Cats For Dummies. Gina Spadafori

A big, brown, longhaired tabby that has more than a passing resemblance to a Maine Coon, for example. In the very real terms of love and affection, such cats are neither more nor less valuable than their pedigreed counterparts.

Even without human meddling, cats display a remarkable range of traits and appearances. Some of the more popular are the tuxedo-marked cats. Calicoes, orange tabbies, and tortoiseshells are fabled, too, and more than one cat lover has a soft spot in her heart for a ginger tabby.

      The point here is that all cats have the potential to be a special pet to someone, no matter where they come from, no matter what they look like. And cats are really more alike than they are different in terms of health, general size, and behavior.

      The differences count only in relation to what you want in a pet. You need to know your own heart before you choose to let any cat into it.

Chapter 3

      Mixes, Markings, and Pedigrees

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      

Looking into shelters and rescue groups

      

Telling the good breeders from the not-so-good

      

Recognizing the potential problems of pet-shop cats

      

Adopting kittens from your neighbor

      You know what you want: random-bred or pedigreed, longhaired or short, kitten or cat, male or female. You’ve done your homework, and you’re getting closer to sharing your home with a cat.

      Where do you find that special cat or kitten?

      One thing is certain: You find no shortage of cats. During the warm months that mean “kitten season,” you can find people with kittens to give away nearly everywhere — at your workplace, in front of your grocery store, at flea markets, shelters, and pet stores. Adult cats are plentiful, too, yours for the adopting. As for pedigreed cats, they’re a little harder to find, but even then it’s possible to find one pretty easily.

      Why should you make choosing your new pet more trouble than you need to? Why not pick out that adorable little calico kitten from the neighbor cat’s third litter? As for pedigrees, does it really matter whether you seek out a reputable breeder or buy from a pet store or someone who’s breeding for fun and maybe a little profit? If the cat’s registered, aren’t the sources for pedigrees all the same?

      HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND?

      Prices for cats and kittens vary widely: You can pay from nothing at all to the (generally) less than $50 to $100 that shelters charge (which may include start-up veterinary care and altering — such a deal), to $500 to $1,500 for an “ordinary” but well-bred pedigreed cat from a reputable breeder or a pet store, to more than a couple thousand dollars (or even much, much more) for a well-bred “show-quality” kitten or one of a rare or red-hot breed. In general, however, a registered “pet-quality” kitten of a common breed from a reputable breeder costs around $1,000, with wide variations by breed, region, and rarity.

      Even if you pay nothing for your cat or kitten, you need to put some money into a few basics — a supply of food and cat-box filler, dishes, cat box, scratching post or cat tree, and a couple toys. Figure on spending from $100 to $200 for the bare minimum. If your pet isn’t already vaccinated, wormed, and spayed or neutered, figure another few hundred, give or take, at the veterinary hospital.

      The true cost of a cat is in the upkeep, but at least you get to make payments on that. You can keep the cost of the most basic, proper care — food, litter, basic gear, preventive veterinary care, boarding or pet-sitting while you’re on vacation, and perhaps grooming for longhaired cats — to a reasonable minimum of less than $1,000 per year or so. Add in occasional veterinary emergencies (consider pet health insurance, which will add to your monthly bill but comes in very handy in an emergency) and the strictly optional, but enjoyable, addition of tempting feline merchandise — lavish toys, high-end, high-tech litter boxes, catios, books and magazines, and cat-themed goodies for you — and a cat can be a pretty pricey pet.

      The important thing is not the cost but the health and temperament of your new pal. Better you should get a friendly kitten glowing with good health from your local shelter than a sickly or shy “bargain” pedigree from a poor-quality breeder. Whether pedigrees or random-bred, go to the source that offers healthy, happy pets, and you’ll save money in the long run.

Buyer beware! And we mean that most adamantly, even if you aren’t buying at all, but adopting a free cat or kitten. Stop, and do your homework.

      All sources are not the same, which is why you should take your time in getting your kitten or cat and not just fall in love with the first fuzzy face you see.

You can get a good pet from any source, and many people out there can prove it. One friend of Gina’s, for example, had a wonderful cat she found as a half-dead kitten in an outdoor trash bin (and yes, she named him Dumpster). But your chances of getting a healthy, well-socialized kitten are best if you work with reputable shelters and rescue groups or reputable breeders. Nothing is more heartbreaking than falling in love with a kitten only to have your veterinarian tell you that your new companion tested positive for feline leukemia virus, a topic we cover in Chapter 17.

What You Need to Know about Shelters

      At the beginning of her career as a pet-care writer, Gina went to a conference for shelter workers and sat in on a seminar on making cats comfortable and keeping them healthy in the high-stress environment of a shelter. One of the presenters was a woman who’d made great changes in how her facility handled cats, and she had the pictures to prove it.

      Previously, the cat facilities at her shelter had been a converted dog run with a lid on it to prevent escapes. All the cats were thrown into that run — and “thrown” is exactly how they got there. The only way a cat left that run was for adoption or death, and either way, the escape was the same: He was lassoed by a noose on the end of a pole and lifted out by the neck, hissing in anger and crying in terror. Imagine what a horrible impression a cat who’d been treated that way would make on a prospective adopter! (Not that the impression mattered much, however, because nearly all the cats were put to death at that horrid place.)

      That shelter has changed so much today, and so have many others (sadly, though, not all). Cats and kittens are treated with more respect and caring, even at the end of their lives, and are housed in ways that make them feel more comfortable and keep them healthier, even in the challenging environment of a shelter. Many shelters today offer clean cages in a quiet area away from dogs, or multicat “colony” housing, making the surroundings as pleasant as possible for the cats.

      

Part of the trend towards keeping cats and kittens relaxed and comfortable while they wait for new homes is expressed in how many shelters offer “hiding spaces” for these pets so they can escape and chill without being stared at. Some of these retreats are as simple as cardboard boxes with a hole cut into the side. The nation’s shelter veterinarians have been promoting “portals,” which are passageways between two existing cages that allow cats to have their litter box separate from food and water dishes. C’mon: You wouldn’t