| 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. Any home smaller than about 700 sq. feet is
too small for one cat to live in (and 900 sq feet is about the minimum
for two).
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|
| Can
I deal with a litterbox and potential accidents? |
|
Although
cats are very clean animals and instinctually bury their waste, you
still need to clean out their litterbox. 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. You must ask yourself, are you willing
to clean out the litterbox at least once a day (more often for larger
and multiple cats) and deal with potential accidents that are bound
to occur at some point in your pet's life?
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|
| Can
you afford a cat? |
|
Cats
are cheaper pets than dogs but you will still need to afford the following:
food, treats, bowls, litter, litterbox, scooper, scratching post, cat
bed, toys, cat carriers, brushes and grooming tools, collar, identification
tag, and medical care. Your cat needs, at minimum, all of the above.
Many people get cats and at the first sign of medical expense dump the
cat off at the shelter. Be prepared for medical expenses (you can even
purchase pet health insurance), you never know when a cat will get ill.
And if you can't afford or aren't willing to pay for medical expenses,
if and when it happens, don't get a cat. Too many people wait until
the last possible second before taking a cat to the vet. This denial
of proper medical attention to save a few bucks is cruel to the animal
and usually end up costing more as by the time the cat is at the vet
the cat is very, very ill.
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|
| 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 at minimum 2 hours/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 (get a hamster instead).
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|
| Can
you deal with training your cat and possibly a few bad behaviors? |
|
Don't
get us wrong, cats are very low maintenance. Cats are fairly easily
trained and many cats come to us already knowledgeable about how to
act, use a litterbox, 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 your personality 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.
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| Can
you deal with pet hair? |
|
Cats
are hairy and they shed. Are you ready to deal with cat hair on the
couch and such? 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. For the
most part indoor cats live much longer lives than outdoor-only cats,
this is due to the high risk of disease (many of which there are no
vaccines for), poor eating habits, assault from other animals and humans,
and other unknowns that outdoor cats face. Some studies report that
indoor-only cats live on average 12 years while outdoor-only cats only
live on average 3 years.
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|
| 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.
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| Can
you deal with illness or death? |
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| At
some time point your pet may get ill and unfortunately will eventually
die. Are you willing to deal with such an illness or death emotionally
and financially? |
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