Hey there /an/. I've never been an animal person and never dealt with a pet before. My roommate's family can't keep their cat and my roommate refuses to send him to a shelter or something, so he decided to take him in.
What are some basics or tips for dealing with cats? Things like teaching it rules or something for the place, and interacting with it. Is there any sort of setup or cat-proofing I should do for my place? I know that's really broad but I don't know where to start with a cat. I just want to make sure I'm not fucking the cat's shit up or pissing it off constantly. Cheers.
>teaching a cat anything
You're in for a world of hurt.
Practice meditation because smacking it won't work.
Treats won't work.
Only repeated and consistent corrections will work.
And even then, the cat is going to do what it wants when you're not around.
Buy bitter apple or citrus oil sprays and spray it wherever you don't want the cat. That's about the best you can hope for.
Also, clear off anything fragile that's high up - the cat /will/ get up there and it /will/ knock it down.
Biggest question, is it an outdoor cat?
/an/ loves to shitpost about outdoor cats but it's a big deal in this case. No matter what, you'll have to keep it inside for a month or two. If it's used to being let out you'll be in for a lot of sleepless nights.
If the cat's doing something it shouldn't like clawing furniture, a squirt bottle is usually an easy fix.
The cat will likely spray everywhere for the first few weeks. Cats are territorial and new places are stressful and very often lead to spraying until the new house is "his" (again, this will definitely happen if it's an outdoor cat that is used to marking territory with piss)
Make sure he has easy access to litterboxes. You might want more than one if you have a large house.
>>2143343
I'm not a fan of cats but goddamn that looks comfy.
>>2143343
Their poop smells incredibly strongly bad... especially during summer.
Litter train him (very important).
Be prepared to have a pet that doesn't give a shit about you for the rest of your life except to get food from you.
And get ready to have glass from tables knocked over and doors scratched when they sharpen their claws.
Clip their nails once a month or your hands and arms are gonna look like a christ every time you play with your new pet.
It really depends on what the cat is like too. Is it an old cat? many old cats are super chill and become very social while young cats are often really energetic and if you don't play with them they will take their energy out on you or your furniture.
>>2143369
Someone must have had a really shitty cat.
>>2143373
>Someone must have had a really shitty cat.
I didn't have *a* shitty cat... I had *many* shitty cats because I worked in a rescue center before marrying and many of them I ended up taking to my home.
Personally, I think OP is screwed if the cat didn't grow up with him.
The cat will just do whatever he wants and won't give two fucks to the owner... his owner will literally be anyone who gives him food.
>>2143400
Can only speak about personal experience, but we adopted our cat with 8.
She's super nice, always comes for cuddling and tries her best to not break anything.
The only thing that's a bit annoying is that she talks extremely much.
So fuck you, older cats can be great as well.
