04-22-2012 at 8:28 PM

My little darling (a thirteen year old black cat, female, spayed and front declawed) was one of my best choices so far, I believe. <br /> <br /> Depending on the cat, some might hardly want to look st you, others want to be near you 24/7. Personally, my car will hide from anyone she doesn't know, but is always all over me. <br /> <br /> I understand the points that Clayton has made, however, that's quite the opposite of what I've experienced, although I've only had one cat, from a different perspective. <br /> <br /> I got my kitty from a family friend when she was eleven years old, already vaccinated. She was on Science Diet (upscale cat food) that's about 20$ for a bag that lasts her a month or so (I believe...it's been awhile since she ate that.) We got her litter box and liners for about $8.50 and she uses little bowls that we already had for food and water. Her litter was about $23 for 34 pounds of litter. <br /> <br /> She's a fully indoor cat, so she never had tags or shots after that, although recently I've been taking her outside to sit with me and sniff things after I get home (for maybe 15 minutes at a time once or twice a week), however she was completely inside and tamed of her urge to escape over at least five years. <br /> <br /> Recently, we took her to the vet (we hadn't because she was fully indoor and we weren't exactly financially equipped for it) and learned she had a slight bit of kidney damage and plaque build up; the vet was $50 for an exam, $80 for bloodworm that's done once a year, and $200 for five shots. We also upgraded her diet that was $26 for a bag that will last her a good three to four months. Her grooming brush was $3.50 at target; and we also got an additive to her food as opposed to brushing her teeth for $13 for a bag she hardly made a dent in so far, after two months. She had a scratching post that was about $180 and some mouse toys for $2.50, but she got bored quickly, and now she just plays with dryer sheets, jeans and towels, and occasionally my hand if I move it under a blanket. Finally, her carrier was about $20, and I think I've got everything in there. We probably haven't taken the most splendid care of our kitty so far, but she's thirteen years old and still going strong, while my friend who took near immaculate care of his cat has to put his down at ten a few months ago, so I guess it's somewhat relative. :3

04-22-2012 at 8:25 PM

My little darling (a thirteen year old black cat, female, spayed and front declawed) was one of my best choices so far, I believe. <br /> <br /> Depending on the cat, some might hardly want to look st you, others want to be near you 24/7. Personally, my car will hide from anyone she doesn't know, but is always all over me. <br /> <br /> I understand the points that Clayton has made, however, that's quite the opposite of what I've experienced, although I've only had one cat, from a different perspective. <br /> <br /> I got my kitty from a family friend when she was eleven years old, already vaccinated. She was on Science Diet (upscale cat food) that's about 20$ for a bag that lasts her a month or so (I believe...it's been awhile since she ate that.) We got her litter box and liners for about $8.50 and she uses little bowls that we already had for food and water. Her litter was about $23 for 34 pounds of litter. <br /> <br /> She's a fully indoor cat, so she never had tags or shots after that, although recently I've been taking her outside to sit with me and sniff things after I get home (for maybe 15 minutes at a time once or twice a week), however she was completely inside and tamed of her urge to escape over at least five years. <br /> <br /> Recently, we took her to the vet (we hadn't because she was fully indoor and we weren't exactly financially equipped for it) and learned she had a slight bit of kidney damage and plaque build up; the vet was $50 for an exam, $80 for bloodworm that's done once a year, and $200 for five shots. We also upgraded her diet that was $26 for a bag that will last her a good three to four months. Her grooming brush was $3.50 at target; and we also got an additive to her food as

