General Information

• Being a responsible owner of a cat carries with it certain financial obligations. Adopting a cat or kitten can almost be compared with adopting a child because that animal becomes part of your family. You owe it to your new cat to take care of his or her basic needs, as well as being prepared for emergencies.
  
• Spay or neuter your new cat. Male cats will spray every available surface of the house or will try to escape outdoors to fight other male cats; female cats will keep the household awake with their loud yowling during estrus; and worse yet, have "surprise" litters of unwanted kittens.
  
• Cats need certain vaccinations, they need annual examinations, and they definitely need and deserve immediate veterinary care when they become sick or injured.
  
• Cats are obligate carnivores and need a good source of meat protein. Many inexpensive cat foods use grains instead of meats as the main nutrient source. These diets can lead to obesity or diabetes when fed long-term to cats.
  
• The benefits of keeping a cat inside or carefully monitoring him or her outside will greatly reduce the chances of:
  • Injury or death by vehicles
  • Poisoned intentionally or accidentally
  • Injury or death by fighting with other cats
  • Infectious diseases contracted from other cats: FIP, FIV ,FeLV, URIs
  • Parasites: fleas, ticks, ringworm
  • Injury or death by sadists
  • Injury or death by dogs or predators
  • Killing of wildlife by outdoor cats
  • Getting lost, picked up by A/C
  • Theft for sale as laboratory animals or "bait" for illicit gaming
  • Problems with neighbors: cats littering their yards
    
• Do not neglect the litter box. Litter boxes should be scooped at least once daily and dumped completely every few weeks. The box should be cleaned with warm water and a mild dish detergent at least once monthly. Use a non-scented litter that your cat will enjoy. Some cats prefer non-clumping litter, and some cats will refuse to use a covered litter box. There should be at least one litter box per cat in the household and preferably one box per cat plus an additional box in case all of the others are dirty or in use. If you are taking good care of your litter boxes and your cat still urinates or defecates outside the box, that may be sign that your cat is ill and needs to see the veterinarian.
  
• Indoor only cats often become overweight and lazy from lack of mental and physical stimulation. Play with your cat for at least 15-20 minutes per day and offer new toys and enrichment to keep your cat's mind and body active.
  
• All cats should be brushed on a regular basis. Medium or long-haired cats should be brushed at least once daily to help prevent mats from forming. If you start out brushing your cat as a kitten, they will allow you to also brush them as adults.