How Do I Choose a Kitten or Cat?

How to choose a kitten?

How do I choose a kitten or cat? You have decided to buy a kitten. However, where do you start? Nowadays, kittens are offered everywhere, especially on the internet. But is it wise to buy a kitten on the internet? Alternatively, maybe you better go to the animal shelter? Which variety is suitable, and which care is involved? All points to think about?

In this blog post, you can read more about what to think about when you buy a kitten, what to look for when purchasing, how to choose a breed, and how to see if a kitten is healthy?

Choose the Type, Species, Gender, and Breed

If you are sure that you want to buy a kitten, you have to decide what kind of kitten suits you best. Is a pedigree cat fun? A long-haired or a short-haired kitten? A male or female? You can also buy several kittens to double the fun. There are a lot of different types and species. With one type of breed, there can already be a lot of differences in appearance, race, temperament, and character. All cats also have their temperament and character.

To find out what kind of kittens you want to buy, you can search on the internet, buy a cat book or go to a cat show. This way, you get to know different breeds, and you will most likely find one that appeals to you. In any case, what you have to ask yourself is whether you want a pedigree cat or not? After that, you can search more efficiently.

A House Cat or a Breed Cat?

A cat breed does not choose many people. Most people do not opt for a pedigree cat but just for a house cat. Breed cats are all very different and various. They come in different types of fur and colors. Also, a house cat does not cost much money. The purchase price of a pedigree cat is much higher than that of a house cat. Sometimes you can adopt a house cat for free from people.

If you opt for a breed cat, you can impose character traits. But if you like these demands, they are often a bit more expensive than a house cat. On the internet are tests where you can see which cat breed suits you best. The advantage with the breed cat is that much is unknown about the character. Often the breeder can indicate the father and mother and which breeds they are. A cat is not a machine. There can be significant differences in character within cats.

Where Do I Buy a Kitten?

If possible, you should try to find a kitten at a reliable address, such as family, animal shelter, or a recommended breeder. Suppose you buy a kitten in a pet store or through an advertisement in the newspaper. In that case, you are more likely to buy a kitten already infected with cat flu, worms, fleas, and ear mites. Avoid sellers who have bought kittens from various parties. There is a big chance that the kittens have been taken away too early by their mother or have traveled a long distance. They have a higher risk of developing diseases and disorders.

Do you want a pedigree cat? Then you can best contact breed clubs, and they bring you in contact with reliable breeders. Shy kittens sitting in a corner and are very quiet are often the kittens chosen. However, often these are not the healthiest kittens. It is better to take the time and look for a good, healthy kitten that has its personality. A good owner is happy to visit him at home to see the kittens with their mother. The environment must be hygienic with clean litter trays and happy, playful kittens.

Important Health Issues for Choosing a Kitten

A kitten must be seven weeks or older before it can legally leave the mother.

If you are going to buy a kitten, you want it to be healthy. You can not always see this from the outside. That is why it is useful to know how you can ‘see’ quickly whether the kitten is healthy. There are also points where you can see if the kitten has health problems.

A healthy kitten has the following characteristics:

  • Alert, curious and playful. Keep in mind that kittens that are difficult to handle and blow or hit can be poorly socialized.
  • Clean, clear eyes without bleeding. The outflow of the eyes can be a sign of cat flu.
  • Clean, pink ears without a trace of brown ear wax. This may indicate ear mite.
  • A wet nose that is soft as velvet. There should be no mucus/scabs around the nose.
  • A clean, continuous coat without black specks, these are fleas.
  • Look for the certainty in the belly; here, you can see fleas the best.
  • No bald spots on the body; this can have multiple causes such as mite, fungus, or fleas. Some fungi are contagious to humans.
  • Look at the inside of the mouth and look for inflammation and or unusually red color; healthy gums are light pink. The teeth should be white.
  • The belly should be round but not swollen (worm infection).
  • Check whether the tail shows kinks and if the legs are sometimes deformed. Watch how the kitten is walking, whether it is limp and whether it stumbles time and again.

Conclusion

Make clear to yourself what kind of kitten you want. This choice can be a house cat or a pedigree cat.However, raising a kitten costs a lot of time, patience and attention. The costs you have to spend determine whether you are buying a house cat or a pedigree cat. A pedigree cat is more expensive because there is more choice. With a pedigree cat, you buy a kind of security. You know how the kitten will look and what kind of character it develops through the breed and the color.

Maybe if you like luxury cat litter boxes, then you like my post about a top 10. 

I hope you can make a good choice and have fun with the kitten. Also, if you know someone that wants to buy a kitten, feel free to share this post.

By Marleen

Marleen is a truly madly deeply cat lover and founder of That Is for My Cat. She wants to share her knowledge about cats with other people who like to know more about cats.

3 comments

  1. My sister is thinking about getting a pet for her kids so that they can learn how to take care of another creature. She really wants to get a ragdoll kitten from a professional so she knows that it doesn’t have any diseases. It was interesting to learn about how breed cats can impose some character traits.

  2. My apartment doesn’t allow dogs but they do allow cats. I am wanting to get one but I really don’t know what to get. I’ll probably go with a house cat since they wouldn’t be allowed outside much and they are one of the more affordable options. I’ll also want to take note of all the health characteristics you listed since I wouldn’t want to get a cat that is sick.

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