PART II. CAT CARE Acquiring a kitten – a happy event for children and adults – is easy, but few people go about it the right way. Once home, she has few wants. Give her lowing care – as this mother does – plus a very few essentials. In case of sickness, know what to do, when to call a vet.

Chapter 4. Choosing a Cat

There are many ways of acquiring a cat, and most of them happen to most people long before they ever think of going out and getting a cat in the proper manner.

The cat is a prolific creature, no question about it, and people who have cats to begin with soon have extra cats. Few things in life are free, but kittens are one of them. A cat-owner may even insist on paying you a fee to take a kitten off his hands!

This turn of events does not qualify, however, as choosing a cai for you. Nor does adopting a stray that comes to the door, or returning from the country vacation with one of the farmer's cats or helplessly accepting the bedraggled kitten found and brought home by one of your children.

Picking a cat assumes you have none and intend to keep it that way until you find the cat for you.

This means decisions: Breed? Male or female? And, perhaps, how many?

Essentially, a cat does not ask for much, certainly not more than adult humans can provide. If you are prepared to feed, water and house it, and let it live normally enough to stay fit (and take it to a good vet when it's ailing), you rate having a cat —a Domestic Short-hair, anyway.

Breed, Sex and How Many?

De luxe cats need more care, not because they're necessarily more tender, but simply to keep them de luxe. Long-hairs need constant grooming. Siamese kittens grow slowly and take watching. All purebreds require some exercise and yet probably shouldn't be allowed to roam the neighborhood to fight with or get pregnant by some low-brow. In short, you have to want a fancy cat, and know you want it.

As between male and female, there's no choice if you intend having the cat neutered, which is operating to have the sexual function stilled (see page 68). Otherwise, the torn can be a nuisance with his yowling, fighting, urine-spraying and other manifestations of the sex urge. And, of course, the female will present you every so often with kittens. At the same time, if you like cats you should permit yourself the pleasure of raising a litter or two.

How many cats to have is perhaps academic. As indicated, unless you take steps you'll eventually have a surplus, anyway. But assuming it is a matter of your choice, it might be well to consider how many you'd enjoy

having around. Several are no more trouble than one if they've been kittens together. (Strange adults thrown together may be a different story.) But one is definitely less than several if you're the kind who dislikes reading the paper standing up because there's a cat in every chair.

Making a Choice

With your decisions made, you are now ready to confront a pack of kittens and choose yours. If it's one of a kind you're after, you may have to locate a breeder and be prepared to pay handsomely. But if it's not too special an animal, most pet shops should be able to satisfy your needs at a modest price. And if, after all, you simply want a cat, there's always a neighbor swamped with a new litter. Just ask around.

So you look at kittens. If they're under five weeks, go away. They're too small to be separated from the mother cat, and you can't tell any­thing much about them as individuals. (You can tell they're old enough if the full set of baby teeth is in.)

At around five weeks, you're back. What do you look for?

You look for the one you like best; the one that takes a shine to you. All things being equal, you two might as well appreciate each other.

Usually, but not always, the things that will attract you are the signs of a healthy kitten. The eyes will be blue and rather empty-looking — the kitten is still learning to use them properly — but they should be clear. The coat will be a downy, baby fuzz but it, too, should be lively-looking. Thin, drab or patchy coats suggest that all may not be well.

As for color and markings, the baby coat is it. It may become more sharply defined as the cat matures., but it won't change — except with Siamese. In Siamese the light coat which is so desirable as a contrast to the chocolate points — or better still, the whitish ground color of the Blue Point — cannot be predicted with much accuracy from the appear­ance of the kitten. The lightest kitten will not necessarily be the lightest cat. Use your own divining rod. Also, the markings may seem smudgy and unclear on a kitten but will intensify and darken on the cat. The one feature you can count on is the eyes: Siamese kittens' eyes are as blue as they will ever be.

The kitten that catches your eye will usually be an active one, a playful one, a perky and responsive one. You needn't grab for the boss of the litter; he — or she — is used to asserting himself and may grow up to be a rambunctious cat. That's not bad, but you have to live with it.

At all events, steer clear of the inactive or skittish kits. Any Utter ever born can have a nut or a moron in it, and they're no fun.

Determine the sex. People sometimes find this more difficult than it need be. In the female, the anus and the vulva, which are located under the tail, are close together — the one a spot, the other a small slit. In the male, the outlets appear as two spots and are father apart.

You can't examine your kitten like a vet, but you can look for exter­nal signs of possible illness. Avoid a kitten with a runny nose, a discol­ored mouth (it should be a baby pink) or a distended belly (it should be firm and round, but not bloated or slack).

Feel the body with the fingers for rashes or skin troubles. Note whether the ears are clean (they should be). Call the kitten to you (1) to see if it's bright enough to respond and (2) to test for deafness.

If it passes these check points — and the majority will — you've picked yourself a cat.

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