[ SECRET POST #3795 ]

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⌈ Secret Post #3795 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 10 secrets from Secret Submission Post #543.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Advice thread

[(Anonymous)]

Pets are amazing for you mental health, and health in general - seriously, so, so many studies show this. So I think it is a good idea, with the following caveats:

- Is it going to inside or outside? If outside, will you be around enough to let it in and out, and to deal with it if it starts to roam too much? (Cats like to roam, male cats more so,) If inside, do you have enough room in your place for your cat to get a bit of exercise, and somewhere to put a kitty litter tray or two? So you have space for a cat tree or something else to entertain the cat while you're out?
- Are you 100% sure you can commit to the care the cat will need both in the immediate and longterm? Cats are very set and forget, but there are certain things that are non-negotiable: feeding 1-2 times day (depending on how you feed your cat), cleaning the kitty litter regularly (unless you want your cat to start using your house as a toilet because its litter is full), grooming and fur vaccuuming if kitty is longhaired, and any vet appointments you might need - e.g. vaccinations, microchipping, worming, desexing, general health checkups.
- Costs: can you afford putting cat food, kitty litter, vet visits and any cat toys you might want to get your cat in your budget?
- There's always the possibility that the cat you get might need some extra care and training in the beginning - like spending more time with it, and also teaching it to use the kitty box, not scratch the furniture and maybe using deterrents to stop it going to the toilet in other places, or if it's a male cat, spraying to mark its territory.

I'm not saying these things because I think you can't do them. I'm saying them because you are going through a very touch time right now, and that and the fact that you are worried you'll use your cat as an emotional bandaid implies that maybe you aren't thinking so clearly now about all the implications of pet ownership.

Once again, not knowing your situation, if I were you I would probably be looking at an adult cat (doesn't need as much attention and care as a kitten), female (roams less, doesn't spray), probably one from a respectable shelter or breeder that rates their cats by how active they are and how many people they like being around - you would probably want to look for a chill cat that is used to having one owner an being inside.

If you are still unsure, another thing to consider is looking to see if shelters near you have pet fostering programs - you could potentially foster a cat or kittens for a few weeks just to see how you handle the responsibility with everything else you've got on in your life, with the option of giving them back early if you find that it's too much.

Whatever you choose to do OP, good luck!

Re: Advice thread

[(Anonymous)]

I've had cats before (2 that were just mine, several more that belonged to roommates) and my current roommate's got one right now, but I'll be moving into my mom's house soon and it'd be nice not to be knocking around alone there. There're two vets within walking distance. I've got my eye on a 3 year old female who's been returned to the local shelter because she nips when picked up, but she's otherwise friendly with people but not always with other cats. I'm used to cats that go in and out as they please, but I was going to see how she'd handle the outdoors in brief supervised visits before ruling out her being an indoor only cat. There's a decent sized fenced yard, not counting the chicken run. I can clean a litter box; I shovel chicken shit regularly and have cleaned up every bodily fluid you can think of (thanks a lot, mom.)

Re: Advice thread

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds like you've thought this through. Update us when you get the kitty :)