How to Go About Selecting The Right Cat for You

Posted by Jeanne on February 5, 2009

With your decisions made, you are now ready to confront a pack of kittens and choose yours. If it’s one of a kind you’re after, you may have to locate a breeder and be prepared to pay handsomely. But if it’s not too special an animal, most pet shops should be able to satisfy your needs at a modest price. And if, after all, you simply want a cat, there’s always a neighbor swamped with a new litter. Just ask around.

So you look at kittens. If they’re under five weeks, go away. They’re too small to be separated from the mother cat, and you can’t tell anything much about them as individuals. (You can tell they’re old enough if the full set of baby teeth is in.)

At around five weeks, you’re back. What do you look for?

You look for the one you like best; the one that takes a shine to you. All things being equal, you two might as well appreciate each other.

Usually, but not always, the things that will attract you are the signs of a healthy kitten. The eyes will be blue and rather empty-looking – the kitten is still learning to use them properly – but they should be clear. The coat will be a downy, baby fuzz but it, too, should be lively-looking. Thin, drab, or patchy coats suggest that all may not be well.

As for color and markings, the baby coat is it. It may become more sharply defined as the cat matures, but it won’t change, except with Siamese. In Siamese, the light coat that is so desirable cannot be predicted with much accuracy from the appearance of the kitten.

The lightest kitten will not necessarily be the lightest cat. Use your own divining rod. Also, the markings may seem smudgy and unclear on a kitten but will intensify and darken on the cat. The one feature you can count on is the eyes: Siamese kittens’ eyes are as blue as they will ever be.

The kitten that catches your eye will usually be an active one, a playful one, a perky, and responsive one. You needn’t grab for the boss of the litter; he – or she – is used to asserting himself and may grow up to be a rambunctious cat. That’s not bad, but you have to live with it.

At all events, steer clear of the inactive or skittish kittens. Any litter ever born can have a nut or a moron in it, and they’re no fun.

Determine the sex. People sometimes find this more difficult than it need be. In the female, the anus and the vulva, which are located under the tail, are close together – the one a spot, the other a small slit. In the male, the outlets appear as two spots and are farther apart.

You can’t examine your kitten like a vet, but you can look for external signs of possible illness. Avoid a kitten with a runny nose, a discolored mouth (it should be a baby pink), or a distended belly (it should be firm and round, but not bloated or slack).

Feel the body with the fingers for rashes or skin troubles. Note whether the ears are clean (they should be). Call the kitten to you to see if it’s bright enough to respond and to test for deafness.

If it passes these check points – and the majority will – you’ve picked yourself a cat.

Breed, Sex, and How Many Cats?

Posted by Jeanne on February 4, 2009

Deluxe cats need more care, not because they’re necessarily more tender, but simply to keep them deluxe. Longhairs need constant grooming. Siamese kittens grow slowly and take watching. All purebreds require some exercise and yet probably shouldn’t be allowed to roam the neighborhood to fight with or get pregnant by some low-brow. In short, you have to want a fancy cat and know you want it.

As between male and female, there’s no choice if you intend having the cat neutered. Otherwise, the tom can be a nuisance with his yowling, fighting, urine-spraying, and other manifestations of the sex urge. And, of course, the female will present you every so often with kittens. At the same time, if you like cats, you may want to permit yourself the pleasure of raising a litter or two.

How many cats to have is perhaps academic. As indicated, unless you take steps, you’ll eventually have a surplus anyway. But assuming it is a matter of your choice, it might be well to consider how many you’d enjoy having around. Several are no more trouble than one if they’ve been kittens together. (Strange adults thrown together may be a different story.) But one is definitely less than several if you’re the kind who dislikes reading the paper standing up because there’s a cat in every chair.