YOUR SHOPPING LIST OF CAT ESSENTIALS

NAME TAG AND COLLAR

Many breeders and rescue groups advocate keeping cats indoors at all times, safe from the dangers of cars, poisons and wild animals. Studies show that outdoor cats tend to live shorter lives than indoor ones.

If you are living in a house, rather than an apartment, it may be difficult to contain them in the house forever.

If you do allow your cat outdoors, fit her with a name tag and breakaway collar (it pulls apart when tugged hard to enable her to escape should she get caught on something).

We recommend getting these items from your local pet store before bringing home your new cat or kitten. That way if Puss does give you the slip, you won’t be hard-broken.

A lot of pets are now microchipped, especially if they have come from pet adoption centers or shelters, to try to keep track of the animal in case it is lost, and to foster responsible pet ownership—making sure that the pet is not being allowed to wander at will and not be cared for properly.

But the microchip can only be read at a vet’s office. The tags can be read by any human the cat approaches on the street.

Rule of the road with cats. If you see one and it meows at you, check it out to make sure it is a local cat with a home, rather than a stray. They will ask for help from you if they need it. They are people oriented, and rely on us for food and water.

All our male cats were strays without collars or tags.  One was outside a fire station matted with ringworm, one was in a pumpkin patch—it had been dumped on the highway and wandered to look for help. One was owned by an elderly lady who died, and the family threw the cats out on the street in a snowstorm. One followed the dog home, one followed me home from the bank, and the last was a kitten in my brother’s back yard.

So if you do have an outdoor cat, make sure you tag it if you ever want to see it again.  Also, make sure it is spayed or neutered, to keep down the unwanted pet population.