Buying a cat- what you need to know.
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
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Buying a cat- what you need to know.
So,you’ve decided that you want to have a pet cat. However, before you shop for your kitten, you may need to consider a few important things. After all, finding out that a cat is not for you after you’ve already grown attached can be heart breaking.
The main reason that people have to find their cats new homes is that they are allergic to cats. If you’ve never spent much time around cats, be sure you can spend a few hours in a home with cats without developing an allergy attack. Also, check with friends and family to be sure none of them are highly allergic.
Next, you may want to consider your lifestyle. Although most different cat breeds need less interaction than dogs, your cat can still become lonely and bored if left alone all day. A bored cat is often a bad cat. If you work long hours, consider getting two kittens so that they can keep each other company.
Don’t forget to take a look at your home and be sure you can fit in a cat and all of his accessories. Cats need litter boxes, food dishes, toys, and a scratching post. If you have children, the litter box will need to be placed in a place that your children can’t get to, but that your cat can access easily.
Once you decide that a cat will fit into your household, you will need to decide whether you want a kitten or an older cat. Most people take one look at that cute, fluffy kitten and fall in love. Since kittens have not developed bad habits, a kitten is the perfect choice for people who have time to litter box train their new pet. Most kittens have not yet been altered or declawed and must receive a series of immunizations to protect them from infectious cat diseases. Older cats are a good choice for people who want a slightly less energetic pet and do not have time to train their cats to use the litter box. Most older pet cats have already been altered and will only need to take booster vaccinations.
Now that you know whether you want a cat or a kitten, you will need to find out where to buy your new cat. If you just want a great pet and aren’t concerned with owning a specific cat breed, the best place to look is your local humane society or animal rescue. These organizations are usually overrun with healthy, sweet cats and kittens. If you are looking for a specific cat breed instead, a cat show can be a wonderful resource. Many exhibitors bring along a few kittens that are for sale. Even if you can’t find kittens of the breed you are looking for at the show, you can ask exhibitors to place you on a waiting list for one of their kittens.
Once you bring your new pet home, don’t be surprised if your cat takes several days to settle in. To help your cat adjust quickly, be sure you have a bed, litter box, and food dishes set up in a permanent spot.
Possible Related Posts
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October 24th, 2008 at 2:52 am
As a cat breeder, it is wonderful to read information like this to encourage people to think ahead before letting their heart scoop up the cutest kitten they see to bring home. I also train kittens for Pet Therapy and give advice on my website about a well adjusted socialized kitten that will have a friendly disposition. These criteria can be applied to any cat that you choose to adopt. I’ve devoted years of study to animal behavior and over 10 years later, I posted some great tips that work for my program for all to benefit from.
Even adopting a kitten from your local paper, you can learn what to look for in the mother and father cat. Make sure the kitten is at least 12 weeks old and has received the better vaccinations because some should be avoided. (See subwebsite http://www.flamepointcat.com/info on the Vaccines page.) People advertise kittens for sale at ages under 12 weeks old and that is too young for any kitten. If you fill out an request on my website, I can refer you to an article explaining this in full printed in CATS Magazine.
Congratulations on a wonderful post and I hope that the additional free information on my website can further help people make informed decisions about how to find the best matched kitten for their family.
Mary Burkwit
Pet Therapy Consultant featured in Cat Fancy Magazine
Cat Breeder of Flame Point Cat Cattery
http://www.flamepointcat.com