Thinking of getting a cat.

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
It might have been a Russian Blue

Gorgeous cat... smokey grey fur... almost looks like suede. Has round eyes. Purebreeds will have green eyes. If you move the fur and look at the skin, it is bluish grey.

Excellent temperment!!! Loving and affectionate.

The one in this pic... was thrown out of a moving vehicle on a busy highway... probably cause he has a white spot and is not 'show' quality. The b/f ran across three lanes of traffic to save him. He was soooo tiny that his eyes were not even open yet. We have had him for over 5yrs.... what a good boy he is.

i want a russian blue sooo bad

 

[RollWave]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: rnp614

Originally posted by: KarenMarie

Originally posted by: rnp614

You hit the nail on the head. Thats exactly the type of cat I was thinking of. Thanks for the assistance.

You're welcome!!

I am kinda the cat lady. I have a houseful. Rescue the abused, mistreated, neglected ones. Take them in, pay the vet bills to get healthy, fixed and all get three vacanations per year. They live here until I find them homes. All the ones that no one else will ever want... missing tails, paws...etc. Will live here forever.

I love cats soooo much. Thru the years, I have had just about every breed of domestic cat known to man.

My only concern with getting a cat is that people are going to question a 6'1'' guy getting a cat rather than a dog.


BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

No clue about walking your cat, but there are plenty of normal straight male cat owners...

Yeah I'm going to be added to that list. I really want a pet, but just dont have the space for the huge dog Id want (Alaskan Malamute/Husky is what I have my sights set on).

 

[Accipiter22]

if you train them with a leash young it's possible..you can get them used to baths as well if you start when they're still kits

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Ryan

Originally posted by: leftyman
ocelots are really nice pets they will often purr while rubbing against ones leg

yeah - maybe after trying to bite your leg off. They eat MONKEYS in the wild - they do not make good pets

an ocecat is a ocelot bred with a cat, smaller but they make great pets, they are said to be the smartest breed of cat

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Anubis

Originally posted by: Ryan

Originally posted by: leftyman
ocelots are really nice pets they will often purr while rubbing against ones leg

yeah - maybe after trying to bite your leg off. They eat MONKEYS in the wild - they do not make good pets

an ocecat is a ocelot bred with a cat, smaller but they make great pets, they are said to be the smartest breed of cat

notice he said ocelot though

 

[RollWave]

as far as the leash thing, i wouldnt want to do it if it'd piss the cat off. I just think it'd be nice to be able to take it outside and let it wander in the grass or hang out on the jungle gym in the park behind my house.

Another thing, how long do you wait before you let a cat outside? How often do they run away? Are Russian Blue's expensive?

 

[RollWave]

Originally posted by: Ausm

Originally posted by: rnp614

Originally posted by: KarenMarie

Originally posted by: rnp614

You hit the nail on the head. Thats exactly the type of cat I was thinking of. Thanks for the assistance.

You're welcome!!

I am kinda the cat lady. I have a houseful. Rescue the abused, mistreated, neglected ones. Take them in, pay the vet bills to get healthy, fixed and all get three vacanations per year. They live here until I find them homes. All the ones that no one else will ever want... missing tails, paws...etc. Will live here forever.

I love cats soooo much. Thru the years, I have had just about every breed of domestic cat known to man.

My only concern with getting a cat is that people are going to question a 6'1'' guy getting a cat rather than a dog.


BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

I'm 6'4" and have a cat....Quite frankly it is the only pussy I will ever trust again

Ausm

I've got to remember that quote!

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: rnp614
as far as the leash thing, i wouldnt want to do it if it'd piss the cat off. I just think it'd be nice to be able to take it outside and let it wander in the grass or hang out on the jungle gym in the park behind my house.

Another thing, how long do you wait before you let a cat outside? How often do they run away? Are Russian Blue's expensive?

our cats at home go in and out as they please, sometime they stay out for a day or longer

they always come back because they know where the food is

 

[RollWave]

How young were they when you first let them do that?

 

[Poulsonator]

Originally posted by: rnp614
as far as the leash thing, i wouldnt want to do it if it'd piss the cat off. I just think it'd be nice to be able to take it outside and let it wander in the grass or hang out on the jungle gym in the park behind my house.

Another thing, how long do you wait before you let a cat outside? How often do they run away? Are Russian Blue's expensive?

We keep our cats indoors exclusively. However, we have a screened-in pool area that's about 500 sq ft, so they get to run around out there when the weather's not so freakin' hot. I will admit, we had our cats in mind when we bought this house. It's great for them as they can hang out outside all day, watch the birds, chase lizards, etc. But they are confined to screened area, so they can't get too far away.

 

[Anubis]

IDk liek a year old

 

[KarenMarie]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
It might have been a Russian Blue

Gorgeous cat... smokey grey fur... almost looks like suede. Has round eyes. Purebreeds will have green eyes. If you move the fur and look at the skin, it is bluish grey.

Excellent temperment!!! Loving and affectionate.

The one in this pic... was thrown out of a moving vehicle on a busy highway... probably cause he has a white spot and is not 'show' quality. The b/f ran across three lanes of traffic to save him. He was soooo tiny that his eyes were not even open yet. We have had him for over 5yrs.... what a good boy he is.

i want a russian blue sooo bad

Just now
Another
He is five years old now. But such a good boy. Everyone I know that has ever had a Russian Blue says the same... they are very loving and affectionate. I have read the same numerous times, too.

This one is not a pure bred. But he is gorgeous and a wonderful friend none the less.

