About Owning Cats as Pets?

Cats are more expensive than Guinea Pigs, I'd think. I've never owned a guinea pig, but my sister owned hamsters. The food, good quality food, is more expensive. They have to go to the vet at least once a year. The toys are more expensive, cat towers and scratching posts. You have to scoop their litter box every day. It depends on the cats personality whether they're "leave me alone" pet or cuddly pets, each cat is different. I have 6 cats, some are more cuddly than others but they all like a little cuddle time. I wouldn't let the cat play with the guinea pigs. Cats are predators and have instincts to kill and eat smaller animals.

Cats are slightly more expensive than guinea pigs. Initially, the expense is great because of the vaccinations and spaying/neutering, but it IS kitten season at shelters right now, you can usually get a kitten for $100, and all the vaccinations and spaying/neutering is already done.

Most cats aren't terrified of people (and my guinea pig was very affectionate).

I have three cats who love nothing more than to sit in my lap all day long. I have a fourth that doesn't care for it. In my personal experience, males are far more affectionate than females.

Well...cats are cats. They can be affectionate, or they can be very independent.

I believe my cats are excellent companions. Well, three of them anyway. lol

I had a cat that would sleep with my guinea pig. I would always supervise though, not all cats are like my cat was.

I would say $20/month is a fair estimate for cat care. Could be more, could be less, depending on how many treats and toys you buy. The main expense is litter and food though. And really...buying toys is pretty much a waste of money. My cats love balled up pieces of paper and string to play with.

1) Owning a cat is definitely more expensive that owning a guinea pig. You will spend money on food, litter, and toys. Also, cats need vaccinations which cost money and they also need a nice bed and maybe one of those posts to nap on. Most of these are just a one time thing, but you'll need to buy litter and food for it every month.

2) If you get a kitten, it will grow up with you and you will learn about each other's personalities. If you adopt an older cat, it may be 'scary' at first as it has lived it's whole life in a different place with different people. It may be stressed and may scratch. But a kitten, who knows only what you give it, will be kind and gentle if you treat it the same way.

3) It depends on what kind of cat you get. Some cats are lap cats who love to be held for hours on end. Some cats don't like to be held, but will still be social. When you go to get a kitten (or cat), plop it on your lap and see what it does. If it stays and purrs, it may be the cat for you.

4) This also depends on what kind of cat you get. I have 3 cats: one is 7, one is 4, and the other is 6 months. My oldest cat (who I've had since he was a kitten) is very affectionate and does not like to be left alone. My 4 year old was abandoned as a kitten and grew up away from people, so she is the 'leave me alone' kind of cat. My kitten has been with us since he was a month old and we always picked him up and petted him and spoiled him, so he also is very affectionate. It just depends on what background your cat has. Also, some breeds are more independent than other.

5) Yes. Even independent cats need love and playtime. Especially if you get a variety of toys and play with it all the time, your cat will love playtime. Cats will always love you. Even if a cat is shy and never comes out from hiding, it loves you. It is just in the nature of some cats to be more social than others. Just because a cat is anti social does not mean it does not love you.

6) I'd say yes to this one, but it has to definitely be supervised. If you get a kitten, this may not be a good idea as kittens love to play with things and could easily kill a guinea pig with one swipe from its claws. But if you slowly introduce your cat and guinea pigs to each other, they will get used to one another and be calm around each other.

Based on your questions, I'd suggest a social, loving, kitten for you. That way it will grow up with you and the more you love it, the more it will learn to love back and be affectionate. You seem to want a lap cat, and if you give a kitten love, as it grows up, it will always want to sit on your lap.

1. More expensive, you have to have injections, neutering etc and any problems that the cat may have in the future needing vets bills. Also their food is more expensive.

2. No, if you keep them in the house when you get them (which you should because you shouldnt let them out until they are fully vaccinated), then they will soon get used to you and come to you, they are very friendly.

3. Yes, definately, depending on the cats character, they will definately do this.

4. mostly affectionate, but when they are playing they will be more leave me alone for a bit so i can play.

5. yres i would say so.

6. i suppose if you get them used to the guinea pigs then i wouldnt have thought this would be a problem.

Good questions.

1) They are a small bit more expensive then guinea pigs, they usually sell at the pet store for 40 or 50 dollars.

2) Cats will usually be scared the first few days you bring them home. It is usually best to keep them confined to 2 or 3 rooms for those first few days, but after a week or so, they will love you and their new home!

3) Yes, they love to sit on laps, be petted, and most cats find it very interesting to watch movies with! Believe me, your cat will probably want to stay on your lap a few more minutes after the movie is finished.

4) Cats are very affectionate pets, but they can have their moods. They can sense when you are sad or happy, or relaxed. They will always be begging for you to pet them and play with them, but other times they might just want to have "alone time."

5) Yes, they most certainly do! They are very very comforting when you are sad, or depressed. Playing or petting them makes you feel very happy when you are sad.

