DW knows all: pet edition

[oyceter]

So. I have had pet rats for the past 7 years, and although I love them to pieces, I think their short lifespans (2-3 years) are really wearing on me emotionally. (Poor Ed-rat. I think he is getting lonely too... he is getting kind of neurotic when I play with him.)

I think I am currently looking for a pet that isn't too high maintenance or expensive. I'm not interested in getting a dog, and I'm slightly allergic to cats. I'd prefer something that can't mess furniture up. I also tend to like the older guy rats because they're lazy and squishy and cuddly, as opposed to the more energetic girl rats. I'd also like something that lives for at least 5 years.

So far, I have been thinking of either ferrets or guinea pigs, but I have no idea outside of random things I've read on the Internet. I would also not be opposed to getting a litter-trained non-kitten cat or so, but have no idea how much work cats are. I'd also prefer adopting from a rescue agency over getting a pet from a breeder or pet store.

Also, I went to a local rat adoption fair and nearly succumbed. There was a pair of one-year-old boy rats, all fat and squishy, and one of them was a black berkshire like Fitz-rat, and one of them was a black rex like Ren. SO CUTE! Especially the black rex! He was even kind of balding like Ren! I so wanted to take them home! I always get so sad seeing the adult rats in adoption fairs, because their chances of being adopted are so low, thanks to the lifespan thing. I was trying to tell myself that if I got the two boys, maybe I wouldn't get as attached to them when they died in a year or so? Ha.

Comments

[rilina]

As you know, I love my new(ish) kitties to pieces and am well on the road to becoming a crazy cat lady. They haven't been cheap, but that's mostly been because I spoil them rotten and have to board them when I go away (the problem of not knowing people in the neighborhood well enough to ask them to cat sit). Also, there are extra start-up costs with regards to adopting kittens rather than older cats. But the kitties are wonderful company. I think I have lucked out as far as temperament: they are cuddly and social and loving, but I can easily manage the level of attention they demand. The houseproofing hasn't been too onerous, and they actually haven't ruined anything expensive like furniture. They are good about using their scratching post. (Mine do like to chew paper, however, and will occasionally munch on book covers and mail.)

However, I will say that having kitties has definitely made me realize that I am somewhat more allergic to cats than I thought, and I am still trying to figure out how much of that is the extended exposure, the cat litter, etc. Or perhaps an allergy to the state where I now live. (Too many variables, sigh.) So unless you're really prepared to be in that situation (I have come to terms that I probably will never be able to wear contacts again), I would be very cautious about trying to adopt cats while having mild allergies.

[oyceter]

Your cats are SO CUTE! Also, they are very much the reason why I am reconsidering cats.

Hrm. I already have fairly bad allergies because of California. Sigh... it's either humid weather and asthma or bad allergies for me apparently... I think I'd want to hang out with some cats for a while to see how bad it is. I know I can do it for a few days, because I've done that before, but I'm not sure having them around all the time would be good or not.

[rilina]

I'd hung out with cats for several days before with no problems before adopting, but have had all sorts of allergy problems this fall/winter. Again, could be an allergy to the state of Washington, or the fact that I deal more with the litter as an owner than I did as a visitor. Or, could be my choice of litter (which is why I'm currently in the middle of switching brands). Or, I am just allergic to my particular cats! I don't know at all.

Expense-wise, I probably spend much more than most cat owners--I buy the expensive cat food, and now the expensive litter, and way too many toys. (I don't know where all their little balls disappear to, and yes, I check under the fridge and couch.) It doesn't have to be that expensive. Care-wise, I had the required kitten visits for vaccines, and then some extra expenses when they had a parasite issue and a brief GI issue. If they are healthy, the standard recommendation is once a year as an adult for booster shots. The litter training is really not an issue for cats, aside from the fact that they will let you know if they don't like their box. But if you have a box maintained to their liking, they will use it religiously.

So, all that said, I love my kitties, and they have been great roommates, and I don't regret adopting them at all. Even when they cost me money and the ability to wear contacts. :)

(This message typed with a cat tail swishing over my hands.)

[oyceter]

I am pretty sure if I got cats, I would spoil them rotten...

[rilina]

They brainwash me with their powers of cuteness!

[oyceter]

Ahaha, and it's not like my rats aren't spoiled rotten! The only reason they would be spoiled more rotten is if the pet industry made EVEN MORE toys and stuff for them.

[rilina]

It got really bad when I discovered that people sell cute cat toys on Etsy. Ahem.

I am glad my living situation means that investing in large, multi-level pieces of cat furniture is impractical. (But I still look at them online!)

[octopedingenue]

I've seen people with limited floorspace put staggered, padded shelves up the wall for cat perches! [/evil tempting]

[mme_hardy]

I have seen those and REALLY WANTED TO BUY THEM except that all our wallspace is either bookshelves or art, and we in fact have lots of books and art that we can't put up because of having run out of wallspace.

[octopedingenue]

Perhaps a very sturdy and firmly secured wall cubby, vaguely like here or here? Kitty goes on top, (lightweight!) books go in the middle.

people sell cute cat toys on Etsy

[daedala]

I did not read that.
I did not read that.
I did not read that.
AAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!

Re: people sell cute cat toys on Etsy

[mme_hardy]

Search for "crochet catnip". I got THE BEST TOYS EVER, at least according to my cats, quite cheaply. Crochet balls full of catnip. Shadow liked to lie on the floor and lick his and dope out.

Re: people sell cute cat toys on Etsy

[daedala]

You are an evil, evil woman.

Dippy will luuuurve them. I'll try to get a picture for you.

[octopedingenue]

Overall I am in favor of you getting a cat because of the lifespan issue, and because they are so spoilable. I flail over guinea pigs below because DID SOMEONE MENTION GUINEA PIGS? Anyway, kitties you can give catnip and watch them be hilariously stoned!

I'm in bed as I type this with my roommate's cat curled up asleep at my feet, where he moved after my typing woke him. Which he let me know with great disdain.

[octopedingenue]

If you snag a cat young and naive enough, it may never realize that the frequent allergen-reducing baths you give it are not typical for cats!

[arboretum]

LOL for some inexplicable reason i am always more allergic to my cats right after they've been bathed. but i've heard of frequent bathing working for other people, so maybe it's just me. :D;

[veejane]

In re the allergies issue, in my lifetime I developed and then lost a cat-dander allergy. I have some other common allergies, but spent my whole childhood in a cat household before going away to college, and only then became allergic -- sneezy, watery eyes, etc. I think it was the intermittent exposure.

I was basically allergic until my middle 20s, at which time I moved into a household with cats, and one of the cats became mine, and gradually I stopped needing antihistamines. I presume that my system got more used to the constant presence of cat-dander, and stopped bothering to fight it. I think I'm a bit atypical, but so you know: it does happen.

Why, I have my own little source of dander on my lap even as I type! To date, her hair on my clothes is far more significant a factor than any allergy I used to have.