What We Love and Don't Love About Cats

By Doris Canova

The emotional life of cats, in some ways, may even be richer than a person's, because they have no inhibitions about what they feel. In a short period of time, a cat can go from contentedness to anger to desire to affection. True, studies show that people with pets live a bit longer and have better blood pressure than non-owners, but in the literal sense, we don't really need all those dogs and cats to survive.

One of the things we love about cats is watching them play. Kittens love playing but don't know yet how to control their sharp claws and teeth. Also children can unknowingly be a little rough with a kitten and may cause it harm. Kittens that are obtained after 12 weeks may be more difficult to manage. The experiences of kittens during their first few months of life are important in helping to shape their temperaments and personalities as adults. Your kitten will need time to adjust to her new environment, and understanding this is the first step in getting off to a positive start.

One of the things we don't love is hair shedding but hair shedding is considered a sign of health in the cat, because sick cats do not shed. It happens for different reasons, but basically it depends on the time your cat spends outdoor or whether your cat is purely an indoor cat. Hairballs can be prevented with certain cat foods and remedies that ease elimination of the hair and regular grooming of the coat with a comb or stiff brush. Cats expend nearly as much fluid grooming as they do urinating. Long-haired cats obviously are more high-maintenance than its short-haired counterparts. You'll need to at least bath them once a week and brush their long manes frequently. Owners should wipe away the moisture that is emitted from the eyes at least once in the morning and at least once in the evening hours. Persians should also be bathed frequently.

Hunting is something you may or may not like about cats. Cats are fun to watch as they pretend to hunt by attacking toys, each other, or miscellaneous items and this is something we like. They may hunt for real and present you with a dead mouse "trophy" and this we have mixed emotions about. On the one hand we are glad to have the rodent eliminated, but then and again, we don't want to know about it. Hunting has become central to cat's behavior patterns, even to their wild like playing for short bursts of intense exercise punctuating long periods of rest. Hunting mothers generally pass all their hunting abilities, including the ultimate killing of their prey, onto their kittens. Non-hunting mothers, by contrast, often pass along the hunting skills except the ability to kill.

Scratching is another thing about which we may have mixed emotions. On the one hand, scratching behavior seems enjoyable to the cat, and even declawed cats will go through elaborate scratching routines, with every gesture of great satisfaction, despite the total lack of results. Then again, without a scratching post your furniture or draperies may suffer.

One thing is that generally speaking, smaller pets mean less responsibility, but even a tiny goldfish needs love and care, but then and again, smaller pets also have a shorter life span -- which means you or your child will experience an early grief.

Generally, cats are naturally well-behaved creatures, unlike dogs, who want to please you; cats want to feel they are the ones in total control of their lives which some people love and other people hate.

As the saying goes, "everything has its price" and yes cats do have things that can potentially be annoying, but I feel the benefits far outweigh the bad side. For me, there is nothing that is as comfortable as having a purring cat lying on my lap on a cold winter night in front of the fireplace. No matter what has gone wrong during the day, it is all forgotten during this daily ceremony.

NOTE: This article is for information only. See your veterinarian for medical advice.

We plan to post articles that are informative and helpful to other cat lovers. Having been "owned" by cat for years, we know they can be demanding, but also be very entertaining and fun. Please visit our site today for a wide array of products that will make "His Majesty" very happy - http://www.besthousecatcare.com or our blog for more information - http://www.besthousecatcare.blogspot.com