Pets

Once your family has set its heart on having a cat, plan ahead before you rush out to get one Ask yourself what you want a cat for Is it to be a show cat or a pet cat? Male or female? Longhaired or shorthaired? What colour? Pedigree or mongrel? Lets look at these and some other questions.

Show cat or pet cat?
If you have never been to a cat show, you may not even consider the possibility of showing, but should you choose your kitten at a cat show, the breeder may persuade you to show just once Then. if the kitten takes home a prize. you may be hooked into the show circuit for good. It is quite possible to show an ordinary pet cat, but only in pet cat classes: and of course. you can own a pedigree cat without showing it However it would be sensible to decide which kind of life you want for your cat before you obtain it. if you do not want a cat to have kittens. you can have a pedigree cat neutered and still show it. but only in neuter classes. (Dogs. on the other hand. cannot be shown if they have been neutered or spayed )

Male or female?
If you want to breed kittens the answer to this question is obviously to buy a female. Remember, though that if you hope to sell the kittens, you must breed from a pedigree female mating her with a sire of the same breed when she matures However breeding cats will not make you much money it is largely a labour of love. If you do not want to breed kittens have your cat spayed at about six to eight months old depending on the breed. Never start with an entire male as a pet. For one thing it would be difficult keeping him happy at home without enough queens (females) to mate with and for hygienic reasons you could not let mm run free He would also fight with the neighbouring toms, mares and get his ears bitten or worse' An adult tom is impossible to keep indoors as a family pet because of his strong urine which he will spray round the house to attract the females. One does hear of toms living at home but this is exceptional. You should only choose a male kitten if you are prepared to have him neutered by the time he is about six months old.

Some people think neutered animals suffer a sense of loss or deprivation much as if they were humans. This is not so for them mating is purely instinctive. and once the mating desire is removed they simply grow up differently. losing the urge to go out at all hours in all weathers and becoming content to rest by the fireside They become more loving pets. too This is surely better than being forced out at night by a sex urge that leads to fights and getting run over. not to mention adding to an already overgrown cat population A pet cat must be neutered. Neuters of both sexes are very lovable, but neutering a female is a major operation and consequently costs more than neutering a male.

Longhaired or shorthaired
This choice will depend not only on which kind of cat you prefer to look at. but on how much time members of the family can spare for grooming the pet A longhaired cat is undoubtedly beautiful but an hour s daily brushing and combing and untangling of knots may be needed to keep it that way: so only someone who is sure he or she wants to do all this work should have a Persian cat It is no good if the novelty wears off after a few weeks' A cat may live for 20 years. and that means more than 7000 man-hours of grooming If this thought makes you bench you would be safer having a short haired cat, there are many delightful kinds to choose from.

If anyone in the family suffers from asthma a longhaired cat may bring on an attack and for that reason is best avoided. Some people suffer an allergic reaction near any cat. and for a few unlucky individuals all furred and feathered animals are taboo Before choosing a cat visit cat-keeping friends to discover whether or not cats affect anyone in your family This is better than buying a cat only to find you must part with it very soon afterwards?a disturbing experience for the poor animal.

What colour?
Cats come in at colours except green. You can find black and white, brown, cream: shades of red blues, and greys. There are also lots of exciting coat patterns, such as tabby, spotted and pointed (the face. legs and tail a different colour from the main body). Then there are mixtures of all colours and patterns. But do no choose a colour to go with the decor or you may wish to change the cat each time you redecorate! Cats of any colour or pattern can be delightful. In fact most people develop a loyalty to the colour or breed of their first cat, replacing that pet when it dies with another much like it.

Having looked through all the pictures and breed profiles earlier in this book and discovered a cat you consider ideally beautiful you may find there is none of that breed in your district. or even perhaps in your country. You may have to be very patient before you can acquire such a cat. Probably it is better to compromise and choose from what is available in your area, then at least the breeder is handy if you need to return for advice on aftercare problems.

Buying a pedigree cat
Once you have decided what kind of cat you want. you must look at the cost Very fine show specimen: can cost a great deal, but there is no point in paying a high purchase price unless you wish your cat to have a show career Very often a pedigree cat with scarcely less perfect features than a champion's can be obtained for a fraction of a champion's cost. Such cats will make just as wonderful pets as top prizewinners A breeder may be able to help you to find such a cat- but don't tell the breeder you do not want to show and buy an imperfect kitten only to show it the length and breadth of the country under the breeder's prefix' On the other hand. it is a waste of money and a tragedy for the breed to buy a top show kitten and have it neutered without breeding or showing it Take the breeder s advice in these matters and never breed from inferior stock or you will only get inferior kittens
Sometimes you find pedigree kittens in a pet shop, but more usually they are just advertised there and kept at the home of the breeder. who pays the pet shop commission for introducing buyers Pedigree kittens are also advertised in the pets' column of local and some national newspapers In such instances always visit the breeder's home and see for yourself the surroundings in which your prospective pet has been reared Usually it is best all round if the kitten has been reared in the house with humans, even if is put in a pen in the garden during the sunshine hours. Kittens raised in this way have grown used to household sounds and so are unlikely to panic the first time they hear a vacuum cleaner or a postman arriving. Even if you choose a cat at a show it is probably a good idea to leave it with the owner for a day or two collecting it after it has settled down again at home after the noise and excitement of the show

When you arrive at the breeder s to choose your kitten watch the whole litter for an hour or so if the breeder will let you rather than making an instant decision This will help you to choose a kitten with the right personality for you some kittens are shy some boisterous some bullies some loving and so on. But studying the family can also provide clues to physical condition. Be suspicious of a kitten sitting quietly at the back while the others are joyfully playing it may be a weakling or sickening for something or having an off day. Do not choose the runt (the smallest or weakest) of the litter if there is one. It may look very sweet but could spend much of its life at the veterinarians at enormous expense to yourself. Select one of the outgoing lively ones instead as a safer bet.

