Welcoming a new cat into your home is an exciting time. But it also requires a lot of work. With pet ownership comes responsibility. But the rewards are tremendous! They will give you love, comfort and loyalty. Just remember, you will need a great deal of commitment in order to raise a cat as they do require some care (although not as much as dogs!) and can live as old as 15 years (or even longer in some cases).

Cats require feeding (daily), care and ‘play time’ on a regular basis. You will also have to take into consideration, before getting your cat, that you will have veterinary bills and pay for annual vaccines, worming (like cat roundworm, heartworms in cats and tapeworm in cats), and hospitalization if treatment is required for any illnesses.

These bills can sometimes be very costly, especially if it’s ringworm treatment for cats or tapeworm medicine for cats that we are dealing with. So it is advisable to purchase insurance for pets if this is available in your area. But since this is a new field and not all veterinarians offer this or accept this, then it may be a good idea to ‘shop around’ to get the best deal.

Before getting your cat, you should purchase bowls for food and water, a collar (if you want the cat to wear one), a bed (or pet quilt), a few suitable toys, and some food.

A kitten should be fed throughout the day, about 4 times with a small amount of food each meal, reducing to 3 times a day at 3 months old, then at 6-8 months 2 meals per day. Older cats (over 12 months) should only be fed twice in the day (usually morning and early evening).