Visiting the breeder

Some breeders house their animals outside cattery, others within their homes. A reputable breeder will not hesitate to allow a prospective owner to visit. The advantage of the house reared litter is that kittens are socialized earlier.They have greater contact with day-to-day noise,humans and perhaps other animals such as dogs. On the other hand,the disinfection and restricted contact routine f a first-rate cattery reduces the risk of disease and infection.Kittens from a good cattery will be handled and socialized,but this process cannot be as completed as if they were raised within the home.Beware of the unscrupulous cattery owner rearing kittens solely for financial gain.Conditions can often be substantiated.

Usually you need to make an appointment to see and select from a litter of kittens, but it is possible to book a kitten in advance of delivery if you are drawn to a particular cat. By visiting the breeder,you can assess the general environment and conditions in which kittens have been  brought up in the first few vital weeks of their lives. If you ask the right questions and the rest of the litter, the mother and possibly the father, you will be able to build up the complete picture of the kittens heritage.

Cat Homes

If you want to give a home to an unwanted cat or kitten,go to a welfare agency or humane society. There are several big,well-known national organizations as well as many smaller charities that cater fr homeless or unwanted cats.

Cats are not usually released to a new owner until they have been given a veterinary check ,but the organization may not have had the time or resources for full investigations.This is particularly the case with feline immunodeficiency disease or feline Aids,the test for which is quite expensive.However,coats are routinely checked for parasites and fungal conditions,and the ususal vaccinations are often given. The main welfare organizations usually do investiage thoroughly,including blood tests to ensure feline Aids and leukemia are  not present.In addition once an animal has been chosen,they visit the home of the prospective owner to endure that it is suitable.Such attention to detail means that they may have charge for the kitten,which may take the potential buyer think twice before buying.But whatever the cost ,it is certainly less than the cost of bringing a stary in dubious condition to peak fitness.

Where to find a heathy kitten

It is essential to choose a healthy kitten.One picked from the street should be approached with caution. Despite the pro-neutering campaigns of welfare agencies, unneutered cats do roam freely.This,together with the rapid malnutrition of the cat,makes it possible for am four month-old to become pregnant,resulting in the next generation.Such kittens may not have physically strong,they my have been separated from their mother too soon,and are likely to have had any veterinarian attention or inoculations. Diseases such as feline influenza and feline enteritis can stile a very young kitten and kill rapidly. In addition, felin immunodeficient diseases may be present.

Gender and Age

If cats are neutered there is a little difference in behavioural terms between a male and female.However, a neutered male may be a little more indolent than a female. If you have already have a cat in your home,it may be worth going for the oppposite sex for the new cat.The established resident is more likely to defend it territory aggressively agaainst a cat of the same sex.
One sextual urges have been quelled by neutering process,cats are likely to exhibit their true breed charactersitice more storngly.The siamese cat's attachement to tis owner is accentuated,for example,and the Persian becomes even more placid and comfort living.

Male cats are generally larger than females. On average, a full grow,neutered male cat tends to be a little heavier than an entire male,with an average weight of b/w 5 and 7.5 kg(10-15lb). Females are usually about 1kg(2.2lb)lighter.The largest pedigreed variety is the Maine coon cat from the north-eastern United States.Male maine coons have been known to reach about 10-12.5kg(20-25lb)in weight .The smallest,or most dainty breed is Singapura about 2.7kg(6lb),but breeders take care to make certain that their cats fall within the minimum weight range to ensure successful breeding.

Long Hair or Short Hair?

Having a ling haired cat requires you to set aside some time every day to groom it,to keep the coat free  from tangles and matting.At the other extreme,the almost hairless Sphynx cat needs extra care as it very succeptible to tempaerature change and skin problems.

If you are living in a hot, humid climate, along haired car is not a wise choice unless it is to live in an air conditioned home.The coat of a Sphynx does not adpat at all to climate changes, and the cat would need to be kept in a centrally heated environment in cold winters.

If you are allergic to cats, it will probably make no difference whether you have a longhair or shorthair. Most human allergies to cats are due to the proteins in the scurf or in the dried saliva covering hair.

The Pedigree option

Buying a purebred dog from a reputable breeder has long been accepted.However,it is only comparatively recently that interest in pedigreed cats has become established. Until about 30 years ago,there was a scarcity of breeders and with the exception of blue Persian and Siamese breeds,pedigreed cats were not readily available. This situation has been radically redressed by the cat fancy being much more active in its publicity.The showng and breeding of cats witha a known ancestry has become a popular hobby,making a much greater range of breeds available.

A key advantage of buying a pedigreed kitten frome a reputable breeder is that there are safeguards woven into the transaction.

Why choose a cat?

The cat's adaptability and independence make it very practical pet for modern working household. Cats do not have to be taken for walks.They self exercise .Some can happily adjust to a life spent totally indoors in a high rise apartment. Depending on their character, they can also learn to live with other domestic pets. For many people through its the beauty of the cat that is so alluring. A cat on watch at a window on the prowl or playing in the garden or simply as a soothing, sleeping presence, is a graceful and rewarding,easy care asset ti the home and family.

The path to domestiaction

Our ancestors may have simply hunted these cats and killed, both as a food source and for their pelts.
However humans were developing an agrarian society based on crops that would have attracted rodents, it is also possible that the kittens wre tamed and used to control pests. This would also have been in the cat's interests-keeping the scavenger population under control provided a regular concentration of well-fed prey.
In 1865, Francis Galton, a British scientist who specialized in the study of heredity and intelligence, defined the essential qualities of the early domestic animal. it would need to be useful easy to tend, able to breed freely and above all ,be comfort loving and have a liking for humans. there is also hypothesis that the process of domestication from the wild,savage feline may have been accelerated by genetic mutation. Genes, the building blocks for a living creature,include patterns for behavior as well as the size and general conformation of the adult. A fault in the genes that control behavior patterns could, at some time, have created cat that was  temperamentally unwilling to leave a juvenile dependency state.This coupled with a ready supply of food from human farmers,created an environment in which the mutual advantages of domestication were explored.The kitten cat gained warmth comfort and secure environment in which to breed,and it's offspring were valued as an ongoing supply of rodent exterminators. this made the spread of the genetic fault creating socially valuable domesticated cat inevitable.

Origins of domestic cats

There is a close relationship between the wild and domestic cat , but it is uncertain that which wild sub-specious of the felis genus actually made up the leap into domesticity. Wild cats are widely distributed and vary considerably in appearance and habits.

Northeren cats for example,developed dense,almost wolly coats,while in warmer,soyuthern climes, afine,body-hugging fur was the norm. Experts ended up with three major contenderes for the ancestor of the domestic cat.

For many year, the Europeans believed that it was their wild cat, which is still found in localized parts of Scottish Highlands and northern continental Europe. Their assumption was based on the cat's coloring and tabby markings that are common in non-pedigreed cats of the today.However young offspring are reared by humans, they remain very wary, and do not abandon their wild behaviour patterns .This inherent anti-social streak makes them unlikely to have been inclined toward domestication.

Journey from the wild

Members of the cat family Felidae range from the great,roaring cars such as lion and tiger to the small domestic cat. They are separated into different genuses(family subdivisions),not because of their size,but because of their differences in their anatomy. These enable members of the genus Panthera to roar, while the small cars i genus felis cannot do so.

There is a third genus for the cheetah because they have non-retractable claws.Early in the 1990's there were more than 230 different species of cat in the family as whole,but now there are fewer than 30 . Many became extinct because cats have always been hunted and killed by humans for their fine pelts.