I've been living in Cheshire for twelve months and I'm now settled fully into my job and I'm buying an apartment. I don't really have any friends up here, and my family all live two and a half hours away, so I've been thinking about getting a cat. Realistically I can't get a puppy yet as I'm out of the house for up to ten hours a day. I've never owned a cat before, so I was wondering if anyone could give me any suggestions, tips on house cats, etc.

I think it's a great idea once you're settled to get one. They are brilliant for company but at the same time are independant enough to be left alone unlike a puppy. Relastically I think it would be better to adopt/buy an older cat rather than a kitten just because you said you would be out the house 10 hours a day and I feel that would be a little unfair on kitten due to them needing more mental stimulation and development. But a chilled out older cat who wants nothing more than to snooze in the windowsill all day then that's a great life! 
If it's not going to have access to outside then there are plenty of cats in the uk that need to be homed as indoor cats for plenty of reasons. You mean if not you could always try a cat harness outside to give him/her some fresh air but personally mine didn't take to that. You may think you need a million toys but in reality all you need is a box (lol), though on a serious note a good few scratch posts here and there and a few toys to keep him/her occupied is fine. You could always adopt two if they are bonded? or stick with just one. 
I have 3 cats (as my eldest who was 19 recently passed) and we are gone all day and they are fine. They have plenty to do, access to food and fresh water. 

I don't know if any of this is helpful in anway but I could talk about cats forever, so feel free to message me :)

Yeessssss cats are the best!

def agree with adoption there are so many kitties out there that need homes (also black cats statistically are almost never adopted for some reason)

and I also agree with getting a cat that is already an adult as you said that you would be out of the house a lot they really are basically self sufficient.

Coming from someone with NINE cats...

Get a cat! I agree with the adult cat idea as well as I also suggest kittens be adopted in pairs purely because then they'll entertain each other and be slightly less likely to destroy everything you love. But adult cats are just as great as getting a kitten. Breeds aren't really as important as they are in dogs. Long hair cats are a grooming COMITTMENT. Medium you might have to brush once in a while. Short is nothing.

Cats are also a million times better off just being kept inside full time. Only one of our cats ventures outside and it's purely because he's semi-feral and refuses to stay in... ever. But that's why he's also the one that gets extra vaccines, and has to go to the vet more often because he's got sniffles or a cat bite and whatnot.

I find the best thing you can do is have ample scratchers (really the cheap cardboard ones are fine!) and eventually a little cat tree is nice as they do like to be up high. However, nothing beats a good box. Try to have 1-2 litter boxes per cat and clean them more often than you think you need to. Some toys are always nice. Ours like the little sparkle poof balls the best, along with the wand toys (for more interactive play with you) and a laser pointer. They don't really touch anything else.

Link Tree

I agree with everyone. Cats are great ♥ I miss having some around!

cats for everyone!