Owning a cat might mean different things to different individuals. Others are pleased to live with a cat that is quite independent, spends a lot of time outdoors, and doesn’t actively seek out human interaction. Some individuals prefer having a cat cuddle up to them or sit on their laps.
Are you thus thinking about buying a cat?
If you want your cat to interact with you, it’s imperative that you look for one that will. Since no two cats are precisely similar, how they interact with you will depend on their natural characteristics and their early experiences—or lack thereof—which may make them fearful or confident in general and around humans in particular.
The environment a cat lives in is also crucial; for example, if it cohabitates with other cats who don’t get along well, it will likely be anxious and behave differently than if it were living alone.
Although there is no foolproof method to choose the right cat for you and your way of life, knowing your expectations and cat behavior can help you bring home a cat that should be able to adjust to its new environment and be the pet that you would like as well.
You must: in order to care for a cat:
- There must be plenty of human company.
- Ensure a steady supply of clean water, and serve appropriate meals on a regular basis.
- Create a spotless and inviting bed.
- Provide the cat with outside access, or be prepared to daily clean and maintain a litter box.
- Ensure that it has a safe and stimulating environment.
- Keep up with it regularly. Cats with long hair need to be groomed every day.
- Get it neutered between the ages of 4 and 6 months.
- Vaccinate frequently against the main feline diseases.
- Occasionally worm and treat for fleas
- Take the cat to the vet if it displays any signs of disease.
- Ascertain that you have cat insurance or that you have the funds to cover any required veterinary care.
How much attention and love does a cat need?
Compared to dogs, who need companionship, walks, training, etc., cats require less maintenance as pets. However, just like any other pet, they do need care, some cats more so than others. Do you want to spend a lot of time with your cat, spend little time with it, or do you want it to be demanding? Cats may blend into frenetic, modern lifestyles more easily than dogs because of their independence, capacity for being left alone, and preference for smaller flats and residences. Cats are usually chosen by people who lead busy, stressful lives and desire some company when they move into their houses to unwind.
What are your goals in developing a friendship with a cat? If you’re the type of person who has to be in close proximity to your cat in order to handle it and have it interact with you, you’ll be unsatisfied if you adopt a timid cat that runs away whenever you enter the room. Instead of a moggie, think about getting one of the pedigree breeds because they are more likely to be social and may require more human involvement. However, this could become a problem if you work all day and can only spend time with the cat in the evenings or on the weekends.
Some cats need to know exactly what will happen when in order to feel at rest. These cats may be perfectly satisfied to live with an elderly woman who rarely hosts guests and enjoys a very peaceful life, but they definitely wouldn’t appreciate living in a home with kids and other animals where there are always visitors and a lot of activities. Other cats, however, might thrive in a range of interactions with numerous people and fit in without a hitch in a busy household.
If you don’t think you’ll have the time or desire to groom your cat every day, avoid purchasing a Persian or a cat with a long coat. Any cat with a lengthier coat—not just Persians—is referred to as semi-longhaired in pedigree terminology because it can still be rather long and require brushing but is not as full and has a thinner undercoat than a Persian’s. Furthermore, you might not want a lot of hair lying around if you take a lot of pride in your house.
Selecting a shorthaired cat is significantly easier because most cats are meticulous about maintaining their coats. It doesn’t mean, however, that cats don’t shed; if you’re thinking of getting a white cat but have dark furnishings, or vice versa, keep this in mind. Additionally, cats have a tendency to sharpen their claws indoors, commonly on the carpet of the stairs, sporadically on the furniture, and even occasionally on the wallpaper. There are things you can try to do to cope with this, but it’s important to accept right away that your cat is an animal with free will and natural behavior that might not fit a person who has to have a spotless home. The surroundings you give your cat and the cat itself will determine whether it engages in this behavior.
Can my cat eat vegetarian food and survive?
Do you want your cat to be a vegetarian like you are? If you want a vegetarian pet that won’t conflict with your ideas regarding the end of life, it would be better to purchase a rabbit rather than a cat. A cat’s behavior and appearance are due to the fact that it is predominantly a carnivore. A cat is what is referred to as a “obligate carnivore” since it is tuned in on all of its senses of taste and smell to being a carnivore and has an absolute need for certain of the nutrients found in meat. It might be unjust and very bad for a cat’s health to try to keep it vegetarian.
RELATED: Feeding your cat or kitten
Exists a species of cat that does not hunt?
