When the thing we worry about... won't happen

People tell me they aren't interested in getting a pet cat because of problems which only exist when cats are handled completely wrong.

So I'm happy to say that the best way to avoid the worst cat problems is to avoid doing things completely wrong!

There, that was easy.

But as always, the biggest problem is knowing what's right... and what's wrong. People turn away from the "cat option" because they don't think they can get what they want from a cat. But they are usually wrong about that.

It's not our fault when that happens. Our only exposure to cats might have been from people who didn't understand their cats, handled their training and care badly, and then complained that cats weren't affectionate.

Well, when I'm treated with incompetence... I'm not affectionate, either.

If we want a hiking companion, or an excuse to get out and meet people, or more exercise... a dog is a good choice. We cannot do these things with cats.

But if we want someone happy to see us when we get home, a cuddly companion during our downtime, and a pet who can take care of themselves during bad weather and late nights... a cat is an excellent choice.

If we want a pet we can spoil, a cat is the best choice!

For more about cat misconceptions, see all my posts on Cat Myths.

Don't fear the shelter cat

It's not that people are afraid of shelter cats. They are afraid of adopting shelter cats.

Cats in shelters have the perception of being "someone else's problem." Is that how they got there? Fortunately, science has an answer. In a recent study, here are the reasons an owner relinquished a cat to a shelter, in the order the person gave to the researchers:

• Moving (8%)
• Landlord not allowing pet (6%)
• Too many animals in household (11%)
• Cost of pet maintenance (6%)
• Owner having personal problems (4%)
• Inadequate facilities (2%)
• No homes available for litter mates (6%)
• Allergies in family (8%)
• House soiling (5%)
• Incompatibility with other pets (2%)

As we look over this list, we see only a few reasons that would possibly be the cat's fault.

The most fearsome, house soiling, is only 5%! As someone with a lot of experience in cat rehabilitation, I can confidently assert that out of all the cats that get turned into the shelter for not using their litter box, 49.5% have an easily-fixed medical condition, and 49.5% have no problem using a clean litter box.

I think this mindset occurs because people who want a cat as a pet have trouble understanding how anyone could give up a cat... unless the cat has a problem. But that is not what we have going on here.

Abandonment, moving, losing the cat and not looking for them, letting them languish when they need medical care, and "dropping them off in the country" for other people to take to the shelter... this is how cats wind up there.

Cats get into the shelter because of human problems; not cat ones.

For more reassurance, read my article on the great benefits of adopting cats from shelters.

Is it wrong to spoil our cat?

Sometimes, when we share that we've done something nice for our cat, another person will be negative about such a gesture.

You want to be careful, don't spoil the cat.

I am here to reassure everyone; we cannot spoil the cat by spoiling them. In fact, the whole point is spoiling them!

This is how we learn to love each other.

There are real concerns when it comes to spoiling a dog, or a child. In both cases, we cannot let them "have their way" because the dog will think that means they are The Boss, and the child... well, the child will think that means they are The Boss, too. And they are not; they cannot run things.

But our cat is different. Our cat actually can run things. Not giant corporations or ATM machines, but our cats are used to running things for themselves; and are happiest in our home when they do.

The more we let them choose their favorite foods, maintain the litter box the way they'd like, and offer them affection in a way they understand; the happier they are. In turn, the happier they make us.

Cats understand reciprocal affection. We don't have to "make" them love us. When we do nice things for them, they love us, and want to do nice things for them. Or, maybe, it's the other way around.

It doesn't matter, does it?

Play the ultimate cat game: the Game of Mutual Regard.

What should we feed our cat?

It seems easy... we go to the store, we buy the bag of 100% Nutritionally Complete Food, and we keep the bowl topped up.

Done.

But in our Corporate Dominated Consumer World... it's not that simple.

Sadly, the biggest selling, easiest to get food, the kind that comes in a big bag at the supermarket, is awful food. Look at the ingredients. Meat is not the first on the list, or even second. And if it says byproducts... we don't want to know.

Yes, it's cheap and convenient. But just as we don't want our children to eat only McDonald's meals, we don't want our cats to eat the pet equivalent.

The biggest problem with these cheap & easy dry foods is that they are mostly grains. And there's the problem. No one ever came back to the farmhouse to exclaim, "That mountain lion's gotten into the wheatfield again!" That's because cats don't eat grains. Period.

They so don't eat grains because they don't even have the enzymes to digest them. So what happens when we feed an obligate carnivore (that's what cats are) mostly grains? They turn to fat and give them diabetes.

We don't want that.

Any canned food is better than any dry food. That's a great place to start.

For more on better foods, see how cats eat less of better foods, so it doesn't cost that much. And here's some help convincing a cat to eat the new food.