 Owning a cat can bring unconditional love and companionship to your life. Having a feline friend can also help to relieve stress and improve your heart health. Owning a cat can be an extremely rewarding relationship. What sex of cat should I get? The sex of a kitten doesn't really matter, as long as you neuter your kitten before it reaches puberty when the influence of sex hormones kicks in. Unneutered cats may exhibit unwelcome reproductive behaviors. For example, unneutered male cats will mark their territory with strong smelling urine while unneutered female cats can come into season every two weeks if they do not become pregnant. If you are getting just one cat or kitten, it doesn't matter which sex you choose. Equally, if you want two kittens and you are getting two from the same litter, the sex of either cat is probably not important. However, if you have a resident cat and are getting just one kitten or another cat, it may be worth considering going for one of the opposite sex to try and remove some of the competitive factors. A kitten may be a better option than another adult cat in such cases as the young cat's immaturity seems to remove this competition factor, for a while anyway during which time you hope they will get to like each other. Neutering also removes the need for so much competition and makes the choice of sex much less important. Should I choose a specific breed or moggy? The majority of cats kept as pets are what we call moggies or domestic short or long-haired cats, that is they are a random mixture of lots of different cats, we often have little idea about their parentage, while the father anyway. This means we have no control over the color, body shape, coat length, or anything else that the kittens can inherit from their parents. So, for example, if your kitten is from a moggy mum but its father is unknown, it may develop a longer coat than you desire if the father was indeed long-haired. There is more to choosing a pedigree cat than just liking a certain coat color or length, there are ethical considerations with some breeds if you really want to consider the cat's welfare. There are also health issues that you need to check with the breeder and things you need to ask. What breeders aim to breed healthy, people-friendly cats and avoid, or seek to deal with, inherited disorders that arise? What breed of cat should I choose? There are many different breeds, some of which will require extra care and attention, for example, if they have a very long coat or even no coat at all. Some pedigree cats are more people-orientated and may not like to be left alone for long periods. If you are out all day at work it may be worth getting two kittens together for the company. Do your research about the breed you are interested in. Please make sure that health comes first, no matter what the look. Can I have a cat if I have a dog? If you have other pets there should not be a problem in getting a cat, but you just need to make sure that you take everything into consideration. If you have a dog you just need to make sure that you make introductions carefully so that your new cat is not chased or injured while the dog gets used to it. Not all dog types make good companions for cats. How many cats can I have together? It's very easy to collect cats, they're addictively beautiful, they're small and they're quite easy to care for. Even if they don't get on, they tend to remove themselves from the situation rather than fight. However, there may be a great deal of tension between cats which owners just don't pick up on. Cats originate from a largely solitary species and although they can live in groups these are usually related individuals or are self-selected so that cats are not sharing space with cats that they don't get on with. Cats may start to spray or soil in the house because they're trying to deal with a situation where they feel under stress because of other cats, and this might be all that owners notice. If you have two cats living together very successfully then think very carefully before you add more. If you have three cats living well together then, thank your stars and quit while you're ahead. The trouble with adding more is that it might not be just the relationship between the resident cats and the new one that causes problems, it may upset the whole equilibrium of the resident cat's relationship and introduce difficulties even between the original cats as tension and stress levels rise. Any new cat needs a careful introduction. The best way to have two compatible cats is to choose siblings. These will have grown up together, and this usually bodes well for a good future relationship, although never guaranteed. Hello. This video is sponsored by Beemix Pets. Are you looking for high quality cat collars at an affordable cost? Check out, BeemixPets.com. Use coupon code KittenLife, to get 20% off. What is it cost to keep a cat? If you are buying a pedigree cat then there will be associated costs and these may be quite large. Pedigree kittens usually come vaccinated and in some cases already neutered. If you are getting a cat from a rescue organization then they may ask for a donation or a fee and again it will probably come already neutered and vaccinated. Kittens or cats from friends or neighbors don't usually come neutered or vaccinated, wormed, treated for fleas, or anything else and it will be up to you to register with a vet and get these things done. Neutering is obviously a one-off cost, but several vaccinations will be required to make sure that a kitten is protected from infectious diseases. Thereafter a regular booster vaccination will help to protect it during its life, requirements depend on the cat's lifestyle and risks associated with that, your vet can advise you. Then there is food, preventive health care regarding treatment for fleas and ticks and worms, cat litter if you want or need an indoor litter tray, beds, and grooming equipment if you take on a long-haired cat. Microchipping is also recommended in case your cat goes missing. You recommend that you also ensure your cat so that if an accident or illness happens then you do not have to worry about the costs. Choose your insurance carefully to make sure you get what you expect or need. I am allergic to cats, is there any breed that is better than others? Many people think it's a cat's hair that causes us to react to them by sneezing, wheezing, or itching. In fact, it's a protein or allergen called FD1, present in feline saliva, which causes the allergy. Cats groom themselves regularly, they have saliva all over their coat. This dries on the coat and when the cat scratches, moves, or brushes past objects the dust or dander and the hairs which contain the allergen are spread about. Cat lovers who really want to have a cat but are allergic sometimes think that by choosing a breed with less, little, or no coat they can avoid the problem. However, as it is saliva that causes the problem, this is unlikely to help, and although long-haired cats do seem to cause more allergic reactions that's probably only because, having more hair, they're also covered with more allergen. It's worth trying out different cats by visiting friends with cats to see if they elicit less of an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, it's a very difficult problem to get around for people who react or who have family members who are allergic. What should I do with my cat when I go on holiday? If you go away on holiday you also need to consider who is going to look after your cat. If you are only away for a day or two you can ask a neighbor to pop in and feed it and check it is okay. If you are away for more than this you may want to consider a boarding cat-ery, as many cats may wander looking for company. If you have a nervous cat it may hide when the feeder comes and he or she may not be able to be sure that everything is alright. A good boarding cat-ery will keep your cat safe and you can relax while you are away. There are bad boarding cat-eries, however. When should I get a new cat? If you are considering getting a new cat or kitten, choose a time when it is quiet in your house, not in the middle of a family celebration, etc., and perhaps when you have a day or two when you can help it to settle in and be there while it finds its way around, not just before you go on holiday, etc. Once you have thought about the responsibilities and costs of keeping a cat and what type you want, then consider where you are going to get it and how you are going to choose your cat or kitten. If you enjoyed this video, kindly press the like button. Also don't forget to subscribe with notifications on, so that you don't miss out on videos like this. Thank you for watching.