How to Choose the Right Kitten for Your Home
Decide if you want a rescue cat from an animal shelter or a purebred cat., Know that purebred animals are bred based on consumer demand., Check the neighborhood and newspapers., Know if the cat is long, medium or short-haired., Taking a cat that has...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide if you want a rescue cat from an animal shelter or a purebred cat.
Animals from rescue shelters are not free, they do charge an average of $70
- $110 dollars for the cat though some cost less.
They also may require you to sign some sort of commitment paper.
Taking a rescue animal is a wonderful idea, is cheaper than buying one from a breeder, but does come with risks.
Animals are quarantined to determine if they come to the shelter with any illnesses, but sometimes you might take one home and it dies within days or weeks from an illness it had or caught from another animal in the shelter.
There are no guarantees with rescue animals. -
Step 2: Know that purebred animals are bred based on consumer demand.
Certain cats are deemed more desirable as a marketable commodity and are are almost always bred specifically for sale.
Make sure you find a reputable breeder and check out the cleanliness of the cattery to determine what environment the animal has lived in.
Overcrowding and filth are definite warning flags, no matter how much they want for the animal.
Some breeders charge more for animals that have not been spayed or neutered, in order to curb competition in the market. , Some people with kittens are glad to give them away.
This also gives you a chance to look at the parent of the kittens to see how large the cat will grow and about what it will look like.
You might not get that benefit if you are getting an animal from a shelter.
However, this kitten may have all kinds of parasites: fleas, worms, ear-mites. , It will make a difference in how the cat looks, and how the cat sheds.
The more the hair, the more the cat sheds.
It might make shedding less of a problem if you pick a cat near the color of your carpet, couch, chairs, etc.
A long-haired cat is much more prone to "hairballs" than a short-haired cat.
Cats tend to clean themselves by brushing their fur with their tongue (which is textured to help in the process), and hair is ingested, builds up into a wad, and is regurgitated.
This "hairball" looks like a wet hairy sausage.
You can help by grooming the cat to help get rid of loose hair.
The more you groom, the fewer the "hairballs."
Cats need their claws in order to defend themselves in the wild as well as to catch food.
Please do your research when making the decision to declaw a cat/kitten.
Declawing is in fact an amputation at the first joint on each "finger" of the cat.
Declawing can cause many serious issues including litterbox aversion (pain in the paws when digging in the litter); arthritis, biting and scratching etc.
Please consider training your kitten to a good solid scratch post instead of subjecting it to the mutilation of declawing. , Both Male and Female cats will mark their territory by urinating in certain areas of the house.
Spaying and neutering will block this behaviour, especially if done before the kitten reaches sexual maturity.
If you get a cat from a rescue shelter, it will probably be neutered. , Put a cat in a litter box once or twice, and it automatically knows where to go to the bathroom.
Much, much, much easier to house train than a dog.
This is because cats naturally use a specific spot, whereas that is not a dog's natural behavior. , Leave it alone when it wants to be left alone.
It is that easy.
There is nothing better than having a cat jump in your lap and want to be cuddled! (However it usually takes about a year before a cat will trust you enough to sit in your lap for long periods of time.) , When you first bring it home, it may hide, or run away from you (you should keep it indoors for about the first week, until it knows that you feed it.) , Start by assigning just one room to the kitten, maybe a bathroom or bedroom.
Keep the door closed, put a kitten-sized litter tray, food, and water in that room.
The kitten will be fine in there.
Give your other cat or cats much more attention, extra treats.
They will absolutely know that kitten is in there, by the smell.
They will smell and paw at the door, may hiss at it.
This is fine.
Cats who meet need to establish territory and boundaries.
You don't want your cats to think the kitten is invading their territory, or you will have unhappy cats, who may start doing things to show their unhappiness! When you come out of the room where the kitten is, let your cats smell your hands, then pet them and give them a treat and attention.
After two or three days of this, you can let your older cat into the room to check it out, under your supervision.
When it sees the kitten, it will want to smell it, and may very well hiss at it.
That's alright, pet your cat, say nice soothing things, tell your cat how important and primary they are.
Don't make a fuss over the kitten when the cat can see, for the first few weeks.
This is really important, that the cat feel still "in charge" in the home and primary to you.
They will probably eventually relax and accept the kitten, but that's not for sure.
Take it slow, this can become a beautiful relationship between them if you don't mess this up.
Sometime, when the cat is asleep elsewhere, let the kitten out to explore the living room.
For at least the first week, more if your cat acts upset, the kitten must stay in its room, particularly at night, especially if your cat claims your bed as its territory.
With luck, your cat will start to accept the kitten as its younger sibling or its own kitten, they will play and wrestle and wash each other and become great friends.
This is worth working for. -
Step 3: Check the neighborhood and newspapers.
-
Step 4: Know if the cat is long
-
Step 5: medium or short-haired.
