[Cheese]

Cats are great...independant creatures all the way. Having a single cat at home is not an issue. I suggest making it an indoor cat and never letting it out. There are too many issues with outdoor cats that end up costing thousands at Vets, unless you are looking for a mouser or to rid your property of other pests.
All you do when you go to work is leave out a bowl of water and a little food..Cats arent like dogs when it comes to eating..they only eat what they need...rarely gorge. You can go away for two or three days as long as you leave enough water and food...maybe have someone check in once a day.
If you are worried about it "possibly" scratching furniture you can get it declawed, though many think thats cruel....I dont IF and ONLY IF they are indoor cats only.
You can buy some pretty cool scratching posts that Kittens love to play on and that will save your furniture...especially IF its set by a window where they can sit and watch the world go by.
Cats are great...no issues with babies...either in the oven or out.

When you get a kitten and set up the litter box...all you have to do to train it to use the box is take it to the box every 10 minutes for the first hour...if that. Thats it .....trained for life.
Go get that Kitten....rescue it, you and your family will LOVE it.