I want to get a cat but have never had one before (my mom and sister were always allergic).
What is a good breed to get? I want one that is small, affectionate, nice to look at, and doesn't fuck up my tiny studio hobo apartment.
>>16699188
commit to a real companion and get a dog. cats are glorified stuffed animals.
I'm very allergic to cats and my parents got one anyway. I now live in my room because standing anywhere in the rest of the house will have me sneezing and itching in minutes.
get one if you're trying to keep your mom and sister away from you.
>>16699188
>tiny studio hobo apartment
Cats like space and shit. Don't get one until you have a better, cleaner, larger place to live. No need to subject something else to a low standard of living when it's not necessary.
Get a male Maine Coon. They're easy mode. Super cuddly, just the right amount of playful, beautiful coats, and healthy. They're also actually affectionate and form strong bonds with their owners, unlike some cats. The only downside is a lot of other people also have realized that so Maine Coon kittens get snatched up from shelters pretty quick, but I still see them often enough. Do not get a female cat, definitely don't get a tortoiseshell. That's hard mode. Don't get a Siamese (they're so loud.)
Don't listen to the prev. anon, he's an idiot -- dogs require a larger living space and a lot more care and attention. Only get a dog if you can provide what it really needs.
(Maine Coons are not small, that's the only problem, but man, you can't have everything.)
don't support getting breeds from a breeder, as there are far too many cats for that. and unless you work at home, you don't want your little buddy sitting in a few rooms with nothing to do for 8 hours most days. that's why i either get 2 pets or no pets (3 is too many that i'd be able to give attention to with work, and 2 is already rough). and as with what >>16699209 was getting on, i couldn't ever get a dog myself. they want more attention than children
>>16699195
>glorified stuffed animals
Depends on how you raise it. I have a cat that takes verbal commands, can fetch objects OUT OF WATER, walk outside without running away / being scared, and propel herself on a skateboard. She also is very very affectionate and social. However, I did get her when she was only 3 weeks old and started teaching her immediately.
>>16699188
>What is a good breed to get?
With cats, you don't go by breed. Like dogs, they can all develop bad habits if the owner is bad and they aren't mentally/physically stimulated. If you must, get a cat from a shelter.
>I want one that is small, affectionate, nice to look at, and doesn't fuck up my tiny studio hobo apartment.
Yeah, that's unlikely to turn out well. Cats have different personalities, and you may not like what you get. Are you adult enough to deal with that?
I've been doing animal rescue since I was really young, thanks to my mother. The best cat I've ever had has health issues, and he's gigantic, but he's a cuddle bug. He doesn't get into trouble, like some of the smaller cats I've fostered, and he's content just sitting in my lap watching a movie.
i've had 6 cats and the most amazing one, which i hate saying as they all have been, was the one i found outside on the street. as far as breeds of the 6 amazing cats i've had? i couldn't say one. it's about the cat more than the breed, as we're all unique
>>16699204
Not really. Cats dont need a lot of room at all.
>>16699226
I disagree. In my experience breed is fairly important. Of course cats have distinct personalities just like dogs, but cats' breeds do tend to correlate with their temperaments.
I certainly agree that he should be prepared to provide enough exercise and stimulation (and food of a reasonable quality, and healthcare), and that he should get his cat from a shelter.
>>16699233
they do need exercise though. so get em a cat harness and leash or one of these bad boys
>>16699219
this. I had to take care of a kitten for a few weeks, and she would sleep while I was gone throughout the day and then want to play when I got home, preventing me from getting any sleep myself.
>>16699226
This. A lot of it depends on how you raise them, but also on their own individual personality. One of the most lovable cats I ever owned had the most annoying, unfriendly sister, despite being the same breed and raised in the same surroundings.
And no, they definitely don't need a lot of space. Once they grow out of kittenhood, they'll be sleeping like 80 hours a day anyway.
Just make sure to adopt, and probably go for a short hair breed. Long haired cats need a lot of grooming, and ain't nobody got time for dat.
>>16699241
>In my experience breed is fairly important.
That's fine. In mine, it's more about how much attention and stimulation they receive (and, because I forgot to mention it before, inbreeding). I've had breeds that were supposed to be energetic, aggressive, and curious turn out to be total pushovers that were indifferent to stimulation--they'd rather sleep at the window and watch the other cats play. Then I've had some cats that were supposed to be fairly neutral all around ruin a bunch of stuff, because they were just too curious. And if you happen to run into inbreeding, just... I don't know what to say. We have one cat like that at the moment, and she's the cutest damn thing, but I have never seen an animal so... small and derpy. She has a habit of knocking things down, from running and crashing into stuff, and then she'll run to us to fix the problem, with wide, crazy eyes. If she could shout something, I imagine it would be, "I AM BREAD"
Don't get a Tortie.
