Cat is a special creature, beautiful and elegant in form, with mystery in its eyes and music in its purr. The unconditional love and companionship provided by owning a cat is enjoyed by millions of happy owners around the world. When you decide to invite a cat to be a part of your life, you will be rewarded with a lifelong friend, but the decision to adopt a kitten is not one to be entered into lightly.
Welcoming a feline member into the family is a major commitment and responsibility and not a step to be taken impulsively. When seeing a cute and adorable kitten looking into your eyes (and you are looking into his or hers too), you shall not let your heart rules your head. You shall seriously consider the financial costs of owning a cat and how much time you are willing to spend to play with it. Although cat is always known as solitary animal, this doesn't mean they could find their own food and water, they could play by themselves and do everything by their own. They still need human friends to cuddle them, pat them, play with them, feed them and love them!
There are a few important points to consider before bringing a new cat home as part of the family members. You should consider all the below costs and responsibilities seriously before making your decision and commitment:
Food
Choose good quality cat food formulated for your new kittens or your new adult or senior cat. There are plenty of reliable brands available in the market. Premium cat food is normally grain free and high in protein, but it doesn't mean it's good and suitable for all cats.Some cats need special care (e.g: diabetes and
bladder problems), therefore It's good to consult your vet or reliable pet shop to
get recommendation.
It's good to feed your cat with both wet and dry cat food. Please do not feed your cat with human food, it's forbidden to give them the same food you are eating as your food contains ingredients that may harm a cat's health (e.g: high in sodium).
Litter Tray and Litter
It's essential to prepare a litter tray for your cat, especially if you plan to keep your cat in door. A cat needs at least a litter tray. When you have more than a cat, it best to keep at least an extra litter tray of the total number of cats you have. Example: 2 cats with 3 trays, 3 cats with 4 trays and etc.
There are various litter available in the market: Clay Litter, Cristal Litter, Pine Litter. Each works differently. I personally prefer clamp-fragrance clay litter (easier to scoop and clean the litter) and pine litter (smells of nature and able to cover odor, last longer and more economic).
Spay or Neutering
Assuming you are not planning to have your cat's offspring, you will have to spray/neuter your cat. Spaying/neutering cat may be costly too. Local government based animal clinic may be a good choice, but your cat may have to wait for a long time for his/her turns to come. Therefore spaying/neutering cost is something you shall take into consideration while adopting a new cat home.
Vaccination & Annual Checkout
Your new cat, regardless of whether it's a kitten or an adult cat, they need vaccination. With new technologies and research in medicine, most vaccination come with 'all in one'. 2-3 first vaccinations should be injected within 3 consecutive months, it follows by one renewal injection yearly.
Worming
De-worming is needed in every 3 months. You may consult your vet whether your newly bought back kitten/cat needs to be de-wormed.
Dental Care
A cat may require regular yearly teeth cleaning, especially as it enters middle age.
Emergency Veterinarian Care
Like human beings, cats may fall sick due to changes of weather and temperature and other health crisis. You must have sufficient money to support your cat for unexpected veterinarian fees.
Boarding
Occasionally you may need to be away for a few days or weeks due to business trips or vacations. If no one (friends, family members or neighbor) is able to help you in taking care of your cat when you are away, you definitely will have to send your cat for boarding. The boarding fee normally ranges from RM10-RM30, depending on the type of package you bought (some include grooming, some boarding centers provide food).
Suitability to Your Home Life
It's important for you to imagine how your life will be and changed after having a new kitten/cat at home. There are many other factors that you should consider before making any commitment. The common factors that you should take into consideration are:
- If you have children, are they old enough to understand how to treat an animal?
- How far you can accept for the interaction between your kids and the cat?
- Are you going to have a 100% in door cat or a cat that is free to go in and out the house? If you allow it to go freely, can you tolerate with the fact that he/she is bringing in dirt and flea into the house?
- Can other family members help to take care of the cats too?
- Is anyone in the family allergy to cat?
- Could you other pet accept this new comer?
- How much time you can spend with your cat daily?
- Is your house 'friendly' for your cat? Meaning with no breakable materials placed inside the house (e.g: vase, glass)?
- Do you have enough room for your cat?
This video was taken during Kurimu's first day with us. Kusky was excited and curious!
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