Q: What points should I look for when buying a kitten?

Answer: First of all, the kitten must have been properly weaned. Since most cats are weaned at six to eight week old under domestic conditions, this means that the kitten should be minimum of eight weeks old before it leaves its mother.

If it has already been handled frequently as a kitten (through of course not ill treated) it will usually accept human readily and prove an affectionate pet. A kitten over twelve weeks old, reared in a cattery with little human contact, is best not purchased because it will tend always to be fearful of humans and rather distant.

By this age of seven or eight weeks old the kitten will have all, or virtually all, of its, needle sharp milk teeth (deciduous teeth); fourteen in the upper jaw and twelve in the lover, twenty six in all. Also, at the age most kittens will weight about 25 to 29 oz (700 to 800g).

The kitten should be adequately nourished, neither then with its back-bone and ribs sticking out, nor pot-bellied. If the mother of the litter appears poorly cared for, it’s likely that the kittens have had the same treatment. Kittens should appear clean and will groomed, strong active and alert, taking an interest in what is going on around them, including your behaviors. There should be no evidence of fleas or ear mites (see latter)or anything else working with the coat, e.g. yellow staining of diarrhea beneath the tail.

There should be no abnormality of the limbs or any defect in walking, and no discharge around the eyes and nose. With a white kitten with one or both eyes blue, it is as will to test for possible deafness. If you choose from a litter, choose a friendly, bright animal, but not the most aggressive (i.e. the one who fights all his litter mates) or at the other extreme timid shrinking kitten. And don’t choose the ’runt’ of the litter, i.e. the smallest and most put upon, even though you probably feel very sorry for him. These kittens are more likely to develop to physical and emotional problems. The being life less will nourished and with less immunity to disease and, because of the treatment they have received from their litter mates, they are more likely to grow up either excessively timid or very aggressive. If you want test a kitten’s emotional stat, palace it in a room where there are no other cats to distract it and see whether it chase a paper ball or piece of string. Then clap your hands loudly and speck to it for five or ten seconds. If it is scurries away and hides and doesn’t chase this behavior quickly when you come to coax it, the chances are that it won’t fit it well with a house full of noisy children.

Lastly, find out what, if any, vaccinations the kitten has received and take it to your own vet for a check-up.

Q: Do neutered cats became fat?

Answer: Neutered cats, booth male and female, are more likely then entire cats to become overweight as they grow older, but this easily corrected by simply reducing their food consumption.

Q: Is a cat ever to old be neutered?

Answer: There is no maximum age at which these neutering operation can be perfumed, i.e. no cat is too old, but in general there is no point in delaying the operation unless:

1 You wish to breed from a female. If you feel you might to breed in the future, a drug (progestagen/progestin) can be give the meanwhile to prevent her from coming into heat and displaying the behavior mentioned earlier, or.

2 You wish a male develop the characteristic tom cat features of a wide head, puffy checks and large body. You could then have him costarred at two to three years, old Castrating an older tom cat may not stop him spraying urine, through it is 90% effective, but as last it stops the objectionable smell. He may also still want to roam, fight or even mate; this behavior occasionally persists, particularly in very sexually experienced male. But certainly his appearance will improve from a smelly, rough looking cat into a well groomed individual. In general most males and females show a gradual decline in sexual behavior after neutering.

Certainly, the ‘chemical castration’’ of male cats is being actively investigated; on or two injections of the drug cyprodione acetate permanently inhibit the effects of male sex hormone on the body.

Q: At what age should my cat be neutered? Will it cause a personality change?

Answer: Usually veterinary surgeon prefer to perform these neutering operations when the animals is old enough to withstand the operation and for the anatomical structures to be easily seen, but before puberty when breeding is possible and the cat develops the sexual behavior described above. This usually means minimum age of five to six months for the female and little older for the male.
Removing the gonads makes the cat develop into much more acceptable pet, especially in the case of females. Male cats ‘doctored’ before puberty will not usually developed in urine spraying habit or any under aggressiveness. Rarely, this behavior does develop in castrated males where they subjected to abnormal stress, for example another cat invading their territory.

Q: Should I have my cat neutered? I want to do what is best.

Answer: The term ‘neutering’ means, in the female, spaying(i.e. the removal of the uterus and the ovaries) and, in the male, castration (i.e. removal of the tactical). These operations have two main effects.

