Id like to get a cat

Question
Hi

I 'discovered' cats about 5yrs ago at a friend's house who had a cat. I started
visiting his place just to have playtime with his cat! I really enjoy their
company and would love to own one. Today, I live alone and  work 12hours a
day living in a 1 bedroom flat in central london. I also travel about once a
month for a few days. When I'm not at work, I'm at home (incl evenings and
weekends) so I'll be spending a lot of time then with it

My question is, is it possible for someone in my situation to buy/adopt a cat?
If so, how do they cope with travel? Is it ok to leave the cat for so long during
the day? Is it ok if the cat has no access to a garden?

Thanks

Answer
Hi and thank you for being a considerate person in asking this question before you got a cat.

I personally think it is not fair to have a cat kept inside all the time. In fact when i lived in a flat i desperately wanted a cat but waiting until i was able to live somewhere where the cat could go out.
Also it is not fair to leave a cat for such long periods on it's own, even if it does have toys to play with etc., it would be condemning it to a lonely boring life. Cats although domesticated still have many of their natural wild instincts and not being able to "be a cat" i think is awful.
So i am sorry to say that i don;t think it fair to have a cat in your circumstances. in fact a lot of cat shelters would not let a cat be rehomed in this situation. I know it is hard, and i know how it feels. But if as i suspect you are a caring and considerate person, you wouldn't want to condemn a cat to this life either.
I have just thought of something, it may just be possible to rehome a cat that has the FIP virus and who has been used to living inside all it's life. cats with this virus should not be allowed to be able to mix with other cats. the virus is harmless to humans. If you contact a rescue center and explain your circumstances and if you ask about FIP cats or elderly cats they may just consider you but i cannot say for definite.

Kate and her partner co-write  a site full of further cat care and cat health topics. As well as being a feline friendly community site for happy cat and a happy owner.