04-22-2012 at 7:39 PM

<b>Pros: Cats can be alone longer</b><br /> Just because a cat can be left alone without it ripping your house apart doesn't mean it likes to be left alone. Cats like social interaction (this varies greatly depending on the breed. My cats won't let me shut a door between us without screaming)<br /> <br /> <b>Are not loud (they don't bark)</b><br /> Depends on the breed, some breeds are LOUD: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eln20Up08uo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eln20Up08uo</a><br /> <br /> <b>Don't need to be taken often on a walk</b><br /> They don't need to be taken on walks at all (I would advise against it. There are too many dangers outside for a cat)<br /> <br /> <br /> The downsides of a cat would be this.<br /> <b>CONS:</b><br /> - Male cats spray. Male cats can spray at as young as FIVE MONTHS. Spray smells horrible, it smells like cat pee, bleach and cat poop all mixed together.<br /> - Male cats are extremely territorial.<br /> - Cat litter smells. It don't matter how much you clean it, there's always that one poop that stinks to high heavens<br /> - Cats will get into ANYTHING. An-y-thing. You have to lock down any dangerous things. (This includes curtain pullstrings, cords, carpet strings, shoelaces, anything small enough to get into their mouth)<br /> - Cats favorite toys - strings - can kill a cat. They can swallow a string and have it literally tie around their guts and require surgery.<br /> - Hairballs.<br /> - Urine crystals caused by an inadequate diet<br /> - Cats can get lifelong diseases like feline herpes by coming into contact with infected cats. It is transmitted through a cat's eye or nose discharge, sharing a litter box, mutual grooming or spread from mother to baby while the baby is in the womb. It's highly contagious and can be caught by taking your cat outside and having it come into contact with something another cat has rubbed it's face on.<br /> - Cats are expert escape artists, they will get out in a split second if they get the chance. <br /> - Vaccinations are expensive, as is neutering (depending on what your vet's price is). I know that spaying my female cat including basic vaccinations will cost $120. This is extraordinarily cheap, but that's because I'm going to a shelter to get it done. Neutering will be cheaper, however because it's less-invasive.<br /> - Some cats will never be friendly with dogs. Something to keep in mind if you still plan on purchasing a dog in the future. I know cats who were friendly and nice but as soon as a dog was brought in the house, they lived their lives underneath a bed. This is no life for a cat.<br /> - Good quality cat food is extremely expensive. The brand I buy costs me $50 for a 15lb bag of food. --> <a href="http://i40.tinypic.com/2ro6k9i.jpg">http://i40.tinypic.com/2ro6k9i.jpg</a> Pop can shown for size. This bag will last me one month with three cats. One years worth of 15lb bags wll cost me about $550.<br /> - Vet appointments are EXPENSIVE, often (I've called around) costing $50 just to have your cat looked at. (Breathing, weight, eyes/ears/face checked. Just basic stuff)<br /> - Cats are EXTREMELY overbred and overpopulated. I would suggest buying from a shelter (that way you can get spay/neuter and vaccinations all in one price) so you don't support the backyard breeding of cats.<br /> - Because you mentioned "to avoid any breeding around campus", I'm assuming you plan on letting the cat roam outside. Huge mistake. Cats can get into serious fights (I've seen cats get into fights and have their entire leg swell up from infection), get killed by other animals, get killed by dogs, get tortured by people for fun (HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. I cannot stress this enough. It happens way too often), get scooped up and put to sleep as a stray, get diseases, get infections, bring home ticks, fleas, mites and mange, they destroy peoples properties, get poisoned, get shot, get sprayed by skunks, can get distemper and rabies from fights (male cats love fighting), can actually get feline AIDS (yes, there is a feline AIDS that can be transmitted by casual contact or fights or even mating. Despite your cat being fixed, he may even have the desire to breed. My male cats do.). Cats can and do kill wildlife (despite what some outdoor cat owners like to think) and will bring it home, so add in the mites, diseases, fleas and ticks that the wildlife they can bring home can do.<br /> <br /> <b>COST:</b><br /> Depending on where you got your cat from and how much you paid (usually around $100 or more from a shelter, this includes spaying/neutering). If you get a cat for free (oftentimes this is the case because they're so over-bred), take into consideration of the spaying/neutering price.. which is usually around $100.<br /> So we have a basic price of around $100 already.<br /> Microchipping usually costs around $50. Microchipping is often a better choice over a tag because collars can come off and tags can come off (had both happen more times than I can count). We're up to around $150.<br /> Kittens require three vaccinations in the first year, they usually cost around $20 each. So that's $60 for a kitten and +$20 for whatever vaccinations your adult cat would need (assuming you got an adult). We're up to around $210 if it's a kitten.<br /> Cat carriers - some vets won't allow your cat in the vet's office if it's not in a carrier. I know that the shelter won't allow my cat to come in to get spayed unless she's in a carrier. You can usually get a used carrier for around $15. $225 now.<br /> Food and water bowls are cheap, you can usually get them for $1 at the dollar store (but if you wanna get fancy you can get the expensive ones). Basic bowls would cost probably $5 and a grooming brush another $1. We're up to $231 now.<br /> Litter tray... I bought my female's litter box for $2 at the dollar store when I got her. So around $233 including just the box. Depending on what kind of cat litter you buy, it can range from $7 for a small jug up to $30 for a large box. (A large box is usually 15lbs) Cats go through litter FAST. I would say a jug (in my female's box) in my house would last mmmaybe a week. I googled around and found the same amount for other people with one cat. So around $28 -- $60 for a month. Around $261 - $291 now.<br /> Depending on if you want a scratching post or a cat tower, the pricing can range from around $20 to a couple hundred (that's for those big fancy cat trees). $311+ now.<br /> Cat toys are cheap, you can get them at the dollar store. I'd estimate them at around $5 for a couple. $316.<br /> Take in the cost of food. Lower-grade food goes by FAST because cats gorge on the carbs. A large bag will not last you long. Large, poor-quality bags of food can cost around $20. Good quality, but less-amount bags cost around $50.<br /> $336 - $386 now.<br /> That's all just to get you started out.<br /> In the end, buying an adult cat from a shelter is the cheaper choice, because you don't have to pay for the speuter fee which is usually around $100 and vaccinations are often included.<br /> <br /> People have the misunderstanding that cats are cheap. You buy em a box, throw liter in it, throw some food in a bowl and you're good to go. It just doesn't work that way. Responsible, proper care of a cat is extremely expensive. Dogs are even MORE expensive.<br /> <br />