Dec

26

Should we get a Cat?

Posted by singlemom

December 26, 2008 |

Yes! Okay, I am biased here. I love cats!

There are definitely some things that you should consider if you would like to get a cat for your family.

  • Are you allowed to have a cat where you live? If you rent, you may not be able to. You may be able to convince your landlord to allow a cat if you are willing to get them declawed/put caps on their nails and to pay an extra security deposit. You may also have to get them fixed.
  • Are you and your children willing to change and scoop litter boxes? That is a smelly job, but someone has to do it.
  • What happens if the cat gets sick or hurt? Can you afford to take care of it?
  • Are rabies and distemper shots really necessary? Please check this out well. What harm could they potentially do?
  • Do you want to get your cat fixed? I will say that, if you let your cat roam they should be fixed. Male cats will spray up your home, and it can be costly getting those odors out of everything. I have three females, one is two. She has yet to spray anything, but the boys were spraying everything at six months of age. My other two girls aren’t at the age where they may spray yet, but friend tells me that it is extremely rare for female cats to spray.
  • Male cats need special food to prevent UTI’s but 9-Lives carries the food at a very reasonable price. It is the second cheapest dry food at our grocery store. I no longer give our cats wet food, it is not necessary.
  • Flea treatments do not work 100%. The best way that I know of to keep fleas at bay is to comb your pets with a flea comb whenever possible. We do this with ours when they lay with us, so they are each getting combed a few times a week. There are still a few fleas here and there, but not near as many as when we were using flea treatments. Combing is also a lot healthier for your family and the cats.
  • Cats like to be alone and will be able to stay alone for long hours each day as long as they have food and plenty of water.
  • Cats can be trained to be very lovey or more reserved. I prefer lovey cats because they will take more abuse from children.

At any rate, I do recommend cats as pets for families, but only when done responsibly while not adding to the stray cat population in any neighborhood.

Shannon


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