Kritter and other kittah experts

[Deleted]

I have a chance to move my work office into a mobile home. I was thinking of getting one or two (so they have company) kittahs to live there. If I do this, someone (usually me) will be there 4-6 hours every weekday. I will set up a feeding system and a cat door so they can get out if they want.

Is this enough time to spend with the Kittahs or will they be lonely/uncared for/ etc?

I don't want unhappy kittahs.

[kritter]

I would not put in a cat door because they could run into trouble while they are out and no one would be around.

Would they have the whole mobile home? If they do, there should be no need for them to be going out anyway.

Older cats would probably be better than kittens because they usually just hang out and sleep.

There was a lady on the CAB (I think)that rented a small house where she had her online business set up and she had a couple of cats living there and they seemed to be happy cats from what she said. She was there while working during the day but didn't live there.

[Shirley U Geste]

The nice thing about cats is how independent they are.

As long as they get some attention every day they are fine. If you say to them "I'm back" they look at you and wonder what you are talking about as they don't usually know you were gone.

I agree with Kritter about older cats. Especially since they are less likely to get adopted then kittens and give you the same amount of love. Plus are usually less likely to get into things when you aren't there.

[Deleted]

Yes they would have the whole home to run around in. It would be private as in I would have an office there, but would meet people/tenants at a different location. It is my home away from home kinda thing...the actual office is cramped and uncomfortable. I thought a couple of cats would be nice to keep me company and I could give them a good home too. Ideally I would find a pair that had grown up together and were content to hang with me during the day and be on their own at night. I would make a kittah room for toys and such for them (although I suspect they would take over the whole place). I could also leave a key with the maintenance person to check on them if something looked wrong about the place (heat or power outage type thing).

i was thinking older cats too because kittens need more attention and I would worry about them too much.

[chapeaunoir]

A pair of older cats would be perfect - in my experience they need to have always been indoor cats, though so they're adapted to having an indoor "kingdom". Ours are rescues that had been outdoors and they never adapted to being indoor cats, and the rescue family tried for months and months because they had moved with them to a cat-unfriendly neighbourhood. They finally re-homed them with the DH because we have a safe backyard for the cats, but they can't stand to be indoors all day.

[Deleted]

I think it's great you're considering older cats and giving them a chance. Too many shy away from them in favor of obnoxious kittens. You're going to the shelter, yes?

We want photos.

[Deleted]

This sounds like a great idea! You could even set up a webcam so you could keep an eye on them when you're out of the office.

[Deleted]

Yes I am planning on going to the shelter. All the kitties I've ever lived with have been rescues. Rescues are the best! We have two of shelters in town for me to check out after I have the new office set up. I will be looking for cats according to personality and temperament so I want to be able to speak to someone who has been caring for the kittahs.

I am just in the planning stages. I bought the home only a few days ago and I am waiting for the tenants to vacate. Then I will get some furniture set up and some kitty necessities before I get serious about my search. The no-kill shelter has a couple of brothers that look promising if they are not adopted by the time I am ready. I think the no-kill shelter will help me find two that get along. They even have a buy one, get one 1/2 price thing there, LOL.

The webcam idea is a great idea! I could have a security camera doing double duty.

[Deleted]

What about adopting from a kill shelter?

Maybe you'll end up saving two lives. I'm not sure of the politics surrounding adopting from kill shelters though.

[Deleted]

Jan 28, 2016 6:34:03 GMT chapeaunoir said:

A pair of older cats would be perfect - in my experience they need to have always been indoor cats, though so they're adapted to having an indoor "kingdom". Ours are rescues that had been outdoors and they never adapted to being indoor cats, and the rescue family tried for months and months because they had moved with them to a cat-unfriendly neighbourhood. They finally re-homed them with the DH because we have a safe backyard for the cats, but they can't stand to be indoors all day.

It really depends on the cats. I'm working with two who were always 100% outside and are now 100% inside. The female, who was out at least 7 years, may have been a house kitty at one time, but is pretty aloof, so probably not, is happy as a pig in sh!t with her new indoor status. The male who I'm 95% sure was born outside and is about 5, can be a bit restless at times, but neither of them meows or pests to go out. 

I would look for independent kitties, possibly formerly feral (but socialized) rescues, who will be more content with less companionship. Cats sleep 18-20 hours per day but do like to interact with their people too. 

[Deleted]

Adopting from the no-kill shelter is about the same as far as saving cat lives goes. The no-kill shelter is always at capacity or above so taking two cats away would make room for two more to be housed at the shelter. I plan on looking at both. The Cat House (No-Kill) is pretty good about getting the right kitty for the right home. I'm guessing the humane society is probably good too. I'm open to looking at both places.

[chapeaunoir]

Jan 28, 2016 20:42:25 GMT @fashionboulevard said:

Jan 28, 2016 6:34:03 GMT chapeaunoir said:

A pair of older cats would be perfect - in my experience they need to have always been indoor cats, though so they're adapted to having an indoor "kingdom". Ours are rescues that had been outdoors and they never adapted to being indoor cats, and the rescue family tried for months and months because they had moved with them to a cat-unfriendly neighbourhood. They finally re-homed them with the DH because we have a safe backyard for the cats, but they can't stand to be indoors all day.

It really depends on the cats. I'm working with two who were always 100% outside and are now 100% inside. The female, who was out at least 7 years, may have been a house kitty at one time, but is pretty aloof, so probably not, is happy as a pig in sh!t with her new indoor status. The male who I'm 95% sure was born outside and is about 5, can be a bit restless at times, but neither of them meows or pests to go out. 

I would look for independent kitties, possibly formerly feral (but socialized) rescues, who will be more content with less companionship. Cats sleep 18-20 hours per day but do like to interact with their people too. 

I'd be a little worried, though, because it would be hard to tell if they adapt or not. The family we adopted from said that LB (the furry one) would cry at the door all day, she even looked like she had tears in her eyes, and it was just heartrending (she can sound really pitiful, too). They both paced and circled and it was a battle getting in and out of the house because they would try to slip out. This went on for months and they tried everything - there was plenty to occupy them with the dad and daughter being crazy about them and playing with them all the time. Right now LB is out in the wind and rain trotting around getting leaves stuck in her fur. Maybe it's a personality trait?

Any way - good luck! The trailer/mobile home is a super idea.

[Deleted]

Would definitely be better to work with a rescue who can give an idea of the cats' temperaments both in terms of being indoors and being relatively independent minded (or lazy and indifferent,lol).

[kritter]

If the cats have been in a shelter or rescue/foster situation for any length of time, they will be used to being inside.

That being said, it all depends on the cat. Not all outside cats revolt at being inside all the time.

Talk to the workers in charge of the cats at the shelter or wherever they are. They are with them everyday and know a lot more about them then the people working in the adoption office.

[Deleted]

I'd also aim for cats over 5 years. Under that they can still be pretty frisky and with the amount of time they'll be alone you'll want real sleepyheads.