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Your own fuzzball: Tips for adopting a cat

Deborah Lucas
The News Journal

If you're thinking about adding a kitten or a cat to your family, now is a good time because we're right in the middle of kitten season, that time of year when unspayed cats produce litter after litter of fuzzy offspring.

There are some things to factor in before you make a decision. Most importantly, who makes up your household and how much time and attention are you willing to spend?

It is hard to resist the appeal of an adorable kitten, but unfortunately many get returned to shelters by first-time owners, especially by those with small children. The agile little acrobats zoom around chasing unseen prey at top speed, climb curtains and jump on shelves and counters to get into anything they can find.

"Think of them like a toddler," said Felicia Cross, founder and president of Delaware-based Forgotten Cats. "When you adopt a kitten, you are adopting a bundle of energy. If you're not up to that, you might want to consider a cat that's 9 months or older. They will still be playful but not as energetic."

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Kittens and children younger than about age 8 don't always mix well, she said.

"Little children want to hold cats," Cross said. "Kittens don't want to be held, they want to run around and be crazy. Small children don't understand that, so when the kitten starts squirming they hold tighter, and then the kitten panics. It's not being mean, it's just being suffocated. Just by the nature of jumping the back claws can scratch a child."

Laura is a deep gray, playful, confident kitten available for adoption at the Delaware Humane Association.

Forgotten Cats traps free-roaming cats, spays or neuters them and releases those that would not make good pets back where the cats were found. Forgotten Cats and other area shelters have kittens and cats galore that can be matched to your likes and needs.

It's hard to tell what kind of personality a kitten will have when it's grown, but the temperament of shelter cats is well known by the staff and volunteers who interact with them daily. So, if you want a multi-colored shorthair with a cuddly personality, the odds are good you'll find more than one.

"The best thing to do if you want to adopt is tell them what you want," Cross said.

If you're looking for a "barn cat" to keep mice and other pests out of your barn, warehouse, etc., Forgotten Cats has several. So does Faithful Friends Animal Society's Barn Buddy program. The cats will be spayed or neutered, chipped and have all their vaccinations.

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Faithful Friends has several ongoing adoption opportunities. Pets for Patriots offers waived adoption fees on several animals, including cats, for veterans, and Me and My Shadow waives adoption fees for black cats. The Sibling Special lets you adopt one cat and get its littermates for free. Golden Years waives fees for adopters aged 60 and older.

Every two weeks, Faithful Friends offers $7 Take a Chance on Us adoptions for pets that have been at the shelter for a longer time or have special needs. At Delaware SPCA, cats that have been in the Stanton shelter for more than six months are called Lonely Hearts Club cats and can be adopted for $20. First State Animal Center-SPCA and the Delaware Humane Association also frequently offer special adoption rates.

Once you choose a cat, make sure introducing him or her to your family and home goes well.

First, Cross advises, don't change the food the cat has been eating. If you want to introduce new food into its diet, do it slowly. Mix in 25 percent new food and when it has adapted to that, make the mix 50-50 then 75-25 until 100 percent of its diet is the new food. If you change food abruptly, you'll probably end up with a kitten or cat with diarrhea.

Second, keep the new addition to the family segregated from the rest of your pets in a bathroom or a spare bedroom with its own litter box and food for 10 days to two weeks to make sure it's healthy. If it goes off its food, it might be sick or stressed. Call your veterinarian.

When you're sure it's healthy, introduce it slowly to your other pets. Start by letting them sniff each other through the door. Then allow what Cross calls "supervised visits." Watch how they react to each other. Older cats accept kittens much more quickly than an older cat, she says.

The whole litter box issue can be easy or complicated. For example, some cats won't use a hooded box. If your new cat rejects it, take the lid off. Don't keep changing brands of litter; it can cause your cat to reject its litter box. Cats that don't like commercial litter might be happy with sand.

Use mild dish detergent to clean the litter box, as products with ammonia or citrus oils can turn a cat off, and some cleaning products are toxic to cats. A thin layer of baking soda placed on the bottom of the box will help absorb odors without repelling your cat.

Get your cat a scratching post. When you see a cat "sharpening" it claws, it's really scratching on things to remove frayed, worn outer claws and expose new, sharper claws. If it shows interest in clawing your furniture, head to the pet store for double-sided sticky tape, which most cats hate touching it.

Cats are born predators, so invest in some toys they can bat around and chase. Also get a wand toy that has a long string with a toy on the end they can chase. To satisfy their instinct to catch their prey, let them have it for a few minutes when you are ready to stop playing and offer them a treat to replace it.

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Here are some tips to cat-proof your home so your new pet is safe.

• Be aware of poisonous plants; get a list for aspca.org.

• Lock up cleaning supplies.

• Don't leave liquid potpourri out. Cats that have licked it can get serious burns on the lips and tongue.

• Unplug everything that can be unplugged and try to keep electrical cords out of reach.

• Keep drapery cords out of reach by tying them up.

• Check the dryer, under the car, and other warm places before using them.

• Keep the lid closed on the toilet.

• Do not leave a shirt, coat or jacket hanging on a chair back. A cat can get caught in the sleeves and suffocate.

Contact Deb Lucas at (302) 324-2852 or dlucas@delawareonline.com.

PET-RELATED EVENTS

• Delaware SPCA will host the Sixth Annual Run for the Paws 5k and 1-mile dog walk beginning at 8 a.m. Aug. 9. All proceeds benefit the shelter. delspca.org, seashorestriders.com

• Delaware Humane Association will hold a low-cost vaccination and micro-chipping clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 9 at Concord Pet Foods & Supplies at Peoples Plaza in Newark. Cats must be in hard plastic or cardboard carriers; dogs must be wearing a collar and leash. Retractable leashes not permitted. delhumane.org

• Faithful Friends' Pit Stop Program is a free spay/neuter, vaccine, microchip and heartworm test program for owners of pit bull dogs. (302) 427-8514, ext. 102, pitstop@faithfulfriends.us

• The Delaware SPCA plans to spay/neuter 100 pit bull terrier-type dogs for residents of New Castle County for a special $20 rate. Mention the "Primp Your Pit" promotion when you schedule an appointment. (302) 998-2281, ext. 331, delspca.org