Laughing City

Should I get a cat?
Yes
63%
 63%  [ 7 ]
No
36%
 36%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 11

Author Message
kLafied
Laughing Citizen


I'm moving into a one bedroom apartment next year and it will be my first time living completely alone... and so I've been really set on getting a cat. They're easy to take care of (no walks, no taking out) and it would give me someone to come home to. I also really want to adopt an older cat... they need homes!

However, I love animals and I know the attention they need...I grew up with a cat, and while they need FAR less attention than dogs, I'm afraid I still won't be able to dedicate enough time between classes and what not. And what if I decide to go home or spend a night at my boyfriends?

Should I wait until I finish college to get a cat even though I REALLY want one? Razz
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Saellys
Vintage Newbie


After college you'll (hopefully) have work taking up the same amount of time and making it just as hard. If you love cats and really want one, I say adopt one now. I'm more of a dog person, but I also only work a few hours a week so I can hang out with my dogs and walk them and such.
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CUBSWINWORLDSERIES
Vintage Newbie


Make sure the place you're moving into isn't going to give you any grief about it before you go adopt the cat. They may not want anything or they may want an extra deposit or they may just not allow it. Not worth adopting a cat if you're not sure what the place you'll be living in's policy is. But by all means, get a cat if you like cats and if the apartment place will allow it.
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olimario
Laughing Citizen


I say yes.

Pets can be a huge stress relief and cats need way less maintenance than a lot of people think. I don't know what your living situation is, but consider a cat door on a window.

Growing up our cat had a cat door which eliminated the need for a litter box and it gave the cat something to do during the day.

But that's just my take.
Props for wanting to adopt. So many animals need a home.
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boone
Vintage Newbie


As soon as I get out of this apartment, I'd like to get a Russian Blue.



If you decide to adopt an older cat, that'll probably work out a lot better for you, since they're a lot less needy than a young one. They'll be less apt to tear up your house when you're gone, too.
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ync
Golly, Poster


my boyfriend and i are in a similar position. we're both in college - him a junior and i a sophmore (i took a year off) and we both just moved into an apartment. we both have a love of cats, each of our families have one. we're pretty sure we're going to adopt a cat either this summer or later on next year.

doesn't really seem to be any cons to you adopting a cat while you're still in college, cats are independent so they don't need you to be around all the time like dogs prefer. I would say yes c:

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tahruh
Vintage Newbie


Get it.

Cats are really easy to take of. You'd have no problem staying overnight somewhere else, although if we're talking a few days, it's best to have someone come and check on them, and feed them, and whatnot. They're also pretty easy to travel with, if you had to do that.

And getting an older cat is a great idea! Older animals in general are so hard to adopt out, unfortunately.

Also, I wouldn't advise letting your cat outside, especially at an apartment complex where lots of different cars would be coming and going.
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norad
Vintage Newbie


Get a cat!

Make sure it's name isn't Loverboy though. I swear two years later we'll still having trouble 'cause of it. Laughing Boy is his "official" name but we still discuss naming him something else. Laughing
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kLafied
Laughing Citizen


tahruh wrote:
Get it.

Cats are really easy to take of. You'd have no problem staying overnight somewhere else, although if we're talking a few days, it's best to have someone come and check on them, and feed them, and whatnot. They're also pretty easy to travel with, if you had to do that.

And getting an older cat is a great idea! Older animals in general are so hard to adopt out, unfortunately.

Also, I wouldn't advise letting your cat outside, especially at an apartment complex where lots of different cars would be coming and going.



It would be an indoor cat, I'm thinking of adopting from this place nearby called the "Cozy cat cottage" (ha) and they won't let you adopt unless you're planning on the cat being an indoor cat.

Anyway, everyone is saying I should get it... I really want to hah. I'm still going to have to wait until I move into my next apartment to really make the decision, but thanks for the input!

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inorbit
Laughing Citizen


only you can decide....

pros
1) nice to come home to something living
(dogs are always happy to see you:bonus... cats? d'pends)

2) pest control!

3) excuse (gotta go - have to get home and feed the cat)

4) some people seem to become less emotionally needy with people if they have a pet; this can be dignity enhancing for those with dependency issues (or at least make them less annoying).


cons (for a college student, particularly)
1) limitation on apartment selection for next several moves via pet policy (nyc, boston, sf, chicago = worst- elsewhere not so bad).

2) will have to board or call in favor to care for when traveling (boarding costs and some holidays you need reservations) - cats easier to leave than dogs though.

3) any pet if left alone enough will get neurotic &/| bored and start placating/entertaining themselves by wrecking stuff (cats better than dogs by a mile on this, but more creative in their destruction, and harder to keep stuff out of reach of.)

4) vet bills, prophylactic med's, etc add up. older cats have advantages but may rack up more vet bills.

5) pet food costs money. better food helps cut vet bills, but costs more (and don't believe anything the vet tells you about feeding- they are all beholden to the pet food giants- seriously).

6) Less sensitive to this than dogs, but you WILL have to make it home at some point to feed the cat; inconvenient if you are doing something you don't want to break off (and can be mistaken for use of pro#3 above, creating misunderstandings).

