Petlife logo

10 Things You Should Know Before Getting a Cat

Tips from a lifetime crazy cat lady

By AlicePublished 4 years ago 7 min read
Like
10 Things You Should Know Before Getting a Cat
Photo by MIKHAIL VASILYEV on Unsplash

harming, sassy, cuddly, and smart are only some of the most common adjectives used to describe cats.

Cats are used in pet therapy as cuddling them is a super relaxing practice, and the sound of their purr can help you calm down. Cats love to sleep and have their owners’ attention, but at the same time, they are very independent.

People believe they have supernatural powers; they can feel ghosts and understand when someone is dying.

I love cats. I have had several of them in my life. I remember when a was a kid, and there were a dozen of cats sitting under the porch.

Cats can change your life! So what do you need to know before getting one as a family pet?

1. Owning a cat is a life-long commitment

Cats can live up to 20 years.

Understand that you will have to provide your feline friend with food, shelter, veterinary attention, and a cat sitter if you want to go on holiday without it.

If you don’t think you can commit for that long, consider adopting an older cat.

Older cats might take longer than a kitten to adapt to the new situations, but they quieter and still full of love to give.

2. Cats are costly

Costs for cats may vary accordingly to the quality of food and accessories you want to provide.

A cat costs, on average, between $800 and $1,000 a year. This amount includes quality food, litter, toys, and routine medical expenses.

Be aware you can face health emergency treatments that cost up to $2,000.

3. Cats should be spayed/neutered

If you don’t want your cat to have kittens, consider naturing or spaying it.Th

Cats can have up to six kittens twice a year. Unless you are planning to start selling them or have a feline colony, you should think about it.

Spayed cats also have a longer and healthier life.

Non neutered cats pee around the house to let other cats know it’s their territory. Sometimes spayed female cats do the same.

4. Cats have habits

Declawing a cat is an awful practice. It takes away the cat defenses, and it is a painful operation.

In nature, cats scratch their claws on trees and any other material they think is suitable to keep them sharp.

Provide your cat a scratching post of at least 30 inches high to stretch while sharping its claws. You can find cat trees or a cardboard scratching post at any pet store.

Cats may use your sofa or other furniture to sharpen their nails if they don’t find anything else suitable for the job. Train them to use the scratching post and sprinkle it with catnip.

If it’s not enough, consider cutting their claws with the appropriate scissors or the veterinary help.

By Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash

5. Cats need a clean place to ‘go’

If you don’t own a garden or you’re keeping your cat inside for most of the time, you must provide it with a cat litter.

There are several litter types, like perfumed or clumping clay ones. You can choose an open or closed container; some even have an automated cleaning system.

Keep your cat litter always in the same place so it will know where to go when needed.

Some cats will spray your furniture to mark the territory. To avoid this unpleasant practices, spay your cat. If a spayed cat still spray wherever it wants, it might suffer from anxiety or something is stressing it.

One of my female cats do so, she lives outside with the others, and she is quite aggressive and doesn’t tolerate stranger cats. Even if she has a big garden to use as her toilet, she likes to remind other animals who is in charge of that area.

6. Cats have schedules

Cats are creatures of habit. Set a daily routine and try to respect it as much as possible.

Although they don’ own a clock, cats know precisely when it’s time to eat.

Your cat will need to eat dry and wet food. You can leave the dry food in a bowl and use a clean plate to feed it the wet one. If your cat doesn’t finish its wet food, don’t leave it out for a long time, or flies and ants will come.

Make sure your cat always has some fresh water to drink as dried food might make it thirsty. Dried food is intended to grow, even double, in size with water.

When not at home, make sure someone is taking care of your cat, feeding it according to the given schedule.

7. Cats need care

Contrary to dogs, cats don’t need to be washed. Cats aren’t big fans of water, and they take care of their hair by spending most of the day licking it. It might be necessary to wash your cat on an extreme occasion if it ends in a pond or pees on due to a scary or stressful situation.

Get yourself a brush for cats and groom your pet once a week if it has short hair or daily if it has medium to long hair.

Cats shed their hair twice a year; in spring, they get rid of their winter coat, and in fall when they get ready for the colder season.

As your cat will lick its coat to clean itself, it will eat some of its hair. This hair creates thick balls inside the pet stomach, and it will regurgitate them. To help your cat in this process, feed it specific food for the hairballs.

Long hair cats might also need a summer cut. Before doing so, ask your trusted veterinary.

Last but not least, while some tests and vaccination are needed only once in a cat’s life, flea and tick medicines have to be given regularly to prevent they stick to your pet’s coat and skin.

8. Cats go wherever they want

Cats don’t understand limits and boundaries. If you are planning to keep your cat inside, make sure to take any fragile item out of the way.

Even the objects on top of furniture because cats can jump up to the top of your wardrobe, or they will find a way to get to it.

Create a cat-proof environment as much as you can. Your cat will always try to open closed doors or get into any drawer.

Do you have a balcony? Put a fence to avoid it jumping down! Cats always land on their feet; this doesn’t mean they won’t get hurt after a few floors jump.

Don’t despair if you can’t find your cat, it might be hiding somewhere or sleeping on the neighbor’s couch.

My current cats weren’t mine until a few years ago, they used to live with my neighbors, but they learned that my kibbles were much better, so they moved to live under my porch on a comfortable pillow.

9. Cats are predators

Get ready to find dead animals and insects everywhere. The cats’ hunting instinct is still strong in some of them despite being indoor animals.

Whatever thing that moves is a possible pray for them and a gift to offer to you.

If your cat catches an animal, you have two ways to handle the situation:

  • take it away from it and give it something else that can grab its attention, like food or a toy, and make sure it knows it did a great job catching a pray;
  • wait until it gets tired, then get rid of the poor thing without it to notice.

Never get mad at your cat, it’s in its nature to haunt. Make sure it has enough toys to keep itself busy when you are not around.

By Daniel Tuttle on Unsplash

10. Cats don’t like to be on their own

Sometimes you will have the feeling of annoying your cat with attention and cuddles, and it is exactly how it is. They are kind of moody, but the truth is that cats don’t like to be on their own for too much time.

The best thing you can do is to get two cats so they have someone to play with and won’t feel alone when you’re not home.

If you come home after spending most of the day outside, it’s most likely that your cat will come to you for its daily cuddles.

Cats love to sit next to their owners on the sofa or sleep on their heads.

Despite their need for attention, cats might also be afraid of strangers and run under the bed or the sofa.

It wasn’t the case of the two cats I met in an Airbnb flat in Edinburgh; they managed to open my bedroom door and jump on the bed to sleep with me from the first night.

Cats can change your life, and they will. With their cute faces and rubbing to your legs while purring, they will turn you into their favorite slave, ready to feed and cuddle them day and night.

Are you still sure you want a cat?

cat
Like

About the Creator

Alice

Content creator, blogger, food lover and solo traveler 🇮🇹

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.