Guide to a fury animal

Assalamualaikum readers...

Today, im gonna switch gears.
Let's stop talking about relationships, marriages and men.

Let's talk about cats.

I'm going to share my experiences being a 20+ year old, first time cat owner.

Gosh...i have so many stories to tell.

As you may know (if you read my blog), i have lost two kittens: Toothless and Mercedez due to a deadly viral infection.

And now, i have Romeo as my fury companion. I've had him for about 3 months now. Alhamdulillah, he is healthy and growing to be a cute independent cat as the days go by.

Romeo, my little hero

So...what do you need to prepare if you are thinking of having a pet cat?

1. Prepare yourself mentally and physically

Having a cat is like having a baby. They need attention. Its a two way relationship. You need a companion, so does the cat. You can't just expect the cat to be happy to greet you when you come back from work everyday, but you dont spend time with them.
If you want to learn on how to commit in a relationship, babysit a cat for two weeks. If you pass, you can learn to commit to another human being. (oppss...im talking about relationship)

2. Adopt a cat or buy a cat?

This one is for yourself to decide. Both has its pros and cons.
If you adopt a cat (like i did), its FREE. But, stray cats or adopted cats udually have issues, mostly trust issues.
They take some times to actually believe and trust that you mean well to them.
Conclusion: a lot of patience is needed.
My own experience with Romeo, he hid under the bed for three days, only comes out to eat when im not in the room, or after i go to bed. I tried everything with him, but he still hid under the bed.
But after 3 days of knowing my routine,he comes out from his hiding and let me pat him like a normal cat. Finally he lets me into his world.

If you buy yourself a cat, you will have to pay for the cat obviously. And usually expensive cats need more attention and more care as compared to adopted, stray cats. Some of them needs to be on special strict diet, special vaccines and extra grooming care. This depends on the breed of your cat.
Some cats even need special medical attention due to their breed. You need to study a bit more on the breed of cat before you get yourself one.

3. Let's go shopping!!!

Once you got yourself a cat, you need to start shopping.
Food (wet and dry), litter box, carrier, food bowl, shampoo, pooping sand, toys.
These were the first things that i spent on for my kitten.

The food you buy has to be suitable for your cat. If your cat is a kitten, you need to get kitten food. If its an adult, get the adult ones. Remember to read the labels on thr packaging.

Dry or wet food?

Usually for kitten younger than 4months, we would recommend you to feed it wet food daily. But you can also feed it dry food that has been mixed with water so that it can eat thrm better.
As the cat grows older, you can start feeding it dry food on a daily basis and intermittently treat in with wet food. They will go crazyyy...

As for toys, it is necessary to keep your cats busy while you are at work. Cats can learn to play by themselves. You just need to guide them on how to play eith the toys.
The easiest toy you can create is paper balls. Crumple up a piece of paper and roll it on the floor in front of your cat. He will chase after the ball and even play on his own.

You can also get toys from pet stores, there are many out there. But you need to teach the cats on how to play with them. If you get them a rod with a butterfly at the end of the rod for it to chase, first introdice the toy. Swing the butterfly slowly in front of your cat to get his attention. When his eyes are fixated on the butterfly, try allowing him to catch the butterfly at a close distance. When you get the reaction you want, try distancing yourself from him. Let him chase the butterfly.

Romeo's scratching poll

Again, this takes patience. Cats learn by repetitive actions. Keep doing this for a few minutes for him to get the hang of it. Soon he would be playing catch on his own.

4. Get furryyyyy

With a cat in your house, please expect your clothes to have cat's fur all over when you cuddle your cat or if your cat rubs against you. This is normal cat behaviour.
Just get yourself one of the fur roller and roll onto every piece of clothing and bedsheets as often as possible to maintain hygiene.

5. Vaccinate them

Vaccinating your cats are important and crucial for their wellbeing. Bring your cats, even the stray cats you decide to adopt to a vet for proper vaccination.

Keep track of the appointment dates and dont miss out on them. Cats are very prone to getting deadly viral infection if they are not vaccinated.

That's pretty much for part 1 i guess. I'll try to update more in the next entry.

Till then, see ya!