I'm thinking of getting a cat

Lesson Number One: It's not about you saying, "I'm thinking of getting a cat." It's about a cat, somewhere or other, saying "I'm thinking of getting a human."

Once you've learned that lesson, you're ready for the cat-human relationship.

As long as you give them enrichment opportunities, cats do a lot better in small spaces than dogs do. I had a cat in an apartment only slightly larger than yours, and he was fine. About 50% of my floor space was covered in discarded mousies, scratching pads, and his stuffed animal collection (he had a fixation on carrying around a teddy bear), but he was happy enough. He died of a congenital heart defect, unfortunately, but other than that he was healthy.

On the other hand, our siamese did equally well in an apartment, but she was miserable being an only cat. She didn't settle down and de-stress until we got a second cat for her to hang out with. She needed much more interaction and pack-life than we could provide alone at the time.

There are ways to temporarily turn your balcony into a safe 'catio', if you're allowed to make minor changes to the space. Another suggestion I'd add is see about getting an older cat from the pound -- you'll know what kind of personality you're getting (sedate vs INCREDIBLY SOCIAL and needy), and they have less 'destroy everything' energy than kittens.

The thing is to have items that will keep the cat occupied while you're away at work. Despite the constant catnapping, cats do appreciate stimulation. A small apartment, you're not going to want a hyperactive cat. You're going to need to catproof things like wires and cords and have a scratching post.

You're going to need to be comfortable enough to have a litter box and scoop it daily. You're going to need to have food & water dishes and makes sure those are cleaned out regularly too. The cat will need to be fixed as to prevent spraying issues.

In my experience, cats are perfectly happy being indoor animals. The few exceptions I've known were cats who were used to going outside and then later made to stay inside. If you get a kitten, or an older cat who doesn't have any outside experience, he or she will be fine. And safe from cars, predators, poison, weird people, infectious diseases...

You can make them even happier by getting/building them a climbing post other such contraption. Here's one article about that--you'll find plenty of other advice and info online.

I'd heard it said that male cats are more affectionate, but I've had much better relationships with female cats. That may be just the ones we lucked into, mind you. We also had problems with one of the male cats peeing on everything -- not spraying, full-out soakers, even though he'd been fixed on time. He thought the Spousal Unit was territory competition and even peed directly on him a couple of times. (he ended up being rehomed to be an only cat / no children around. He did not cope well with the baby.)

My meezer and tabby girl are very close, but the siamese was about seven when we brought the kitten home and took on a very parental role. My mother has sibling cats, male and female, and they harass each other like human siblings. Watching one trap the other in a packing box and then proudly sit on it to keep it closed was hilarious.

So much depends on personality, really. If you're getting kitten(s) and have a choice of breed, I would always recommend an asian breed -- siamese, burmese or tonkinese. They have the most amazingly affectionate personalities, and every meezer I know has bonded very closely with their people. Mine sleeps on my head every night, like a furry hat.

efreysson said:

The thing is, I live in a small apartment on the fourth floor, and I'm uneasy with locking a cat in for life. I do have a balcony, but that's not much of a play area.
I've always considered myself unsentimental about animals, but I do feel cats should be allowed a certain freedom.

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efreysson said:

Well, this is where my lack of sentiment comes in.

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Hmm... I'm not entirely sure a cat is the animal for you. I never have played (and never will play) the "my cat owns me" game, but zero sentiment about them, an unwillingness even to chuckle at the amusing idea... a pet should get a little respect, at least. Have you considered a chinchilla? They're wonderful, flea-free animals that only need a good-sized terrarium/cage and the occasional run in an exercise ball. Plus they're amazingly soft, they like being handled by people, and they're really fun when they take a dust bath.

As for "cats needing freedom"... the idea that cats "need" to be outdoors should've gone out with the 1950's. (And I don't know the situation in Iceland, but free-roaming cats are devastating to many native animal populations... though they also do a number in invasive pests like rats, who also devastate native animal populations. Sydney's even got a curfew on cats. News Link Here) My boys did just fine in what amounted to two-and-a-half rooms (my bedroom, a room-sized screened room on the covered patio with several elevated platforms and climbing posts, and a "balcony" run along one side of the house past my window.) You can also leash-train cats, especially if you start young.

It's already been mentioned, but yes! Get two cats! Then they can play with each other and you don't need to worry as much about them living in a small space with only human(s) for companionship.

