4 Great Ways to Pick the Perfect Tabby Cat from the Cat Shelter

Picking out a cat to take home from the cat shelter can be a Herculean task, thus there are quite a few issues that need to be taken into account. Above all, it is essential to bear mind that taking a cat home means a long time commitment. As a matter of fact, some cats live to be 20. Thus, taking a cat home from the cat shelter is no trivial decision, and should be heavily considered. If you are sure of your decision, the are four main points to be considered when taking a cat home from the cat shelter, so it could live a healthy and full life with a loving family.

Their Activity

During your visit to the cat shelter, you should first take a good, careful look at all of the felines there. If you are watching them meticulously, you should be able to figure out exactly how energetic they are and what kind of personality they have. If a cat is not very active and seems dead-tired, it maybe a negative sign. Adopting and bringing home a sick cat is certainly something to be avoided, as taking care of a sick cat can take up all of your time and cost you a pretty penny at the vet. What is more, the sick cat can actually spread its illness to other cats at your home or your neighborhood.

Scrutinizing the cats can prove very helpful in figuring out the character of the felines. Some people may prefer very active and playful cats, who spend their time running around and playing, while others yearn for compassionate and caring felines who show their appreciation by purring and sitting in their owners' laps for hours. It is necessary to keep in mind that you cannot always predict the personality of the cat by observing its behavior in the cat shelter, as the cats there are often stressed out and thus act differently than in a stress-free environment.

Taking a closer look

Most cat lovers will narrow down the list of possible candidates in no time based on appearances alone. After this, however, even a more close look at the cats is required. You should ask the cat shelter caretaker to release your candidate from the cage.

One of the essential areas to examine are the eyes. Clear and bright eyes are a sign of good health, as opposed to running eyes, which often point to sickness.

The next part of the body to be examined is the nose. A running nose can be a sign of caution, a healthy nose is pink and a little bit moist. You should see whether the ears are clean and healthy-looking and whether the cat scratches its ears. Scratching can be a sign of mites, getting rid of which is very difficult and tedious.

Further, when picking out a cat from the cat shelter is important to check for fleas, these pests are particularly difficult to get rid of and can easily spread to other cats at your home.

Listening

The next step would be to carefully listen to the feline. A purring feline is quite likely to be healthy and live a full and happy life. Strong insistent meowing may indicate that the cat is ill. On the other hand, meowing could also show that the cat wants your attention and care, and does not particularly like spending time in the cat shelter.

Playing

The final step, after having narrowed down the previous cat shelter candidates, would be to play with them. For this, it would be very useful if there would be at least two cats available at the same time. This way you can see how the cats interact with each other to get an idea about their character. This is of utmost importance if you already own a cat.