Choosing A Cat

By Andrew McGregor

Before you decide you want a cat or even before you buy a cat take a good look at the other pet information on the internet. You may change your mind and discover that a different pet would better suit your lifestyle. If you have read about other pets and still want a cat read on. When choosing a cat there are a few questions you need to ask yourself and/or family members.

1) Do I want a male or female cat? Generally male cats are more aggressive than female cats and they hunt more. Female cats are more playful and affectionate but have a chance of getting pregnant by a male cat. If you do not want a rough and aggressive cat and don’t want a litter of kittens there is always the option of spaying your cat. It is a good idea to spay (female) or neuter (male) your cat not just to prevent pregnancy but they tend to fight less, they are more affectionate and they do not get obese and lazy. The procedure can be done at a pet hospital or most vegetarians and it costs around $85 for a female cat and $55 for a male cat (note that these prices are in American dollars and can vary from pet hospital or veterinarian).

2) What breed of cat do I want? Cats are placed in two categories, long haired or short haired. Long haired cats require much more work cleaning up hair and brushing and grooming your cat. There are hundreds of different breeds of cats not including crossbreeds also known as mongrels. For more information about cat breeds ask your local vet or pet shop and they will give you all the information you desire. It all depends on what is available in your local area.

I would recommend to do some research and come up with a list of preferred breeds. To find out what breeds are available in your area check with your local pet shop, look in your local newspaper in the classifieds section, check your local pet shelter and ask your friends and neighbours if they could recommend anyone. When you visit your local pet shop don’t just look at what the pet shop offer, ask the pet shop manager if they know anyone who breeds cats or look on the noticeboard for advertisements.

3) Do I want a adult cat or a kitten? A kitten is another name for a baby cat. The advantages of buying a kitten are that you can watch it grow, it will bond with you and family members better and the most obvious it will be a part of your family for a longer period of time. You guessed right with these advantages also comes many disadvantages including that they are very playful, you have to train them and teach them wrong from right, they do not have set eating patterns so they can overeat and become sick, they can be destructive to furnishings, carpet, curtains etc and last and defiantly not least they need to be toilet trained.

The advantages of buying an adult cat is obviously the opposite of the disadvantages for kittens and the disadvantage is that you don’t know how the cat has been looked after. This can cause the cat to develop a wild instinct and become very aggressive. If you don’t know how the cat has been treated you should not buy it. On the other hand if you do not have the time or patience to raise kitten you could either buy an adult cat or buy a kitten and get someone to look after it while you are away.

Cats can be a great pet for anyone because they are very adaptable and can live almost anywhere and would even live happily, healthy and comfortably in a small apartment. Cats are very affectionate, playful and loyal to people of all ages, to many people a cat makes the perfect pet.

If you liked what you read here, visit http://www.petguide-online.com for more information on all aspects of caring for your pet/s. The site consists of a huge range of detailed information on cats, dogs, birds and fish.

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