Considerations Before Adopting Your First Cat

Commitment

Think seriously about the commitment you'll be making in taking on a cat. Cats are sentient beings, and a cat deserves to be seen as your family member. Bringing a cat into your home will be a responsibility for the lifetime of the cat, requiring you to provide healthy food, safety, love, companionship, and veterinary care both in good times and in bad.

However, if you've wanted a cat for some time and think the time is right, discuss it with the other members of the household. You all will need to share this commitment since the cat will view you all as active members of its family.

Age of the Cat

Thinking about a cat means deciding between a kitten, an adult cat, or a senior cat. Although they are extremely cute, attending to kittens requires a lot of time and attention. Kittens will knead pillows as they would their mother's belly when nursing. This may start some clawing behavior on upholstery or leather furniture. 

Kittens, like puppies, benefit from having a litter of mates for playing, cuddling, and for providing interesting games when no humans are home. So if you want a kitten, it might be best to have two that can socialize as siblings. Young kittens don't always get full training from mom on using the litter box, but two cats together can sometimes help influence each other in this regard. 

Kids who interact with a kitten are bound to get scratched by a cat that is not yet socialized, and the child needs to be mature enough to understand this normal learning stage. Seniors may be better matched to a more mature cat. A cat that is used to quiet napping on the TV or other warm heat source or one that is happy being petted in a person's lap may be the better choice. 

Choosing a Rescue Cat

When searching for a first cat, your initial first stop should be the humane shelters and cat rescue organizations. These groups have large numbers of beautiful, adoptable cats and kittens. If you are dead set on a cat of a specific breed, there are many breed rescue organizations to explore.

Usually, a shelter has already attended to the spay/neuter, the initial shots, and a veterinary clearance exam. If the cat's original situation left it with any medical challenges due to poor nutrition or neglect, these have usually already begun to be addressed by the shelter. You may get to play a final role in nursing your rescue back to full health, creating an initial bond between you both.

When picking a cat of any age, try to let the cat pick you as well. Spend some quiet time on the floor, giving the cat some other options in the room; if they choose you over others, that's a good sign. If multiple kittens are being considered at once, sit quietly and see which one comes to you.

Note that if you choose any of the scaredy-cats in the corner, be ready to commit a few weeks to show them that they are safe without crowding them. Once they get used to you and their overall anxiety subsides, they may be extremely loyal pets. 

Additional Cats

We are social animals, so it seems natural to us that our cats would enjoy socialization, too. With few exceptions, though, the adult wild and domestic cats lead mostly solitary lives. They can be happy in groups, but they don’t automatically seek companionship with other cats the same way dogs do. Before you decide to add a second cat to your home, ask yourself if your cat needs a friend and if you are prepared to meet the needs of multiple cats.

There are two important factors to consider before adopting a second cat: your current cat's age and personality. An older cat’s worst nightmare is having a young, energetic, and insatiable playmate as a companion, but a young or middle-aged cat may be more receptive to the presence of a kitten or even another adult cat.

In considering your original cat’s personality, your shy cat could be overwhelmed by a bossy cat, and your bossy house cat may be likely to bully a shy newcomer. It is possible to successfully introduce cats. Sometimes adding a cat to the family is unavoidable. If you’re getting married, for example, and if you both have cats, then the merger is a must.

If you’re adopting your first cat and you think you’d prefer to get a pair, the best approach is to adopt two kittens from the same litter or to adopt an already bonded pair of adults.