The thought of your cat going on a hunt outside may disgust you. Perhaps you enjoy watching birds, or you simply dislike dealing with small carcasses on the ground. Cats regularly engage in hunting. Even though keeping a cat indoors may stop it from really doing harm, some cats won’t be comfortable staying indoors and will require a method to express their most primal needs. Similar to this, you don’t want to get a cat that prefers to sit on the couch than go hunting, shooting, or fishing if you’re only getting one to scare off vermin. While senior cats are likely to hunt far less than younger ones and some cats don’t bother at all, it is impossible to forecast how a cat would behave.
Can a cat reside inside?
If you think about how a cat lives, you’ll realize that having access to the outdoors gives it a lot of variety and enables it to use all of its hunting behaviors whenever it wants to. Of course there are dangers for cats outside, but you have to compare them against the tremendous benefits of exercise, cerebral stimulation, and a chance to engage in normal activity.
RELATED: Indoors versus outdoors
Can I be married while I have young children or a baby?
There is no reason you shouldn’t own a cat or kitten if you have children. Parents must teach their children the appropriate behavior for approaching, petting, and handling cats from an early age. Although it is the parents’ obligation to lay down the law, many children enjoy fantastic relationships with their cats and learn compassion and respect for other animals. Since taking on a new cat when you also have a baby or toddler may be too lot to handle at once, making sure you have time for all the parties is an essential aspect of a productive partnership. Similar to that, if you are expecting, there is no need to get rid of the cat. Simple hygiene precautions and judicious cat control can ensure everyone coexists happily and safely while the child is still a young child.
Should I get a kitten as opposed to an older cat?
With a kitten, you can adopt an animal right away and provide all of its requirements to give it the best possible start in life. You will also be able to determine its personality. However, it takes a lot of thinking and preparation to prevent kittens from getting into danger. If you want to leave them alone, you must take precautions to keep them secure while you are gone. You might also need to make plans for neutering, initial vaccinations, and other treatments depending on where you get your cat.
What to enquire about while hunting for a kitten or cat?
Even though there is a lot of sweetness associated with kittens, it’s vital to remember that they are just kittens for six months out of a possible 14 years or more.
Whether a cat has long or short fur is noticeable, at least in mature cats. You should be able to get a good feel of a cat’s personality, though if it is kept in less-than-ideal surroundings and is worried or fearful, it may act very differently from when it is relaxed. Adult cats with confidence will likely enter and settle down right away; cats with anxiety might take a bit longer. It is considerably simpler to leave an adult cat alone in the knowledge that it won’t create any trouble because it will typically require less work and bother than a kitten. Most older cats have already received immunizations and neutering.
RELATED: Choosing an adult cat and where to get one
Which cat should I have sex with?
The sex of a kitten doesn’t really matter as long as you neuter it before it reaches puberty (about four months of age), when the effects of sex hormones begin to take effect. Unneutered cats may exhibit unfavorable sexual tendencies. Unneutered female cats, if they do not become pregnant, can come into season every two weeks, and unneutered male cats, for example, will mark their territory with foul-smelling urine.
If you’re only getting one cat or kitten, it doesn’t matter which sex you choose. If you want two kittens and you get them from the same litter, the sex of the cat is usually not relevant. If you currently have a resident cat and are getting just one kitten or another cat, it can be worth thinking about having one of the opposite sexual relations to try and lessen some of the competition. In some scenarios, a kitten might be preferable to an adult cat because of the kitten’s immaturity, which seems to reduce this competition component – at least temporarily, while you wait for them to start getting along. Neutering also gets rid of the need for such fierce competition and considerably diminishes the importance of sex preference.
RELATED: How to tell what sex a kitten is
Which breed—a moggie or another—should I choose?
The majority of domestic short-haired or long-haired cats kept as pets are “moggies,” a hasty cross between many separate cats whose parentage is sometimes unknown (well the father anyway). This means that we are unable to stop the kittens from acquiring characteristics from their parents, such as color, body shape, coat length, and other characteristics. As a result, if your kitten’s father is unknown but its mother is a moggie, the length of the kitten’s coat may be greater than you would like.
There are ethical issues with some breeds of cats that go beyond simply loving a specific coat color or length, if you actually want to consider the cat’s welfare. Additionally, you should ask the breeder questions and discuss any health issues you have with them. By breeding healthy, sociable cats, breeders can try to prevent (or treat) genetic diseases.
RELATED: Pedigree cats – things to consider
What type of cat should I get?
There are numerous breeds, and some of them will require specialized care, such as whether they have no coat at all or a very long one. (View the cat breeds in our A-Z.) However, certain boarding catteries are not desirable. Before choosing whether it would be useful to get two kittens together if you are away all day at work, do your research on the breed you are interested in. No matter how you “look,” always prioritize your health.
