It's not that cats don't, sometimes, get fat after being altered.
It's that cats getting fat don't have much to do with them being altered.
We generally "fix" the cat at a young age, when their bodies are still growing, and they eat a lot to fuel that important growth. But just about the time they start maturing, they no longer need that much food. If they are eating too much, they will get fat.
And people blame it on the altering.
They reach this wrong conclusion because it's much more common to see a fat, altered, housecat than it is to see a chubby stray who is still reproductively active. But that's not their hormones. That's their circumstances.
That lean stray probably isn't eating enough. It's one thing for a cat to live in the wild and hunt small rodents, as they are designed to do. It's quite another for a cat to try to make it on our city streets.
The real reason housecats can become fat is that they are being fed the wrong food. This is even more important than exercise, which cats should also have. But most commercial cat foods have grains as the first ingredient on the label.
Go ahead, check the label.
Why is this so bad? Cats are hunters. They don't eat grains. When fed grains (sprayed with a meat sauce to make them think it's food) they get fat. Because they don't have the enzymes to digest grains.
All it does for them... is make them fat.
So we certainly shouldn't blame altering for making our cat fat. It was us.
We can stop the cat constantly asking for food by feeding them properly. Read more about how to slim down a fat cat.
Why do cats like to be close to your face?
Closeness, for people or cats, is all about vulnerability. When we feel close to someone, we express it by moving our faces closer and closer together. By sharing each other's most sensitive spaces, we communicate how much we trust each other.
It's the same way with cats. When a cat rubs their cheeks or forehead on us, they are marking us with their scent. They are saying we are "theirs." But when the cat rubs cheek or forehead on our cheek or forehead, they nudging us to declare that "they are ours."
While cats have many ways of showing affection, from purring to kneading our lap, having our faces close to each other is the way we share closeness with our cats that is the most similar. We smile, they blink. We laugh, they roll on their backs.
But face closeness is one language we both share.
So we should take the opportunity to share face closeness with our cats. If we are afraid to get that close to them; we don't have the trust and friendship we really want.
So be friends to our cat. Treat them with respect and gentleness, and they will return those feelings.
Then we can have a good friend who shows how much we mean to them.
Read about cats and the Vulcan mind meld.
It's the same way with cats. When a cat rubs their cheeks or forehead on us, they are marking us with their scent. They are saying we are "theirs." But when the cat rubs cheek or forehead on our cheek or forehead, they nudging us to declare that "they are ours."
While cats have many ways of showing affection, from purring to kneading our lap, having our faces close to each other is the way we share closeness with our cats that is the most similar. We smile, they blink. We laugh, they roll on their backs.
But face closeness is one language we both share.
So we should take the opportunity to share face closeness with our cats. If we are afraid to get that close to them; we don't have the trust and friendship we really want.
So be friends to our cat. Treat them with respect and gentleness, and they will return those feelings.
Then we can have a good friend who shows how much we mean to them.
Read about cats and the Vulcan mind meld.
How long do cats sleep?
Cats spend two thirds of their life sleeping. But they usually sleep only a few hours at a time. They also spend considerable time in "cat napping." This isn't a reference to the length of the naps, but their depths.
Cats can spend hours in a dozy state, alert to changes in their environment. This is often when they spend time near us, even if we are engaged in activities that are not about them.
When cats sleep away from us, they are signaling they want deep, undisturbed, sleep. So this is not a time to pet them and say their name. But when they are sleeping in our activity areas, we can acknowledge them with a chin rub or some sweet talk without disturbing their resting posture. After all, they are hanging with us to get attention. Give them some.
Kittens "cycle faster." Their sleep times, and wake times, are shorter and more numerous. But any cat, of any age, is always either charging, or discharging, their energy. Cat naps are their in-between state which makes them available to us while keeping their energy on tap.
To understand a cat's sleep behavior, we must remember that a cat survives by catching prey. Since they are not the biggest predator on the block, and they hunt alone, the cat must outwit and ambush their prey. Patience is the cat's secret weapon. They have the ability to wait for hours for the right moment; and then explode into blazing action.
So cats have the ability to store up a lot of potential energy, and then unleash it in a few seconds. This is an amazing ability; and requires certain behaviors of the cat.
So they don't have the "run all day" energy type of the dog. They spend of lot of time being ready for quick moves, and quick thinking. That is why cats are successful predators.
They aren't lazy. They are waiting.
Find out more about cat sleeping habits, and how they can mesh with our own.
Cats can spend hours in a dozy state, alert to changes in their environment. This is often when they spend time near us, even if we are engaged in activities that are not about them.
When cats sleep away from us, they are signaling they want deep, undisturbed, sleep. So this is not a time to pet them and say their name. But when they are sleeping in our activity areas, we can acknowledge them with a chin rub or some sweet talk without disturbing their resting posture. After all, they are hanging with us to get attention. Give them some.
Kittens "cycle faster." Their sleep times, and wake times, are shorter and more numerous. But any cat, of any age, is always either charging, or discharging, their energy. Cat naps are their in-between state which makes them available to us while keeping their energy on tap.
