If you are considering the purchase or adoption of a cat, one of the first questions that come to mind is: choose an adult cat or a baby cat ? At Petlifey, we advise you to choose the cat with the most suitable age for you.
Which cat to adopt as an adult or a puppy?
It is certainly attractive to raise a baby or very young kitten, but the fascination of the animals will not last long.
A puppy kitten will require more human attention than a new adult cat. Some member of the family will have to take responsibility for the care of the kitten.
It will be necessary to clean the residues left by the kitten, at least during the first days, until the little one gets used to its new environment.
An advantage of adopting a kitten, rather than an adult cat, is that the little ones are more impressionable than the adults. Therefore, they are much more receptive to the personality and temperament of their owner.
A mature cat probably has more ingrained habits. One of the advantages of adopting or buying an adult cat that you are comfortable with is that its character is probably well established, while you can never be sure how a kitten will develop despite the influences it may receive.
Many prospective cat owners think they will not be able or willing to take the time to care for a kitten. In these cases, if you do not have much time, an adult cat of good character may be the best solution .
People with the desire and time to dedicate themselves to playing, educating or simply being with a kitten, will probably feel much happier if they adopt or buy a young animal than if they acquire an adult cat.
An older person may not be able to take care of a young kitten, but a loving, well-trained adult cat would be the perfect companion animal for them. Such an animal will give the person its affection, attention and company, will be easy to maintain and will provide endless hours of entertainment and pleasure.
Families that own a dog will do better to buy a young kitten. An adult cat may have trouble getting used to the dog, viewing them as an enemy and resisting, even though the dog has been in the house before them.
However, a kitten will gladly accept a dog as a playmate, confidant, and friend.
Unless it is of a bad character, a dog usually accepts a cat at least as a source of fun and a playmate, and often as another member of the family to be cared for, loved and protected. Invariably puppies and kittens become fast friends, especially if they arrive at your new home at the same time.
Families with children need to think carefully before adopting or buying a feline. They should consider whether it would not be more appropriate to buy a companion animal other than a feline for their home.
Cats do not like to be roughly treated. A family should not have a cat if the children in the family are too young not to respect it. Cats have their occasional need for privacy, their right to decide when to play and when not to play. Also, its right not to be handled like a dog and its warning stances and growls.
Cats can cause serious injury to a child, and while these actions are invariably a reaction to behaviour, parents are likely to blame the cat for their child’s misbehaviour.
When children have grown up with cats and the family wants to replace a feline that has died, there should be no problem in making the decision to adopt or buy another. If the first cat and the children have gotten along, a new cat will be well received.
If not, and if the family is determined to acquire or adopt a new companion animal, it would be wise to consider adopting or purchasing an animal that is not a feline.
