Cover Story: For the love of cats -Young World
January 18, 2010
This was the biggest treat ever and a real fun thing to read for cat lovers. This was featured as the cover story too. Enjoy reading some amazing cat tales and important tips!
As far as pets go, cats are clearly the most sought-after pets as they are popular in many homes and people prefer to have a cat than a dog. In China, people believe that cats bring good luck so they tend to keep cats in their houses and even in shops.
A cat can be a very friendly and jolly pet, for instance, when you are lonely. A cat provides good company as it plays around when in the mood and curls up with you when required. My cat is five years old and I call her Kitty. I was a small girl when my grandmother brought me this cat as a gift. My father never liked cats so it was a problem for me to keep a cat, but my grandma wanted to fulfil my wish for a cat and so Kitty stayed.
Kitty is not as active now as she used to be when she was younger, but I have had some lovely experiences with her. My cat is rather lazy but I like its laziness and the way it purrs and rubs itself.
So if you are a pet lover and want to get a cat for yourself then do remember that keeping a pet is not an easy job, it’s full-time work just like caring for a baby. A pet is no different. It’s hard to watch over a pet, whether it’s a bird, cat or any other animal, and take care of all its needs. So you must be prepared for this responsibility before you bring a pet home.
Here are some tips about what you should be doing if you plan on keeping a cat or already have one as a pet.
Never let them go outside
If your cat is not a local one and is of a particular unusual breed, then keep it inside the house or compound as there is a big difference between a local cat and a cat that you buy from a shop. A local cat is the one you see walking around the streets and in the neighbourhood. They are clever and have the natural tendency to handle dangerous situations like fighting with other cats or dogs, but cats that are of a foreign breed, are meant only to be kept inside the house as they are tame and vulnerable in unfamiliar situations that they may face outside your house.
Training time
Often many people don’t like to deal with pet litter. And because of this, they prefer not to keep a pet. But hey! Every living thing has to answer the nature’s call.
For cats, buy a small tub or plastic basket, or a bucket in which your cat can easily sit and move around. Then cover the base with about four inches of dry sand. Cats and dogs instinctively cover their waste with sand or mud.
Also make sure that the tub is big enough for the cat to get in conveniently and there should be enough space for her to choose a spot as cats are a bit fussy about their toilet habits. After every two to four days, clean the tub by basically changing the sand, but not the tub as the cat would be used to the old one and may not like the new one, however it can be washed and dried before putting new sand.
Your cat may take a couple of days to get litter trained. If your cat still litters somewhere else rather then in the tub, then spray water on her. But be very careful that you don’t wet her completely as cats hate water. The reason for that is that water entering their ears can damage their balance system which is so important to cats. A tiny spray of water is enough to punish them and do keep it away from the head and face.
Food, bowls and what they eat
Well, firstly, give your cat its own dish for food and water. And if you have more than one cat, give them separate dishes. The plate you choose must be wide enough for a cat to easily eat the food as cats do not like their whiskers to get messy so for food keep a flat, wide dish that is not too deep and for water, you can use a bowl.
Now for the food, it all depends on the cat’s breed. Some cats eat more and some less, some like milk while others like fish, mince or chicken. You can get either canned food from the supermarket or cook fish, meat, liver or chicken yourself. There are loads of recipes on the internet.
You can also read about the likes and dislikes of the breed so that you can learn how to care for it better. Do tell a vet if you see any unusual behaviour in your cat.
Fur and hair
Don’t take a cat’s coat very lightly. Long haired cats shed a lot of hair every day and it is necessary to buy a brush or a comb exclusively for them. Then run the comb throughout its body while it is sitting, your cat will love to be combed as this is akin to patting her. Don’t worry if your cat’s hair falls too much, it will grow back.
Bathing, a hard chore to do
Cats do not need to be bathed as they lick their body with their tongue, but if you really want to give bath to your cat, then buy a towel separately for it. Wet the towel and then run the wet towel gently over its body, you really do not need to bath your cat too much as it could get sick. The cat may complain noisily if you ever try to wet it completely. Make sure the water is kept away from the head.
Precautions:
• Don’t force your cat to eat.
• Keep it away from water.
• Keep it away from ‘your’ food, once she eats your food then she will always want to eat your food.
• Spray water on it when it does not use its litter pot.
• Many people keep their cats outside but you must try to keep them inside.
• Make sure you take her to the vet regularly for vaccination and general check up
These are some of the basics you need to know before you become the proud owner of a cat. However, there is much more to a cat than this, just like parenting is a task that one can never learn enough about or know perfectly. Cats are one of the most amazing animals and a real joy as pets. Good luck to all those who want to enrich their lives by having a feline friend.
