YOUR IDEAL CAT

Your Ideal Cat/Cats come(s) into our lives in many ways: purebred adoptions that are eagerly anticipated (and almost as expensive!) as the birth of a child, casual "Mom, look  who followed me home" arrangements, love-at-first-sight matches at animal shelters, and emergencies that compel anyone with a heart to rescue a feline in trouble.  With enough love and patience, any of these can be the first step toward a wonderful, lasting puss/person relationship. But as with any important commitment, there are things that can go wrong. So take the time to decide what kind of cat is best for you, then stick to your decision to avoid the pitfalls.Your ideal cat may be a purebred kitten, an older cat adopted from a shelter, a retired breeder, a homeless waif or a pampered feline you fall for at a cat show. How can you be sure which sort of cat would make the best companion for you?

First of all, evaluate  your living space and lifestyle. Cats can adapt to any environment from a studio apartment to a farm, but generally speaking the gentler, less active breeds do best in small spaces while the livelier, more athletic types need more room to romp and space to explore.  It's possible to keep a 'hyper' cat happy in a small apartment, but you will need to provide plenty of interesting "cat furniture" and make the most of vertical as well as horizontal space. If you  prefer a cat that would just curl up for a nap on your couch, then choose one of the more mellow breeds or an older cat rather than a kitten. Consider the people and pets you live with too. A cat that would do fine with an older couple might be intimidated by an active family with 4 kids and 2 dogs!

A purebred kitten may cost from a hundred USD to a few thousand depending on the rarity of the breed and local supply and demand.  It's a worthwhile investment if you're smitten by the looks and purr-sonality of a certain breed. A major advantage of purebreds is that they tend to conform in looks and temperament to the others in their bloodlines. While individuals can have strikingly different purr-sonalities, basic breed characteristics are fairly predictable.The "rule of paw" about cat breeds is that slender shorthairs like Abyssinians, Siamese and their relatives (Balinese, Javanese, Oriental long and short-hairs), Cornish Rex, are generally smarter, more curious and more active, while plump longhairs like Persians, Himalayans and Ragdolls tend to be less intellectual, more relaxed and more agreeable about grooming sessions which they require daily.

Most purebreds are affectionate, but some bond with one individual (Siamese) while others prefer to hang out with the whole family (Balinese & relatives). They also differ in their degree of tolerance for other cats, dogs, children, company, noises and large groups of people. Unlike cats of unknown parentage which can change radically from kittenhood to adulthood, purebreds provide few surprises as they develop. Look at a 6-month old pedigree kitten and you know how the adult cat will look and act. But genes don't count for everything. A bad experience in early life could turn a kitten from a sociable breed into a fraidy-cat, or one from a normally relaxed breed into a nervous Nellie.  One from a passive breed could turn into a "party animal" if its "people" went out of their way to give it affection, stimulation and opportunities to play. Learn about different cat breeds by reading, asking someone who has that breed, or go to a cat show where you can see them on display, and talk to their breeders rather than buying blindly from a pet store. For more information on cat breeds, contact Linda Galloway (sacchicats@aol.com; llgalloway@gmail.com).

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