Felines are Fun!
19 Oct 2009

                   

 

                                  by Dan Franklin, DVM

 

 

Balinese, Bombay, Havana Brown, Japanese Bobtail, Tonkinese and  Russian Blue…no, these aren’t expensive, imported cigars, they’re CATS!

         

 Ever since the pair on Noah’s Ark, environmental adaptations, mutations, human preferences and other factors have been hard at work developing a breed for practically everyone.

         

Shorthaired, longhaired, no-haired, long tailed, no-tailed, erect ears, folded ears, long face, compact face--no matter which trait attracts you what lies within is a great feline personality.

 

Like us, every cat is one of a kind.  Some live happily with other pets and children—the outgoing and bold ocicat comes to mind.   Some prefer to be the “affectionate lap sitters”.  The Siamese can be the politician of the feline kingdom with a ready-answer for all to hear while others prefer to be “onlys”, quite content to live without other pets in their world.  

 

Yet first and foremost cats are not small dogs but a distinctly separate species with significant differences—some biological, some psychological.  Cats tend to be very private creatures, accepting humans on their own terms (if at all).

 

But boy do we accept them!  Pet cats outnumber pet dogs in the US by about 10 million as of this writing.  Why?  Because cats have many attributes many of us find quite appealing….

                   

Space limitations are no problem for cats—they go up (maybe on your curtains) so provide them with a post or tower and the entertainment will be better than TV.  They also find cozy spots in boxes, baskets—even piles of stuffed animals. 

 

House training?   A cat’s got that “covered”!  After 40 years in a veterinary hospital, I’m still amazed—place a kitten in the litter box once and it’s probably trained for life.  Cats are naturally fastidious animals.

 

Exercise?  For those of you who have two kittens growing up together you know there is no need for feline workout classes! Kittens bouncing off of your bedroom door at midnight can give you all the thrills of ice hockey. Adult housecats have raised the simple game of tag to a new level because they are all “it” and “not it” at the same time! 

 

Obedience training is “no contest”.   A cat will train you, wait and see.

 

Ever tried to bathe a cat?  Elbows, bubbles, claws and fur go everywhere.  Good thing a cat rarely requires something this insulting and undignified.  Felines much prefer to be the self-cleaning models of pets.

 

Of course, veterinary care is important and necessary, particularly during a kitten’s first year.  Advances in prevention, treatment, petparent education and even special foods have all combined to make a cat relatively low-maintenance.  An annual wellness exam plus vaccinations when necessary, should keep your kitten-in-a-cat quite healthy and contented for a long time.

 

So when you think about a cat as a companion it seems to have been specially designed for our fast-paced lifestyles. 

 

Whether waiting patiently for you to simply show up, or greeting you with a wrap-around-the-leg-tail-up welcome home, a cat makes a really great friend!

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