As far as pets go, cats are clearly the most sought-after pets as they are popular in many homes and people prefer to have a cat than a dog. In China, people believe that cats bring good luck so they tend to keep cats in their houses and even in shops.
A cat can be a very friendly and jolly pet, for instance, when you are lonely. A cat provides good company as it plays around when in the mood and curls up with you when required. My cat is five years old and I call her Kitty. I was a small girl when my grandmother brought me this cat as a gift. My father never liked cats so it was a problem for me to keep a cat, but my grandma wanted to fulfil my wish for a cat and so Kitty stayed.
Kitty is not as active now as she used to be when she was younger, but I have had some lovely experiences with her. My cat is rather lazy but I like its laziness and the way it purrs and rubs itself.
So if you are a pet lover and want to get a cat for yourself then do remember that keeping a pet is not an easy job, it’s full-time work just like caring for a baby. A pet is no different. It’s hard to watch over a pet, whether it’s a bird, cat or any other animal, and take care of all its needs. So you must be prepared for this responsibility before you bring a pet home.
Here are some tips about what you should be doing if you plan on keeping a cat or already have one as a pet.
Never let them go outside
If your cat is not a local one and is of a particular unusual breed, then keep it inside the house or compound as there is a big difference between a local cat and a cat that you buy from a shop. A local cat is the one you see walking around the streets and in the neighbourhood. They are clever and have the natural tendency to handle dangerous situations like fighting with other cats or dogs, but cats that are of a foreign breed, are meant only to be kept inside the house as they are tame and vulnerable in unfamiliar situations that they may face outside your house.
Training time
Often many people don’t like to deal with pet litter. And because of this, they prefer not to keep a pet. But hey! Every living thing has to answer the nature’s call.
For cats, buy a small tub or plastic basket, or a bucket in which your cat can easily sit and move around. Then cover the base with about four inches of dry sand. Cats and dogs instinctively cover their waste with sand or mud.
Also make sure that the tub is big enough for the cat to get in conveniently and there should be enough space for her to choose a spot as cats are a bit fussy about their toilet habits. After every two to four days, clean the tub by basically changing the sand, but not the tub as the cat would be used to the old one and may not like the new one, however it can be washed and dried before putting new sand.
Your cat may take a couple of days to get litter trained. If your cat still litters somewhere else rather then in the tub, then spray water on her. But be very careful that you don’t wet her completely as cats hate water. The reason for that is that water entering their ears can damage their balance system which is so important to cats. A tiny spray of water is enough to punish them and do keep it away from the head and face.
Food, bowls and what they eat
Well, firstly, give your cat its own dish for food and water. And if you have more than one cat, give them separate dishes. The plate you choose must be wide enough for a cat to easily eat the food as cats do not like their whiskers to get messy so for food keep a flat, wide dish that is not too deep and for water, you can use a bowl.
Now for the food, it all depends on the cat’s breed. Some cats eat more and some less, some like milk while others like fish, mince or chicken. You can get either canned food from the supermarket or cook fish, meat, liver or chicken yourself. There are loads of recipes on the internet.
You can also read about the likes and dislikes of the breed so that you can learn how to care for it better. Do tell a vet if you see any unusual behaviour in your cat.
Fur and hair
Don’t take a cat’s coat very lightly. Long haired cats shed a lot of hair every day and it is necessary to buy a brush or a comb exclusively for them. Then run the comb throughout its body while it is sitting, your cat will love to be combed as this is akin to patting her. Don’t worry if your cat’s hair falls too much, it will grow back.
Bathing, a hard chore to do
Cats do not need to be bathed as they lick their body with their tongue, but if you really want to give bath to your cat, then buy a towel separately for it. Wet the towel and then run the wet towel gently over its body, you really do not need to bath your cat too much as it could get sick. The cat may complain noisily if you ever try to wet it completely. Make sure the water is kept away from the head.
Precautions:
• Don’t force your cat to eat.
• Keep it away from water.
• Keep it away from ‘your’ food, once she eats your food then she will always want to eat your food.
• Spray water on it when it does not use its litter pot.
• Many people keep their cats outside but you must try to keep them inside.
• Make sure you take her to the vet regularly for vaccination and general check up
These are some of the basics you need to know before you become the proud owner of a cat. However, there is much more to a cat than this, just like parenting is a task that one can never learn enough about or know perfectly. Cats are one of the most amazing animals and a real joy as pets. Good luck to all those who want to enrich their lives by having a feline friend.
Posted by Fatima Sumair.
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