Are You Ready to Be a Cat Owner?

You may have been longing to get a cat but you need to decide if you are prepared to commit yourself. There are lots of factors to take into consideration, and you can start from here:

You know the value of socialization.

Cats have this unfair reputation of being antisocial, and in the case of many felines, this is somehow true. However, when you train your cat to socialize early in life, they are less likely to shy away from relatives or friends who visit. How can you teach your cat to be confident? Let her experience new surroundings, people, things, sounds and scents, as well as treats and praises. You can let them attend classes for kittens that provide helpful training and exercises. Giving a lot of importance to socialization and understanding what you need to do to will bring up a kitty with self confidence may show that you are prepared to get a cat.

You have the means.

It may be hard to figure out how much you need to care for a cat, but certainly, this involves costs of food, bowls, litter, litter box, toys, grooming tools, enrichment products like cat trees and scratchers, identification and microchipping, parasite preventives and veterinary visits. The last one is definitely a big expense. Not all cats visit the veterinarian on a regular basis. A yearly physical exam may be adequate for some cats, while more frequent visits to the vet are needed by older cats and those with health problems. If you are computing the costs to know whether you can afford to get a cat, always include the expenses entailed in health care, as well as pet insurance and emergencies in case you decide to buy it.

You will devote time to exercise your cat.

Cats also need to exercise. It does not mean that you need to walk them the way you do with a dog, though some are trained to do so with a leash. Exercise is very important to cats, even more than most probable cat owners may realize. Besides promoting good physical and mental health, it strengthens the bond between a pet and its owner. Therefore, it is best to devote time daily for active play, and provide cats with toys that encourage them to move a lot – like climbing trees, laser pointers, feather toys, as well as cardboard boxes and paper bags.

You are bent on making your home cat-friendly.

It is easy to recognize cat-friendly houses with their cat trees, scratching posts and food puzzles. These enrichment playthings let cats use their natural instincts – like climbing, jumping, scratching and hunting. In essence, they add more excitement to life, and what more could your favorite feline ask for? When you have discovered how to fit them into your home, there is one other thing you need to do when it comes to cat-friendly living, and that is cat proofing. If you decide to take home a cat, make sure to get rid of and be careful of things that could hurt or poison her – like some chemicals, cleaners, foods, medications and plants, among others.

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