RELATED: How to choose a kitten
Can I have a cat if I have a dog?
If you already have pets, getting a cat shouldn’t be a problem; just be sure to carefully consider your options before deciding. If you already own a dog, you simply need to use caution when introducing the two animals to prevent your new cat from being chased away or hurt while the dog gets used to it. Not all dog breeds are good feline partners.
RELATED: How to introduce a new cat or kitten to a resident dog
Can I have more than one cat at a time?
It is very simple to “collect” cats because they are little, wonderfully appealing, and reasonably easy to care for. They decide to leave the situation rather than participate in dispute, even if they don’t get along. However, there can often be significant cat conflict that owners are unaware of. Cats can live in groups, but they usually stay connected to one another or pick their roommates so they don’t have to live with cats they don’t get along with. Cats are a species that are typically alone. Cats may begin to spray or dirt in the house when they are dealing with a circumstance where they feel stressed out by other cats. Owners occasionally just notice this habit.
Consider your options very carefully before getting more cats if you already have two that get along well. If you have three cats that get along well, count your blessings and stop now! The problem with introducing more cats is that as tension and stress levels build, it may not simply effect how the existing cats interact with the new cat; it may also cause problems in the relationships of all the resident cats, even the original animals themselves. Every new cat must be introduced gradually.
RELATED: How to introduce a new adult cat to your cat.
If you want two cats that get along, siblings are the best choice. A good marriage is usually predicted by the fact that these people shared a childhood together, albeit this is never guaranteed!
How much does it cost to keep a cat?
When buying a pedigree cat, there will be additional costs, and these costs may be rather considerable. A pedigree kitten normally arrives immunized and spayed or neutered. If you decide to adopt a cat from the rescue group, they might also ask for a donation or price in addition to the cat most likely coming already neutered and vaccinations. If you obtain kittens or cats from friends or neighbors who frequently don’t arrive spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas, or anything else, you will need to register with a veterinarian and have these procedures conducted. A kitten will require many immunizations to ensure its immunity to contagious infections, even if neutering is obviously a one-time investment. Following that, a regular booster vaccination will assist to protect it for the rest of its life (requirements depend on the cat’s lifestyle and the hazards involved; your veterinarian may advise you on this). Other essentials include food, flea, tick, and worm prevention medicine, cat litter if you want or need an indoor litter box, beds, and grooming equipment if you acquire a longhaired cat. It’s also suggested to microchip your cat in case of loss. We suggest that you insure your cat as well so that you won’t be concerned about the costs in the event of an accident or illness. To ensure that you receive what you want or need, choose your insurance carefully.
A cat allergy affects me. Are there any breeds that are superior than others in particular?
Many people think that the reason why cats make us sneeze, wheeze, or scratch is because of their fur. Actually, a protein called Fd1 that is present in cat saliva is what causes the allergy. Cats frequently groom themselves, so saliva is all over their fur. The allergen-containing dust or dander and hairs are spread around the area as the cat scratches, moves, or brushes past objects after this dries on its coat. For cat lovers who really want a cat but can’t have one due to allergies, a breed with decreased, nil, or minimal fur may be the answer. Long-haired cats do seem to trigger higher allergy reactions, but this is likely mainly because they have longer hair, which also means they are covered in more allergen. This is unlikely to assist because the issue is caused by saliva.
You can test out different cats by going to friends’ houses who have them to see which ones generate fewer allergic reactions. Unfortunately, finding a remedy is exceedingly difficult for those who react or have family members that are allergic.
What should I do if I take my cat on vacation?
Additionally, consider who will look after your cat if you go on vacation. While you are just gone for a few days, you can ask a neighbor to visit and feed the animal. If you are gone for a longer period of time than you can handle, many cats might stray looking for companionship, therefore you might want to consider boarding a cattery. When the feeder comes, a worried cat may hide, making it difficult for the cat to verify that everything is okay. Your cat will be secure at a respected boarding cattery while you’re gone, allowing you to relax. Some purebred cats love human interaction and may struggle if left alone for long stretches of time.
How to choose a trustworthy cattery
When shall I go out and get you a new cat?
If you’re considering getting a new cat or kitten, choose a time when your house is quiet (not, for example, during a family gathering) and perhaps choose a day or two when you can help it settle in and be there while it finds its way around, not right before you go on vacation, etc.
Where can I get a cat, and how do I choose one?
After considering your duties, finances, and the type of cat you want, think about where you’re going to obtain it and how you’re going to choose your cat or kitten.
READ NEXT: What About a Pedigree?
