Want to adopt a kitten or cat? Dr Katrina Warren says there are a few things you need to know to make the move into your home as easy as possible for both you and your new pet.
It’s important to prepare yourself when adopting a new pet, as a new fur baby addition to the family is quite the commitment. However, there are some ways you can prepare your home so it’s ready when your new pet comes home.
“It is important to understand that all pets are a long-term responsibility, not just company for the pandemic,” Dr Katrina explains.
“Make sure you do your research to choose the right pet for your lifestyle. For many people adopting an older pet is a better option than adopting a younger, active one.
I recommend that all cats are kept indoors for their own safety – it protects them from being hit by a car, attacked by another animal and infectious diseases, and protects our wildlife.
Cats can live happily indoors but you need to provide them with an enriched environment with lots of things to do such as climbing trees, scratching pots, toys, and dedicated play time with you.”
A cat can also live in your front yard or backyard if you close it off, so it can access fresh air and sunshine, without them wandering too far from home, getting into fights with other cats, injured, sick, or worse, hit by a car.
Dr Katrina also explains, compared to dogs, cats are generally less demanding of your time, as they are more independent and don’t need daily exercise. However, they do still require dedictated daily time with you and there is an ongoing responsibility to provide the right type of veterinary care, grooming and feeding.
If you’re ready to adopt a kitten or cat, go through this checklist to help you get ready for your new little fur baby.
Allergies:
Make sure you aren’t allergic to cats. This is vital, as you don’t want to bring home your new kitten or cat and find out you’re allergic. There are ways you can help manage allergies, such as what type of food you give them and making sure they don’t sleep on your bed, but it can still be troublesome if you have bad allergies.
You can take an allergy test to determine if you’re allergic or not. If you are allergic, you can try a new product specifically designed to reduce the allergen in cats (Purina One Live Clear cat biscuits) which have been proven to reduce allergies by up to 45 percent.
Prepare the home:
If you’re adopting a kitten, you will need to ensure your kitten has ample places to explore, run, jump, hide and play. If you’re worried about being out of the home and your kitten knocking over any valuable items, pack them away until your fur baby is properly trained, as they may accidentally knock things over when they get excited and begin to run and jump around the house.
Activities for the kitten and cat:
Look at cat houses, or cat trees which have scratching pads before you bring the pet home, cubbies for hiding, platforms for sitting and jumping and even areas with hanging toys for your cat to play with. This will suit both a kitten, and an adult cat, as they will consider this their unique home and place to chill, relax, play and enjoy.
Tree houses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, the bigger the better, as it will help entertain the cat for many hours.
Toys:
Plush toys which squeak are loved by cats of all ages; they love the sound as they sink their teeth into the toys. And this may prevent kittens from attacking shoes, socks underwear and anything else they can sink their teeth and claws into. When a cat identifies with there is a natural herb for cats.
Though it can give them an energy boost at first, it helps them to burn through energy, and then they will relax and sleep afterwards for several hours.
Good litter:
Litter can be trial and error. Some cats like crystals, some like recycled paper and others prefer clay. Like humans, cats are all individual and prefer different types of toilets. Some like open litters, some like enclosed spaces and other like something in between.
If you are spending hours away from home throughout the day and you are concerned about the smell there is a new option. The PetSafe Scoop Free Litter Box uses crystals, and is fully automated with a rake, so will do all the cleaning for you, reducing the smell and hiding any business in a small box out of site.
Decent bedding:
Create a special space for your cat with good bedding which is cosy and warm, so your new kitten or cat, can feel safe and comfortable. Like litter, bedding can be trial and error, as it comes in all sorts of different materials.
Some cats are fussy and others aren’t. Older cats tend to be a little fussier as they are set in their ways more than a new kitten, so you may need to test out different bedding options for the cat until you find something they like.
