have a smaller territory than males and spayed females smaller stll.

We havea female and male, both spayed and the female never goes far from the house while the male still goes out and about a bit. Less now hes older.
We seem to have cats thrust upon us rather than looking for one and they've always been free at point of us taking them on.

 

[Tengu]

Maybe you would like a kitten like her litter a few years back.

She put her queen out early, and Blackie (he has zero taste) found her.

So...Two of the litter were BLACK. A stunning demonstration that more than one Tom can sire a litter.

I wonder what those kittens turned out like?

 

[Buckshot]

To add another breed..
We have had Berman cats for many years.
Mainly an indoor cat but will check the outside is still there occasionally.
Ours is 16 now. sleeps alone during the ay and seeks us out for a cuddle in the evening.

 

[GreyCat]

One word. Ragdoll. Friend two doors down breeds the horrid things.

Soft, needy and not interested in cat mayhem.

Probably but not necessarily.... if you watch the "Girl with Dogs" channel you will see what I mean.....

she is very good with cats so it's unusual to find out that she cannot handle..... this is a Ragdoll and comments btl on the video are interesting. As it this one:

Shorthair vs longhair: with the latter, think about (a) how much do you like brushing your cat and (b) what you will do if the cat turns out to not like being brushed...... even those who are good at self maintenance will need some help when older..... and squashed nose cats typically need grooming. Matting is painful for cats and "sanitary areas" particularly so- if they won't let you groom then it's trips to the vet for sedated grooming.... assuming they don't develop a condition that makes sedation too risky.

We have had several rescue cats, almost all older cats. Mainly indoor-only cats (exceptions being the ones that just... turned up and stayed). A good rescue place will assess what your requirements are vs the cat's characteristics. Indoor only older cats going to a family without other pets or children can often struggle to find homes.

Best thing we did is have 2 cats which get on. Watching our older ginger (who got depressed when his brother died suddenly) transforming back into a cat that is interested in life and running around when we got a laid-back young cat (was good with other cats) has been instructive...... we have enough space in the house that they can run around madly, watch lots of interesting stuff going on outside and also get away from each other.

It can be worth talking to a good cat rescue centre about what your preferences are and ask them if any of the cats they have might be a fit. Cats Protection are very good at matching cats with people like that.

GC

 

[Falstaff]

I've watched quite a few of her dog grooming vids but didn't know she did cats. It's a shames that nearly all of the animals that she shows, are as a result of the owners not regularly grooming and familiarising the cat or dog themselves. Or at least making a very regular grooming appointment.
Instead they delay, and let the coats get into a bad state before dumping the challenge onto the groomer.

 

[Cannonfodder]

I’ve got a black and white long haired Moggy, he’s 7 years old and I’ve had him since he was a kitten. He’s not an exotic breed, but I couldn’t imagine not having him. Check out the parents if you can, it can give an insight to their offspring’s temperament.

 

[PoppyD]

I think my parents would strongly disagree

 

[Cannonfodder]

I knew that could be twisted...

 

[Ozmundo]

Don’t know about breeds but all my two dozen plus cats have been rescue or strays.
The black male cats I have had are very affectionate but also very keen hunters.
“Rescues” the behaviour is a function of how they have been treated.
My current pair of cats were very shy on arrival. After two years they now insist on sitting by my head when I go to sleep. It’s like a self propelled pair of ear muffs.
The black and white one follows me like a little dog and will come camping in nearby fields.



I’ve also had a a tabby moggy who terrified the local Rottweilers. She got hold of one by the balls. Poor sod was just standing shaking while his mate was whimpering. I always needed welding gauntlets to pick her up, even after six years. She would come and given birth on my lap thought.

 

[JonathanD]

I’ve got a black and white long haired Moggy, he’s 7 years old and I’ve had him since he was a kitten. He’s not an exotic breed, but I couldn’t imagine not having him. Check out the parents if you can, it can give an insight to their offspring’s temperament.

I strongly disagree

 

[C_Claycomb]

Talked to my mum who is a cat lover and she had two bits of advice.
Boy cats are more snuggly on average than girl cats.
Orange cats tend to be the friendliest. Tortoiseshell the craziest.

 

[Tengu]

Why not go to the Cats protection and tell them what cat you would like?

 

[JonathanD]

I don’t think she wants to go down that route again. The last experience wasn’t great.