#probablywriting

Are you guys getting a kitten or an older cat?  I’m not sure how good I’ll be for advice, especially wrt kittens– you know Gus is an old man (he’s turning 18 this year!) and he’s the cat I’ve had the most interactions/experience with because he’s My Cat.

If I were getting a different cat and a younger one, though, I 100% would start as early as possible training them to be okay with caps for their front claws and having a harness/leash to go outside.  Gus is declawed in the front (the practice was a lot more common 18 years ago!) and was an indoor/outdoor cat until about five years ago.  Now that I live in an area with heavier traffic, I wish I could take him for walks.  I know he misses being outside.

As for other advice, let’s see… For cat litter, I recommend Fresh Step Crystals because you avoid the typical cat litter smell.  For cat treats, DO NOT USE ANY OF THE TEMPTATIONS CAT TREATS.  I gave them to Gus once and he spent the entire night throwing them back up.  You’ll see that brand all sorts of places, but I know I’m not the only one who has had that experience with them.

I know this probably goes without saying, but I have some Feelings about cat ownership because I think they get the reputation of being low maintenance pets (certainly in comparison to dogs), but there still is some maintenance involved, like making sure their litter box is cleaned, making sure their water gets changed and doesn’t become a stagnant gross thing, making sure you keep up with vaccinations– OH, okay, this is a Thing: so Gus is an indoor cat now, but he got really bad fleas one summer because fleas can travel indoors.  Ticks can too, obviously, so ymmv, but I still give Gus flea and tick medication in spite of the fact that he doesn’t go outside.

There’s another thing, I think, that can get overlooked about cats which gives them the reputation of being standoffish in comparison to dogs.  Cats aren’t typically going to run over and greet you immediately like HELLO FRIEND unless you bond with them.  Cats are sometimes picky about people.  Whenever I’m meeting a new cat, I put my hand out and let them sniff me and decide whether I’m okay.  Cats are little people.  They’re all different.  And I think they know when someone puts in the time and effort to get to know them.

When my family got my sister’s cat George (he was a stray who came to our back door before a snowstorm), my kid brother said he wanted to be George’s Person, but he didn’t put in nearly the amount of time and energy into bonding with him, so George bonded with my sister instead who fed him and hung out with him and played with him.

I’m rambling a bit, but I think my point here is respect your cat’s personality, pay attention to them and their little quirks, and above all, take care of them properly.  Some of my friends call Gus my familiar/daemon (a la His Dark Materials) because he and I have bonded so well.  He’s my little guy.  <3