Getting a cat for my uni house - terrible idea???
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Getting a cat for my uni house - terrible idea???
Hey, I am looking to get some reasonable opinions on my idea of bringing a cat into my house at university (not halls!).
I am an architecture student, who spends a lot of time working on my projects at home and not getting to go out half as much as people I know on other courses. I often get lonely at these times.
In September I am moving house, which I look forward to a lot. It is a spacious house, and I will be getting the third floor to myself. This whole area has hard floors instead of carpets. The house is separate from the busy area of the town, looking onto a quiet church and gardens.
I am considering getting myself a kitten or cat to keep my company. If it has any accidents, I'll be able to wipe these up as it isn't carpeted. Some people worry that student houses will be loud and stressful for it - however all five of us in the house are relatively quiet architecture students. On the odd occasion that we would have a social gathering, the cat would be able to stay on the third floor, completely out of the way of the action.
There will most likely be at least someone in the house the majority of the time to keep an eye on the cat, even if I am not there myself for whatever reason. However there may be some times such as submission days where it will have to be left alone all day.
My cat who lives at home with my parents would not mind this lifestyle at all, she just sits around chilling minding her business most of the day and will come for cuddles in the evening. However I know that all cats are different, especially kittens.
This brings me to my next point. At Christmas, I would have to bring the cat home to my parents house for two weeks. It is only half an hour's drive away. However, would this be very stressful for the cat?? I would aim to have it well socialised and used to lots of different experiences in the first months that I have it, to make sure she doesn't have too much of a nervous character if I can help it.
I also would have to introduce her to the cat living at my parent's house. She isn't a massive fan of other cats, especially male cats and has chased many away from the garden. I am aware that with proper procedures to introduce cats they can be made to get along and tolerate eachother. Would this be manageable? I would never want to unnecessarily upset a kitten.
At Easter or other holidays I generally don't come home from uni because I am working on my project and don't want to disrupt my flow. If for any reason I was gone for a couple days, my housemate is an absolute cat lover and has already said she would be happy to take care of it.
When my degree ends in the summer, I would plan to take the cat home with me again to move in there permanently. We have a cat-friendly home in a nice area that I am sure it would like. My parents probably would be against it at first, but I am confident that they would come round.
Just one last thing - my boyfriend has allergies so I have been looking into getting a sphynx! They are lovely and beautiful to me and I like their people-orientated personalities. Am happy to spend time washing it and cleaning its ears, but if there's anything else I should particularly consider about this breed let me know.
So... is it a good idea? The last thing I want to do is get a cat who will be unhappy.
P.S. I will have some savings from my summer job, and am also quitting vaping (woo) which will save me a LOT of monthly money that can be put towards the cat.
I am an architecture student, who spends a lot of time working on my projects at home and not getting to go out half as much as people I know on other courses. I often get lonely at these times.
In September I am moving house, which I look forward to a lot. It is a spacious house, and I will be getting the third floor to myself. This whole area has hard floors instead of carpets. The house is separate from the busy area of the town, looking onto a quiet church and gardens.
I am considering getting myself a kitten or cat to keep my company. If it has any accidents, I'll be able to wipe these up as it isn't carpeted. Some people worry that student houses will be loud and stressful for it - however all five of us in the house are relatively quiet architecture students. On the odd occasion that we would have a social gathering, the cat would be able to stay on the third floor, completely out of the way of the action.
There will most likely be at least someone in the house the majority of the time to keep an eye on the cat, even if I am not there myself for whatever reason. However there may be some times such as submission days where it will have to be left alone all day.
My cat who lives at home with my parents would not mind this lifestyle at all, she just sits around chilling minding her business most of the day and will come for cuddles in the evening. However I know that all cats are different, especially kittens.
This brings me to my next point. At Christmas, I would have to bring the cat home to my parents house for two weeks. It is only half an hour's drive away. However, would this be very stressful for the cat?? I would aim to have it well socialised and used to lots of different experiences in the first months that I have it, to make sure she doesn't have too much of a nervous character if I can help it.
I also would have to introduce her to the cat living at my parent's house. She isn't a massive fan of other cats, especially male cats and has chased many away from the garden. I am aware that with proper procedures to introduce cats they can be made to get along and tolerate eachother. Would this be manageable? I would never want to unnecessarily upset a kitten.
At Easter or other holidays I generally don't come home from uni because I am working on my project and don't want to disrupt my flow. If for any reason I was gone for a couple days, my housemate is an absolute cat lover and has already said she would be happy to take care of it.
When my degree ends in the summer, I would plan to take the cat home with me again to move in there permanently. We have a cat-friendly home in a nice area that I am sure it would like. My parents probably would be against it at first, but I am confident that they would come round.
Just one last thing - my boyfriend has allergies so I have been looking into getting a sphynx! They are lovely and beautiful to me and I like their people-orientated personalities. Am happy to spend time washing it and cleaning its ears, but if there's anything else I should particularly consider about this breed let me know.
So... is it a good idea? The last thing I want to do is get a cat who will be unhappy.
P.S. I will have some savings from my summer job, and am also quitting vaping (woo) which will save me a LOT of monthly money that can be put towards the cat.
it sounds like a fairly bad idea
- cats don't generally love living with other cats if introduced later on in life
- relocating a cat on a termly basis is also not something they'd love
- assume the cat is going to be expensive (not just food, but expect an expensive vet bill)
but by no means insurmountable. perhaps you can make it work for the cat
- cats don't generally love living with other cats if introduced later on in life
- relocating a cat on a termly basis is also not something they'd love
- assume the cat is going to be expensive (not just food, but expect an expensive vet bill)
but by no means insurmountable. perhaps you can make it work for the cat
(edited 10 months ago)
Original post by HoldThisL
it sounds like a fairly bad idea
- cats don't generally love living with other cats if introduced later on in life
- relocating a cat on a termly basis is also not something they'd love
- assume the cat is going to be expensive (not just food, but expect an expensive vet bill)
but by no means insurmountable. perhaps you can make it work for the cat
- cats don't generally love living with other cats if introduced later on in life
- relocating a cat on a termly basis is also not something they'd love
- assume the cat is going to be expensive (not just food, but expect an expensive vet bill)
but by no means insurmountable. perhaps you can make it work for the cat
Thanks so much for your response.
Your first point is my main concern and that might stop me from going through with it. While I'm at home with my parents cat I might see if I can take her out socialising with some cat buddies so that she can show me if she hates other cats or not. She has one local cat friend she allowed to come into her house on two occasions, so she's not truly a loner!!
In terms of the relocation - it would have to be one two-week stay over christmas at my parents house. And then a permanent relocation back to the parents house again in summer. That would be the only moving, but perhaps still too much :/
Original post by hana_mk
Thanks so much for your response.
Your first point is my main concern and that might stop me from going through with it. While I'm at home with my parents cat I might see if I can take her out socialising with some cat buddies so that she can show me if she hates other cats or not. She has one local cat friend she allowed to come into her house on two occasions, so she's not truly a loner!!
In terms of the relocation - it would have to be one two-week stay over christmas at my parents house. And then a permanent relocation back to the parents house again in summer. That would be the only moving, but perhaps still too much :/
Your first point is my main concern and that might stop me from going through with it. While I'm at home with my parents cat I might see if I can take her out socialising with some cat buddies so that she can show me if she hates other cats or not. She has one local cat friend she allowed to come into her house on two occasions, so she's not truly a loner!!
In terms of the relocation - it would have to be one two-week stay over christmas at my parents house. And then a permanent relocation back to the parents house again in summer. That would be the only moving, but perhaps still too much :/
I get a cat for my uni house but it is actually horrible
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