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You would not be here on this page unless you love your cat ... how much do you know about looking after your cat? How interested are you in the health and care of all cats? What about your friends, are they looking after their cats?
Lets think about the welfare of cats.
Not all of them live in the lap of luxury that your pampered puss surely does; just take a visit to the RSPCA and they will explain some things to you ... It is a sad day when you realise that there are cruel people in the world. Cats sometimes cop a really hard time, and it is up to all of us to care for them and make sure nobody can hurt them. Don't be afraid to speak up if you see something that you don't think is right ... tell a responsible adult, one of your parents, a teacher, a policeman, a vet or contact the RSPCA. It is up to all of us to look out for those who cannot look after themselves. How many of you got your cat for a present? There is a saying and maybe you have heard of it ... "a cat (or a dog) is not just for Christmas". What does this mean? It means that when you get your kitten as a present you have to realise that this cute little kitten is going to grow up to be a big cat. Some people stop loving a kitten when he grows up to be a cat and things the cat does as an adult that they thought were funny as a kitten don't seem so funny anymore ... stuff like sitting or peeing in the sink! But, how does he know? It was cute before so why not NOW? All of a sudden he is being yelled at for getting on the bench, when yesterday it was fine ... all because he was little and cute. Just imagine how confused he would feel. How awful if your family stopped loving you because you turned thirteen and became a teenager ... how would you feel?
Let's talk about the word "obligation" first. Do you know what this word means? If we want a boring explanation we can look it up in the dictionary and it will tell us it
is something like a responsibility you take on when doing something ... It means, when you get your kitten you are obligated to see that he is always looked after, no matter if he is a cat or a kitten! This kitten can live for fourteen or more years, so if you get him when you are aged eight, you could have him until you are twenty-one! These are a lot of years you have to love and look after this feline friend of yours and for most of that time he will be an adult cat, not the little kitten that was given to you. He will rely on you for love, food, protection, comfort, warmth and above everything else, he will rely on you for friendship. We want everyone who owns a cat to become a responsible pet owner. What does this mean? Well, there are certain things, apart from love, that your cat will need to make him happy and these are:
Housing Some people let their cats outside all the time. There are new laws around now that ask us to keep our cats inside the house or in a cattery. This is because of all of our lovely, native animals we have here in Australia. Cats are natural hunters, they cannot help it and should not be hated or blamed for it. If you decide to keep your cat inside, you will find he is easily taught to use a litter tray, and in most cases his mother has already taught him to use it. This is what it means when people say their cat is house-trained. If you are buying a kitten you should always ask if he is house-trained. If you decide to build him a cattery (or a run), contact your local cat club to give you plenty of ideas.
Vaccinations Just like people, kittens and cats should be vaccinated against diseases that affect them. There are some nasty illnesses that can make your cat very sick, or even make himdie. If you have bought your kitten and he has not had any vaccinations you shouldvisit your local vet straight away to get him his vaccination. We do recommend that you do not buy a kitten unless he has had at least ONE vaccination.
Food Many breeders give their cats special premium foods they buy in bulk A lot of research has gone into the veterinarian recommended and developed dry and wet foods for sample Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, Iams & Royalk Canin to name a few. Theyhave made sure just the right amount of what your cat needs is in each serving. So,you cannot go far wrong by feeding your cats these foods. Always make surethere is plenty of water for him to drink. A kitten breeder, your veterinarian or advice from your local cat club willhelp you decide what to feed. GOLDEN RULE: do not change his diet too quickly – it may cause him an upset tummy.
Desexing Desexing means to stop your cat from being able to have kittens if she is a girl or to be a father to kittens if he is a boy. Sure, kittens are cute, yours sure was, that's why you got him, but a visit to the RSPCA will show you that there are many unwanted kittens everywhere! And sometimes, sadly, these kittens have to be put to sleep because nobody wants them, there are just too many around. So, if we can stop cats from having other cats, unless we are in a registered breeding program this will stop a lot of these problems. Generally, cats can be desexed from 12 weeks onwards, depending on your veterinarians skill & experience. Desexing is a very simple operation, usually he will not be at the Vets for any longer than a day. It does mean they will usually live longer, be happier, they won't want to wander at night, they will be cleaner and will be happy to stay inside with you.
Love This is natural as a little kid, but as you grow up to be a teenager make sureyou still give him cuddles. Make sure he is healthy and he is warm and safe inside.We know you get a bit busier with friends and school, television and music, but he is still your friend, and when you bought him (or he was bought for you) you decided you were going to be a responsible pet owner which meant you were obligated to look after him for life.
Now you know owning a cat a little of the side of being a "parent" to your cat, it is not all serious work and after you've been to the RSPCA and you've had your shot of education by reading all that is written above, take a visit to Garfield's website! You can read Garfield comics, send G-mail, meet Garfield's friends ...
So, we hope we have taught you something about cats and what it means to be a cat owner ... and a cat lover. |
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