Kitten or Cat?

[Texasmujer]

Which is a better choice for you?

When people think about adding a cat to their lives, they automatically think "kitten". And why not? A kitten seems to make perfect sense, a little fluffball who'll grow into your household and your heart. For some people, though, an adult cat is a better option. And even if you're perfectly set up for a kitten, you ought to consider an adult as well, for you'll find many wonderful pets among the ranks of grown cats, and most will never get a seond chance to show how wonderful they can be.



DON'T rule out either before you fairly consider each one.

*Kittens can be a lot of work and aggravation. They can result in a lot of expense, too, because many a kitten seems to use up nearly all of a cat's nine lives, which means you may end up seeing the nice people at the veterinary clinic a time or two in the first year.

*With a kitten, you also need to put more time into training, from making sure that the kitten understands what's expected regarding the litter box. to helping your kitten learn to stay off the counters.

*You need to kitten-proof your home---or keep the kitten confined in a safe part of your house whenever you're not watching him---and then spend months during which, every day, you're picking your little tiger off the drapes, off the kids, off the back of the couch, or off your slippers every time you walk sown the hall.

* The most serious disadvantage to adult cats is simply that they aren't as "baby cute" as kittens!

*The easy and generous affection of adult cats make them perfect pets for people for whom walking dogs would be difficult or impossible. And study after study confirms the importance of a cat in the lives of those who feel isolated by age or disabilities.

* One of the most compelling reasons to adopt a mature cat is that many of these adults have little hope of getting a second chance after they hit the shelter, no matter how healthy, beautiful, and well-mannered they are. Kittens are so adorable they're hard to pass up, so many people never even look at the cages of afult cats when they're at the shelter.

*The possible disadvantage of adopting an adult cat is that you may be choosing a pet with behavioral problems---not using a litter box, for example. A good shelter, rescue group, or breeder practices full disclosure of any known health or behavior problems with the animals up for adoption.
Remember, however, that many animals are given up for behavior problems that can be resolved or aren't their fault---such as the cat who's looking at a filthy litter box every day and decides to do his business elsewhere.