Chapter 1 - Being a cat parent for the first time
When you finally decide that you want to have a cat or a kitten as a new family member then the real problems and headaches would usually start.
Adopting a new cat/kitten or dog/puppy for the first is often similar to having a new baby, you're never well prepared for this new family member.
Usually most new cat parents would go for a kitten as kittens along with being extra cute, they deceivingly also look and appear easy to look after and easy to train(how hard would it really be to look after this fluffy ball of cuteness?). But of course all of us, cat parents, everywhere, new or old, know all too well that adopting a new cat, kitten is actually a long life commitment which involves a lot of work, responsibilities and often a lot of patience and understanding of cat behaviour.
Cats or kittens are not Christmas or birthday presents who would stay small and cute for ever but four legged fury family members who, they need a lot of looking after, they are a lot of responsibility which at times means, spending not only lots of money but also a lot of time looking after that cute ball of fur with the big eyes. Cat parents need to be ready to adjust their lives to accommodate the needs of a growing kitten and some times in cases of boisterous, very explorative and energetic kittens to even adapt their home environment to a more cat friendly one to protect the cat from serious accidents which they could take place at home.
This is why it is often better if the cat/kitten is being adopted from a local cat shelter or reputable breeder and even better if some prior research on the type of cat/kitten that would fit well with the new cat carer's life style and even personality is done first, before the actual adoption takes place. In some cases even talking to a cat expert like a cat behaviour adviser or a vet might be also appropriate before any major decisions are made.
Cat parents would need to think seriously why they want to adopt a new cat/kitten and whether they can actually look after him/her for life. Cats, dogs and other animal companions are a big responsibility, since you are committing yourself to looking after another living being for as long as that animal would live, which means through good times and bad times such as illnesses, accidents and of course old age as senior cats demand a bit more care than younger ones. At the same time they can also be rather expensive at times, as you'll need not only to buy the best there is food for your cat but also to buy litter for life to accommodate her toilet needs, along of course with furniture, toys, etc and very importantly to pay for very and unfortunately rather expensive needed vet visits and medication, along with constantly increasing yearly insurances...
So every new cat parent would need to think long and hard whether not only he/she can afford to look after a cat or kitten for life but also why he/she wants to adopt a cat/kitten, what part in their life that new animal would play and whether can they can give to that new animal the love, attention and care he/she would need! They can be hard work but of course any cat parent would tell you, they are most definitely worth it!
(....to be continued)
Purrs and meows till next time...as Ozzy would say of course!
No comments:
Post a Comment