Before you adopt a Cat by Sarah Spenser

Do I have time for a cat – cats are known to be pretty self sufficient but they do need company and companionship – you need to be there to feed them morning and night and give them some snuggle time AND playtime.

Do I go away a lot – cats are pretty much ok to be left for a day at a time or overnight – leave down an extra bowl of food and water and make sure the litter tray is clean and there you go. If you are going to be away for longer than this then you need to make alternative arrangements. Do you have someone you trust to come in and feed your cat a minimum of once a day – they will need to change the litter tray and give some cuddle time to the cat too OR can you place your cat in a local cattery – these must be “vetted” buy you first so that you know that they are decent places you would want your cat to go – if you can go on recommendations by friends / vets then this is all the better. If you go away once or twice a year your cat will probably cope with this just fine, if you tend to go away most weekends then maybe you need to think again about getting pets.

Environment – do you live in a flat, house, town, country – all are things you should consider when thinking of taking in a cat. Some cats will happily live in side only but most rescue centres in the UK would prefer their cats to have a free-roaming lifestyle with access to indoors and outdoors. However, if you live in a flat or by a busy road and you especially want a cat then you could always take in a cat which cannot be allowed outside, perhaps for medical reasons (ie the cat has FIV and therefore would be infectious to other cats). If you live in a town but have a small garden then a cat run is a possibility also. If you do chose to keep your cat indoors only you need to provide the cat with LOTS of stimulation in the form of cat trees, various scratching surfaces (horizontal, vertical, sisal, carpet, wood, cardboard etc) lots of toys and interaction with family members.

Expense – cats are not too expensive to run. Their feed is fairly cheap as is litter. You can, obviously, go as wild as you like with the amount of toys and beds etc on the market but your essentials are food (normally wet and dry types) litter tray, litter, scratching post, a few toys and somewhere comfy to sleep (please note here that most cats will turn their nose up at the £40.00 bed you just brought him or her in favour of YOUR favourite spot on the sofa!). Cats should be neutered, if you are adopting from a rescue centre this will more than likely have been done by the centre – PLEASE make a contribution towards their costs. Cats also need jabs once a year to protect them from illness – the age and activity of the cat may affect which jabs you have – these jabs normally cost in the region of about £50 - £70 per year. On top of this you will have your flea and worming treatments (variable on regularity, some are monthly some are every 2 – 3 months) and your unexpected vet bills for accident, injury or illness – insurance cover is widely available and it is your personal choice whether you take this out or perhaps just put some money buy each month to cover these expenses.

Household Members – do all the members of your household want a cat, are any of them allergic to cats (please find this out prior to adopting a cat by spending as much time as possible in the company of cats! Visit a friend with cats or your local rescue centre for this purpose). If you have a tiny baby in the house then introducing a cat is probably not the best idea, the cat will be very nervous and you are not likely to have the time for a new pet with a newborn at home. Small children must also be watched closely around animals to ensure that they don’t scare or chase them or play roughly with them risking injury to the cat and the child.

Temperament – obviously all cats are different but with a cat you are likely to get an animal that is fairly playful and likes interaction with humans, however, this can often be on their own terms and cats tend not to be at YOUR beck and call – more likely the other way around!

Life Expectancy - Cats generally live to around 17 years old but cats in their 20s have been noted. Bear this in mind when thinking of adopting a cat.

Things to get BEFORE bringing your cat home

Food bowl x 2 per cat(for wet food)
Food bowl x 2 per cat(for dry food)
Water dishes usually a good idea to have a few so you can have them in different places in the house to give your cat a choice of where to drink – a lot of cats do not like to drink near to where they eat
Scratching post – at least one per cat – more if your cat is an indoor only cat
Toys dangle toys (the type on a “fishing pole”) for interaction with you, balls, mice etc for play alone
Bed cat will probably ignore it but ensure that each cat has a comfy, quiet area in the house where he or she can go and retreat to when they wish.
Litter Tray 1 per cat + 1 spare is the ideal ratio for litter trays : cats, ie if you have 2 cats you should have 3 litter trays. If you only have 1 cat then usually 1 tray will suffice.
Litter You may need to try out a few before you find one your cat really likes
Food Wet (tinned) and dry – it is best to stick to whatever the rescue centre is feeding at first – you can gradually introduce other foods once kitty is settled.

The rescue centre will undoubtedly want to do a home check before agreeing to let you adopt one of their animals – they will want to see these items in place at the home check.