Having a cat can mean different
things to different people. Some want
a cat to cuddle and sit on their laps;
others are happy to live with a very
independent cat which spends most of
its time outside and doesn’t want too
much human interaction.
What is important is that you try to
find a cat that will interact with you
if you want it to. All cats are not the
same and how each individual cat
behaves with you can depend on its
inherent personality, early experiences (or lack of experiences) which
can make it fearful or confident with
people and life in general.
The environment in which you keep a
cat is also extremely significant - for
example if it lives with many other
cats which do not get on, then it will
be stressed and will react differently
than if it was on its own.
While there is no guaranteed way to
choose the perfect cat for you and
your lifestyle, understanding your expectations as well as what makes cats
tick will help you to bring home a cat
that should be able to cope with its
new environment and be the pet that
you want too.
To care for a cat you will need to:
Provide plenty of human companionship
Provide regular, suitable meals with a
constant supply of fresh water
Provide a clean and comfortable bed
Provide the cat with outdoor access or
be prepared to empty and clean a litter tray on a daily basis
Provide it with a stimulating and safe
environment
Groom it regularly. Longhaired cats
require daily grooming
Have it neutered between 4 and 6
months old
Vaccinate against the major feline diseases regularly
Worm regularly and provide treatment for fleas
Take the cat to the vet when it shows
any sign of illness
Insure your cat or make sure you
can afford the cost of any veterinary
treatment it may need
How much care and attention
does a cat need?
As pets go, cats are relatively low
maintenance compared to dogs which
need companionship, walking, training etc. However, like any pet, they
do need care, and some cats need
more care than others. Do you want
to spend a lot of time with your cat,
do you want it to be demanding, or
do you have limited time? Cats can
fit into busy, modern lifestyles more
easily than dogs, as they are pretty
independent, can be left alone much
more easily and are more suitable for
smaller flats or houses. Cats are often chosen by people who have busy
and stressful lifestyles and who want
some companionship when they go
home to relax.
What do you want from your relationship with a cat?
If you’re the kind of person who really needs to have a close relationship
with your cat and to be able to handle
it and have it interact with you, then
you’ll be disappointed if you take on a
nervous cat that hides every time you
come into the room. You may want
to think about one of the pedigree
breeds which can be more interactive
and perhaps more needy of human
company than some moggies. This
may however become a problem for
the cat if you are out at work all day
and only available to give attention on
evenings or weekends.
Some cats need to know exactly
what’s going to happen when, in order to feel relaxed. Such cats would
be quite happy living with an old lady
who rarely has visitors and leads a
very quiet life, but would probably
find it quite stressful living in a home
full of kids and other animals with lots
of visitors and activity. Other cats,
however, might thrive on different interactions with lots of people and fit
in perfectly well in a busy household.
If you’re not likely to have the time or
inclination to groom a cat on a daily
basis, don’t even think of getting a
Persian or a cat with a long coat. In
pedigree jargon, any cat with a longer
coat, aside from a Persian, is called
semi-longhaired because the coat is
not as full as the Persian’s and does
not have such a thick undercoat;
however, it is still long and requires
grooming. In addition, if you are extremely house-proud, you may not
want lots of hair everywhere.
A shorthaired cat is a much easier option, as most cats are fanatical about
their coats and keep them in immaculate condition. That’s not to say that
they don’t leave hairs around – bear
this in mind if you’re thinking of getting a white cat but have dark furniture, or vice versa. Likewise, a cat
is quite likely to sharpen its claws
indoors, often on the stair carpet,
sometimes on the furniture or even
on the wallpaper.
Whether your cat does this can depend on the cat itself and also the
environment you provide for it; however there are things you can do to
try and deal with this, but it is best
to acknowledge from the outset that
your cat is an animal with free will and
natural behaviour that may not suit
someone who needs to have an immaculate house.
Can I keep a cat on vegetarian
food?
Are you a vegetarian and want your
cat to be one too? If you want a vegetarian pet that won’t challenge your
beliefs, then it would be better to get
a rabbit – a cat is a carnivore first and
foremost, and looks and behaves as
it does for just this reason. A cat is
what is called an obligate carnivore
– it has an absolute need for some
of the nutrients found in meat and
all of its senses of smell and taste
are atuned to being a carnivore – it
would be unfair and very dangerous
to health to even attempt keeping it
as a vegetarian.
Is there a type of cat which
doesn’t hunt?
You may have a great aversion to your
cat hunting outside. Perhaps you are
a bird lover, or are simply unable to
deal with small carcases on the floor.
Hunting is normal behaviour for cats.
Keeping a cat indoors may prevent
it actually killing anything, but it will
still need an outlet for this, its most
Kittycat Issue 1 January/February 2014
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