Firstly neutering prevents cats producing litter of unwanted kittens that will either have to be destroyed or become strays. There are already large numbers of unwanted stray animals around. Any more will have to complete with existing stray animals for food and will often die prematurely from disease or injury. It is also worth noting that female cats who regularly produce kittens are subjected to greater stress and do not live as long, e.g. a maximum of twelve years old compared with fourteen or fifteen years for a spayed female.

Secondly, neutering prevents the formation of sex hormones gonad (testosterone by the testicle and estrogen by the ovaries) and thereby alters the behaviors of the cat.

Entire female cats show sign of heat two or three times in the years, and at those times they will want to wander off to find a mate. Attempting to keep the cat indoor to prevent her mating in an almost impossible task; sooner or later the cat will manage to slip out. She will show typical mating behavior, crouching and rolling about making a raucous howling noise (‘calling’), which owner often interpret as evidence of sever pain. In Siamese in particular, the heat cycle can be prolonged or constant (often referred to as nymphomania). And of course, the presence of the female on heat will attract the local tom cats, who will congregate round the house in the hopes will of mating, will yowl, spry urine and fight each other.

Entire male cats will roam the neighborhood seeking mates, often for days on end, and they will spry their characteristically strong smelling urine in the home. They can also developed the condition of stud tail. Tome cats are certainly more aggressive; the frequently fight other male cats and as result often get bitten and developed absence. Not surprisingly, these additional stresses shorten their lifespan compared with a neutered male. And, because of their frequent wanderings, they are also more likely to be injured in a road traffic accident.

Q: Will my cat get along happily with other types of pets?

Answer: Because of its natural predatory instincts, it is unreasonable and unrealistic to except a cat not to attack the smaller pet mammals (such as hamsters, guinea pigs, or even rabbits), fish and cage birds. Where a kitten and the young of one of these species have been raised together, they may accept each other as equal and co-exist in harmony, but in practice this situation is rare. Therefore these pets should be segregated in their own cages, runs, etc. and the cat allow no opportunity to interfere with them.

The household pet with which they are most likely to get along happily is the dog, especially the kitten and puppy were introduce into the household at the same time.If kitten is bought into a house where there is already a dog, there is the danger of the dog becoming jealous and attacking the kitten. Therefore much the same procedure should be adopted as when introducing a kitten and an older cat i.e. giving increased attention to the dog and feeding the animals separately, particularly as they will have different food requirements and the dog will usually finish his meal first. Generally there will be gradual acceptance. Introduction of an older cat may be present greater difficulty, but again it should be attempted along the same lines.

Q: I have had a cat for eight years. If we get a new kitten, will they get along together?

Answer: There is unlikely to be any problem about the kitten accepting it’s a new companion if they are introduced before the kitten reaches there months of age, ideally close to the age of the eight weeks. As the kitten gets older it will take progressively longer to adopt to new surroundings and to other animals.

The main problem, however, is likely to lie in the older cat accepting the newcomer. Te established cat in household usually feels threatened on two counts; firstly, its territory is being invaded by another cat, and secondly, it feels jealous because there is competition for the owners attention and affection. The feeling of insecurity which is created may, in extreme case, result in the newcomer being savagely attacked. If this occurs, then the animals must be kept separated and only reintroduced in a series of meeting when you are present.

However, a certain amount of ‘bossy behavior’ on the part of older cat is normal and its intended to teach the newcomer its place. Often the older cat initially ignore the kitten totally and it can take a long time for a kitten to be accepted.

At times the jealousy and resentment felt by the older cat will result in abnormal behavior, even psychosomatic illness. There may be a breakdown of toilet training (i.e. urine spraying in the home or the deposition of urine and faces in inappropriate areas), sulking, and failure to eat and/or to groom. In some case, though, furious grooming is seen and in extreme instance diarrhea, vomiting and hair loss can occur. Siamese in particular may be very resentful and leap on to the owner’s shoulder for affection.

How can this process of acceptance be made smoother? Well firstly, don’t provoke a conformation by bringing the animals face to face ‘meet’ each other. If they do come into contact, it should be in a fairly large room, and not a confined space, with your present. Secondly, make a particular fuss of the established cat, not the newcomer. The older cat must be made to realize that it has no been displaced in your affections. So don’t lavish attention on the kitten, no matter how attractive it appears, when the resident cat is around to see this.

Finally, feed both cats at the same time from separate dishes of there own, either different room or at opposite end of the same room, if necessary with some furniture between to separate them. After a week these rules can be relaxed somewhat and hopefully with in six to eight weeks the two cats get along amicably.

Q: Is it always kinder to get two kittens as company for each other?

