How to Choose a Cat

There are varieties of cat breeds available. After you have looked through the cat breeds, you might have a better idea of what kind of cat that you are looking for. Cats can be great pets for people who are looking for an animal, but want one that is a little more independent. There are of course many other considerations to take into account before rushing out and buying your cat based on a picture or vague description. 

A good question that you need to consider is if you are looking to get a male or a female cat. There is a vast difference between the two species just as there is with humans or any other type of animal. Males tend to be a larger cat than females and also boast a more extrovert personality.

If you do decide to get a male you have to make the decision on whether or not the cat is going to be neutered. Just as a cautionary note, when a male cat is not neutered they tend to have a much different personality. You might find that they spray urine all over, will try to roam, and might just pick fights with other cats if there are any in the house or outside. When you choose to neuter them, you will be able to avoid a lot of these tendencies. Females have different traits than males do. They are a more careful and gentle than males are.

They tend to also be quieter as well. Again comes the question on whether or not to spay your female feline companion. If you choose not too you will be looking forward to dealing with her heat cycles and all that they entail, especially not a good thing if you have any unneutered male cats in the house.

Once you have made a decision on whether the cat will be male or female you need to decide how much hair that you want to content with. That is, do you want to get a long hair cat or a short hair cat? Even though you may think that you want a particular breed, it might not match up with what you want in a cat. This is really a choice that depends on your personal taste.

Long haired cats might seem great to one person and a total nuisance to another. If you choose to go with a long haired cat, you need to understand that it will be up to you to keep you cat groomed and looking nice. Just think about your own hair, if you have long hair then you need to keep it brushed or combed on a daily basis, a long haired cat is no different. They need their owner to comb their lustrous locks on a regular basis so they don't begin to look like a scraggly cat.

Again, you have to realize that when anything has long hair it tends to shed, a lot! If none of this sound like fun or appealing in any way it might be a good indication that you in fact are not looking for a long haired cat such as a Persian, but a short haired cat instead.

Now that you have the first two factors of choosing a cat decided, you next need to decide how much money you really want to spend. The reality when you go to buy a cat you can choose from mixed breeds or purebred cats. When you buy a mixed breed there isn't quite as much to worry about because you don't have to worry about all the pedigree issues and such, plus as you might have guessed they aren't going to cost quite as much.

On the other hand all of that changes when you plan to buy a purebred. There are certain precautions that you will have to take before you buy a purebred cat. First you need to research the different breeding establishments to make sure that they are of good reputation. It won't hurt to do a little bit of research and to even visit different establishments and ask question and look at the cats that they are offering before you actually buy one.

The last question again is one of preference; do you wish to buy a kitten or a cat? Many might jump to the answer of kitten, but as everything there is much to consider before making such a decision. You need to realize that a kitten is in essence a baby and as such requires a lot more time and attention than a grown cat does. It's not to say that an older cat doesn't require time and attention, but normally they are quite a bit easier to care for than a baby kitten.

Before you get a kitten or older cat, you’ll first want to examine the source.  If you are getting the kitten from a breeder, you’ll want to make sure that the breeder has a good reputation.  You’ll also want to ensure that the cattery is clean and in good shape.  The kittens that are still there shouldn’t be overcrowded, and their surroundings should be clean.  The litter boxes there should be kept up and both the food and water dish should be clean and full.  The kittens shouldn’t be caged, instead free to run around.  All cats that are there should appear healthy, with shiny coats and none of their ribs showing.

When you get your kitten, it should be used to being touched and handled.  The kitten should be sweet, not afraid in the least.  Kittens that have been handled young normally have a better temperament.  The better breeders won’t allow their kittens to leave the nest until they are around 12 weeks old, with some waiting until the kittens are 16 weeks.  By doing this, breeders ensure that the kitten is in good health and his immune system has properly developed.

There’s no mistaken the fact that cats are great to own.  You can get a kitten from a reputable breeder, through a local newspaper, or an adoption agency.  Cats can also be obtained from a local pound, although people normally don’t like to choose this option.  No matter which way you decide to pursue, you should always make sure that your cat is healthy.  If you get a healthy cat, you won’t have a lot of problems later on down the road.  Healthy cats were taken care of – and normally have everything up to date – including their vaccinations.