Owning A Cat - The Responsibilities

Owning A Cat - The Responsibilities
By Kate Tilmouth

Giving a cat a home holds far more responsibilities than giving them their food and the occasional cuddle. It is a commitment that could last for 20 years in some cases, although the average life span for a cat is around 15 years. By understanding what is actually involved in caring for a cat will enable perspective cat owners to make an informed decision and will prevent unhappy future re-homing situations.

The initial costs of homing a cat depends very much on where you get the cat from and whether or not it is a pure breed which could cost as much as £1000. Most animal shelters will charge a fee of around $100 to $150 but this fee often includes vaccinations and neutering, whereas a pet store will charge less but will require you to pay for initial vet treatments yourself.

As a cat owner it will be your responsibility to provide proper medical care for your cat throughout its lifetime. Investing in a cat insurance policy is often a wise move and will help you pay for any unforeseen expensive medical procedures. However initially you will have to pay for their first vets treatments and this could be as much as $250 including vaccinations and de-sexing.

Making your cat comfortable at home is also an essential cat owner responsibility. Making sure that each cat have their own litter trays, beds, toys and feeding bowls is only the basic requirements, on top of these you will have to consider buying a cat carrier, grooming brushes, climbing posts and scratching posts, depending on your cats personal requirements.

Providing your cat with the correct diet is also a must, it is essential that cats be fed food suitable for their age and physical abilities. If incorrect food is provided it can lead to diarrhoea, urinary problems, bad teeth and may cause more serious illness to occur in the future. The best way to avoid this is to feed your cat only premium brand wet food supplemented with some dry kibble and providing plenty of fresh water to drink. An adult cat needs to be fed twice a day with a small amount of dry food left available all day. Making sure that your cat eats correctly and does not become under or over weight is a responsibility not to be overlooked.

Long haired cats will require their coats to be brushed by you at least three times a week to prevent the fur matting and reducing the likelihood of hair balls. Matted fur is painful and will have to be professionally removed by a vet or groomer, so preventing it in the first place is the best option. Special cat brushes can be bought to make the grooming process more effective and comfortable for your cat. A shorthaired cat should be brushed at least once a week, again to help remove the fine loose hairs that can cause hairballs to form.

Helping to keep your cats claws well trimmed will help prevent them from using your furniture as scratching posts and will prevent your furniture from becoming a regular scratching post. It will also stop the cat becoming caught in carpets and possible painfully ripping their claw out. Checking their claws on a monthly basis and using proper nail clippers to nip the very end of the claw off, will help keep their claws in good shape. Providing plenty of scratching posts should also be seen as an essential cat owner responsibility.

Cats are prone to a few nasty parasites, which you as a responsible owner are responsible for keeping under control. Flea and worming treatments obtained from your vet need to be administered monthly. Make sure that you check your cat's ears regularly and wiped clean inside to make sure that ear mites are not present.

Vaccinations are essential for looking after your cat's health. The three main diseases to protect your cat from are feline enteritis, cat flu and feline leukaemia, all of which are potentially fatal. It is also good to remember that these vaccinations may require yearly booster injections, something your vet will advise you on and that you will have to allow for in your budget.

As a general rule a potential cat owner should realise that owning and looking after a cat does require a lot of time and care and will cost around $21 a week. If this is a commitment that you are not able to guarantee throughout the life of your cat, then it would be better for both you and the cat not to own a cat in the first place.

More cat health and cat care tips can be found at our site http://www.our-happy-cat.com
A feline friendly community full of helpful advice and fun things to do to make sure you have a happy cat and a happy you.

Copyright 2007 Kate Tilmouth

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