Answer: Although keeping two cats is often advocated so that they can keep each other company, especially if you are out most of the day, it would appear that because domestic cats do not form social groups they do not actually need the company of other cats. Especially, cats are loners and adopted to a solitary existence; this is true of all the members of the cat family with the exception of the lion and the cheetah. The only lasting relationship that occurs naturally between cats is that which is formed between a mother and her kittens, but even this doesn’t last beyond the time at which the kittens reach puberty, whereupon the group splits up and each individual goes its own way.

Consequently unless you want to have two cats it is not imperative for the cat’s sake to provide a companion. (Remember that where a new cat is introduced into a household the resident cat may feel initially that its established territory is being usurped and could respond with anger and frustration.) However, if two kittens are raised together they usually accept each other’s right to be present and these problems are unlikely to occur.

One advantage of having two cats can be that if they ever have to be left in a boarding cattery they will have a familiar companion with them. In Britain only about a quarter of all cats owners keep two or more cats.

When a numbers of cats are obliged to live together because they are all confined in the same breeding colony or household, they usually learn to tolerate each other and get along without too much trouble. In these groups there is often one cat (usually a male) who is dominate and demands to feed first and sit or slip wherever it choose. Sometimes, a second-in-command, can also be identified, and at times there may be one or two cats who are clearly social outcasts and have to feed after all the rest and occupy the last desirable sleeping places. But otherwise there is not the same rigid hierarchical structure for cats as seen in the social species, such as dog, where the ‘rank’ of each individual is well established.

If they can, cats generally prefer to avoid each other and therefore avoid trouble. To this end, scent marking of territory may serve to warn other cats that they might encounter the ‘occurring’ cat therefore to be cautions. Because of the absence of a hierarchy of dominance, chance encounters between cats, especially males, often end the fights because neither recognizes his own position as being inferior.

Notwithstanding this, is known that at nightfall both male and female cats of a neighborhood will often meet on neutral ground, that is to say, away from their own territories. The purpose of such meeting is uncertain but they are not related to mating or to asserting dominance. The cats just sit around, usually about six feet (2m) or more apart, through sometimes they will sit close together and groom each other. Such gathering may go on all night, particularly just before the start of the breeding season, through in general they will break up by midnight or soon after.

Q: Should I get a kitten, or will an older cat eventually fit into our family?

Answer: This choice depends upon the individual circumstances. A kitten usually fits in better then older cat, which sometime takes a long time adapt to different people and a different regimen. However, a kitten requires feeding three or four times a day and need those training, which really means that someone has to be at home with it all day. For these reasons, an older cat is preferable for people who are out all day, as will as for elderly people who can find it difficult to cope with a lively and demanding young kitten

An older cat will usually integrate more readily with a single person then with a complete household, i.e. a family with exciting pets. But if you do opt for an older cat, be careful both about animals that people want to give you, or a stray cat that wants to adopt you. Have the cat checked first by your vet to make sure that you are not taking on a chronic invalid or a diseased animal which may infect existing pets.

Q: Is a female cat a batter companion then a male cat?

Answer: Of course, both male and female can be neutered and there is then little to choose between them. On balance, however, a spayed female cats seems marginally less aggressive and less likely to spray urine indoors then is a castrated male cat. (It does, however, cost slightly more to neuter a female then a male.)

If the cat is not neutered, then a female cat is definitely preferable because it will fit in better with normal human life. Even so, when she is ‘in season’ (‘on heat’)she will difficult to confine indoor and will make the typical load calling noises. And she may easily become pregnant and produce a litter of kittens, a process which might be repeated several times. You could of course have her spayed later, which would eliminate these problems.

An uncast rated (entire) male i.e. a tom cat, usually does not make an acceptable pet because of his habit of living home for long periods, sometime several days, being more aggressive and getting into fights. He will also tend to spray his pungent urine in the house, which impregnates everything, including clothes, with a smell the most people find objectionable. Most boarding catteries are unwilling to board a tom cat. Incidentally, a tom cat’s skin is exceptionally tough and giving an injection can prove a problem because the needle may bend rather then penetrate, particularly around the neck region.

Q: Are cats suitable pets to have in the home with children?

Answer: Certainly for older children, i.e. above the toddler stage, there can be considerable educational benefit in looking after a cat, as with any pet. The child learn consideration for living creatures and through having responsibility, for example for feeding and grooming, gains confidence in himself. In owing a female cat, there is also an opportunity for learning about sex and birth and the care of the young. Burmese, Himalayan and Siamese cat are pedigree animals which are particularly suited to children, if you are considering a pedigree cat.