Torties are fucking insane.
>I have a normal Tortie and a dilute Tortie
>when they're in the same room it's like the immovable object meets the unstoppable force
I have 2 cats, one is Norwegian forest cat mixed with ocicat and the others a Savannah cat I rescued. Ime breed doesn't matter so much, ived noticed my Savannah cat (sam) was more timid but my other cat, the mixed one (ferris), is really social and acts like a dog that over time Sam is social too. Ferris accidentally ate mali when he was a kitten so he's always hyper.
2 is better than one especially in a smallish space, theyll keep each other occupied. Sam is big though so I'm glad I live in a rural area, he weighs 29 pounds and dwarfs most cats, he's a bit bigger than a bobcat. He's fun to go on walks with and sometimes he'll bring me squirrels or birds. One time he brought me a baby deer that was alive still, I think he thought it was a kitten.
He beats up my neighbors bulldog so I need to watch him when I let him out , for the dogs safety though, poor thing doesn't stand a chance. Last time he lost an eye.
>Bombay
Hardly shed, loving, take after owner, slick and sexy, playful, relaxed, typically nice, perfectly balanced breed, smart
>>16699353
Pics or none of this happened.
I've worked with animals since I was a teenager, and at one point was the cattery manager for the shelter I'm currently employed at. and I'm telling you that for what you want, getting a cat on breeder is a pretty ridiculous idea
one, don't get a kitten. it's typically a bad idea to have the first animal you get on your own of a species to be a baby one. especially if you're concerned about them destroying your things
secondly, there really is no reason for you to go to a breeder. nothing you've said you desire in the cat would be traits you need a specific breed for and are almost entirely dictated by the individual. cat breeds don't even have nearly as much effect on their temperament as you seem to think, hence why cat cross breeds don't exist. their "breed standards" are far too vague. if you're getting an adult (which you should), you'd be way better off just going to a shelter with an open floor cattery and seeing which one acts the way you want. less money, faster, saving a life, getting a cat that fits your needs. there's no downside
but if you just want a cat that looks like a specific breed to be a special snowflake, then you can try petfinder. but you're going to end up seeing a whole lot of cats that may look like whatever breed you think you want but don't actually match up with what you need
>>16699209
Maine Coons are expensive.
Cost of a cheap used car.
Go to a local shelter,you can get a kitty,have him chipped(microchip with ID{in case lost then found})and spayed $75.
>>16699420
This, or find a stray and befriend it
>>16699454
this. at our shelter, adult cats are $50. spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, checked over medically, plus you get a free collar, vet exam, small bag of food, and cardboard scratcher
just make sure you feed him real meat instead of that factory made crap
you wouldnt eat biscuits every day so don't make your cat do that
>>16699481
>just make sure you feed him real meat instead of that factory made crap
I hope to god you mean giving him a certified whole food diet. just giving your cat pieces of meat without knowledge of their specific nutritional needs can and will kill your cat
>>16699471
Microchipped?
>>16699188
I didn't read a single post, but as a dude who loves cats here's my experience...
>tinker, found her in an apartment dry wall as an abandoned kitten, I was 4 and family took her in. Soon got rid of her as she was insanely aggressive and we were young kids. Parents flipped
>buffy. Got her next. She was chill and fun for a while. But she licked and cleaned non stop to the point it got annoying.
>teddy. Cutest shit ever. Didn't last long as teddy had a bowel problem and shit 9 times a day in 9 places a day. Folks got rid of teddy soon .
>pebbles. This cat was better and cooler than most humans. I consider pebbles one of my best friends. We had buffy as well and showed pecking order over pebbles. Pebbles chilled with me, ate my food, followed me and seemed to get me like a dog might. Pebbles dies thanksgiving day after 19 years.. still miss that cat.
Now my folks have a mane coon and another little shit. They are both cool but entirely different. You can't pick a cat. You just get one and learn to live with each other. Can't train them, they won't listen and they might not like you. You gotta earn their trust. Sounds weird. But true.
>>16699454
To be absolutely clear, when I said "get a Maine Coon" I meant scout around at your local shelters and keep a watch online to see if any new kitties arrive. It takes a little patience, but on the order of weeks or at most a month or two, not years.
I don't mean you need to get a purebred. I never, ever recommend getting a cat from a breeder. Also, obviously, you need to meet the cat first since, as others have noted, the breeds are only somewhat correlated with personality traits, not perfect predictors of them.
I assumed all that went without saying, but maybe that was a little hopelessly naive of me.
