Are You Ready For A Cat?

Here's How To Tell If You Might Be Ready

Cats are cute, cuddly, sweet, and funny– who wouldn’t want one? But adopting a cat comes with an enormous responsibility, not to mention the commitment that comes with agreeing to care for a cat for the rest of its life. Are you ready to bring a new cat into your home and life? If you meet the following six criteria, then you might be.

You have a stable living situation

Cats are creatures of habit and very territorial, so they do best in stable living situations. That doesn’t mean you can’t move to a new apartment every once in a while. It just means your cat should be spending long, comfortable stretches of time in familiar territory.

You have a dependable income

Cats are more expensive than many people think. They cost more than the occasional bag of food or litter. Have you considered all of the obvious and hidden expenses of adopting? CLICK HERE for a deeper look into the costs of bringing a cat into your life.

You have time for play and attention

Cats, who are active by nature, are happier and healthier when they receive plenty of love, attention, and play. Do you have time each day to devote to playing?

You don’t go out of town a lot

Cats have reputations for being self-sufficient, which leads many people to believe that their cats will be just fine if left alone for a few days at a time. While it’s true that cats don’t need as much obvious attention as dogs who need to be walked several times a day, they do need consistent attention and care to be happy. A cat will need you to be dependable and available. If you leave town often for work, for instance, this may not be the best time to adopt a cat.

You can provide a stimulating home environment

In order to stay healthy and happy, cats need their home environments to be stimulating. That means you should be able to make your home into one that’s filled with interesting things to play with, chase, watch, scratch, and smell.

You’re patient

Cats are amazing. REALLY amazing. But even the most amazing cats can quickly and easily develop behavioral problems if something isn’t quite right with their health or environment. It can take a lot of work to solve a cat’s behavioral problem and it’ll be your job to get to the bottom of it. Being a great cat parent means being able to stay calm, patient, and compassionate in the face of perplexing or destructive behavior.