-
Step 6: Taking a cat that has been declawed
-
Step 7: or declawing your cat
-
Step 8: means that it can never be allowed outside.
-
Step 9: Know if the cat is male or female.
-
Step 10: Cats are super easy to house train.
-
Step 11: Pet the cat when it wants to be petted.
-
Step 12: Let the cat get used to your house.
-
Step 13: If you have another cat or cats
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Step 14: it is very important to bring the kitten in gradually.
Detailed Guide
Animals from rescue shelters are not free, they do charge an average of $70
- $110 dollars for the cat though some cost less.
They also may require you to sign some sort of commitment paper.
Taking a rescue animal is a wonderful idea, is cheaper than buying one from a breeder, but does come with risks.
Animals are quarantined to determine if they come to the shelter with any illnesses, but sometimes you might take one home and it dies within days or weeks from an illness it had or caught from another animal in the shelter.
There are no guarantees with rescue animals.
Certain cats are deemed more desirable as a marketable commodity and are are almost always bred specifically for sale.
Make sure you find a reputable breeder and check out the cleanliness of the cattery to determine what environment the animal has lived in.
Overcrowding and filth are definite warning flags, no matter how much they want for the animal.
Some breeders charge more for animals that have not been spayed or neutered, in order to curb competition in the market. , Some people with kittens are glad to give them away.
This also gives you a chance to look at the parent of the kittens to see how large the cat will grow and about what it will look like.
You might not get that benefit if you are getting an animal from a shelter.
However, this kitten may have all kinds of parasites: fleas, worms, ear-mites. , It will make a difference in how the cat looks, and how the cat sheds.
The more the hair, the more the cat sheds.
It might make shedding less of a problem if you pick a cat near the color of your carpet, couch, chairs, etc.
A long-haired cat is much more prone to "hairballs" than a short-haired cat.
Cats tend to clean themselves by brushing their fur with their tongue (which is textured to help in the process), and hair is ingested, builds up into a wad, and is regurgitated.
This "hairball" looks like a wet hairy sausage.
You can help by grooming the cat to help get rid of loose hair.
The more you groom, the fewer the "hairballs."
Cats need their claws in order to defend themselves in the wild as well as to catch food.
Please do your research when making the decision to declaw a cat/kitten.
Declawing is in fact an amputation at the first joint on each "finger" of the cat.
Declawing can cause many serious issues including litterbox aversion (pain in the paws when digging in the litter); arthritis, biting and scratching etc.
Please consider training your kitten to a good solid scratch post instead of subjecting it to the mutilation of declawing. , Both Male and Female cats will mark their territory by urinating in certain areas of the house.
Spaying and neutering will block this behaviour, especially if done before the kitten reaches sexual maturity.
If you get a cat from a rescue shelter, it will probably be neutered. , Put a cat in a litter box once or twice, and it automatically knows where to go to the bathroom.
Much, much, much easier to house train than a dog.
This is because cats naturally use a specific spot, whereas that is not a dog's natural behavior. , Leave it alone when it wants to be left alone.
It is that easy.
There is nothing better than having a cat jump in your lap and want to be cuddled! (However it usually takes about a year before a cat will trust you enough to sit in your lap for long periods of time.) , When you first bring it home, it may hide, or run away from you (you should keep it indoors for about the first week, until it knows that you feed it.) , Start by assigning just one room to the kitten, maybe a bathroom or bedroom.
Keep the door closed, put a kitten-sized litter tray, food, and water in that room.
The kitten will be fine in there.
Give your other cat or cats much more attention, extra treats.
They will absolutely know that kitten is in there, by the smell.
They will smell and paw at the door, may hiss at it.
This is fine.
Cats who meet need to establish territory and boundaries.
You don't want your cats to think the kitten is invading their territory, or you will have unhappy cats, who may start doing things to show their unhappiness! When you come out of the room where the kitten is, let your cats smell your hands, then pet them and give them a treat and attention.
After two or three days of this, you can let your older cat into the room to check it out, under your supervision.
When it sees the kitten, it will want to smell it, and may very well hiss at it.
That's alright, pet your cat, say nice soothing things, tell your cat how important and primary they are.
Don't make a fuss over the kitten when the cat can see, for the first few weeks.
This is really important, that the cat feel still "in charge" in the home and primary to you.
They will probably eventually relax and accept the kitten, but that's not for sure.
Take it slow, this can become a beautiful relationship between them if you don't mess this up.
Sometime, when the cat is asleep elsewhere, let the kitten out to explore the living room.
For at least the first week, more if your cat acts upset, the kitten must stay in its room, particularly at night, especially if your cat claims your bed as its territory.
With luck, your cat will start to accept the kitten as its younger sibling or its own kitten, they will play and wrestle and wash each other and become great friends.
This is worth working for.
About the Author
Jerry Martin
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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