Puurrrrrrr-fect pets (Cats in General)

Member Name: Bearstorm

Product:	Cats in General
Date:	04/07/09 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: as cheap or expensive as you make it, very rewarding, fun.

Disadvantages: Can't really take them for walks for excercise

I was always really a dog person myself to be honest but my mum always kept cats. Never anything fancy just rescued moggies from thelocal shelter. I never really took much interest as I was always too busy playing with the dogs in the garden. I saw cats as too independent they were always outside and never really bothered about being fussed. That was until we got Lula!!

Lula was a cat we got from the cats protection league and she was semi feral. They found her at the side of the road huddled up with four brothers and sisters all of whom had died in the freezing weather!! She was a suvivor. I had respect for this cat. She was tough little thing but she was the first cat we had that I tried to understand. I took her to the vet and being semi feral she didnt like it much. The vet gae me some advice about books to read and so I did. Sounds silly reading cat psychology books but I am a big believer in researching things I may not understand in order to learn more.

Lula taught me alot about cats and she taught me that you should never just 'own' a cat. I had to get Lula to trust me and by learning more about her, what she could and couldn't cope with and looking at things from her perspective, I achieved this. You really do need to understand a bit about cats before deciding to pop along to the animal shelter and pick the cutest looking ball of fur! Most cats don't like having their tails pulled and unfortunately a tail is far too tempting for a small child so Im not entriely sure I would have cats around a small child. Im not saying dont do it at all but think about it first. Also cats kind of do whatever the hell they feel like doing! I have two cats now who are brother and sister and they are the most affectionate loving cats Ive ever had but they drive me mad jumping up on the kitchen surfaces when you are trying to prepare dinner. This is easily solved by keeping them out of the room when cooking but as soon as you let them in they jump up! Again this is solved by anti bacterial spray being used like mad but if you are particularly houseproud perhaps a cat isnt such a good idea either! Unless you are not fussed by constant cleaning in which case it probably wont be an issue.

You can train cats too if you have time and patience! I have trained mine to sit and wait for food and treats and they also play fetch. I think this was more they decided it was a good game than me trianing them though to be honest. I suppose it's like anything really that you really should do some research before buying! A cat can live up to 18 years longer in some cases so it is not somehting you can just decide you don't want anymore. They need to go to the vets and they need to be fed. I spend roughly about £30 a month on cat food because I dont like some of the cheaper brands and the food we use suits us all for different reasons. There are cheaper brands out there that suffice but again it's down to personal choice. So it can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it. We also have pet insurance which costs around £14 a month for the pair of them again there are cheaper alternatives but having had problems with some of these in the past I am very happy with the company we use. We also have quite a few cat accessories around the house as our cats are indoor cats (not really a conscious choice they just will not go outside they get terrified by the noise of birds when you open the door so they run and hide upstairs). We make sire they have plenty of places to sleep or hide if they want privacy cardboard boxes are great for this and cheap! We need to keep litter trays too the ideal number to have is one for each cat you have plus one. We learnt this after a tiny little Kimba jumped up on the bed one morning and pee'd all over it as the litter tray wasn't quite clean enough for her royal highness! Since adding the extra tray we have never had any accidents. We also bought them a cat drinking fountain as they love to play with water but also it encourages them to drink more and they love it! Other variuos items include scratch posts and toys. Again home made versions of all of these are just as good and Kouga's favourite toy is one of those hessian shopping bags!!

Basically my cats are spoiled rotten! But again this all comes down to personal choice. It doesnt have to be expensive and like I said with the exception a few pricier items most of our toys are household items they adopted or that we have made in to cat toys!

If you do decide to get a cat you can have hours of enjoyment. I am very lucky that I have two very loving lap cats but you can end up with a cat that hates to be hugged! I think this also depends on socialisation and handling as a kitten. Mine follow me around the house mieow at me like I understand what they asking for and talk to birds through the windows. I can't wait to get home to them after work for a nice long warm hug. Think my finace gets a bit jealous sometimes hehe. Being a cat owner for me is exremely enjoyable as you may have guessed and I find it extremely rewarding. Not all cats are cold and independent despite what people say. I have hours of fun watching, playing and snuggling with mine.

Summary: If you are willing to put in time and effort you'll be rewarded with a loving relationship.