How to Get Ready for Cats at Home?

Choosing a cat as a pet

As simple and easy as it may seem, choosing a cat as a pet is not a very easy task and it demands a serious and responsible analysis of pros and cons in advance.

Owning a pet is frequently a dream come true for a lot of persons but it is not to be taken lightly. The real questions to ask ourselves here are which animal would make the perfect pet for us and why? Is my lifestyle favourable to owning a pet? Why not a dog or a hamster? what about a rabbit, a turtle or even a fish?

It goes beyond saying that for each person, whether adult or child, there is a different feeling of attraction towards each and every one of these animals and the prompt to wish to bring them home can vary a great deal from one individual to another.

What Motivates You?

The reasons why you may choose a cute purry cat instead of another animal can be numerous, but we all agree that the decision to bring one home is often out of love at first sight. 

Now, how to adopt a cat and what to do to be ready to live with a cat as a pet?

The answer is by educating ourselves and by training the kitty, if possible, well in advance before bringing it home. 

Preparing or conceiving a long-term conviviality plan comes in handy. Very usually, the urge to have a pet does not only respond to a strong need to take care of them but we also do it for ourselves, to look cool to the eyes of other persons and also for them to keep us company to fight solitude for a long time considering that cats often live for around fifteen years. On the flip-side, domestic cats need attention from their owners, positive reinforcement, training, and love.

Learn about Cats Behaviour

You must start learning about cats behaviour the very moment you decide to own one of them as a pet. Cats are independent and playful by nature but some cat breeds require more hours of people attention. Only time can tell you which type of cat you own because when you first adopt them as kittens their personalities are still developing.

Some cats belong to a one pet household and while some of them are reluctant to sharing their owner’s affections and will be mean towards any infiltrator, other cats need a playmate’s attention to live happily. 

When we are away, our cats can amuse themselves by looking out the windows or playing with available toys such as toy mice, string, feathers, and even empty boxes, so before adopting one, make sure that you will be able to allot some time for playing with them.

Learn about Cat Care

Caring for cats is also important. Getting them good quality cat litter and a cat litter box is essential. Keep the box always clean. Make sure you buy well-balanced, age-appropriate food. Get them a scratching post. Catnip and freeze-dried cat treats are excellent tools for cat bribery and training. Get pet insurance just in case.

Grooming for cats is important, especially the earlier the better. Bathing, brushing, and trimming claws are regular routines that should never be overlooked.

Before you bring a cat home consider testing yourself for feline allergies. Also plan taking it for a check-up and immunizations. Schedule it to be neutered or sprayed as soon as age allows and if it has not been already done before bringing the cat home.

Cats have proven to be great companions and only if we carefully examine the advantages and disadvantages of sharing our lives with them and really get ready in advance for a loving, dedicated  and long-lasting friendship with them we could say that they are the ideal pet to have at home.

For more about the amazing world of cats as pets, we suggest our next notes about what it takes to choose the right cat as pet.

"Breakthrough Japanese study shows that cats can understand human emotions, even words" . See here for more on how to understand and communicate with cats.