You may have been wanting a cat, but you need to decide if you’re ready to commit. There are many factors to consider, and you can start from here:
You know the value of socializing.
Cats have this unfair reputation of being antisocial, and in the case of many felines, this is true. However, when you train your cat to socialize early in life, he’s less likely to withdraw from visiting family or friends. How can you teach your cat to be confident? Let him experience new surroundings, people, things, sounds, and smells, as well as treats and praise. You can let him attend kitten classes that provide useful training and exercises. Placing a lot of importance on socialization and understanding what you need to do to raise a self-confident kitten can show that you’re ready to own a cat.
You have the means.
It can be hard to calculate how much you need to care for a cat, but certainly, this involves costs for food, bowls, litter, litter box, toys, grooming tools, enrichment products like cat trees and scratching posts, identification and microchipping, dewormers and veterinary visits. The last one is definitely a big expense. Not all cats visit the vet regularly. An annual physical exam may be adequate for some cats, while older cats and those with health problems need more frequent visits to the vet. If you are calculating the costs to see if you can afford a cat, always include the costs of health care, as well as pet and emergency insurance in case you decide to buy it.
You will spend time exercising your cat.
Cats also need exercise. It doesn’t mean you have to walk them like you do a dog, although some are trained to do so on a leash. Exercise is very important to cats, even more so than most cat owners may realize. In addition to promoting good physical and mental health, it strengthens the bond between a pet and its owner. Therefore, it is better to spend time every day for active play and provide cats with toys that encourage them to move a lot, such as climbing trees, laser pointers, feather toys, as well as cardboard boxes and paper bags.
He’s hell-bent on making his home cat-friendly.
It’s easy to spot cat-friendly homes with their cat trees, scratching posts, and food puzzles. These enrichment toys allow cats to use their natural instincts such as climbing, jumping, scratching and hunting. In essence, they add more excitement to life, and what more could your favorite feline ask for? When you’ve figured out how to fit them into your home, there’s another thing to do when it comes to cat-friendly living, and that’s cat-proof. If you decide to bring a cat home, be sure to dispose of and watch out for things that could harm or poison it, such as chemicals, cleaners, food, medicines, plants, and more.