Something slinky this way comes?

I have never really been a cat person, having grown up around dogs. Several ex-girlfriends had cats and I had always tolerated them, but that was the extent of my relationship with the feline species. I think this was pretty much a mutual relationship (other than the typical cat reaction to someone who is wary or unimpressed by them of jumping onto their lap and covering them in loose fur!)

This was until I met The Girl. I was told that she had always had cats and when I first met her, she and her mother had got a new kitten called Mabel. Mabel was very cute, but also quite frankly psychotic, and my gauntlets came into their own just trying to approach her. Unfortunately Mabel went missing, and after several days of searching around the house it was accepted that she probably wasn't coming back. The Girl and her Mother were understandably very upset, and it was decided that there would be no more cats.

This lasted for all of a few weeks when it was discovered that a friend's cat had just had kittens! "We are only going round to look, we definitely won't get one!" Well they were correct, because they came back with two!! (a little ginger boy who was named Fred, and a lovely little black and white girl who was named Ivy [this name lasted about a week before it was changed to Lilly – far more appropriate])

They were so much fun as kittens, and I have to admit that I really became attached to them. And then the BIG BAD BOY made the Girl move out into our own rented property. We weren't allowed pets as part of the lease, and so despite requests I stayed adamant that once we moved to Manchester we would look at getting a cat of our own, but until then Fred and Lilly would just have to come to visit. This they did, and as they grew their personalities developed.

Fred was always a little shy, being bullied by local bigger cats (and having been neutered had no idea why) and he was very friendly. Almost everytime I saw them he would curl up on my lap for a cuddle and fall asleep (much to the annoyance of the Girl!). Having joined one cat search when Fred went missing at about 6 months old days were again spent searching for him, and his disappearance really hit me hard! Thankfully he returned after about 3 days, very scared and much skinnier, but otherwise healthy!

Lilly was always somewhat more adventurous, inquisitive and CRAZY!!! She had to be into everything that was going on. She became an expert chef, dishwasher loader, handyman, electrician, plumber and gas fitter by sitting beside you whilst jobs were being done. She was also the most likely to embed her claws into your thigh for no apparent reason, just because it could be fun to do so.

Since the break-up I have realised how much the Kittens meant to me. I always knew that I liked them, but not quite how much, and I know that I will never see them grow up fully.

So now that I am about to move to Manchester I am looking for your advice! Having had one good reasonable and one fantastic experience with cats do I look to get one of my own? Or as a previous dog person do I look to stick with what I know?

I know that both carry a huge amount of responsibility, time and effort, but wondered what people in "Blogland" thought!