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Apart from the hair, I guess the lady in this graphic could be me. I have 4 cats, 3 that live inside and one that adopted me and lives outside. The inside cats are pure bred Birmans and they are great cats for inside living beut they do need a lot of grooming as they are a long haired cat. I lost too many cats on the busy road outside my house to ever let another cat live outside. I also worry about the wildlife which is great fun for outside cats to hunt but not so good for the poor wildlife. My outside cat always wears a collar with a bell but that doesn't seem to help a great deal. I strongly recommend keeping cats inside with supervised outside time. Cats make great companions especially if there is only one as they will bond with you and keep your lap nice and warm at night! But they are a long term commitment and quite high maintenance so have a read below and decide if a cat is for you!!

QUICK FACTS:

Life Span - Up to 34 years (Guinness Book of records)
Care - High maintenance
Food - Chicken meat, tinned food, cat milk (not normal milk), dry food, chicken bones for teeth
Housing - No special housing but need a litter tray, scratching post, bedding, food bowls, brushes, clippers for nails, cat shampoo, flea and worming treatments.

GENERAL INFO:

Cats are also known as the domestic or house cats to distinguish them from other felines. They are small, carnivorous mammals that are valued by us for their companionship and on farms and other places, for their ability to hunt rats, mice and other vermin. Cats are skilled predators and hunts over 1000 species for food which is why they are best kept indoors unless they are a working cat. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, the ancient Egyptians even worshipping them as gods.

Cats are intelligent and can be trained with a lot of patience to obey simple commands and learn to operate simple mechanisms as well as their owners!! They use body language and vocalisations like mewing ("meow") purring, hissing, and growling to communicate. Besides being valued as pets, cats are also bred for sale and showing. Prices for cats range from several hundred dollars for a pure bred cat to a few dollars for a moggie from the pound.

Cats are fairly high maintenance - they require food, water and grooming daily and if kept indoors their trays will need cleaning regularly. However they are probably the most affectionate of all pets and the sound of a contented cat purring on your lap is well worth the trouble!!

GETTING READY FOR YOUR KITTEN:

Make sure you have a litter tray ready before bringing home your kitten. Introduce the kitten to the tray as soon as it gets home as it may need to use it after the trip and will make the kitten feel better to know where its toilet is.
Have some food and water handy and give this to the kitten next. Keep a special spot for its food and litter tray so it quickly learns where to go for the necessities.
Make sure your kitten has been vaccinated to avoid illness for it and other pets.

Kitten proof your home. Have a look around and see what enticing things for a kitten, could be a danger to it. Things like blinds cords, electrical cords and those exotic poisonous plants all need to be put out of the kittens reach.
At six weeks of age, a kitten should receive at least four small feeds a day, then at around twelve weeks three times a day until six months. After that it can be fed twice daily.

Don't feed a kitten dog food. Don't give it tinned fish and meat meant for humans as this can create an imbalance of vitamins A, D, and E. Give it a combination of special kitten food - both wet and dry as this is better for their teeth.

Don't give them normal milk as this can cause diarrhoea.

The first few weeks you have your kitten is the time for cuddling, petting and playing as this is the time when they will bond with you and become part of your family.

Kittens are just as happy playing with a scrunched up piece of paper or a cardboard box as expensive toys. Don't let them get into the habit of playing with your hands as this can quickly become an annoying and hurtful habit.

PRO & CONS:

If you need to go away for a long time it can be hard to find someone to mind your cat. Cats are usually happier in their own homes when their human companions have to leave for a few days, with a trusted friend or professional pet sitter to check in on them at least daily during your absence. It's important to make sure the surrogate caregiver knows exactly what to do for your cat, both in terms of routine care and in case of a veterinary emergency.
Cats are basically self cleaning animals but if they are indoors all the time you may need to bathe and dry them to keep them smelling nice.
The long haired breeds need a lot of grooming to avoid knots and especially as they get older, will require a lot of work.

Cats can develop nasty habits like urinating in special spots if they feel threatened or just get older and forget where their tray is.

Cats need to get rid of their hair balls and this is another definite downside when you are the one to clean it up!!

Dental disease affects cats as much as it does humans. A program of regular brushing, dietary controls, and regular teeth cleaning by your veterinarian can extend the life of your cat's teeth, ensure better overall health and prevent painful oral conditions in your cat . It also helps when they yawn in your face!!

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