I need some information.

I guess its a constant thing. Whenever your rats start to get sick you start to question your decision to keep them as pets and loathe the fact that they are only with you for a very short time which means that you go through the grieving process often.

So here is what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that I definately want to keep having rats as pets ... because they are simply perfect for me. I'm thinking that, I might want to both limit the number of rats I keep to 3 or so, I could afford (in time I mean) to have another pet.

It needs to be something cuddly, it needs to be something that lives for many years and doesn't live in a cage ... because I do enough cage cleaning already.

So I'm thinking that once my rat population becomes smaller, a cat might be a good option. But I want to check first if my lifestyle would be cat friendly.

First off, I live in a one bedroom appartment ... so there is a living room, my bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom ... and potentially an attic to roam. Would that be large enough for a cat? I wouldn't want to have a cat that goes outdoor. My neighborhood is freaky crazy and it just wouldn't be safe.

Second question, can a cat live as an only cat or are they like rats and need company of their own kind?

Third question, can a cat be left on its own for close to 48h. I go to Montreal every weekend unless I have ratsers on meds. With the rats this is not a problem with adequate food and fresh water.

Would this be acceptable for a cat to go through on a regular basis? Aside from those trips, the cat would be on its own between 8AM and 5PM as I work but I would be there every weeknight as I'm pretty much a recluse and rarely go out.

Fourth question, if these "conditions" seem acceptable, what breed would you recommend (aside from the ones without hair ... its just not my thing ... and I want fur to pet)? My only condition would be a breed on the low end of the shedding spectrum and/or that has dark hair (I love black so a white cat shedding all over the place would probably drive me nuts).

Oh, a small fifth question, would you recommend getting an adult cat or a younger one, given the conditions that the cat would be living in.

Much appreciated

Your situation seems cat-suitable!
They do like to sit at on open window & get
fresh air through the screen, even if they don't
go out. I have 3, 2 of which are ex-street strays,
& none of them want to go outside at all, even though
they enjoy our screened porch.

I would not worry about breeds - cat types are
just not that variable as to type, as dogs are, &
you can often find 'close enough' in looks or personality
at a local shelter, if there is some trait you particularly
like, ie: vocal siamese, etc. I would say, pick a color
& hair length. Of my 3, two of them shed outrageously
& one of them hardly at all - yet they are all short-haired,
regular ol' black, b&w, & tabby-white kitties - nothing fancy.

Cats with extra toes are neato ;-)

I say visit with the kitties at the shelter & see who clicks
with you. Likely the shelter folks know a bit about each
kitty's background & personality, ideal home, etc.

I would recommend getting an adult kitty - kittens are cute
but adults seem so much more grateful, & you know already
what they are 'like' in terms of personality. They are also harder
to place. You might see if there is one kitty who needs to be
the only pet - those can be hard to place. Or you could get a
pair. Two are really no more trouble than one, & they keep each
other occupied, groom & cuddle. This would make those Montreal
weekends less lonely.

Poke around on petfinder.com to see what's available, see what
the individual descriptions say, & see what appeals to you.

There's just nothing like curling up under a blanket on a stormy
night, keeping cozy with a warm kitty & a good book!

I think those conditions would be fine for a cat.  I say look around at shelters.  They have all sorts of cats that can be extra special.  My cat Harley is the more special cat I've even known, and he was a regular shelter cat, ordinary color even.  No purebred I could have bought could have been as special as him.  Plus, he was sick and needed adopted quickly so I feel even more bonded to him knowing that I saved him.  I recommend getting an adult who was surrendered by itself if you only want one cat.  Most of my cats prefer to be by themselves, except the younger ones.  If you get a kitten, you should probably get two because kittens need a lot of attention, and generally don't like being alone.  I got Harley as an only kitten, and he constantly wanted to be with me.  He was not happy when I even left to go to the store.  I didn't work full time, though, so I could provide him with the attention he needed.  He adores when Lexus (a younger kitty of about the same age) comes to visit.  It's so cute watching them play.

I think a cat would be a good pet given your situation.  I bred and showed persians and colourpoint (Himalayan) persians for many years and there were a fair number of weekends when I would be out of town at shows and the cats still at home were perfectly fine for 36-48 hours with extra food and water. 

Two cats are not double the work of one in fact, and as someone mentioned they do interact with one another and can keep each other company if you're working during the day or gone overnight.

As cats are individuals like people are, there's no real way to predict whether a kitten or adult would do better for your specific situation, however as a very broad guide, kittens who are raised by you will imprint on you, adult cats may take somewhat longer to come around...   Kittens are fun, high energy, higher maintenance than adult cats.  They teethe, they do chew, they take supervision. 

The different breeds of cats actually _do_ interact very differently with their people, but again, like dog breeds...there is _huge_ variation amongst individuals.  Persians (this is 'my' breed) tend to be low-energy and slightly high maintenance (requiring brushing daily..for this reason I've always recommended getting a kitten so you can get it used to grooming early in life...getting a fight every time you try to brush your cat isn't fun).  I love them dearly but I'll just say it straight up right now..I've never met a brilliant persian.. they're not stupid.. but they're definitely not the sharpest claw in the zoo...
They don't shed nearly as much as people think they do since they require regular grooming (and incidentally.. i've got many items I've knitted out of their spun fur =)

Maine Coons and Norwegian Forest cats are both long hair breeds but much lower maintenance than persians.  They both shed _copiously_ during season changes as their new coats come in.  My friends who have both breeds constantly tell me amazing stories about their powers of perception.  One friend has a NFC who has learned to use the telly remote AND dvd remote (not joking).  My maine coon toilet trained herself and would even flush the toilet... seriously...

