Agility4mercy

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You’ve decided to buy a cat or kitten? Congratulations! Finding a cat is simple. But finding the right cat is a delicate blend of art and science. It’s a magical moment when you decide to add a feline to your family. Make the magic last a lifetime by using your head, and listening to your heart.
Be certain the time is right. Are your home and family situations stable? If you’re facing medical or behavioral challenges in other pets, or anticipating. A house move or major change in lifestyle, it might be better to wait. Does everyone in your household agree that a new kitten or cat will be welcome? And do you have sufficient resources – space, time, money, patience, love – to support this new family member? Whether your new feline is a frisky youngster. Robust adult or sedate senior, she’ll need veterinary care, food, litter, toys and other supplies. When you open your home to a cat, it’s a commitment for life.
Is your heart set on a particular look or breed? Unless you crave that pedigree, visit local shelters. You’ll be delighted by the variety of gorgeous felines seeking homes. If your dream cat is a pedigreed beauty, do your homework. Research breeds in up-to-date references books and on the Internet. Visit cat shows, speak with breeders, and visit catteries. Meet their breeding cats, ask plenty of questions, and request and study copies of breeders’ contracts.
Avoid pet shops. Pet shop kittens are usually refugees from kitten mills or backyard breeders, and store personal know little or nothing about their origins, backgrounds, or health. They’re often unhealthy, poorly socialized and traumatized, trapped in brightly lit cages with no safe hiding place, handled by curious shoppers. If you buy a cat or kitten because you feel sorry for it, you’re rewarding the store for its inhumane practices with a quick profit. Reputable pet-supply outlets do not offer animals for sale. Instead, they team up with the local shelters and sponsor in-store adoptions.
How about those “Free to a good home ads”? By adopting a “free” kitten, you reinforce the old belief that cats are of no inherently no value. Don’t reward an irresponsible owner who hasn’t bothered to have his cats spayed by taking kittens off his hands.
Once the search is on, will it be one cat or a pair? A kitten or an adult? Male or female? Longhair or shorthair? A snuggly lap cat or an active playmate? What are your dreams for this lifetime interspecies partnership? What’s important to you and what isn’t?

Kitten or Cat?

Kittens are irresistible, and it’s a joy to watch one bloom from a tiny fluffball to a mature cat with loads of personality. But kittens are like rambunctious toddlers, complete with needle-sharp claws and teeth, infant clumsiness and a zest for adventure that can exhaust even the sturdiest owner. For kittens, everything is a toy, a jungle gym or edible – or all three. Before your kitten comes home, do a search for potential dangers in your house – floor to ceiling, under, over, around and behind everything. Even if you already have cats, a kitten will discover dangers and ‘opportunities’ in her new home that will astound you.
Not quite up to that much excitement? Local shelters abound with lovely adult cats that are often overlooked in favor of kittens. Your adult adoptee comes with history. You’ll know his size, temperament, personality traits, quirks, energy level, grooming requirements, and food and litter preferences. Most important if he’ll be joining a group of cats you’ll have a sense for how well he gets along with other felines. Shelter workers know which cats prefer quiet environments, which enjoy lots of activity, which do well with kids or cats and which can’t abide other cats.

One or Two?

If family members are busy at work or school during the daytime, consider adopting a pair of cats or kittens. Intelligent, friendly and curious creatures, and much more social than often assumed, cats can get lonesome and bored when alone, leading to behavioral problems and even illness. A pair of compatible kittens will amuse and groom each other, play and snooze together, and forge a lifelong friendship. They’ll be happier, more emotionally robust, and less clingy and needy.
If you are concerned that your adult cats may feel overwhelmed by a kitten’s prodigious energy and non-stop play, a pair of kittens is ideal. They’ll help each other work off excess energy that might otherwise be directed into destructive behavior, or into pestering older cats that just want to nap. Many adult cats that are already friends is especially rewarding. With a familiar face, scent and purr to cuddle up to, your new cats will experience far less stress and upset during the transition to their new life.

Male or Female?

Experienced cat owners report that cats in all-female clowders tend to be more territorial – ‘pricklier’ – about sharing space and resources than cats in mixed-gender groups. Given cats’ close connection with their wild relatives, this is not surprising. In the wild, a females cat’s job is never done. Even when spayed and enjoying a pampered, indoors-only lifestyle, female cats tend to be more territorial and defensive than males. Cats being cats, there are exceptions. But cats seem to work out best in mixed-sex groups or pairs. Use you intuition, and seek the right balance for your family.

Longhair or Shorthair?

Long, silky fur can be a magnificent crowning glory, but it needs regular meticulous care. If you don’t plan to keep your cat indoors all the time, or if you can’t promise regular grooming, a shorthaired cat is a better choice. Any cat that goes outdoors will likely pick up grime, burrs, weeds, bugs, dirt, and parasites, and is more prone to injuries and abscesses. A long, fluffy coat just makes these problems worse – and harder to spot.

Quick Health Check

Reputable shelters and breeders pre-screen adoptable animals for internal and external parasites, test for infectious diseases and evaluate general health. Still, be alert for repeated head-shaking, vigorous scratching, unsteady gait, sneezing, watery eyes, unpleasant smells or discharges and ratty coats – all can be signs of illness.
Do a hands-on, nose to toes, once-over, paying special attention to nose, eyes, mouth and teeth, ears, coat condition, and that under-the-tail region. Is the cat too fat? Too thin? Does the kitten have a pot-bellied look that usually indicates roundworms?

The Right Temperament

Sit back and watch how the cat or kitten moves, behaves and interacts with the other cats and people. A normal, healthy kitten is playful, inquisitive and curious. When handled and stroked, he’ll relax and purr rather than feel tense, fearful or defensive. A well-socialized, well-balanced cat or kitten won’t run right up to a unknown person or dash away and cringe in fear. Kittens generally respond more enthusiastically than adults to invitations to play, but in any age, look for that bright-eyed felines curiosity. Again, seek balance: nether the shyest nor the most forthcoming (or pushy) cat. If you’re lucky, the right cat will check you out and choose you – in his own good time.

Rejoice, and let the magic happen.

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