With regard to them getting along, you could look into finding two siblings from the same litter. They'll already be used to each other and the same age, so a good match in terms of energy levels.

efreysson said:

The thing is, I live in a small apartment on the fourth floor, and I'm uneasy with locking a cat in for life. I do have a balcony, but that's not much of a play area.
I've always considered myself unsentimental about animals, but I do feel cats should be allowed a certain freedom.

I'd like to hear from people with cat-experience. There were cats in the home when I was little, but that was on the ground floor and keeping them healthy and behaved wasn't my job.

If it makes a difference, my apartment is (if I understand feet correctly) about 460 square feet.

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It's more sentimental to realize cats belong indoors. "Locked in" is much better than having to worry about predators, cars, disease, mean people, etc. Cats that haven't lived outside don't know living outside is an option, and many cats that have that I've known, soon realize inside is much better than out and make no effort to be outside again. Cats are small and sleep like 16 hours a day. They're not sitting around going, 'wish I could get out to the movies.'

They DO however, need stuff to do - toys, scratchers, and someone to actively play with them. They also shouldn't be out on balconies unless the balconies are very well secured. If they can't see what's on top of the wall, they may jump up to see, or stick their heads out slats to see, and fall. Having spots of various levels inside to climb and sit on is ideal.

I guarantee there are animal shelters and animal rescue groups in Iceland by you. I know it's a small country, but I also know that there are cats there that need adoption. Adopt - and I'm very much with Tess that an adult would be better for you. You'll be able to talk to someone about the cat's personality, and you can find one who needs a home but not constant interaction or supervision. Siblings are good but don't expect two random cats to get along. Cats are not dogs. Dogs are pack animals, cats are not. Cats do fine alone.

I'm not questioning Tess' experience, but the person I know who had a Siamese had a loud, bitchy cat, heh. She was not a lovey dovey animal. Which is fine - all animals, including humans, have their own personalities. Just saying, because I read that and thought it was funny, as my limited experience with Siamese was so the opposite. Hence adopting an adult is a much better idea.

Though I would really consider if you really want an animal. This is a years- to decades-long commitment. You must provide good food, activities, love, care, vet visits, etc. It's not like getting a piece of art you can just ignore if you're bored of it or busy or toss out if you don't feel like it anymore. It's a serious responsibility; it's a life that will depend on you for everything.

cornflake said:

It's more sentimental to realize cats belong indoors. "Locked in" is much better than having to worry about predators, cars, disease, mean people, etc. Cats that haven't lived outside don't know living outside is an option, and many cats that have that I've known, soon realize inside is much better than out and make no effort to be outside again. Cats are small and sleep like 16 hours a day. They're not sitting around going, 'wish I could get out to the movies.'

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Also, and I say this as a cat lover and owner, they are little killing machines. Letting your cat outside is unleashing a predator into the environment, and the songbirds and small mammals (or whatever) will suffer the consequences. For every kill it brings home to show you, there are two more bodies out there in the yard.

Domestic cats belong indoors, period.

I'm lying in bed reading this on my tablet, and my Siamese is draped over my shoulder purring. She's been like this for an hour, her paw stretched out across my boob, and she occasionally lifts her head to lick my ear.

The three Siamese we've had in the family have all been like that, but they do tend to bond super-solid to one person and tell off everyone else. I am definitely Her Person. Burmese are a lot more generally social. (I grew up with one, then had one of my own, my mom currently has two. Amazing cats.) like Siamese, though, they are *super* chatty.

TessB said:

I'm lying in bed reading this on my tablet, and my Siamese is draped over my shoulder purring. She's been like this for an hour, her paw stretched out across my boob, and she occasionally lifts her head to lick my ear.

The three Siamese we've had in the family have all been like that, but they do tend to bond super-solid to one person and tell off everyone else. I am definitely Her Person. Burmese are a lot more generally social. (I grew up with one, then had one of my own, my mom currently has two. Amazing cats.) like Siamese, though, they are *super* chatty.

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Awww. My friend's Siamese used to spend most of her time, it seemed, meowing intermittantly and chittering/complaining. She'd go up to my friend, bitch, and wander off to do cat stuff, heh. Wasn't a lap cat.

Wait--you're in Iceland? Keep your cat indoors! TROLLS EAT CATS.