6) I don't know about this, they might frighten them away, but on the other hand, some cats love to spend time with other animals.

I hope you get a cat, they are wonderful creatures.

1) I can't really say as I've never owned a guinea pig but the two main costs for owning a cat are litter and food. For our one cat we spend about $15-20 a month, but we also treat her with canned food pretty often.

2) As long as you don't get a traumatized cat, they're pretty loving. Although we rescued a cat that was abused and she warmed up to us within a few days.

3) My cat sits on my lap all the time when I'm watching tv, but only when she wants to. If I try to force her to sit with me she hides.

4) Some cats don't like a lot of affection while others love affection. But almost all cats will come to you if they want affection.

5) Not really. If they don't want to be affectionate then they won't be. They aren't like dogs that will love you no matter what. But my cat is usually ready to play whenever I bring out her favorite toy (cat nip toy on the end of a string)

6) Make sure they get to know each other through the cage first. You'll be able to tell if your cat has that "I wanna eat you" look in their eyes. Also you don't want the guinea pigs freaking out and hiding in some tiny hole that's impossible to get them out of.

1. I've never owned a Guinea pig, but we probably spend about $30 a month or so on litter and food for our two cats. You'll need to get the new kitten their vaccinations and get them fixed. For us, that ended up costing around $200, but would depend on your location.

2. If you are handling them and petting them from an early age, they'll be just fine with you from the day you get it.

3. Some cats will plop on your lap for a bit, but they usually don't hang around for hours on end. The one we have will come sit with us for half an hour or so at a time, but usually prefers to spread out on top of the back of the couch behind our heads.

4. Depends heavily on how you raise them I think. If you spend lots of time with them, they will be very affectionate and very kind. We've had one of our cats since birth, and he loves being with the people. He'll jump on my lap while I'm sitting at the computer, sleep next to me on the bed, and loves being bounced on the couch. The other cat we have we got from a friend of a friend who couldn't take as good of care of her. For the first couple months she hid in the basement, then the next couple months found a spot to sit where she could watch but not be bothered, but after 2 1/2 years or so of having her she finally comes and sits with us for short stints, but still gets startled if you pet her the wrong way. In her previous life she lived with another cat that terrorized her and she spent most of her time under a bed.

5. They can make decent companions, but cats are usually pretty independent. You can get them to play, but if they're not interested they won't join in.

6. This probably depends on upbringing, but I'm not sure. Our cats love our dog, but we've never had them around anything like a guinea pig. My gut feeling is that the guinea pig is big enough the cat wouldn't mess with them, especially if they get play-time together at a young age, but I would watch them very closely for a while.

Hope these help!

1) a cat is not too expensive to maintain, but you will need to get it vaccinated and neutered/spayed which will cost a bit (I'm not quite sure how much though)

2) A cat will NOT be terrified of you. It will love you very much. Cats can have a wide variety of personalities, but almost all of them are very very friendly, even to strangers. Sometimes cats will be skittish when company comes over, but it just depends. Also, cats are not is 'independent' as you may think. They thrive on human attention and most will follow you around the house when they are in a frisky or playful mood.

3) A cat will flop on your lap when you are using your computer and probebly sit on the keyboard while you try and type. It will be with you while you watch a movie, but maybe it won't. Cats give love on their own terms and sometimes they will just do their own thing. That's what makes them so unpredictable!

4) sometimes cats don't like being bothered, my cats have never been like this, but I have known people who had cats like this (they were barn cats though) . But this is often because of pervious neglect, lack self confidence, or fear of other pets like dogs.

5) cats will always love you, but from my experience they do not have the natural gauge of emotion that dogs do. A cat will most likely not realize that you are too busy to play or that you are sad. BUT it is possible. It depends on your relationship with it I suppose.

6) My cat Buster that I had for 15 years, (got him when I was 3) would hunt mice and shrews and birds outside but NEVER hunted my parakeets, rats, mice or anything that I had a pet. I don't know why he didn't try to get them. They could crawl or fly right passed him and he never cared at all. It totally depends on the cat. the cat I have now is not quite as trustworthy, but also does not actively seek to kill them. Just leave the cages in a room with a closed door to be safe while you are out.

It is sunnah to keep cats near the mosque,because they prevent rodents etc.As far as pleasure goes,there was a sahabah or companion of the prophet who was called Abu Hurairah or father of the kitten because he had so fond of cats.I am Muslim and my family has always kept cats as pets.I love them,they are such serious little creatures. There are considered "clean" animals,If a dog eats from a vessel,that vessel must be washed 7 times before a human can eat from it,for a cat it only once.They are also naturally more hygenic than dogs.

1) More expensive

2) It depends on their personality

3) Depends on their personality, if you want that get a lap cat

4) They are not all the same, some are stuck up "leave me alone" and some are "Mommy, Daddy... pet me, pet me, love me, love me"

5) For the most part yes, if they are affectionate

6) Probably not. A guinea pig is a rodent, I wouldn't chance it.