Welcome! You have come to the right place to learn about your cat and how to care for him!
Cats are very complex creatures. Have you figured that out already?
Anyone can own a cat, but it takes a very special cat lover to go through the trouble of keeping one in an apartment or small house during the college years. If one bothers to get a cat while in college, I think it’s the real deal.
I grew up with cats, literally. Since the day I was born, there have been at least two cats living in my house. Twenty-one years later, I have lived with 10 different cats, including the one that I recently got on my own as a college student. So, I think I was destined to be a cat lover, and I am completely fine with that.
I know there are other college students or college-age cat lovers who would benefit from a site with valuable information about their frisky felines. So, on this site, you will find information that will help you better care for and better understand your cat.
I'm convinced that to properly care for a cat, you must understand him or her. You need to know what it means when your cat does the things he does. What is he trying to tell you? Is something wrong? Or is he just being a cat? So, in helping you learn how to care for a cat as a college student, I've included several pages with information about the habits of cats, as well as photos of cats doing the things they do best.
Also, I think college students get a bad reputation for abandoning pets at the end of a semester or upon graduation.
If you're not serious about owning a pet for life or making additional arrangements when you can no longer do so, please do not waste your time. When you commit to owning a cat, you need to be willing to give up to 20 years of your life for him (assuming he is a kitten when you become his owner). If you're in college, then yes, this cat could very well be part of the package that your future spouse gets when he or she marries you! Your kids will meet this cat if you keep him in good health. So be serious! If you can't commit, don't mess with a cat's life. How would you like to be abandoned?
At the Alachua County Humane Society, one of the vet technicians said that although all college students are different, she realizes that sometimes they are prone to abandon a pet. For that reason, when students want to adopt a pet from the shelter, employees make a phone call to the students' parents to make sure that they would be financially responsible for the animal if the student became unable to do so. In 2006, according to its Web site, the Humane Society took in more than 1,000 animals from Animal Services, which is the county shelter.
April Tubbs, an adoption screener at Pet Rescue By Judy in Sanford, Fla., said students often don't realize the level of commitment that owning a cat requires. A full-time class load, mixed with changes in housing and roommates, sometimes leads to disaster or neglect.
"If anything, just think carefully before you decide to adopt," she said. "Really consider the cost and your lifestyle and if adding a pet to the mix is the best idea."
And may I just preface this whole site with this: You need to have regular vet checkups for your cat! Cats age more quickly than humans, so getting a checkup for him every year is like getting him a checkup every seven years! Please do not expect this site to be an alternative to regular vet checkups. Instead, use it as a guideline to better understand your cat and know when something is wrong.
So, go ahead and take some time to indulge yourself in what it means to be a cat. If you love your cat, you will put forth the necessary effort in understanding him or her. Start by browsing through this Web site. I guarantee it will help you in your journey to get to know your cat better.
