Kitten Or Cat?

When deciding, there are a few factors and questions that you should ask yoursef before anything else!

Kittens are cute and you have to let your head rule over your heart at this point as when you take a kitten home you are looking at approximately 18 plus years of companionship with this kitty! Believe it or not, kitty-proofing your home is essential, as just like children, kittens can find themselves in all sorts of tricky situations. Electric cords being chewed on, chemicals being licked, open doors being escaped through are all hazards to your new kitten.

What sort of lifestyle to you lead? Are you away from home on travel often? To buzy to be able to sit down each night and bond with your kitty? You need to really weigh up the pro's and con's with this one, as a new kitten will need supervising as a full grown cat cn be left alone without too much fuss. Just like anything, cats can also get lonely, so if they are often by themselves for long periods of time, maybe getting two cats will help entertain each other during the day until you can come home from work and give them your much needed attention.

The Expense. Yes Kittens can come at quite an expense even if they are not pedigrees. The kitten you are getting for free, may not last free for long, as all living things, make sure he's healthy! Any tell tail signs of sickness such as coughing, sneezing, runny nose or eyes are probable signs of 'cat flu' This virus is recoverable but will never fully leave their system so can be prone to get struck down by this illness again and again. Thin and small kittens, could be a virus like FIV (Feline Aids) or FeLV (Feline Lukemia) which is generally caught through blood contact with cats fighting on the streets. Discoloured teeth or red gums can spell signs of viral infection like calici virus or FIV. This could also conclude a very bad bacterial mouth infection. Scaly skin or hairless patches could mean there is a sign of ringworm, a fungal infection or fleas. Cats are well renouwned for "bottling up" their feelings so a good check over your kitten once a week is vital and this will make sure you find any illness at the first stages. Vet bills, food, kitty litter, vaccinations, etc are all part of maintaining the health of your little bundle.

DID YOU KNOW it is estimated that 50% of today's cat owners never take their cats to the vet for heath care as cats tend to keep their problems to themselves, owners thinks their cat is perfectly healthy when he may really be suffering from a serious illness or life threatening disease. This makes cats much more sicker than dogs are by the time they are taken to the vet for treatment!

Adopting a kitten, you are more-less responsible for shaping his personality than if you were to adopt an adult cat. The first stages of being a kitten is the perfect time to introduce everything to your kitten, from grooming, to leashes, being picked up, diet etc your kitten will get to be more comfortable and it will be easier in the long run. Even though older cats can be trained, it may take a bit longer and a lot more patience is required for this task!

An adult cat can be quite a bonus as you can see what you are getting in the way of what the cat will look like, personality, health and so on. Depending on where you are getting your fully grown cat from, his personality can vary with this as cats can react very strongly to stress. Others tend not to stress so much.

Adult cats definitely will not need the supervision like a kitten would, being not as boisterous but if they are going to be alone for much of the day, another kitty companion will always be comforting, not to mention all the love they both will give you! Cats are not as easy at adopting, but it will pay off with all the gratitude and affection for your patience.

Choosing an adult cat, could also save his life.

Male or Female? Everyone has their own preference with this one but once they are neutered there is not really much difference. In my own experience, females are more standoffish and fickle, and males a lot more cuddlier and come when his name is called most of the time.

Unneutered cats is where the personality really sets them apart. Your female kitten can go on heat at the ripe old age of just six months, and males who will mark their teritory to warn invaders out can turn into a smelly experience, but once neutered they will settle down considerably.

Long haired or short haired? Again this is everyones own personal preference, as I love long haired cats. Binx being one of the hairiest little things I know! You have to bear in mind that these sort of cats need regular grooming about up to once a day to stop hair from matting and kitty forming furballs in their gut. Shorthaired cats will not need quite so much grooming, but it is a great bonding experience for both parties!

Purebred or Non-purebred? Depending on what sort of life you have in store for you cat, buying purebred can cost hundreds of thousands. Non-purbred cats are said to have less predictable personalities they still make beautiful, loving pets. Various purbred kitties can have specific health problems which you will have to know about before you make any decisions. Purebreds often can not fend for themselves nearly as well as what a non-purbred can, so you will have to know if you want him to be an indoor or outdoor kitty.

Where to get your new kitty from? If I may, I strongly recommend NOT buying your cat or kitten from a pet store. These cats and kittens on display can be overpriced and their background may not be known. I recommend visiting your local shelter, as many cats and kittens are in deperate need of finding a home and someone to love them, they have usually been neglected previoulsy but your love will win their love and affection like no other for years to come.

Kitten Care

So how do you give your kitten care and love the way it needs to be done. Well first of all, the love part of this whole thing should be quite easy as you almost always fall under the spell of their big, wide eyes which will always seem to be staring up at you. For full details and information on what you will need to do for your kitten care wise that is, you should go see your vet.

They’ll also tell you what you need to do to keep your kitten happy and contented. You’ll be told that you need to give shots to your kitten care will also need to be taken to ensure that she doesn’t get into any scrapes or the like.

Kittens are also notorious for climbing up anything and everything that is within their sights so don’t be too surprised if you come home one day to find your lace drapes torn from top to bottom because the little critter climbed up them and couldn’t get a good enough grip.

When you go to get a kitten then, kitten care and everything that goes along with that should be uppermost in your mind. Your kitten should be healthy and well loved and able to boast to all the other little kittens it meets that he has found the perfect pets to keep him in the lap of luxury.

Your little girl has been asking for a kitten ever since her friend down the street got one and you’ve come to the point where it’s getting hard to resist her pleading little eyes. So you give in quite easily and take her down to the pet store, because let’s face it, you had always wanted a kitten when you were smaller as well. Before you actually go and get your kitten however, you might first want to consider what type of kitten you want. Sure they all look adorable with their big eyes when they’re still very young, but you have to realize that they’ll grow one day and you will have to live with your choice. And don’t forget that you’ll need to give the kitten care and love for a long time to come.

You might have only promised the kitten to your daughter on the basis that she look after the kitten by herself, but if you’re realistic you’ll know that there’s no way you’re going to let the poor thing go to rack and ruin when she does forget to look after it. And she will forget all about her kitten care will be the last thought on her mind, and you will be saddled with the kitten. She’s still too small and you knew that when you gave in to the whole kitten idea, so ultimately like everything else, the kitten care giving bit has now become your responsibility.