some questions for cat people :)

Hello,

I am not sure if this is the correct NG to post to, but if somebody could
answer - that would be great.

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one. We are usually home 4 or so hours a day
before going to bed ( on weekdays ). On weekends it varies greatly - could
be most of the day, could be just an hour. Our concern is for the cat not to
become reclusive and anti-social. Also I am not a fan of declawing, so if
possible we would like to keep the cat with all 4 sets of claws, but not at
the cost of the furniture.

Basic answers I am looking for :
Will either of the cats be OK with that kind of environment ?
Will either one be easily trained to use a scratching post, and will it
stick to it vs. the furniture ?
How much attention does either one need/want ?
How much attention does either one GIVE ? - I mean, sometimes we just feel
like being left alone - will that be a problem ? ( that happens rarely )

thanks in advance for all the answers.

--

Paul
12ZPC, Inc. - ebay "12zpc"

"Paul" writes:

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

Is there some particular reason why you want a purebred cat? Ordinary
cats make fine pets, too, and there are many more of them who
desperately need homes. Another thing you should keep in mind is that
individual cats, regardless of breed (or not!), have a great deal of
personality variation. Some cats are total lap funguses who
insistently DEMAND lots of attention, others are happy to be left to
themselves most of the time. Your best chance of getting a cat with
the personality you want is to look for an adult cat rather than a
kitten, and spend some time with it at the shelter to get to know its
personality before you decide to adopt it.

-Sandra

"Paul" writes:

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

Is there some particular reason why you want a purebred cat? Ordinary
cats make fine pets, too, and there are many more of them who
desperately need homes. Another thing you should keep in mind is that
individual cats, regardless of breed (or not!), have a great deal of
personality variation. Some cats are total lap funguses who
insistently DEMAND lots of attention, others are happy to be left to
themselves most of the time. Your best chance of getting a cat with
the personality you want is to look for an adult cat rather than a
kitten, and spend some time with it at the shelter to get to know its
personality before you decide to adopt it.

-Sandra

"Paul" writes:

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

Is there some particular reason why you want a purebred cat? Ordinary
cats make fine pets, too, and there are many more of them who
desperately need homes. Another thing you should keep in mind is that
individual cats, regardless of breed (or not!), have a great deal of
personality variation. Some cats are total lap funguses who
insistently DEMAND lots of attention, others are happy to be left to
themselves most of the time. Your best chance of getting a cat with
the personality you want is to look for an adult cat rather than a
kitten, and spend some time with it at the shelter to get to know its
personality before you decide to adopt it.

-Sandra

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 18:00:15 GMT, Priscilla Ballou
wrote:

In article ,
"Paul" wrote:

Hello,

I am not sure if this is the correct NG to post to, but if somebody could
answer - that would be great.

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one. We are usually home 4 or so hours a day
before going to bed ( on weekdays ). On weekends it varies greatly - could
be most of the day, could be just an hour. Our concern is for the cat not to
become reclusive and anti-social. Also I am not a fan of declawing, so if
possible we would like to keep the cat with all 4 sets of claws, but not at
the cost of the furniture.

Basic answers I am looking for :
Will either of the cats be OK with that kind of environment ?
Will either one be easily trained to use a scratching post, and will it
stick to it vs. the furniture ?
How much attention does either one need/want ?
How much attention does either one GIVE ? - I mean, sometimes we just feel
like being left alone - will that be a problem ? ( that happens rarely )

thanks in advance for all the answers.

My suggestion is to get the kind of cat you want and then adopt an older
companion cat from a shelter. Having a second cat makes a miraculous
difference in the maintenance level of what might otherwise be a single
cat. They'll entertain each other without you having to lift a finger.

You might also want to consider rescued cats of the breed you prefer.
Adopting a rescue cat and/or a shelter cat (particularly an older cat)
can be an act of charity which will pay for itself many times over. An
older cat can be a known quantity, while a kitten may grow up to display
personality characteristics which you don't care for.

Of course the best recommendation is to adopt two cats from the same
litter or who have lived together and are already attached, but you
sound like you're set on buying a purebreed. Or might you be tempted by
a wonderful loving kitty who needs a forever home and might be put to
sleep if she doesn't find a family soon? Am I plucking your
heartstrings sufficiently? ;-) I've got it! Two siblings of the breed
you want! Maybe rescues? Hey, I'm working on it. Take a look at
petfinder.org and see if there are an cats of the breed you want
currently looking for a family. (Are you in the US?)

Most cats can be trained to use a scratching post or other surface. Be
aware that some like horizontal and some vertical, so you'll need to
test some different options out. Please continue to rule out declawing.
It's really bad for the cat.

Good luck!

Priscilla
Heed Priscilla's advice -- it is on target! Best of luck in
your adoptions. MLB

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 18:00:15 GMT, Priscilla Ballou
wrote:

In article ,
"Paul" wrote:

Hello,

I am not sure if this is the correct NG to post to, but if somebody could
answer - that would be great.

