Should I Get A Cat?

Cats are wonderful pets if you get to know them, spend time with them, and treat them right.

There are a number of reasons for choosing a cat as a pet:

• Cats are fairly quiet pets in comparison to dogs
• Cats are smaller animals
• Cats bury their own waste and thus don't need to be walked or let outside
• Cats require less grooming than dogs
• Cats are fairly independent animals, although they welcome and thrive on your attention and will grow and blossom in a home where they are cuddled and talked to often
• Cats are fairly non-aggressive
• Cats are less costly than dogs Cats can live in smaller, inside places like apartments or condos
• Cats require little exercise when compared to dogs
• Cats require minimal training

There are a few questions that you need to ask yourself before adopting a cat or kitten. If you answer no to any of them please think long and hard about adopting. Don't adopt if you can not properly take care of your pet, as it is very cruel to that animal!

• Is there enough room in my home? - Although cats require less room than dogs they still need ample room to roam, run, jump and play.
• Can you deal with a litter box and potential accidents? - Although cats are very clean animals and instinctually bury their waste, you still need to clean out their litter box. And as your cat is adjusting to his/her box, if your cat is stressed, if something changes about his/her box (placement or litter type) or if your cat gets ill; he/she may have an accident or two. Are you willing to deal with potential accidents that are bound to occur at some point in your pet's life?
• Can you afford a cat? - Cats are cheaper pets than dogs but you will still need to afford the following: food, treats, bowls, litter, litter box, scooper, scratching post, cat bed, toys, cat carriers, brushes and grooming tools, collar, identification tag, and medical care.
• Do you have time to spend at least 2 hours a day with your pet? - Cats need quality time with you and need to play, be nurtured and be exercised. Plan on spending a minimum of 2 hours a day with your cat. If you are the type that will never be home or will be gone every weekend, don't get a cat.
• Can you deal with training your cat and possibly a few bad behaviors? Cats are fairly easily trained and many cats come to us already knowledgeable about how to act, use a litter box, use a scratching post etc.; however, you may need to spend some time training your pet and/or dealing with the consequences of bad behaviors if you don't train your pet. If you can't deal with this and will get angry at the cat rather than disliking the behavior and fixing that then you need to think long and hard about getting any pet.
• Can you deal with pet hair? - Cats are hairy and they shed. As with any pet the idea of keeping your house immaculate, although possible, will take a little more work.
• Can you keep your cat indoors? - Of course you can take your cat out on walks, or create a fenced in area in your backyard for your cat to play in, but for the safety and longevity of your pet it is best to keep him/her as in indoor animal.
• Can you deal with your furniture potentially getting clawed or damaged? - You can and should train your cat to not claw furniture (rather than getting your cat declawed which is considered cruel by many veterinarians and cat lovers), however, if you don't train your cat properly this can happen.

Cats can bring so much in to your life. They are wonderful, intelligent, expressive creatures who can bring you vast amounts of joy and happiness. It is shown that people (especially seniors) with pets have lower blood pressure, are happier, and live longer. However, if you answered no to any of the above questions we recommend NOT getting a cat. As with any new roommate in your home there are compromises that will need to be made. If you are not willing to deal with some of the compromises with a cat then you should not get one.