7) flip side of pro#4: some people who have a tendency towards introversion naturally end up lacking sufficient impetus to get out and interact socially with people if they can rely on a pet for companionship, thus becoming more isolated -> erosion of support network and social skills. Pets poor substitute for people.


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Last edited by inorbit on Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:42 pm; edited 1 time in total
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wilsmith
Vintage Newbie


I voted no.

Cats can be cute, but the things that come out of their body are the foulest smelling, most toxic waste dump of fire smelling stenches I've ever smelt. To stay that cute they have to excrete the ugly out, and they're good at it.

Beyond that, I don't think anyone should have a cat if they don't groom it with a vengeance, cause cat hair sticks to everything, the dander will get to you, even if you're not allergic, and when they get territorial and whiz all over the place, that smell never quite goes away.

When something has you scooping up its poop for it, you have failed as a liberated entity. You are a slave to your kitty.

Apartment life makes pets hard, unless you get an aquarium or cage based pet. But hey,to second inorbit, getting a cat will help with any pest problems, when I kitten sat for a friend, I felt no greater joy than seeing Magali with a Cricket leg dangling out of her cute little kitten mouth after an august laden with annoying chirping from some undisclosed location in my apartment. Evil or Very Mad
Me, I'm a dog person, but love mammals in general. I bought a house and Still haven't gotten a pet, even though I live alone, because I am a selfish, self absorb, self centered jerk with no heart. I also don't have to clean up any crap around my house or yard, just the occasional bird bombardment now and then. A cat could help with that, but I've already had a cat leave a "gift" of dead bunny on my porch and freak me out once in my lifetime. At that, I checked out of the cat business.

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Last edited by wilsmith on Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:44 pm; edited 2 times in total
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tahruh
Vintage Newbie


"5) pet food costs money. better food helps cut vet bills, but costs more (and don't believe anything the vet tells you about feeding- they are all beholden to the pet food giants- seriously)."

Yes, this. For any animal. I had a great vet down south who advocated for homecooked meals, which was nice, since every other vet always appears eager to shove Science Diet down your animal's throat (seriously one of the worst foods out there).

My mom feeds our cats Halo, which is pretty good, but there are definitely some better foods out there. I feed my dogs Acana, which is the sister brand of Orijen. Orijen is too high in protein for my non-"working" dogs. And considering your potential cat will do a lot of lounging, potentially too high for them, even though they require larger amounts of protein. Definitely do your research on this one! The extra money is well worth it! (Acana is actually not half-bad on price).

Also, you can invest in a feeder. I wouldn't recommend it for a dog, but for a cat, you basically fill it up and as the cat eats, it drains down into the bowl until there's no food left. But unlike dogs, who can go 3 days without food (lol, of course, this is not recommended), cats must always be fed daily.

Oh yes, and vets are expensive--sickeningly so, but there are most likely clinics and different things like that in your area that charge significantly less, at least for visits and things like that. Tests and surgeries can still be costly, but again, usually less so.
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tahruh
Vintage Newbie


wilsmith wrote:
I voted no.

Cats can be cute, but the things that come out of their body are the foulest smelling, most toxic waste dump of fire smelling stenches I've ever smelt. It stay that cute they have to excrete the ugly out, and they're good at it.

Beyond that, I don't think anyone should have a cat if they don't groom it with a vengeance, cause cat hair sticks to everything, the dander will get to you, even if you're not allergic, and when they get territorial and whiz all over the place, that smell never quite goes away.

When something has you scooping up its poop for it, you have failed as a liberated entity. You are a slave to your kitty.

Apartment life makes pets hard, unless you get an aquarium or cage based pet. But hey,to second inorbit, getting a cat will help with any pest problems, when I kitten sat for a friend, I felt no greater joy than seeing Magali with a Cricket leg dangling out of her cute little kitten mouth after an august laden with annoying chirping from some undisclosed location in my apartment. Evil or Very Mad
Me, I'm a dog person, but love mammals in general. I bought a house and Still haven't gotten a pet, even though I live alone, because I am a selfish, self absorb, self centered jerk with no heart. I also don't have to clean up any crap around my house or yard, just the occasional bird bombardment now and then. A cat could help with that, but I've already had a cat leave a "gift" of dead bunny on my porch and freak me out once in my lifetime. At that, I checked out of the cat business.

PLEASE IGNORE THIS HIT PIECE. Laughing
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inorbit
Laughing Citizen


Yeah, I left out the stink and the hair, assumed anyone thinking of getting a cat is up for those.
otherwise, up-vote wil and taruh's posts. They know what they're talking about.
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wilsmith
Vintage Newbie


@ tahruh

Am I lying? Neutral

refute my claim.

Cat poo
Cat whiz
Hairball ick
Dander Haze

They are all Chemical Weapons, I'm sure Ninjas & Commandos have little balls of this stuff that explode to incapacitate any threats.

Dog Vomit & "Hot Soft Serve" is pretty bad too, a special kind of sweet and sour type funk, but has NOTHING on Cat Scat. That stuff is a abomination against nature.

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