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one. We are usually home 4 or so hours a day
before going to bed ( on weekdays ). On weekends it varies greatly - could
be most of the day, could be just an hour. Our concern is for the cat not to
become reclusive and anti-social. Also I am not a fan of declawing, so if
possible we would like to keep the cat with all 4 sets of claws, but not at
the cost of the furniture.

Basic answers I am looking for :
Will either of the cats be OK with that kind of environment ?
Will either one be easily trained to use a scratching post, and will it
stick to it vs. the furniture ?
How much attention does either one need/want ?
How much attention does either one GIVE ? - I mean, sometimes we just feel
like being left alone - will that be a problem ? ( that happens rarely )

thanks in advance for all the answers.

My suggestion is to get the kind of cat you want and then adopt an older
companion cat from a shelter. Having a second cat makes a miraculous
difference in the maintenance level of what might otherwise be a single
cat. They'll entertain each other without you having to lift a finger.

You might also want to consider rescued cats of the breed you prefer.
Adopting a rescue cat and/or a shelter cat (particularly an older cat)
can be an act of charity which will pay for itself many times over. An
older cat can be a known quantity, while a kitten may grow up to display
personality characteristics which you don't care for.

Of course the best recommendation is to adopt two cats from the same
litter or who have lived together and are already attached, but you
sound like you're set on buying a purebreed. Or might you be tempted by
a wonderful loving kitty who needs a forever home and might be put to
sleep if she doesn't find a family soon? Am I plucking your
heartstrings sufficiently? ;-) I've got it! Two siblings of the breed
you want! Maybe rescues? Hey, I'm working on it. Take a look at
petfinder.org and see if there are an cats of the breed you want
currently looking for a family. (Are you in the US?)

Most cats can be trained to use a scratching post or other surface. Be
aware that some like horizontal and some vertical, so you'll need to
test some different options out. Please continue to rule out declawing.
It's really bad for the cat.

Good luck!

Priscilla
Heed Priscilla's advice -- it is on target! Best of luck in
your adoptions. MLB

On Sun, 07 Sep 2003 18:00:15 GMT, Priscilla Ballou
wrote:

In article ,
"Paul" wrote:

Hello,

I am not sure if this is the correct NG to post to, but if somebody could
answer - that would be great.

Currently my wife and I are looking for a cat. We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one. We are usually home 4 or so hours a day
before going to bed ( on weekdays ). On weekends it varies greatly - could
be most of the day, could be just an hour. Our concern is for the cat not to
become reclusive and anti-social. Also I am not a fan of declawing, so if
possible we would like to keep the cat with all 4 sets of claws, but not at
the cost of the furniture.

Basic answers I am looking for :
Will either of the cats be OK with that kind of environment ?
Will either one be easily trained to use a scratching post, and will it
stick to it vs. the furniture ?
How much attention does either one need/want ?
How much attention does either one GIVE ? - I mean, sometimes we just feel
like being left alone - will that be a problem ? ( that happens rarely )

thanks in advance for all the answers.

My suggestion is to get the kind of cat you want and then adopt an older
companion cat from a shelter. Having a second cat makes a miraculous
difference in the maintenance level of what might otherwise be a single
cat. They'll entertain each other without you having to lift a finger.

You might also want to consider rescued cats of the breed you prefer.
Adopting a rescue cat and/or a shelter cat (particularly an older cat)
can be an act of charity which will pay for itself many times over. An
older cat can be a known quantity, while a kitten may grow up to display
personality characteristics which you don't care for.

Of course the best recommendation is to adopt two cats from the same
litter or who have lived together and are already attached, but you
sound like you're set on buying a purebreed. Or might you be tempted by
a wonderful loving kitty who needs a forever home and might be put to
sleep if she doesn't find a family soon? Am I plucking your
heartstrings sufficiently? ;-) I've got it! Two siblings of the breed
you want! Maybe rescues? Hey, I'm working on it. Take a look at
petfinder.org and see if there are an cats of the breed you want
currently looking for a family. (Are you in the US?)

Most cats can be trained to use a scratching post or other surface. Be
aware that some like horizontal and some vertical, so you'll need to
test some different options out. Please continue to rule out declawing.
It's really bad for the cat.

Good luck!

Priscilla
Heed Priscilla's advice -- it is on target! Best of luck in
your adoptions. MLB

From: "Paul"

We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

I would recommend getting 2 cats and adopting them from your local cat rescue
or shelter. That's what we did and it was the best decision we could have
made. Glad to hear your against declawing. I have a link in my signature for
a great article.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "Paul"

We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

I would recommend getting 2 cats and adopting them from your local cat rescue
or shelter. That's what we did and it was the best decision we could have
made. Glad to hear your against declawing. I have a link in my signature for
a great article.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "Paul"

We have narrowed it down to
either a ragdoll or a siberian. Both seem to be good candidates. Now it's
just a matter of deciding which one.

I would recommend getting 2 cats and adopting them from your local cat rescue
or shelter. That's what we did and it was the best decision we could have
made. Glad to hear your against declawing. I have a link in my signature for
a great article.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm