My life would be pretty empty without my 4 fur-balls. They protect me from bats and moths in the house. After the ceiling was fixed we had no more bats, but yesterday the youngest kitten grabbed a moth and chomped it down before I could retrieve it. It's a natural thing and he was fine.

Thread is deadly to cats. I caught mine running from the S.Rm while thread was unwinding from a cone. My DH caught him and I pulled more than a couple of yards from his mouth and throat. We took him for xray to be sure we got it all--he was okay. The vet said thread cannot be digested and just wraps around the intestines and closes off, so the kitty will die if he doesn't get surgery quickly. Not all cats love thread like that one little rascal, but I am very careful about keeping the door closed when not sewing.

before i had a door on my sewing room, my orange tabby got in and happened to lick a tiny piece of poly stuffing. dropped it (or so it looked like) and later on started throwing up. went out in the snow to tinkle and I saw blood. Took him to Vet and they had to do a barium enema. Not a happy cat. Must have helped move the poly bit because after he calmed down, all was fine again. Now I have a door!!! No cat allowed. I have 3 now. had to put my english ivy pot on the side porch this winter due to it being poisonous to cats. It barely survived. Lots of things to watch with pets. Just like with children. have fun but keep a watchful eye.

Always had one or more cats in my home, currently three.

I have never had a cat eat a house plant except the pink polka dot plant. Killed the plant, the cat was perfectly ok. I have poinsettias at Christmas every year, the cats (and in the past kittens) have never bothered with them.

I have quite a few house plants and do not worry about the pets prior to purchasing plants.

My cats have unlimited access to outdoors and I do not worry about the garden plants either.

Yes, the sewing room can present hazards for pets. Mine stay out on their own accord, but I did have one that loved to lay on the ironing board up against the hot iron. The ironing board was set up in another room. I have no idea how he managed not to singe his fur. Nothing I did could convince him that it was not a good idea. There was no door on that space, so closing the door was not an option.

My DH never had a cat until me. He now Loves, loves, loves them! We have hit our limit at three. Kind of like potato chips-you can never have just one!
Their favorite quilt is always the one in progress.
My small piece of advice-feed a quality food, for them and you-you can see and smell the difference from/in the litter box.
Excited for you and your new buddy!

PS: I hope you are considering having your new buddy as a strictly indoors type of kitty, there are sooo many hazards outside including diseases. This just happened to a friend, let the cat be an indoor/outdoor cat now the cat is sick with Feline HIV. Cost effective to be an indoor cat. Cats get sick or injured results in vet costs that could have been avoided(you know fabric money). Or they just disappear and then you are sick with worry. Safer inside.:thumbup:

We have only one left now and he is a real cuddlebun. We lost our Chester (my avatar) last August. He was 17 and was a lovely pet. I have to agree with Jo Anne B. Our last few cats have been indoor only (except for Chester who managed to escape once every summer--we'd usually find him in the catnip patch 'all mellowed out' :) It is so much easier than worrying that your beloved pet his been run over or hurt or killed by a wild animal.

We are lucky enough to have a screened in porch and the cats practically lived out there all summer, watching the wildlife and sleeping in the sun. You might want to invest in the teflon type of window screen. It is a pain to replace but will stand up to kitty's claws. Have fun with your new housemate!

It doesn't take much for a pet to become very ill from a diffenbachia. All they need do is bite into it. They won't like it and they can suffocate very quickly. Diffenbachia means something like bad or dead bite. My neighbor lost her 10 year old cat when a friend decided to take it home while she was on vacation. She didn't want to make a daily trip to check on the cat. She was only 3 days into her trip and was devastated. Cat would've been fine by itself. Thetime the neighbor took the cat home with her, my friend's home was also broken into and quilts and jewelry were taken. Rough time for my friend. Check out pet friendly plants always.

Jan- Thanks for the cat-box idea!

Eucalyptus & croton are dangerous to them too.