If you intend to buy a cat for your children, don’t do so unless you really like cats, because in a family one of the parents must take responsibility for looking after the cat. This isn’t something that can be delegate to a child; at worst they may tire of the novelty of having a cat very quickly and at the best they may at times become so engrossed in another activity that they forget to feed or groom the cat. Perhaps this change of interest is of no great importance to them, but it certainly is vital to the cat’s well-being. And never buy a cat as a present for some one else’s children, with out consulting and obtaining the consent of the parents. There may well be important factors to consider which you know nothing about.

It is important to avoid the cat being ill- treated; usually this results from not knowing the correct way to handle the animal (squeezing and pulling)and from carelessness and a misplaced since of fun. The children should be asked to consider how they would like to be attend, and shown the correct way to handle a cat. Deliberate maltreatment of animals is most common in children who are themselves ill-treated.

Children between three and six years old should be set down before being given a cat or kitten to hold as they can easily drop it, especially when the animal wriggles or as a kitten will, digs its claws in.

For children below toddler age, there can be problem with cats. Babies and toddlers certainly like to stoke cats and many cats like it. But there should always be an adult around. If the child pulls at the cat’s tail or hair, steps on it, the cat may attack (pain-induced aggression). Very young children (under two years old) have a natural tendency to suddenly grab at objects, which kittens find alarming. Cats can also snuggle into a pram or cot with a body for warmth, and may suffocate it. Cat nets will, if properly fastened, prevent this occurring.

In condition, two important zoo noses (disease spared by animal to man) can be transmitted by the cat, and children are particularly at risk because of their habit of putting fingers and object their mouths. These disease are visceral larva migrants and toxoplasmosis.

Cats and children should be prevented from eating each otter’s food, and the car should be stopped from licking the child’s face. After stroking the cat, the child’s hands should be washed; until then it should no be allowed to put its fingers into its mouth. Babies and toddlers should be kept away from the cat’s toilet tray, and child’s sandpit should be covered when not in use to prevent cats using it is a toilet box. Ct faces should be covered be cleaned from children’s play areas as soon as possible.

Q: Is one breed of cat more trouble then other?

Answer: A well, firstly it should be pointed out that long haired cats, whether pedigree or mongrel, will required more grooming then those with short hair, and often more bathing as will. Remember too that the hairs of black and dark colored cats are usually less obvious on furniture or carpet through this, of course, depend upon the color of the carpe and upholstery.

Certainly, different pedigree breeds of the cat have different characteristics: what you regard ‘trouble’ depends on your own temperament and individual circumstance- your accommodation, wither you have a family, and so on. It is as well to be aware of these characteristics so as to obtain a pet that will suit your requirements. Even so, there will inevitably be difference between the temperament of individuals even of the same breed.

First, the short-haired cats. The most popular pedigree cats are Siamese, which differ from most cats in being very outgoing with a strangers and generally more sociable. A pair of cats reared together usually get on very well. Nevertheless, they are very strongly attached to their owners and very demanding of attention and affection. Because they enjoy being held and stroked, Siamese often fit in well with older children, provide they are handled care fully. On the ‘problem’ side, they have loud raucous voices which they tend to use excessively. This can be a problem with neighbors especially, in small apartments. The noise is particularly loud when a female on heat ‘calling’ and the breed does tend to have prolonged seasons. In general, the are intelligent, highly strung cats, at times tending towards the neurotic. Because they have been so popular, some strains have become excessively inbred, resulting in severe squints (strabismus or ‘crossed eyes’), skeletal disease (ontogenesis imperfect), kinked tails (due to misalignment of the vertebrae), or abnormal temperaments some individuals being very aggressive, others very timed. Some Siamese have wool- sucking tendencies and some are absolute spitfires when handled. Like other oriental breed, they are often easily trained and will frequently walk on a lead or leash.

Burmese cats are closely related to Siamese, through less vocal and more withdrawn with strangers. In general, they are easy going cats, good as family pets and tolerant of children.
The Abyssinian is a shy cat, apprehensive with strangers, and not at all happy about sitting on your lap. It is rather too nervous for children, through it is an increasingly popular breed, especially with men. This may well be because the Abyssinian, more then any other breed, resembles a wild cat in appearance.

The Russian Blue is an attractive looking cat but very shy and not at all sociable. When other cats around, it will probably spend most of its time in hiding.