To understand a cat's sleep behavior, we must remember that a cat survives by catching prey. Since they are not the biggest predator on the block, and they hunt alone, the cat must outwit and ambush their prey. Patience is the cat's secret weapon. They have the ability to wait for hours for the right moment; and then explode into blazing action.
So cats have the ability to store up a lot of potential energy, and then unleash it in a few seconds. This is an amazing ability; and requires certain behaviors of the cat.
So they don't have the "run all day" energy type of the dog. They spend of lot of time being ready for quick moves, and quick thinking. That is why cats are successful predators.
They aren't lazy. They are waiting.
Find out more about cat sleeping habits, and how they can mesh with our own.
Are purebred cats better?
No. Purebred cats are not "better" cats by any measure. We can get a mixed breed cat who is as smart, affectionate, healthy, and well-behaved as a purebred cat.
Or not.
Because these things depend on the individual cat and how they are raised.
That's the short answer. The long answer is what "purebred" means.
The purebred cat comes with papers saying they are a certain breed, and so were their parents, and so were their parents, as far back as the "breed standard" goes.
Which can be as far back as the dawn of time or as recent as a decade ago. The Cat Fancy organization has certain rules about what makes a breed, and then it's a breed.
That's what it means. And that's all it means.
Here are the plusses, and pitfalls, of getting a purebred cat.
The good news:
What purebreds offer is predictability. If we want a devoted, talkative, and active cat with a long, lean body and a face, feet, and tail of a lovely contrasting color, we can get a Siamese kitten, and know it will grow into a Siamese cat. If you grew up with a Siamese and adored him or her, your chances of getting a similar cat is greatly increased by getting another Siamese.
This is how breeds of cats get their fans. People know they can get more of their favorite kind of cat. They also know if they want more than one cat, the chances of the cats getting along are increased if they are the same kind; with the same traits and preferences.
Or maybe you are allergic, and need to get a cat known to be less likely to trigger allergies, such as a Sphinx, Cornish Rex, or Siberian. That's also a good reason to get a purebred cat.
An ethical breeder will provide prenatal care to their mother cats, and raise the kittens "underfoot," with good socialization and other early training. This can be important to people who don't know how they would handle a cat with an uncertain past.
There's certainly nothing wrong with wanting, or getting, a purebred cat. As long as you avoid the Purebred Picking Mistakes.
The bad news:
There is no shopping for bargains with purebred cats. Many people look into a certain breed, then draw back with "sticker shock" over the price tag. Then they discover they can get the same breed from someone else for half that price. Doesn't that mean they found a great deal?
I'm afraid not. There's a better than 90% chance you have actually overpaid for a living nightmare.
The very point of a purebred cat is a restricted gene pool. You want a Norwegian Forest Cat or a Chantilly/Tiffany, and you get it; that's not the problem. But to keep such a restricted gene pool producing healthy cats, good breeders need to match their father and mother cats carefully, and monitor any bad recessive traits with medical testing. They will take problematic cats out of their breeding program. They don't sell sick, or potentially sick, kittens.
That's expensive. That's why the kittens are expensive.
Bargain breeders don't do any of that. So getting a "bargain purebred" usually means getting a kitten whose mother didn't get those prenatal checkups, whose father might be carrying a tendency to heart trouble, blindness, or blazing skin problems, and whose early life was spent in a box in the backyard to be whisked onto the market too early so the seller can take advantage of tiny kitten cuteness.
It means falling in love with a kitten who will cost their low price over and over again with vet bills until their too-early death.
Or it means not falling in love at all; bad breeding can produce a kitten who spends their life hiding under the sofa, screeching at all hours, or fighting with everything that lives and breathes.
If you've ever heard someone remark, "Oh yeah, that breed. My mom/uncle/best friend had one, and it was a horrible cat," you are hearing about a bargain breed purchase.
Horrible cats don't have fans. For good reason. But it's not the fault of the breed. It's the fault of someone who didn't know how important it is to pay full freight on a purebred kitten.
So, how do you get your dream cat?
If you meet a friend's cat and find them adorable and gorgeous, if you read up on a breed and discover qualities that sound incredibly attractive, or if you have allergies or other life style restrictions that mean you need a certain kind of cat, you still have choices.
Just make the right choices.
Here's the right way to save money on purebreds.
Or not.
Because these things depend on the individual cat and how they are raised.
That's the short answer. The long answer is what "purebred" means.
The purebred cat comes with papers saying they are a certain breed, and so were their parents, and so were their parents, as far back as the "breed standard" goes.Which can be as far back as the dawn of time or as recent as a decade ago. The Cat Fancy organization has certain rules about what makes a breed, and then it's a breed.
That's what it means. And that's all it means.
Here are the plusses, and pitfalls, of getting a purebred cat.
The good news:
What purebreds offer is predictability. If we want a devoted, talkative, and active cat with a long, lean body and a face, feet, and tail of a lovely contrasting color, we can get a Siamese kitten, and know it will grow into a Siamese cat. If you grew up with a Siamese and adored him or her, your chances of getting a similar cat is greatly increased by getting another Siamese.