While we're on the subject of things I really wish went without saying, don't declaw your cat, OP. It'll make him more destructive, not less, and also if you do you're going to hell. Also, look up the appropriate ways of training/disciplining him to make sure you're not doing something abusive and ineffective without realizing.
>>16699486
That's bull shit. My cat lived 19 years. She stole/ate pizza and for some God damn reason waffles. She loved waffles. She was a literal garbage disposal. We used to try to stop her from doing this but over time realised it didn't affect her in the least bit and she was fine. Sure, some cats may not react well, but it isn't a written in stone thing. Just saying from personal experience
>>16699518
Oh, piss off. "You can't pick a cat." If you'd picked cats who you were equipped to take care of, and maybe spent a little time learning how to train them, you wouldn't have had to "get rid of" so many of them. You sound like an incompetent pet owner. You should be reading advice, not giving it.
>>16699529
I was a child, like under 9.. I didn't pick them. And I didny mean it like that butthead. I mean you don't know what kind of personality a cat will have. They aren't as clear cut like dogs in terms of how breeds and personality works.. so you piss off. And one of those cats was a rescue that we tried our best with. So suck it lol
>>16699508
microchipped. it's an extremely small electronic chip (about half the size of a grain of rice) that is put in between the animal's shoulder blades with a syringe. it can then be registered, so if your cat gets out and is brought somewhere as a stray, they can use a scanner which will read the info from the chip, which would have things like their name, your name, address, and phone number. it's like a collar that can't be lost
it's standard in almost all places in the US for dogs and cats to be microchipped prior to adoption
>>16699523
while I love your adopt don't shop mentality, cats aren't like dogs in that you really can't guess their breed based on appearance. there's no "cross breeds" or anything like that. if the cat isn't papered, then they aren't a breed. this is mostly due to how cat breeds aren't incredibly varied from one another. hence why 99.9% of cats in shelters are "domestic short/longhair" cats. there may be an occasional "Siamese", but that's mostly because the public is more likely to adopt a point kitten labeled a special breed than one who isn't
>>16699526
>Just saying from personal experience
yes, and my professional experience and education says that your cat was incredibly lucky. most processed human food is absolutely shit for cats
>>16699551
Yeah that's true. Most cats could not handle that. But she did, how? No clue. But she ate like a truck. We fed her wet food and dry, but would be relentless in taking what she could.
>>16699540
Then I'll give you a pass on giving up two (three?) cats, but not on giving bad advice. No, you can't perfectly predict a cat's personality perfectly from its breed and interacting with it in the shelter, but you can feel it out a little, and you can do your research and make sure not to get one with health problems you're not remotely equipped to handle. And saying you can't train a cat is just false. No, they're not as trainable as dogs, but you can train them somewhat and there are appropriate and inappropriate methods and if you're going to be a pet owner you need to know them. Doing your homework before even adopting is a big part of being a good pet owner; I've seen way too many animals who deserved better end up in shelters because their owners didn't.
>>16699543
That sounds like some secret government NSA bullshit. They can track where I am by keeping tabs on my pet. Fuck that.
>>16699523
Figured you meant shell out the shekels,my bad.
VERY right about no declawing,even though my cat is a jerk and loves to use them on me.
Cute,but hurts a bit.
Also:Ever see a cat climb a tree,looks like a cartoon,the pretty much walk up it,like the bat tv show. They will climb the screen door in your apartment,get half way up,meow for your approval,then you get to open and close the screen with them on it.
Claws=cat exercise Google cat climb stuff and look at the /f/ worthy muscles.
When you pick your cat,don't use logic,just grab a kitty,it will love and cuddle you because food and head scratches.
>>16699556
We gave up 2, one the rescue from being overly aggressive while I was young and my brother was 3, my mother said no way..the other bad health problems. But this wasn't my call I was 8 or 9... and yeah you are kinda right about the training thing... I realized what I said after I typed it.. what I meant and should have been more clear is that you can train them, but they won't necessarily listen. Our two cats knew the kitchen counter was off limits, but the second you walk in the door you could hear them jump down. They knew not to be up there, but did it anyway. Dogs have more a reward sense and blindly listen I guess. Cats may or may not give a shit . Not as predictable
>>16699559
cats who aren't microchipped rarely get reunited with their owners if they're brought to a shelter and not chipped. it's why most of them are there in the first place. the only way to get the info from the chip is use a scanned from an approved manufacturer. it's better since cats should wear breakaway collars
>>16699555
if she was let outside a neighbor could be feeding her kibble so she was at least getting the minimal nutritional requirements
>>16699559
dude, better having the nsa watching were you pet is then him dying of hunger alone in the cold
>>16699565
true. declawing is one of the worst things you can do to a cat. aggression, back issues, obesity, depression, pain in paws, litter box avoidance, the list goes on. I'm just happy more and more vet schools are refusing to teach it, and less of the vets who DO know how to do it agreeing to preform the procedure
These are expensive as hell.
