Choosing a cat

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With proper veterinary care and a good home, a domestic cat can be expected to live up to 15
years or longer. Since strong bonds of affection can be established between any pet and its
owner, and given the length of time the two may be together, the process of choosing a cat can
be difficult. Like any long term relationship, a certain degree of care and thought should be
exercised in choosing an animal, since the relationship is often of such emotional significance to
both animal and human.

Most cats are of a varied genetic background and are divided simply into either 'domestic shorthairs', the
most common cat in almost all parts of the world, and 'domestic longhairs'.

Contents
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1 Finding the right match for you
o 1.1 Your reason for wanting a cat

o 1.2 How much time will cat ownership require

o 1.3 The cost of cat ownership

o 1.4 Some things to avoid

2 Which type of cat?

o 2.1 Pedigree or non-pedigree

o 2.2 Male or female?

2.2.1 Unneutered females

2.2.2 Unneutered males
2.2.3 Neutered males & females
o 2.3 Cat or kitten?
 2.3.1 How old a kitten?
2.3.2 Socialization of kittens
o 2.4 How many cats to adopt?

3 Where to find a cat or kitten

o 3.1 Purchase from a breeder

o 3.2 Buy from a pet store

o 3.3 A local humane society or shelter

o 3.4 The "cardboard box" approach

4 What you need to get before you bring your new pet home with you
5 Health considerations: feline viruses
6 Further reading

7 Internet resources

Finding the right match for you

Given a good, loving home and proper veterinary care, it is not at all unusual for cats to live to be
15 years of age or more. Thus, a prospective cat owner can expect that the new companion
animal may well be a part of his/her life for many years. This alone is reason to carefully
consider the acquisition of a new cat.

Your reason for wanting a cat

By far the most common reasons given by people who want to bring a cat into their home and
lives is for the companionship (either for themselves or for another cat which they may already
have) or for their children.

How much time will cat ownership require

Before acquiring a cat, it is important for prospective owners to realistically assess how much
time will be required for pet ownership and how much they are willing, long term, to give. A bad
match here can lead to an unsatisfactory situation for both owner and pet.

The cost of cat ownership

Included in the cost of cat ownership is not only the initial acquisition costs (most shelters will
have an adoption fee), but ongoing veterinary care in addition to the daily maintenance
requirements of food and litter.
Some things to avoid

choosing on impulse
selecting a new companion animal by what the cat looks like
selecting an animal as a gift for someone else

Which type of cat?

Longhaired cats are preferred by the many people who find them especially beautiful. Domestic
longhairs generally require more grooming than shorthairs, though - and are much more likely to
have problems with hairballs.

A domestic shorthair, luxuriating in his home.

Pedigree or non-pedigree

There are a number of fully established purebred breeds of cat, in which a cat or kitten is not
only of a recognizable sort but comes with registration papers from cat fancy organization.
Despite the fact that the great majority of cats that are "homed" as companions are mixedbreed
rather than pedigreed, the average mixbreed cat does vary in appearance somewhat throughout
the world.
Male or female?

When cats are 'left entire', that is- not surgically sterilized, there are very distinct differences
between owning a male, rather than a female, cat. Those differences have to do with the
consequences of reproduction.

Unneutered females

Unneutered female kittens become sexually mature somewhere between about six months and
three years of age. Almost all mixedbreed kittens will be capable of mating and becoming
pregnant with their first litter of kittens by the age of one year. The 'late developers' who do not
usually breed until two or more years of age are restricted to certain purebred varieties (usually
larger cats, like the Maine Coon). Therefore, anyone who chooses a female cat or kitten for a pet
and also chooses to maintain it with the ability to breed will probably not have just a single cat
for very long. There will be many kittens, and then cats, in short order.

When cat owners live in regions where kittens are wanted and good homes can be found for
them, allowing a female cat to have a litter or two of kittens is sometimes done quite responsibly.
Adopting such a kitten from a neighbor is a time-honored way of obtaining a cat. The
consequences to the mother cat were few at one time, but nowadays there are a number of
diseases that she is subject to catching if allowed contact with local tomcats. In most regions of
the world, the number of unwanted cats and kittens is so high that animal experts strongly
discourage this practice.

Can't a female simply be kept away from males and, in that way, remain kittenless? Yes, that can
be done, but grown females who are not neutered and who are kept from mating are usually
unpleasant pets to keep company with, and show every indication of being in discomfort.
Further, they are at high risk for diseases of the reproductive organs. (see Cat XXX)

Such cats come into "heat" every few weeks, and when they do, they spray urine over their
environment and, almost always, yowl, roll, and posture nearly constantly until they successfully
attract a mate. Once a female cat becomes pregnant she will return to her normal behavior until
the kittens are born, however many will have another period of estrus while nursing that litter. A
unneutered female cat is easily capable of producing between 4 and 18 kittens annually.

Unneutered males

An entire male also sprays urine as a means of attracting a mate, and as a marker for his territory.
The odor of an unneutered tom cat's urine is very different from that of a neutered tom's, it is
extraordinarily pungent. The litter box used by a fertile tomcat is not tolerated in most homes.
Some entire Toms that are allowed access to both the outdoors and the household restrict their
spraying to the outside. Others do not. When tomcats are not neutered until after sexual maturity,
some continue the habit of spraying urine (including indoors) despite their changed hormonal
balance.
When unneutered adult male cats are allowed outside, they normally dedicate a good deal of
their time to prowling for females in estrus. When such a female is also outdoors, the entire
neighborhood may becomes aware of a screeching, hissing, yowling, and moaning group of
tomcats bent on doing each other bodily harm. Many of these toms incur bites, scratches and
lacerations and return home with open wounds. These fights can also result in becoming infected
with one of the fatal feline viruses.