More seriously, Old Mother Google tells me the arctic fox is the largest predator in Iceland (other than trolls), and they weigh about as much as a cat, so wild animals are probably not something you need to worry about when it comes to letting a cat out. (I know someone whose cat was killed by a raccoon, so I tend toward the "keep kitty indoors" end of the spectrum.)

My cat was a rescue--my stepdad got her to come down out of a tree during the Arctic blasts we had here a year or two ago. She won't go outside for love or treats. If you open the front door she finds a reason to be on the other side of the room. It might be because she came to us with her tail missing an inch of fur, but she hates the outside. So I wouldn't worry too much about "trapping" a cat indoors. Indoors is safe and sunny and has scratching posts and toys. (My cat, incidentally, also entertains herself by running back and forth through the house chasing imaginary shadows. She will also pet herself if you just sort of hold your hand in place and let her pace along it. She's adorable.)

cornflake said:

Awww. My friend's Siamese used to spend most of her time, it seemed, meowing intermittantly and chittering/complaining. She'd go up to my friend, bitch, and wander off to do cat stuff, heh. Wasn't a lap cat.

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Oh yeah. That sounds like a meezer, other than the lack of a lap-cat thing. They like the world to be precisely ordered to their satisfaction, and don't hesitate to let you know when you've done it wrong. If I'm not in bed by 11 or so, Regina will come downstairs and yell at me. (ditto if the food bowl is empty, if the water needs changing, etc). I've woken up a few times with her trying to shove a mousie down my pajama shirt (or once, memorably, into my ear) because it's time to play fetch.

Thankfully now that she's an old lady, she's much happier being a bedhat. She's always been a cuddler and a lapcat, though. Our friends have an ancient and creaky seal point siamese boy (James) who's much the same. He'll tell you off loudly until you sit down to give him a lap, and then spend an hour or more purring on your shoulder.

Regina gets so pissed when we've been over there; she can smell him on me and she treats me like I came home with lipstick on my collar. I get sniffed everywhere and then yelled at for a good half-hour.

Well, I'm going to come down hard on the 'cats need freedom' side. I had a cat - well, perhaps the freedom biz depends on the cat - but I lived in a small apt & she really didn't like it. I got a bigger apt & she was still pretty likely to roam (it was on the 7th floor and she would hop off the balcony to a 4 or so inch decorative railing and go into the neighbors house. (I had to have the balcony doors open often to keep the place cool). She got into the cellar (a nasty creepy catacomb like place) and disappeared for a few days. A guy with a 6th grade education (but a very smart guy - schooling was a bit optional in his country) said something that put it in perspective for me. First, he was horrified that I'd had her neutered - he said 'so you've taken away her chance to know motherhood, and you keep her in a small space - so she lives only for you' - it was that last part 'she lives only for you' that was his perspective on American pet ownership (in any case, people didn't really keep pets where he was from - animals helped out, cow for the milk, cat catches the mice). I agree with spaying and neutering cats & dogs, since their populations grow fast - but as soon as I got home and had a place for the cat to go out, I let her become an outdoor cat. I said 'if she has some kind of accident, at least she will have had plenty of time to be in the sun & dig in the dirt & such.' She was much happier. That thing where cats run around in the house like they are mad(crazy)? They stop doing that when they become free-range cats.

They also die at six instead of 22, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/features/should-you-have-an-indoor-cat-or-an-outdoor-cat

Spayed indoor cats are the only responsible answer, unless you've got a farm and they're specifically barn / working cats.

Layla Nahar said:

Well, I'm going to come down hard on the 'cats need freedom' side. I had a cat - well, perhaps the freedom biz depends on the cat - but I lived in a small apt & she really didn't like it. I got a bigger apt & she was still pretty likely to roam (it was on the 7th floor and she would hop off the balcony to a 4 or so inch decorative railing and go into the neighbors house. (I had to have the balcony doors open often to keep the place cool). She got into the cellar (a nasty creepy catacomb like place) and disappeared for a few days. A guy with a 6th grade education (but a very smart guy - schooling was a bit optional in his country) said something that put it in perspective for me. First, he was horrified that I'd had her neutered - he said 'so you've taken away her chance to know motherhood, and you keep her in a small space - so she lives only for you' - it was that last part 'she lives only for you' that was his perspective on American pet ownership (in any case, people didn't really keep pets where he was from - animals helped out, cow for the milk, cat catches the mice). I agree with spaying and neutering cats & dogs, since their populations grow fast - but as soon as I got home and had a place for the cat to go out, I let her become an outdoor cat. I said 'if she has some kind of accident, at least she will have had plenty of time to be in the sun & dig in the dirt & such.' She was much happier. That thing where cats run around in the house like they are mad(crazy)? They stop doing that when they become free-range cats.