When I read your post... the breed that popped into my head immediately was Abyssinian... they're just amazing agile intelligent loyal animals.... they're very very perceptive.. independant... not extremely vocal (though they can and have a very distinct voice).  Definite einstein material... My dear friend Zoe's abby named Piglet is a real charmer (and I swear to you he says 'HAMMMM' to say he wants a treat (usually ham).  They're short haired and require very little maintenance.  Second to abbies, I would recommend Singapura... they're intelligent, exotic looking, fearless and loyal...(difficult to find a breeder though).  They're also the smallest registered breed of cat.. probably about the same size as your ratties

Ragdolls are nice of course, but they too shed like the dickens...

Don't discount a shelter kitty as well... there are so many who so desperately need a forever home.  (Incidentally this is why I stopped breeding persians.. even though I did well with showing and enjoyed it very much... I couldn't reconcile the rosettes I won with the millions of animals being euthanised annually).  I definitely don't want this to digress into any sort of flamefest... all our animals are precious and loved.. it was just a conscience call for me personally... (and fwiw all my kitties were altered when I stopped breeding persians and all had  forever homes until they passed on).. 

Sorry I didn't mean to write a novel... as usual

Good luck!

Annie in Norway

PS CFA website is a good place to go and see pictures of various breeds---> http://www.cfa.org/breeds.html

Just a thought...I had cats before I had rats, & my
cats have been all 5+ years old since I've had rats.
& 2 of my 3 will sniff when the rats run up to them,
& then the kitties will run away. The 3rd cat I wouldn't
trust within 6 feet of the rats. Funny, when the rats are
out playing & Goblin kitty looks TOO interested & is edging
closer, I say his name in that 'you better back off' tone, Tice
the boxer herds him out of the room! Helpful puppy

It occurs to me also that there are purebred cat rescues as well.
Kitties who didn't grow into a promising show career, who are
gorgeous but don't like showing, or are retired/spayed, siamese
with a kinked tail or crossed eyes, etc.

I'll never live long enough to have as many kitties over my life
as I'd like to get acquainted with.

I wish I had time to write more...  I'll try to do that later.

My quickest advice would be to get two cats if you have to be gone every weekend.  I know my own cats are so attention hungry and needy that they'd be very upset/sad/stressed if they had to be alone without some kind of companion.

Plus, watching cats interract with one another is priceless - they really enjoy one another's company.

I highly, highly suggest finding a rescue/shelter that has a pair of cats.  They have a hard time adopting out pairs like that, and you'd save them from having to be seperated. 

Melina - can you train my cats to be more independent??   

As it is, I can't go to ANY room in my apartment without one following me, and as soon as I get home, they're all maowing... one of them for about a half hour straight!  They're suuuuper needy!

I guess it depends on the cat?  Most cats I've had seem to be really dependent..  but then, it's probably my fault for the way I raise them.  ^_^;

None of our cats have been clingy.  Unless they were after something.  Like food.

I went to visit mum last week, and my Nala cat ran away from me "mrapmrapmrap."  Little wench.  She should MISS ME. 

Anyway, thanks for posting this thread, rkem, I've been curious about such things myself. 

If I decide to go ahead with it, more likely than not, I will adopt a shelter cat. What can I say, if they've had a rough start, if they were born with a handicap (like my little one-eyed and fully blind PaiMei) I just love them even more. I only take in rescue rats, not bred rats because I can afford the often more important vet bills that come from taking rats with a worse past and perhaps not a good genetic baggage. Its more heartbreak but when you give them a full happy life, its even more rewarding.

I mean sure I find some of the cat breeds simply stunning in appearance but if by making myself happy I cangive a cat a well deserved forever home its even better. In the end, I want a furry ball that will purr and that I can hold onto when I feel sad, play with and pet. Pedigree really doesn't matter much I think.

I disagree about the kitten thing. Kittens can be VERY trying and difficult to train. Adults have more of a 'mental capacity', if you will, to learn about these things. I've never had a problem with any of my cats. Some walked straight off the street, showed some interest, was scolded (spray bottle) and never bothered them again. However when four of my cats were kittens it was near IMPOSSIBLE to keep them away from the smaller critters. IMPOSSIBLE. Especially when there are FOUR of them BOUNDING off the walls 24 hours a day. Oh I'm sorry, they did sleep one hour..so 23 hours a day. Hahaha 

 I've fed both dry and wet food and have never experienced blood being in the stool of any of my cats. When cats come here malnourished we will feed them whatever we can to help fatten them up, and wet food is a part of that. Most of our healthy cats are on dry food. An elderly cat and one of our sickies (cancer) eats wet food on a regular basis with their dry. Sometimes there's no other choice for them. I agree that dry food is better for them due to the teeth cleaning capabilities   But they do enjoy wet food from time to time (birthdays!)

 Why not give catnip to cats under 6mos of age? Again, I've always used catnip and have never had a problem. Although, kittens DONT necessarily need the 'kick' that they get from catnip

 *All* of our cats are indoors ONLY. There is too much risk with letting them go outside. I've always dreamed of constructing an outdoor play area for them and now that I have the room to do so we will start making the plans soon. However most of my rescues have been strays or ferals and they've all settled down to an indoor-only lifestyle. We provide lots of window ledges and open doors (with screens/storm doors attached, of course) to look out, etc.

 I'm very happy to hear, RKEM, that you will most likely be going with a shelter cat. *high five!* Soo many cats in shelters are perfect companions, it's hard to believe most of them find themselves in such unfortunate circumstances!

-Melina