For all these reasons, the best choice of a pet male cat is one that is neutered young enough (no
more than a year of age, or so) to avoid these problems.

Neutered males & females

Now that the population of unwanted and homeless domestic cats is so large, there is general
agreement that all responsible pet owners do neuter their cats. When discussing neutered
animals, the debate over "male or female?" concerns more subtle considerations than those that
apply to fertile ones.

There are individual variations in the personality of cats. The range of those characteristics
among males overlaps that among females, and so there is probably no gender based
recommendation that is firmly rooted in fact.

Cat or kitten?

One of the first decisions a prospective cat owner will have to answer is whether to get a kitten
or an adult cat. Almost all cat owners find the cute, cuddly kitten virtually irresistible. But a
kitten will require a lot more attention than an adult cat and the owner may not have the time or
energy.

On the other hand, an adult cat will offer the prospective owner the knowledge of an already
developed and known personality and will not require so much attention. Thus the adult cat can
be left at home for longer periods of time without as much risk of damage to the house or
furnishings.

How old a kitten?

The youngest that a kitten can be taken from its mother and littermates without causing it harm is
about 6 weeks of age, like the kitten pictured here.

When kittens are born, their eyelids are sealed shut and will only open during the second week of
life. At that time, the color of the eye is blue in all kittens, and will change over the next few
weeks as pigment is laid down.

During the first month of life, the kitten develops from being totally dependent on its mother for
food, warmth, and elimination to being able to handle these functions on its own. At about four
weeks of age many kittens can successfully lap milk from a low saucer, but even if an individual
kitten is able to maintain growth from feeding independently it is still "better off" remaining with
its mother and litter mates.

Over the next few weeks, the kitten will develop the ability to eat solid food and somewhere
between the sixth and eighth week of life they can be fully weaned. By 8 weeks of age kittens
can receive their first immunizations and wormings.

Breeders of pedigreed cats most often refuse to sell kittens that are less than 8-12 weeks of age.
This kitten is just opening its eyes for the first time. It will not be ready to leave its mother for at
least a month.

Socialization of kittens

How many cats to adopt?

Where to find a cat or kitten

Once you have made the decision to bring a cat into your home, and have made basic decisions
about the type of cat you want (such as the choice between pedigree or non-pedigree, adult cat or
kitten, and the sex of animal), there are a number of possibilities as to where to obtain your new
friend.

Purchase from a breeder

If you have decided to acquire a pedigree cat for show or breeding, your best choice is a
specialist breeder. This is also the most expensive option.

Buy from a pet store

A local humane society or shelter

One of the more common places people go to acquire a new cat is the local humane society or
other animal shelter. Usually, there will be an adoption fee involved. This is designed to cover
the costs of operation of the shelter and care of the animals while they are in the shelter awaiting
adoption.

The level of care can vary widely from one shelter to another and the prospective adopter should
find out what care was given to the cat from the time it was brought in. In some cases, when the
animal is initially taken in, it will be given a thorough veterinary check and any necessary care
will be given before it is let out for adoption. This could include routine matters such as nail
clipping, bathing, and flea treatment. It might also include any spay/neuter operation, or even
initial vaccines (rabies, in particular). Most shelters will not let an animal out for adoption
otherwise as this is the only way, short of widespread euthanasia, to control the overpopulation
problem.

Then, once the animal is put up for adoption, it will often be kept (and cared for - fed, etc) for
several weeks or even months until a new owner can be found. As well, some establishments will
offer a free, initial health check-up with approved veterinary establishments upon adoption.

One of the major advantages of obtaining a cat from a shelter is that the shelter personnel will
have had an opportunity to interact with the animal, perhaps over a period of several weeks to a
few months, and will be able to provide a better assessment of the cat's personality and fitness for
the prospective adopter than can be obtained from a short visit with the animal. In particular,
they could advise as to whether the animal is appropriate for a household with small children, or
other animals (dogs or cats).

There are also moral arguments to be made here as all cats deserve a loving home.

The "cardboard box" approach

Many people have very fond memories of a pet cat (or, more usually, a kitten) which they picked
out of a litter in response to a free kittens advertisement in a newspaper. Or perhaps they found
their new pet when they encountered some children seated in front of a grocery store entrance
with a large cardboard box filled with several kittens and, again, the free kittens sign.

It is not that uncommon for families with small children to allow their female adult cat to have a
litter of kittens as a way of teaching their children about the reproductive and rearing process.
Afterwards, they try to find homes for the newly born kittens, hence the free kittens signs.

This can be a very good way to acquire a new pet cat. But first make sure the new kitten is at
least 6 to 8 weeks old, as explained above. One of the big advantages of this method (aside from
the cost, or at least the cost of acquisition) is that you get to meet the mother cat and also see the
environment in which the kittens were born and raised. The most important factor in the
development of the cat's personality is the personality of the mother cat and the environment in
which the kitten was bred.

Just remember, though, that free does not mean there will be no costs involved. Almost
immediately, you will have to take the new kitten to a veterinarian for a check-up and initial
shots. And it would not be a bad idea to take the cat on condition of a clean bill of health from
this initial check-up!