Shop around. Cats will sit on anything,but pic related are fun.They will randomly scratch,climb or sit on top of it and stare at you looking cocky.
Def get a laser pointer,try not to use it too much,but you can get a cat to run up a wall in a physics defyingly way.
>>16699543
I'm not talking purebreds, man. I really don't think it's wildly unreasonable to eyeball a cat as, say, a "Maine Coon mix" given how distinctive their breed traits (physical and temperamental) are. Of course there's no guarantees, and I'm giving very loose, practical advice here, not writing something that I want to stand up in court. Having owned several, and seen quite a few come and go volunteering at shelters, cats with the distinctive Maine Coon appearance tend to be pretty easygoing and not too much of a handful. Obviously that's a tendency -- not a certainty. Do you disagree?
>>16699578
Fair enough, and I was probably a little free with the verbal abuse there. My bad. I've seen way too many good animals rehomed because their owners were gung-ho about their adoptions and bit off more than they could chew, so at this point it's a bit of a sore spot with me and I might be too quick to perceive others as advocating that attitude (and obviously I don't blame you for what happened when you were 9.)
We have an animal board, and a cat general up right now. There is also a cat breeder on there that might pop in and answer some questions gor you.
In general though, don't go to a breeder that cannot provide records of parents, grandparents, great grandparents. They should also do all recommended health tests, and not give the kittens away till 10-12 weeks old for socialization purposes. They are more expensive, but you are more likely to get a healthy, well rounded cat this way, versus trying to cut corners with a cheaper cat that may develop health problems later and cost you a lot more in vet bills.
The alternative is to check out shelters for kittens or young adults, as they are almost always over crowded with cats. It will be much cheaper, and though you may be risking some vet bills, they will be no less friendly or loving as a purebred.
If you start with a younger cat, you can train them to use scratching posts and such, but for gods sake...PLEASE never resort to declawing. Its cruel, puts them in a lot of pain and sets them up for arthritis, and vets often refuse to do it. Plus, if your cat ever gets out of the house, it won't be able to climb and escape dogs.
>>16699188
Cats are fucking weak, man.
Every time I hear a dude say he has a cat I'm like "yep he's a fag"
Cats won't protect you in a home invasion.
Have you ever of a police car?
I rest my case.
>>16699623
I actually appreciate your passion, and free form verbal abuse lol. I feel the same way about cats as you do seeing as how I've grown up with them. Now I got a roommate who thinks they are satan and refuses to get one.
>>16699637
You're a man,yet you depend on an animal to defend you?
Learn to be sovereign.
Get strong,pussy.
>>16699637
Confirmed for not being able to protect himself. I know you are just trying to trigger us all, and that's fair game, but associating sexual orientation with an animal is retarded. Did your dad drink by any chance?
>>16699345
Lol my tortie is a sweetie, just super skittish. She comes up and cuddles and doesn't fuck up too much shit. She literally just hopped up to be in bed with me now.
She does kick the litter around a lot, but she's a big, cuddly sweetheart.
I have a little tiger striped tabby, too, and she's a bitch, but she loves me.
>>16699610
>I don't think it's wildly unreasonable to eyeball a cat as, say, a "Maine Coon mix"
not to be rude, but yes it is
>given how distinctive their breed traits (physical and temperamental) are
not particularly, considering most large brown tabbies can be passed off as mane coons
I think people underestimate how much the attached or assumed breed on a dog or cat changes how someone will perceive them. for example, if a dog is labeled a lab mix everyone remarks on how the dog is so "friendly like a lab", but if the breed is then changed (in this case it was to rottie/shepherd mix) the comments you get about their behavior wildly change. I see this happen all the time
a study was done on visual breed identification in dogs(and it's the only study of its kind to be documented to my knowledge), pitbull and staffie mixes in particular, and there was only about a 25% success rate. with cats, it's much much much harder, to the extent that even trying to guess should be left purely as a novelty.
however keep in mind that everything I'm saying isn't taking hybrids like the savannah into account
>>16699188
Go to the shelter.
Ask for a lazy, cuddly cat that loves people and isn't an asshole.
Adopt it.
It will be an adult, but it will be broken in and a very good beginner cat. Kittens are awesome, but if it's your first, you're not sure what to do and how it will go and you literally live in a super tiny space, then get something that you have some guarantee that it won't hate it.
Get a broken-in cat that just wants to love and cuddle you. Save its life. Make it happy. Be happy in the process.
>>16699685
They all really sweet cats but good god sometimes I want to punch their heads in
>the normal Tortie is always fucking mutilating birds outside
