With a silky flowing coat, bright blue eyes, slender body, and graceful demeanor, Fifi – Mr. Mike’s Balinese - is again out for a stroll. I am enjoying this dazzling beauty from the window of my apartment. Suddenly, the sound of broken glass startled me. “Oh no”, I murmured. “Coco you did this again?” I shouted.
Coco is my naughty fluff ball. I have recently picked her from a pet shop but her hyperactiveness has made me question my decision several times. I often think that I should have opted for a cat rather than a kitten.
Pet ownership brings with it a lot of challenges. When you are seriously considering adopting a feline friend, you must take into consideration your circumstances. Of course, a kitten with a sweet, innocent and wide-eyed baby face is always the first choice for cat lovers. Their cuteness, playfulness, chasing, and pouncing add life to your surroundings but there are plenty of reasons for considering an adult feline before instantly falling for a cute kitten.
Opening your home to an adult cat has many advantages. When you choose to adopt a cat instead of a kitten, you know exactly what you are getting both in terms of physical characteristics and persona.
An adult cat is the best company for an elderly person because it is calmer, has a set pattern of behavior and can look after itself. It is independent and does not demand constant attention. A cat builds profound bonds just like kittens. Its personality may be set but its affections are not.
In comparison to a kitten, a cat is best for a household with small kids. It is more tolerant of its little masters. Moreover, a kitten needs fragile handling, therefore, it is likely to get itself hurt in boisterous surroundings.
A kitten, on the other hand, can be energetic, and boisterous to the extreme. You need to kitten-proof your house to avoid injuries. Just like human children, kittens are restless trouble makers who are not only curious but also mischievous always jumping and hurling around the counter tops, window sills, hiding and chasing after their master. They often knock off your valued decoration pieces, eat things that are not edible, mess around your sofas and beds. In short, they exhaust you. By contrast, cats with their established behaviors are less activity centered, tend to sleep more and don't make you wear out as much as a kitten does.
With a kitten, you need to put more effort into litter training. Changing litter boxes is highly disgusting. Being a ball of energy, kittens are messy with their litter boxes as well. They might play inside their litter boxes leaving litter mess around the place. On the other hand, adult cats are used to the litter box and do not spill the waste out of it. In the first few years, there are dietary changes for kittens that might cause loose stools, thus inviting more clean-ups and mess handling.
Kittens have baby teeth just like children that fallout. To aid the removal of these teeth, they must chew. Therefore, it is highly likely that kittens chew on furniture and wires. Older cats can self-clean themselves, whereas, kittens still learning to self clean plus being messy in exploring mode, may require your attention to keep them clean, therefore adding another responsibility in your kitten do list.
Choose your feline friend keeping in mind your working hours. Kittens are friendly bundles of fluff but they demand your time and energy. For someone working full time, a kitten makes no sense. If your home is near a busy road or you live in an apartment, you need to provide for a happy activity filled indoors. Provide them with plenty of toys, scratching posts, climbing towers and play mats.
Kittens get distressed if they are left alone for extended periods of time. Their small tummies need meals after short intervals. All of these necessities need consideration.
When you bring in your little furry friend, be mindful that it is energy packaged with cuteness. Their acrobatics and wild antics make you wonder about their frantic behavior. Along with their demanding nature, keeping and raising a kitten is a costly affair. Apart from the initial cost of vaccinations, kittens are more likely to cause themselves injuries in the first years of their life which can be distressing for both the owner and the pet.
It is very relaxing to sit with a warm vibrating body in your lap. A cat is more independent BUT, at the same time, choosing a cat over a kitten means that you are missing the joys of kittenhood. You did not get the chance of watching your kitten maturing into a cat. Another plus of adopting a kitten is that you can shape its personal behavior over time. It is true that you miss the super-cute kitten phase when you opt for a cat but if your personal circumstances only allow for cat adoption, do not let your excitement level drop. You can still enjoy sweet purrs and gentle cuddles. A cat is equally good in responding to your attention and love.
A thoughtful consideration of your available time, needs and desires will help you determine your choice for a cat or a kitten. You must set the rules in your house for raising a kitten. Though seems hard but your patience and love for your fur buddy can both calm a boisterous kitten and tame an adult cat. For an enjoyable pethood, you must equip your house with proper cat accessories and beds. The top priority should be proper litter handling making sure that enough litter trays are placed at different places to avoid any accidents. As a rule of thumb, a number of litter trays should equal the number of your kitten/cat plus one extra. Make sure that litter trays are cleaned properly because cats detest dirt and bad smells. Depending on your financial capability, you can opt for modern easy litter handling options. With the availability of Automatic Litter Robot, you can introduce a cleaner and hassle-free toileting system for your feline buddy. Use cat feeders, feeding bowls, and different cat products to give an enjoyable household to your gorgeous four-legged family member, enhancing the delights of owning your cat or kitten.