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I've always considered responsibility for an animal's well-being part of pet ownership. Part of that responsibility is curbing some natural habits for their own good. I'm sure Fido would love to race into traffic to catch that squirrel across the street - but we humans should understand enough about basic physics and reaction times of drivers to keep him on a leash. I'm sure Fluffy loves stalking and hunting all day in the yard - but we humans know the devastating consequences hunting felines have on natural environments, not to mention the dangers of injury, disease, and death.

Does this mean a pet lives its life "only" for me? Well, pets are companion animals. So, yes, part of that is being company for the human who owns them. Domestic animals are not wild animals; they would not exist if not for humans influencing their lineage. We made them. We owe it to them (and the natural world) to behave responsibly with them.

If it's all about letting an animal indulge its "need" to roam free and living life for itself and not a human keeper... what's the point of claiming ownership at all? Leave it a stray. Let it make its own choices in life. Just watch out for those heartworms... and that antifreeze... oh, and that hawk.

I'm still stuck on "you've taken away her chance to know motherhood."

And the chance of the kittens to experience euthanasia.

Layla Nahar said:

Well, I'm going to come down hard on the 'cats need freedom' side. I had a cat - well, perhaps the freedom biz depends on the cat - but I lived in a small apt & she really didn't like it. I got a bigger apt & she was still pretty likely to roam (it was on the 7th floor and she would hop off the balcony to a 4 or so inch decorative railing and go into the neighbors house. (I had to have the balcony doors open often to keep the place cool). She got into the cellar (a nasty creepy catacomb like place) and disappeared for a few days. A guy with a 6th grade education (but a very smart guy - schooling was a bit optional in his country) said something that put it in perspective for me. First, he was horrified that I'd had her neutered - he said 'so you've taken away her chance to know motherhood, and you keep her in a small space - so she lives only for you' - it was that last part 'she lives only for you' that was his perspective on American pet ownership (in any case, people didn't really keep pets where he was from - animals helped out, cow for the milk, cat catches the mice). I agree with spaying and neutering cats & dogs, since their populations grow fast - but as soon as I got home and had a place for the cat to go out, I let her become an outdoor cat. I said 'if she has some kind of accident, at least she will have had plenty of time to be in the sun & dig in the dirt & such.' She was much happier. That thing where cats run around in the house like they are mad(crazy)? They stop doing that when they become free-range cats.

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All cats get the cat crazies, when they race about. Cats that are outside do that, you know, outside.

Cats also aren't dogs. Cats dig in the dirt to hide their feces and urine, so that predators can't track them as well.

Anyone who thinks cats (or dogs) should 'experience motherhood' isn't what I'd describe as smart. I mean to begin with, that's sexist as hell. Then it goes to that female cats somehow have a deep desire to have some tomcat come up and mate with them, then be pregnant (at grave risk to themselves if they're out in the wild), have kittens that what - either expand a feral colony or they don't see again after a month or two when they're adopted or grabbed by animal control. Ah, motherhood.

As for the 'the cat lives only for you,' thing, they're cats. They have their own lives and stuff. Cats are not pack animals. They're solo predators. What is it he'd suggest the cat would do if not living with a human? Pursue their career dreams? The number of cats I've known who were stray and once introduced to warmth, regularly provided food, no danger from predators, and love who have no interest again in the outside is substantial. Yes, some feral or formerly stray cats want to go out a lot. There are cat enclosures to put on balconies and in yards and outside windows to allow them to be outside but still be safe.

Cats are not fakers. They don't live for their people; they have relationships with them. It's akin to saying someone should let their toddler roam freely outside because keeping them in sight makes them 'live for you.' It's a relationship that the human has a responsibility in. You adopt an animal, you're responsible for its safety and well-being. They don't like you or living with you (the generic you, not you you), they're pretty clear about that.

Cats need their freedom. We have a cat and unfortunately live on a busy road where cars go flying past regularly. So we have to keep our cat in until we find a new house where it is safer to let a cat roam.

I do think it's something you need to consider before getting a cat. They don't usually like being kept in a house or a flat.