Adopting a Pet Cat 1

During the holiday period a lot of you readers will be receiving pets as gifts, I ask you to appreciate the gift you are receiving, these are not objects and they have to be looked after. Likewise when adopting a pet: I am not an animal activist, but pets are not there to be abused. This said whether you give, or receive an animal gift be sure you are doing the right thing.

Reference was made in the last newspaper about adopting cats and with felines in mind, I would like to alert people about some very bad habits. Cats for one are not toys, they have to be looked after properly and that means being fed and receiving the necessary veterinarian care so that they lead happy lives just as you would. If given a female kitten remember that if you do not want to have litters, then the cat has to spaded, if it's a male cat that you do not want to disturb his female audience, they have to neutered.

This is a practice I am not entirely in favor of; I used to believe reproduction should be stopped at the female level because of the placenta and blood to clean up, especially for city dwellers like us who have space at a premium. It would be important to make sure that male cats do not mark their territory inside your home and leave you with a pee odor to clean up.

Younger cats need a special diet rich in vitamins, which must be kept until they are a year. Going beyond that means that the cat will grow more than it should and that will only oblige you to buy more adult food to support its weight. There are special foods out on the market for different aged cats that some people are against. Cats require a good abundance of meat and fiber because of their shorter digestive system. When feeding cats, do not rely on table scraps, cats have a need for fiber, which differs from the human diet. Kittens, once lactated should not be given milk. They cannot digest that. Water is good enough and they'll get their calcium from other food sources.

Remember to have your cats vaccinated for diseases especially distemper. Cats are also susceptible to catching fleas, which are the intermediates in the transmission of an annoying worm disease that hits the gut of the animal. Buy a flea collar, it will keep the fleas off and kill the flea eggs, and parasites that afflict the cat. Cats are mammals just as ourselves and so are liable to kidney and liver complications just as we would be; so if you see continued suspicious bowel movements or the cat is retaining too much fluid, bring that to the attention of your veterinarian.

Declawing a cat has been a means of eliminating the scratching of furniture around the house but it is equivalent to eliminating the last bone on human fingers and that would make us dysfunctional. One can purchase special scented scratch boards to get the cat to sharpen its nails that are constantly growing. One can also cover their furniture pieces.

Keeping a healthy cat is keeping a happy one; cats can live long lives in the right home and offer solace for the lonely and the aged. Pet therapy exists in some hospitals around the world where cats are allowed to keep company with the terminally ill; it is believed that the cat knows the patient is dreadfully ill and has it's way of providing comfort. There is also no such thing as a stupid cat, cats like dogs can be trained if the effort is made and each has their own way of showing their intelligence. Some cats when raised with dogs from an early age, bond with them. Potential owners should then think twice about adopting a cat and consider themselves as being more of a custodian and less of "owning" them.