A healthy kitten should have bright eyes, shining coat and plenty of energy However, like babies, kittens must have plenty of rest. so after chasing about for some time is quite normal for them all to fall asleep in a heap If there is any sign of illness. touch none from that litter Either go elsewhere or come back another day to make sure The first sign of sickness may be a visible third eyelid, which in kittens comes across the eye from the timer corner when things are not as they should be. The mother cat should also look healthy and well fed, and the home should be well looked after and spotless, not dirty or smelling of cat. Remember that a very cheap pedigree kitten is usually a bad investment. Choose the best one you can afford might see this as an act of God If not that, at least it is flattering to think that the little soul seems to have sought you out personally, and you may well find it hard to harden your heart and turn it away A second and more reliable source of supply is a pet shop. Usually it is non-pedigree kittens that find their way her, where perhaps they sit in the window looking adorable until someone with a soft heart comes along and takes them home. Usually the charge is small as the pet shop hopes to secure you as a customer, buying food and other items for the rest of the cat's life.

Thirdly, your local newspaper is likely to carry advertisements for cats or kittens offered 'free to a good home'. Some will have been born in the advertiser's home, but others may be unwanted presents. You should try to avoid taking a cat that has had too many homes and been moved around too much: this is always unsettling for a cat, and it may have become rather emotionally unstable as a result

A fourth and unfailingly constant cat reservoir is one of the animal charities. Your local branches of the RSPCA and PDSA usually have cats and kittens looking for good homes. The charities have to destroy thousands of unwanted cats and kittens each year, but they try to place as many animals as possible. If you can offer a loving home to one or more animals these organizations will be delighted to hear from you. Their addresses and telephone numbers are probably listed in your local telephone directory. Sometimes they ask for a donation in exchange for the cat or kitten, although this may be offered free.

If you lack the patience for rearing a kitten you may consider taking an adult cat. Provided you have no other cat at home at the time Adult cats are much more difficult to place than kittens, but they usually seem very grateful for the chance of a new home with a loving lap or a fireside. If you already have one adult however, avoid introducing another or there will be jealousy Remember that an adult will be set in its ways so will need more patience and understanding than a kitten whose behaviour you can generally mould as you please. Incidentally, rearing a kitten is much easier than raising a puppy.

The main objection to obtaining a mongrel is lack of information about its background. More often than not you know nothing about its parents or the care it has had. On the other hand when you buy a pedigree cat from a good breeder you can learn a good deal about the creature's heredity and environment. Because the breeder has studied cat nutrition and done her best for her cats from well before they were born you are more likely to have a healthier kitten and fewer veterinary bills if you buy from her than if you opt for a mongrel of dubious origin

Is it old enough?
Whichever type of cat you choose it should be old enough to leave its mother. You can often check by examination. The kitten should have a full set of teeth or be at least eight weeks old Pedigree kittens are usually 12 weeks old before the breeder will let them go. It is not just a question of being able to eat solids, but a matter of finishing their education with their mother. She will teach them how to eat, wash and use a litter tray and a scratching post. She will also show them how to play: making the moves they would need in the wild for fighting. She will teach them how to hunt for food: to lie in wait, pounce, and growl over a prey. By example she shows each kitten how to keep other cats away from its prey. Even a mother who is not allowed to go out into natural surroundings instinctively teaches her kittens these things, using spiders and toy mice, so that her offspring will be well equipped wherever they go in adult life. If kittens are removed from their mothers too soon, they will miss instruction that might one day assure their survival.

One cat or two?
Often two brother or sister kittens in a litter seem inseparable when you visit them in their own home. They play together, sleep together, and altogether seem to have more affinity for each other than for the rest of the litter. Very likely the breeder will hope to part with both to the same buyer someone who has decided that two will be better than one. In several important ways they certainly are. When all your family goes out for most of the day, two cats will keep each other company. Also remember that one cat is fun but two are fun squared! When making your decision consider that if you take only one and later go back for another they may settle in less well than if they go to their new home together. If you can afford it have two straight away, particularly if there is more than one child in your family.

Parting with a cat
Perhaps this seems a curious topic to end our section on choosing a cat. However, it is a sad fact that unforeseen circumstances some?times mean people find themselves parting with the pet they had acquired not long before. If this happens to you remember that cats are sensitive creatures. Try to find yours an alternative home where a loving atmosphere prevails. Your obligation is not just moral in many parts of the world it is a legal offence to neglect a cat people who turn their cats out when the novelty of ownership wears off are liable to prosecution. If a home cannot be found, then you must consider euthanasia (putting to sleep) rather than abandoning the animal to likely starvation. Naturally you should make every possible effort to find your pet a new home before taking this last irrevocable step.