 

[RollWave]

He seems to like posing for the camera! What a tease. Any idea what his other half is?

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie

Originally posted by: torpid
Don't assume that all cats of a certain breed are friendly. There's no way to tell necessarily. Some cats are nice, some are affectionate, some aren't nice, some aren't affectionate.

If a cat isn't affectionate at the pound, there is little chance it will be at home, because they are usually more affectionate at the pound since they don't get enough attention. In my experience, anyway.

I must respectfuly disagree with that. Sorry.

Some breeds are known to be friendly, some are known to be aloof.

As far as the whole ... they will be as they are in the pound... cannot agree with that either. Most of the cats that are in the pound are lonely, miserable and traumatized by being locked in a cage for 23 3/4 hours per day. The majority of them that are not friendly in the pound will usually come around once they are home and secure. A little space to call home, a scratch behind the ear in a regular basis and a human for them to own does wonders for a cats temperment.

The staff in the pound are good judges on the small percentage of caged cats that are not friendly. And they will usually not give these cats to ppl who have kids or other animals in the house.

I think you misread my post. I said that not ALL cats of a breed will be friendly. Nature+Nuture is important, not just Nature. I've seen plenty/a decent number of unfriendly cats of traditionally friendly breeds. As I said, it's best to see how you like a cat at the shelter rather than blindly pick a cat you've never seen based on breed.

If you want to gamble and think that all cats at shelters will be friendly unless the staff was bitten by the cat, go right ahead. My experience is the opposite and I don't know many people who would want to waste their time gambling like that. Just because a cat isn't hostile doesn't mean it's affectionate. It's not black or white. Many cats are neither hostile nor affectionate.

My experience is this: the few cats that me or my friends got at a shelther who didn't seem affectionate at the shelter aren't all that affectionate at home. The cats that were affectionate at the shelter are. Picking a cat of a good breed that doesn't bite you is not the best way to get an affectionate cat. The best way is to pick the cat that is affectionate at the shelter.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Originally posted by: FishTaco

Originally posted by: rnp614

BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

I think what you're looking for is a cat harness.

watch the video with pinky the cat, he doesn't like leashes.

btw, i'm picking up two kittens today after work.

 

[jacob0401]

Originally posted by: rnp614
Are Russian Blue's expensive?

try to get one from a pound/shelter...

 

[RollWave]

Originally posted by: DP

Originally posted by: FishTaco

Originally posted by: rnp614

BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

I think what you're looking for is a cat harness.

watch the video with pinky the cat, he doesn't like leashes.

btw, i'm picking up two kittens today after work.

You better post pics

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: DP

Originally posted by: FishTaco

Originally posted by: rnp614

BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

I think what you're looking for is a cat harness.

watch the video with pinky the cat, he doesn't like leashes.

btw, i'm picking up two kittens today after work.

No cats like harnesses at first, except maybe certain kittens. Some will get used to them, some won't. Usually at first they try to escape (they shouldn't be able to if you got the right harness and put it on correctly), then they often just crouch down and don't move for long periods of time. Eventually they may get used to it.

As far as taking cats for a walk, there are mixed opinions. The stuff I've read seems to indicate it doesn't really do much except make the cat less content with living at your place and not able to go outside when it wants to, but it depends on the cat.

 

[Poulsonator]

Beautiful cat, KarenMarie. A friend of mine has one and it's a wonderful cat. We have a Maine my excellent compatriot, and two domestic shorthairs. Got them all from pounds, two were kittens, the other was three when we picked her up.

If you're interested, here they are:

Hayden
Moe
Fauna

 

[RollWave]

I want a cat.

 

[KingPhil]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22
get an old one from a shelter...kittens always get taken but the old ones just sit there and rot a lot of times

:thumbsup: Ya, go to the pound and get an old 14 year old cat that will piss and puke all over the place

 

[KarenMarie]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
Beautiful cat, KarenMarie. A friend of mine has one and it's a wonderful cat. We have a Maine my excellent compatriot, and two domestic shorthairs. Got them all from pounds, two were kittens, the other was three when we picked her up.

If you're interested, here they are:

Hayden
Moe
Fauna

Thank you!
Your cats are GORGEOUS!

HERE is my current crew and their stories... long read, but plenty of pics.

 

[Proletariat]

Originally posted by: KarenMarie
It might have been a Russian Blue

Gorgeous cat... smokey grey fur... almost looks like suede. Has round eyes. Purebreeds will have green eyes. If you move the fur and look at the skin, it is bluish grey.

Excellent temperment!!! Loving and affectionate.

The one in this pic... was thrown out of a moving vehicle on a busy highway... probably cause he has a white spot and is not 'show' quality. The b/f ran across three lanes of traffic to save him. He was soooo tiny that his eyes were not even open yet. We have had him for over 5yrs.... what a good boy he is.

Wow is that a true story?

If it is you guys are really cool :thumbsup:

 

[MisfitsFiend]

My only concern with getting a cat is that people are going to question a 6'1'' guy getting a cat rather than a dog.


BTW, anyone know if its possible to leash train a kitten so when its older you can take it for a walk? I just wonder how much is nature or nurture in this situation

My male neighbor across the street does this - the cat has a little leash, and it goes for a walk at night.

 

[GhettoPeanut]

all i know is if you do get a kitten, you have to hold it all the time when its a kitten, esspecially when you notice its getting sleepy. its the best way to train it as a lap cat. do this for the first 3-6 months you have it, and from then on out you'll be able to hold it and make it a lap cat, which is the best type of cat imho.