Whether or not you had pets growing up adopting a furry friend that’s all your own is a big step! Here’s a list of things I’ve learned since bringing home my kitty.
A. Adopt don’t shop! I guess this applies to ‘before you bring home a cat’, but is especially important when considering where to get your pet. There are so many rescues that need good homes and lots of wonderful organizations to help you find your purrfect match!
B. Buying your furry friend 100 toys won’t stop them from playing with the cardboard box, or your shoelaces, or basically anything that moves.
C. Cuddles will be on the cat’s terms, not yours (no matter how much you try and force it)
D. Don’t go into this with too many expectations. Every animal is different, and even if you’ve had pets before keep in mind that this one will be different – especially if you’re taking care of them on your own (sorry, Mom won’t be here to clean the litter box for you when you forget).
E. Every time you enter a pet store you’ll want to spend a million dollars on cute things for your pet. Refer back to point B for why this would be a terrible waste of money.
F. Fur. Will. Get. Everywhere.
G. Get yourself a lint roller.
H. Hiding behind corners and jumping out at you will be your cat’s favourite pastime, and will provide you with your daily does of adrenaline.
I. Invest in a good pet carrier. This will make trips to the vet so much easier, and will be essential if you plan to travel with your pet!
J. Jumping up walls like Spiderman is a thing your cat thinks she can do. She can’t.
K. Knocking things over = another favourite feline pastime.
L. Litter is really heavy and hard to carry back from the grocery store.
M. Meowing back to your cat won’t seem so weird after a while. Actually, you’ll probably start to enjoy these conversations.
N. No day will be boring when you have a kitten around.
O. Opening a bag of cat treats will encourage sprinting of cat towards you probably at the speed of light.
P. Protective instincts over your new fur baby will kick in almost immediately.
Q. Quiet becomes a slightly scary concept. Either the cat is napping peacefully or scheming on how best to completely destroy the apartment.
R. Relaxing with your pet is the best cure for a long day.
S. Sleep will become much shorter. Kitty’s breakfast is much earlier than yours, after all, and she won’t hesitate to let you know this.
T. Toys will mysteriously disappear and then suddenly reappear when you finally decide to clean under the couch.
U. Uploading pictures of your new pet will pretty much take over your life because you’re so proud (look how good she is at being a cat!!!!).
V. Vet bills are expensive!!!
W. Walking is not in a cat’s vocabulary. They either sleep or sprint, there’s no in between.
X. eXploring the ins and outs of your cat’s daily life will be much more interesting to you than to your friends. (Hint: they don’t really care what your cat’s new favourite napping spot is.)
Y. Yelling at your cat for bad behaviour never works. It’s easier to just accept defeat. They rule this house now.
Z. Zest for life – definitely what you’ll be feeling after bring home a new pet!
Now that you know the A to Zs of pet care, you’ll be ready for the arrival of your new feline friend and you can treat them like the king or queen that they are!