Cats and Love #1

Cats have a reputation for being indepentend, but they still rely on us for a range of needs. These include food, shelter, and veterinary care, but also affection and physical and mental stimulation. Cats will adapt easily to living indoors, but it is important to keep them entertained or they may get bored and develop bad habits such as scratching furniture or chewing plants. 

Before welcoming a cat into 

your home, be aware that 

costs—food, veterinary expenses, pet 

insurance, boarding when you go away 

—will add up. Consider your lifestyle, 

too: do you have the time and space to 

offer a suitably stimulating environment 

that caters to all of your cat’s needs?

That kitten in your hands might 

live 15 years or more. You are 

responsible for its well-being. 

Bonded kittens will remain best friends for life. They will enjoy each other’s company during playtime and often cuddle up together to sleep.

GAINING TRUST 

Leave some food out for the stray 

cat. At the start, it might not eat 

until after you have left, but it will 

soon come to think of you as a 

provider of food. Move the bowl a 

little closer to your door each day.

GENTLY, GENTLY 

Slowly approach cats that seem to be strays—they may 

be fearful of people and react by scratching or hissing. 

Better yet, sit and let them come to you in their own time. 

STRAY OR FERAL? While stray cats are often abandoned or lost ones that  have lived with a human family for some time, feral cats have had no significant interaction with humans. They are often nervous and unapproachable.