The curly-coated Rex cats (‘poodle cats’) are often considered suitable pets for people who are allergic to other breeds of cat. This is attributed to the absence of any long body hairs (guard hairs). In fact, only in the Cornish Rex (otherwise called a German Rex) are these truly absent; in other Rex cats the guard hairs are still present, through modified into soft curly hairs. Consequently, it would be available to test the alleged ‘freedom from allergy’ if this is important to you. Probably the most popular of the Rex breeds in the Devon Rex; its pixie looks are attractive to some people, but disturbing to others. The breed is renowned for its quicksilver temperament apprehensive highly strung, easily upset, and tending to go into sulky moods. However, it has a quiet voice and can be trained to walk on a lead. Regrettably, Devon Rex cats have a high incidence of patella luxation. i.e. a tendency for the knee-cap to slip out of place.

Now, the long-haired breeds. In Great Britain these breeds are not so fertile as the short-hairs, so there are fewer born (two or three is the average litter size of Persian) and the prices asked for them are correspondingly higher.

The Persian is a rather reserved cat, not particularly demanding in affection (not terribly keen to sit on your lap for instance) and quiet happy as the only cast in the household. Indeed, some people find the breed almost lethargic, which may be associated with its poorly developed predatory instincts, towards birds for example. Blue-eyed white Persians may be deaf.

The Himalayan is a breed which is growing in a popularity, especially in North America, and its makes a good pet. Its temperament is between the reserved Persian and the more outgoing Siamese.

Finally, we should mention the Turkish (Turkish Angora) breed which is rather a nervous cat but notable because it has reputation for liking water and enjoying swimming.

In the domestication of cats, it seems probably that the animals selected were the ones with the most kittenish qualities, i.e. those with a less independent nature and more likely to from a cat-owner relationship similar to the natural kitten- mother bond. Informally, in the breeding of pedigree cats, animals seem to have been selected largely on the basis of appearance, with out regard for their desirable behavioral characteristics as pets.

Q: Will a cat damage my furniture?

Answer: Unfortunately, this is always is possible, unless the cat is excluded from the house, through for many people this would rather defeat the object of keeping one.

Apparently distractive behavior arises primarily from the need of the cat to sharpen its nails by removing the damaged and blunted outer cuticles, and also to mark its territory.

Q: As cat owners, are there likely to be problem if we have a body?

Answer: The problems which may arise fall into two categories. One is the behavior of the cat towards the body, and the other is the health risk.

The established cat may resent the arrival of the body, feeling that it has been replaced in the owner’s affections. Consequently, it may show all the sign of the jealousy and resentment, i.e. the deliberate breakdown of toilet training with urine spraying, and refusal to eat or groom. In very extreme cases, the body might even be attacked.

It is therefore important to give increased affection and attention to the cat when the infant arrives to reassure it about its position in the household. And to minimize the transmission of disease from cat to child, they should be segregated, care taken to prevent each from consuming the other’s food or using the same utensils, and for the child not to approach the cat’s toilet area.

Q: If I’m out all day is it fair to keep a cat?

Answer: Although there are some people who believe the answer should always be no, it really depends on your individual circumstance. It would be reasonable to keep a cat if you are absent only during the normal working day and are home in the evening and at weekends, and provide that the cat is able to enter and leave the premises (through a cat door) when you are not around. However if you are away from home more frequently then that, it is doubtful whether the arrangement is fair to the cat. Of course, you might arrange for neighbor to feed the cat when you are away, but usually there is no permanency about such arrangements. If you really care about the cat and put its interests first, which you should, it is clearly a very poor home at you are offering.

If you live in an apartment, it may provide impossible to let the cat have access to outdoors. With a ground floor or basement apartment the situation is obviously different. If you live in an apartment above that level, it may even be possible for a cat to reach the ground via floors or a cat ladder, which will not support the weight of any heavier animal, including potential housebreakers. But always ensure that the cat has free access back into the premises and to its bed. Make sure too that fresh water is always available when no-one is at home.

Since a kitten would require feeding three or four times a day and house training, it would be better for single working people to take in an older cat, even through it will almost certainly take longer for it to adapt to its new home. Bear in mind that you could encounter problems when you want to go on holiday, or if either you are the cat is taken ill- especially if you have to go into hospital.

If you really can’t arrange all time, then you shouldn’t have a cat. Some less demanding creature such as a budgerigar, a golden hamster or a goldfish might be suitable, but even these will require regular cleaning even through they do allow more flexibility, in feeding for example. Any cat that cannot be let free outdoors must be provide with a litter try and with regular exercise, perhaps by providing an outdoor run.