No pet that I know of is as easy to care for as a cat. If you are new to pet-ownership, this is a great animal to start with. Check with the people that visit you often to be sure they are not allergic, and don't get one if you move from rental to rental, as many rental units do not allow pets. Do not get a cat unless you plan to keep it his entire life, which will run up to 17+ years if kept indoors. I have a bit of knowledge about cats that I can try to pass along. But remember, a veterinarian went to school for a LONG TIME to get the knowledge they have which completely eclipses my knowledge. I am a registered nurse and have worked a number of years at animal hospitals prior to becoming a nurse.
1. Cats MUST be spayed or neutered before they grow up. Male cats will begin to mark their territories by spraying your house at about 7 or 8 months of age. Even professional cat breeders do not keep their beautiful toms in the house for this reason. I am not exactly sure at what age they begin to spray because I have never waited long enough to find out! Female cats will become pregnant while you still think they are a kitten. Humane societies have pushed back the age limit on fixing animals to VERY YOUNG with no ill effects. Check with your vet. Shop around for spaying and neutering by phone and watch out for add-ons, like dissolving sutures that don't have to be removed and extra pain shots.
Also, some veterinarians have mandatory blood testing prior to surgery that will add a substantial amount to the bill. Of course, this testing is nice if you only have one pet to pay for and could prevent heartbreak. However, the likelihood of the blood tests finding a problem in a young cat are small. In my opinion, if more veterinarians would allow you to waive these tests, more people would have their cats fixed. Some veterinarians allow you to sign a waiver in order to forego tests, as long as the animal is under a certain age. I have paid as lit as little as $17.50 to have wild male cat's neutered in Phoenix and would have to add $100.00 to that where I now live! I have paid as little as $26.50 to have female wild cats spayed as recently as 2000.
Ask for the names of organizations that help or totally pay for spaying and neutering. Some towns offer 'free male cat neutering' every once in a while. Humane societies are a good place to get information on spaying and neutering. The advantage to adopting from the Humane Societies or from Animal Control Centers is that they usually have already been fixed or it is included in the price.
2. Cats MUST have dry cat food available. Canned food should be thought of as a treat, because it has such a high percentage of water. A cat fed only canned cat food will be malnourished. Cat food is much higher quality than dog food, as they are strictly carnivores. I feed my cats one small can of cat food a day, split four ways! By the way, canned human tuna fish does not have the vitamins and minerals that cats need. They have dry food available free choice that is kept high enough to keep dogs and ants out of it. I use a dry food dispenser and fill it up about twice a week. Dogs can live on cat food but cats cannot live on dog food (nutrition-wise).
3. Cats MUST be vaccinated for respiratory diseases. A sneeze is a cat is a serious matter, while a sneeze in a dog is not. Kittens must get the shot a certain number of times to be sure it takes effect. The mother cat's immunity can be enough to block the vaccination from working but NOT enough to provide immunization from the disease until the kitten reaches a certain age. The same is true with dogs and puppies. Believe me, I learned that one the hard way. One vaccination covers all the most deadly respiratory viruses. Leukemia testing and vaccinations is controversial, at least with cat breeders. A veterinarian once told me if you had 100 cats in a house and put one with leukemia in with them, only one or two would catch it. Please email if I stand to be corrected on this, I can take it!
Another tip to use at vet's offices, ASK THE EMPLOYEES if they have their cats tested and vaccinated for leukemia. The employees of animal hospitals do not get paid extraordinarily well, and they know how much of the disease they see in their area. They do not waste their money when they don't have to and they get a discount! (This is also a good question to ask regarding heartworm medication for dogs, which is expensive, but I live in dry Arizona where there are not many mosquitos.) A good way to find the most current information is to look up some friendly-sounding cat breeders on the internet, email them and get their opinion. Animal breeders love to talk about animals and generally do not lack opinions!
Rabies should never affect a totally indoor cat. Rabies vaccinations provide a barrier between humans and wild animals, who will always keep the virus alive in wild, mountainous areas. Humans almost never chase skunks or foxes or pick up bats in their mouths, which is why most humans haven't been vaccinated. (I have, because I used to work as an animal control officer, but they are just shots in the arm now, not the stomach.) If there is any possibility your cat could ever get out, you should have him immunized for rabies for your peace of mind. Rabies is the only shot you HAVE to get at the animal hospital or it doesn't legally count. If your unvaccinated cat comes up with a positive rabies encounter, your cat is in for a LONG quarantine (like 6 months) and animal control will try to convince you to put the animal to sleep instead. What would your kitten be like if he grew up in a cage at animal control? In general, rabies is considered a one year shot if it is either the first shot ever received or in a young animal (must be 4 months or older), then after that it only needs to be given every 3 years. Keep your proof, especially in a cat, because animal hospital employees get tired of writing out those certificates and will skip it if you don't insist, as only dogs are required by law to have rabies shots in most places!
4. Look at your animal and feel him frequently. You have no idea how many cats grow up with a rubber band around their neck that the kids put on and forgot about! They don't realize it is there until it is cut and infected. Check for matts, look inside their ears. If it is black in there and the cat scratches his ears and shakes his head he probably needs some ear mite medicine. Pick them up from the time they are born, carry them around until they are comfortable with it. Never drop them from your arms, always set them gently down, so that they don't have to be 'ready' to land. Play with their toes and ears. Even if you are eventually going to let your cat out, do not let him out until he is at least 6 months old. They stay much closer and are not quite so confident outdoors. It is better to build an outdoor area that they cannot get out of but that is not an easy task.
The new flea drops applied to the shoulders and back work great but must make contact with the skin, not just the fur, apply every 3 months beginning BEFORE your warm season starts, if you are in a seasonal area, year round if you are not. I have found them to be inexpensive and effective at Wal-Mart and online. Arm and Hammer clumping cat litter has been the most odor controlling I have used. I use a tall storage bin for a litter box, set in a closet with a stepstool to prop the door open so that they can't get litter everywhere and the dogs can't reach their tootsie rolls. I use an old metal spoon with holes that I buy at a thrift store or even a wire frying basket to scoop extra quickly. The plastic scoops break easily. If your cat goes out and hunts, first of all you have the wrath of all the environmentalists and the animal protection people, secondly, your cat will pick up tape worms.
You can buy tape worm pills at the feed store, one treatment does the trick as tape worms do not lay eggs. That is also the reason you cannot check for tapeworms by taking a stool sample to the veterinarian. They reproduce by segmentation, look for dried grains of rice near your cat's tail. If your cat goes to the bathroom in plant pots, get some big rocks from outside and cover the dirt with them.
5. I recommend getting two littermates or two young kittens at the same time. They will wear each other out playing, sleep together, and you will feel less guilty when you go out of town. You can therefore have a neighbor check in on them once a day to replenish their food and water. I think neutered male cats generally are a tiny bit more people-oriented than spayed females, but that is just my opinion. And remember! I am not a veterinarian and I have great respect for their knowledge!
Nancy Casurella
Benson, Arizona
July, 2003
Benson, Arizona