What You Should Know Before Purchasing a Cat

Cat's can make wonderful pets but there are some things that you might want to know about them before you go out and purchase one. You should know that cats can live up to 20 some years, so it is important to thoroughly think through as to whether or not you can make a commitment to one or not.

First of all, you need to decide whether you want a male or a female cat. There are different issues between the two sexes. If you decide to get a male cat, it is best to get a male that is only a few months old. The reason why I say this is because you can have him neutered before he learns to spray. Male cats will spray their territory to claim the area. The odor is horrendous and it is very difficult to get the odor to go away. Also once the cat has learned to spray; it is unlikely that they will stop. It is also nice to have your male cat neutered so that he will not be calling out to the neighborhood females when they are in heat. If you decide to get a female cat, it is best to get them spayed as soon as it is safe. You can usually get them spayed before they go into their first heat. Check with a vet to see at what age a typical female should enter heat. It is also nice to have your female cat spayed early on because that way she does not cry to go outside when she is in heat. Female cats can be very annoying when they want outside. They want to satisfy their need to get pregnant and they will become relentless with their cry.

The second thing that you will need to know about having a cat as a pet is that they are prone to urinary track infections. It is very important that they are fed proper food (this can help with urinary track infections) and that good litter is used in their litter box. The litter box needs to be kept clean to avoid these infections. This can also help to keep the smell of the litter box to a minimum as well. By the way, it is a great idea to invest the extra money in expensive litter. This litter keeps away the smell of ammonia that can radiate a home from cat's urine. Another thing to know is that cat's are very clean creatures. They will not go in a litter box that is overly filled with feces. They will find a clean place to go. Once your cat has stopped going in its litter box, it is very difficult to get them back to using a litter box.

The third thing to know about having a cat as a pet is to know that they can get hairballs. They get these because they are constantly cleaning themselves. Cats love to be clean. The best way to help them with these hairballs is to feed them food that has hairball treatment in it or you can buy inexpensive hairball treatment to give to them. Hairballs need to be kept at a minimum because they can become dangerous to your cat. It can also be helpful to keep your cat brushed out. This will take some of the hair off of them so that they won't swallow so much when they are grooming.

One of the last things that you might want to know about having a cat for a pet is that they are also prone to getting worms. There are different types of worms. A common one that cats are prone to getting is tapeworm. They can get tapeworm when they clean themselves. If they happen to swallow fleas that are infected with tapeworm then they can get tapeworm too. They can become re-infected over and over again unless the fleas are removed. The cat will also have to be treated for tapeworm. Another common worm that cats can get is the roundworm. This is very inexpensive to treat. The cat should be given medication for this type of worm once per month. Something that is important to know though is that certain worms can be transferred to humans. It is wise to always wash your hands when you are around cats and especially before eating.

So before you go out and purchase a cat, think on the commitment that you are going to have to make to one. Also think about some of the possible things that you might go through with them as I have stated above. It would not be wise to get a cat if you are not willing to take care of the issues that I have stated above.