When people think of getting a new cat, they typically picture adopting a cute kitten (or two), not an old cat. However, there are a number of factors to consider before succumbing to the appeal of an attractive kitten. Instead, you should at least consider adopting an adult or senior cat.
Older cats are cleaner
The energy levels of kittens are typically high, and they like playing with both toys and the objects in their litter box. In other words, after they figure out how to utilize the box, they might kick trash out of it or gallop around it like a racetrack, making a mess for you to clean up. Adult cats are typically used to using their litter box and would rather not play in it after burying their feces. Despite the fact that they may still track litter outside of the litter box, they are not as messy as their kitten counterparts.
Additionally, adult cats self-clean better than kittens. As kittens don’t lick themselves as much as adult cats do, you might need to clean them with baby wipes and fine-toothed combs to eliminate debris. Older cats typically do not need your aid with routine grooming, as they will naturally keep themselves clean with their abrasive tongues, unless they have long fur.
In particular, older cats who are changing meals, have recently been weaned, or have intestinal parasite infestations are less likely to develop diarrhea than kittens. Kittens experience dietary changes in their first two years of life that adult cats typically do not, and these dietary changes can occasionally cause loose stools. Loose stools often result in more mess for you to clean up from your kitten’s litter box and behind, as well as unpleasant scents.
Older cats don’t wash their teeth.
In kittens, adult teeth cannot sprout until the baby teeth have fallen out. Kittens may chew and toothe on objects to help remove these baby teeth, just like a human youngster would. Wires, shoelaces, furniture, and other items can all be chewed by a kitten, therefore it should be expected that they might cause some damage with their teeth. However, because they have their adult teeth, older cats are no longer in the teething stage.
Older cats will give you what you want to see.
Unlike kittens, who are continually growing and changing, older cats who are adopted are already fully grown. If you adopt an older cat, you’ll know what to anticipate in terms of appearance, but if you had your heart set on a short-haired cat, you might be surprised to receive a long-haired cat instead.
Older cats make less noise.
Unlike kittens, who are continually growing and changing, older cats who are adopted are already fully grown.
Like human children, kittens frequently cause more trouble than adults do. Kittens are curious and mischievous; they seem to get into things, knock things off surfaces, eat things that are usually not edible, and wear you out. Older cats tend to sleep more and require less of your attention than kittens, however not all cats outgrow this behavior.
For children, older cats are ideal.
Cats are not an exception to the rule that children are more likely to break smaller objects. Kittens are more brittle than an older cat. Older cats have greater fortitude, are less likely to be shattered by young children, and know how to move out of the path so as not to be trodden on. On the other side, kittens are more prone to fall or be dropped, to be unintentionally stepped on, or to be hugged too firmly. While adult cats are generally more open to handling, something kids desire to do with a cat, kittens are typically too wiggly to require sitting still and being caressed. Since each cat is different, it can be best to introduce curious children to them gradually.
Please assist senior cats.
If you aren’t quite convinced that adopting an older cat is a wise choice, keep in mind that you might be that cat’s only chance at finding a home. Kittens are lovely and very simple to place for adoption. Older cats are often less likely to be used, and if they are not adopted, they run the chance of passing away in a shelter, a foster home, or perhaps being put to death. Adult cats that become orphans are frequently not at fault. Elderly people occasionally have to live in nursing homes that do not allow cats, caring for a cat is difficult because of human ailments like asthma or allergies, or the previous owners could not afford to keep a pet. Due to the fact that they could never have had a home to begin with, older stray cats are also worth a shot.
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