some questions for cat people :)

"Priscilla Ballou" wrote in message
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My suggestion is to get the kind of cat you want and then adopt an older
companion cat from a shelter. Having a second cat makes a miraculous
difference in the maintenance level of what might otherwise be a single
cat. They'll entertain each other without you having to lift a finger.

I second (and third) this. Jack was fairly restless, especially late at
night and early in the morning, until I got him a buddy. Now, they usually
don't bother waking me up, but will amuse themselves together for hours. I
would modify this advice by saying if your "primary" cat is young (a year
old or so) and/or active, consider a kitten. I was initially apprehensive
about my second cat Rizzo, as I thought he, at four months, would be a
handful. He's an ideal match for Jack who, if anything, has become more
kitten-like since Rizzo came home. They get lots of activity via the Indoor
Kitty Olympics, and thus sleep quietly at night.

As for breeds, I (and others I know) have had the best luck with animal
shelter "mutts". Both of my cats are decidedly mixed, and both came from
the local shelter. Both are very healthy and well-adjusted. My sample is
small, but everyone I know who went to a pet store or breeder has had health
problems in their cats.