The family brought Tiger home, but hadn’t prepared their house for him. When he saw their dog, he bolted, found a dark place and hid.

His new owner searched the house but couldn’t find him. That night he came out of his hiding place and found an open window with a torn screen....

His would be owner knew there were predators in the area. She called Animal Control and posted signs around the neighborhood, but she knew there wasn't much chance.

She was right.

FIVE THINGS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE ADOPTING A CAT.

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series we considered the vital need to prepare your house for your cat, make sure her medical needs are met, and that you yourself are ready for the adoption of a feline -- an independent animal that doesn’t respond to teaching and training the way a dog would.

Before you bring your new kitty home, make sure you have:

• Time

A cat needs time spent with her. One of the big mistakes busy people make is to fail to realize that they have crazy schedules that don’t allow them to spend enough time with their newly adopted cat.

This could ultimately result in your cat running off. If you have no time to spend with your cat, she will not choose your house as “her den”. She will go searching for another one, and you could be soon reporting a “lost cat”.

Or, to your consternation, you will find that the cat you thought would be a loving companion has bonded with another member of your household…somebody who did have the time to spend.

• Money

A lot of people don’t count the cost of pet ownership. In their exuberance to adopt a cat, they forget that they don’t have the budget to keep her. Belatedly, they discover they don’t have the cash on hand to buy their new feline’s basic necessities or give her the medical attention she is most certainly going to need.

Many people shun pet medical insurance, not realizing that the same things that happen to people happen to cats, and can cost large sums of money to cure. This can result in losing their beloved pet because the price to save her is “just too high”.

• Knowledge of Your Cat’s Medical Needs

Some people who adopt strays or cats owned by friends don’t realize the full extent of the medical attention their new cat may need:

-- A complete physical examination

-- A complete vaccination regimen

-- Spaying or neutering

In particular, that cute kitten you brought home from a friend’s litter will need a long series of vaccinations (along with boosters) that will extend over a period of a couple of years. You can’t do it all in one day.

To fail in this will almost assuredly mean tragedy down the line. I know. I failed to give one of my kittens its vaccinations. I made it an outdoor cat, and it died of feline leukemia. That story definitely had a very sad ending…

• Knowledge of Your Cat's Physical Needs

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