This is how breeds of cats get their fans. People know they can get more of their favorite kind of cat. They also know if they want more than one cat, the chances of the cats getting along are increased if they are the same kind; with the same traits and preferences.
Or maybe you are allergic, and need to get a cat known to be less likely to trigger allergies, such as a Sphinx, Cornish Rex, or Siberian. That's also a good reason to get a purebred cat.
An ethical breeder will provide prenatal care to their mother cats, and raise the kittens "underfoot," with good socialization and other early training. This can be important to people who don't know how they would handle a cat with an uncertain past.
There's certainly nothing wrong with wanting, or getting, a purebred cat. As long as you avoid the Purebred Picking Mistakes.
The bad news:
There is no shopping for bargains with purebred cats. Many people look into a certain breed, then draw back with "sticker shock" over the price tag. Then they discover they can get the same breed from someone else for half that price. Doesn't that mean they found a great deal?
I'm afraid not. There's a better than 90% chance you have actually overpaid for a living nightmare.
The very point of a purebred cat is a restricted gene pool. You want a Norwegian Forest Cat or a Chantilly/Tiffany, and you get it; that's not the problem. But to keep such a restricted gene pool producing healthy cats, good breeders need to match their father and mother cats carefully, and monitor any bad recessive traits with medical testing. They will take problematic cats out of their breeding program. They don't sell sick, or potentially sick, kittens.
That's expensive. That's why the kittens are expensive.
Bargain breeders don't do any of that. So getting a "bargain purebred" usually means getting a kitten whose mother didn't get those prenatal checkups, whose father might be carrying a tendency to heart trouble, blindness, or blazing skin problems, and whose early life was spent in a box in the backyard to be whisked onto the market too early so the seller can take advantage of tiny kitten cuteness.
It means falling in love with a kitten who will cost their low price over and over again with vet bills until their too-early death.
Or it means not falling in love at all; bad breeding can produce a kitten who spends their life hiding under the sofa, screeching at all hours, or fighting with everything that lives and breathes.
If you've ever heard someone remark, "Oh yeah, that breed. My mom/uncle/best friend had one, and it was a horrible cat," you are hearing about a bargain breed purchase.
Horrible cats don't have fans. For good reason. But it's not the fault of the breed. It's the fault of someone who didn't know how important it is to pay full freight on a purebred kitten.
So, how do you get your dream cat?
If you meet a friend's cat and find them adorable and gorgeous, if you read up on a breed and discover qualities that sound incredibly attractive, or if you have allergies or other life style restrictions that mean you need a certain kind of cat, you still have choices.
Just make the right choices.
Here's the right way to save money on purebreds.
How many cats are too many cats?
We sometimes see "cat hoarders" on the news. Some sad looking little house, or tiny trailer, or even an apartment, and the local humane society bringing out cat after cat, like some demented version of a cat clown car.
Now that's too many cats.
Remember that animal hoarders are mentally ill. The cats in this situation are not taken care of.
There's The Cat House on the Kings, which is a shelter in Palmer, California. They have over 700 cats and kittens; all happy and cared for.
Then there's the common saying, "Over two cats, and you're a Crazy Cat Lady." Even if you are a man.
So what is the answer to this question? The reason this question comes up so often is the intersection of two facts:
Cats are easy to take care of. Even many cats are easy to take care of and make happy.
People who find out they like cats, want more cats. Because more cats are more fun!
So the answer to the question of "How many are too many?" is simple. As long as we have enough time, money, space, and love to make each cat happy, we can have as many as we want.
Statistically, more than half of all people in the US who have cats, have more than one cat. Because they have discovered how easy, and enjoyable, cats are.
Because it's not crazy to love cats.
Loving cats is so easy, cats are now the most popular pet in the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Japan, and throughout Europe. Not to mention their popularity in Indonesia and Australia.
Might make a catless person wonder... what they are missing.
To see how many cats your space can handle, use my Cat Space Calculator.
Now that's too many cats.
Remember that animal hoarders are mentally ill. The cats in this situation are not taken care of.
There's The Cat House on the Kings, which is a shelter in Palmer, California. They have over 700 cats and kittens; all happy and cared for.
Then there's the common saying, "Over two cats, and you're a Crazy Cat Lady." Even if you are a man.
So what is the answer to this question? The reason this question comes up so often is the intersection of two facts:
So the answer to the question of "How many are too many?" is simple. As long as we have enough time, money, space, and love to make each cat happy, we can have as many as we want.
Statistically, more than half of all people in the US who have cats, have more than one cat. Because they have discovered how easy, and enjoyable, cats are.
Because it's not crazy to love cats.
Loving cats is so easy, cats are now the most popular pet in the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Japan, and throughout Europe. Not to mention their popularity in Indonesia and Australia.
Might make a catless person wonder... what they are missing.
To see how many cats your space can handle, use my Cat Space Calculator.
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