How to Choose a Cat for Your Family

Ron: I’m Ron Conning for www.howdoyouneed.com and we want to help you choose the right cat for your family. Joining me is Dr. Catherine Miller. She’s an animal behaviorist with the ASPCA. Dr. Miller, thank you for being here. Miller: Hi, my pleasure. Ron: So, this notion of choosing a cat really comes down in many ways to making sure that your lifestyle matches the cat’s lifestyle which is something we often hear with dogs but not always with cats. Why? Miller: Cats have a wide range of personalities and lifestyles. So, before you go out to adopt a cat, it’s really important to take stock of your own personality and lifestyle and what you’re looking for in a companion so that when you do go out to a shelter or look at cats, you have a good sense of how well that cat meshes with what you’re looking for. Ron: Another general notion might be that a cat can stay home alone or wants to be alone and independent more so than, maybe, a dog but it’s not always the case though, right? Miller: That’s true. Younger cats, kittens, need a lot of attention and a lot of supervision but then there are even adult cats who are very social. Cats are social creatures and they do need to have social companionship some more than others. Ron: So, in considering that, the idea of adopting an older cat, the benefit in that might be that you have a better sense of the cat’s behavior. Miller: Absolutely. An older cat can be a great match for a lot of different people particularly older folks or people who have a mellow lifestyle. There are some older cats who fit in very well with that sort of situation. Don’t rule out an older cat; it could fit very well in your lifestyle. Ron: How do you match a cat to a family that has small children? Miller: A younger kitten might be too fragile, for example, for a very rambunctious two-year-old who has a lot of energy to burn whereas an older cat who’s a little more robust and a little more very mellow and laid back might be okay for that situation. Ron: People who might also have a notion that certain breeds behave in certain ways. The Siamese cats are a little gentle, others are a little more rambunctious… how true is that to form? Miller: Within every breed, there’s going to be a range of personalities and activity levels. All I’m recommending is before you take a pure-bred cat home, go online. Read about the breed and its behavior, its propensities, what its particular needs are because they do have some particular medical needs or some special care that might be required for that breed. Ron: Alright. Dr. Catherine Miller, thank you for practical, good advice. I’m Ron Conning for www.howdoyouneed.com.