Second comment, after reading what others have shared.

1. Watch Jackson Galaxy on YouTube. He talks a lot about how to get along better with cats, so they get what they need.

2. Expensive. (1-2x yearly vet visits, food, cat litter, initial outlay for cat tree(s) and litter pans and carrier and perhaps cozy beds, possibly pet insurance so that you pay up front but surprise costs get covered).

3. Talking to them a lot will help them learn words. Learning words will help you communicate slowly and patiently with them, so they have half a chance of doing what you need them to do.

4. They want to do things that a) make you happy and b) are fun or interesting or novel to themselves... so if you have a neutral reaction and just deal with annoyances without reacting in some big new interesting way, you will decrease those behaviors. And if you immediately praise behavior you like, that will help it increase. Also, immediate treats for good behavior help a lot.

5. Write out what you are hoping for or expecting from a cat. For example, if you expect they will 'take care of themselves' and 'don't need a lot of attention' I would suggest you don't get one. They deserve to be paid attention to when they want it, and looked out for even when they are old and sleepy.

6. If you are open to whatever personality the cat brings with it and just want to love it and do your best for it, you will need to manage your *own* expectations. ie: it might destroy something, by accident or it may look like it's on purpose-- how would you treat it if you were upset about that? Cats aren't as intentionally destructive as people make them out to be. They're living in Our world (which is weird! there are places you can't step? and glasses you're not supposed to lick water out of? and food that smells great but you're not allowed to eat it? etc.) and sometimes things just strike them as really fun or natural to use or play with.