The decision to adopt a pet is something that involves a responsibility and a series of commitments that people often ignore at first and realize over time. It’s like a kind of motherhood or fatherhood, but with a lesser degree of intensity than when it comes to boys or girls. Cats and dogs, the most traditional pets, need love, specific care, understanding and their essentials, that is, all that object that must be present in their lives. so that they feel comfortable in the space.

In case you didn’t know, when a feline bursts into a person’s life, several things are needed. The most useful thing is to equip yourself or at least to have notions of what you will need.

Think: without food we don’t exist, so the important thing is to choose the right food for your cat. “It should always be age-appropriate,” says Karen Valenzuela, an academic at the University of Las Américas School of Veterinary Medicine. When dealing with a small cat, always talk to the veterinarian about what food might be best for the cat’s physiognomy.

Here also depends on the size of the cat, is that the size of this portable toilet should depend. In addition to the box, you must purchase sanitary litter and then distribute it on the floor of this sanitary den. Its location, according to Valenzuela, should be in a private place, because “cats like to relieve themselves in private”. Good places would be, for example, behind a chair or in a corner of the bathroom.

“Ideal to have a source of water, that is, this water that circulates,” suggests Valenzuela, but in case it’s out of budget, he recommends

buy a jar that’s shaped like a glass aquarium or a large, deep dish, so that “there’s enough room for the cat to put its head in.” Cats like to do this by sticking their heads in the dishes.

“It is recommended that these dishes be made of glass, at least for the water, the ceramic dishes and the water fountains”, he underlines and adds that “we can hope to have about three containers so that the cat can drink water”. The water is changed every day always.

“It’s good that he gets used to sleeping in his bed from an early age and that the caretakers don’t have this drama about the cat not sleeping in his bed a lot,” says Valenzuela. Each cat’s bed should be wide enough and soft enough.

There are trees on the market that have three functions: they have a bed, scratching posts and toys like balls or feather springs. “It’s a unique product that invites them to have their natural instinct to mark the territory in this scratching post and thus prevent them from damaging furniture, for example”, explains the academic. While these usually come at a higher price, another more user-friendly and equally comfortable option is to “take a very stiff cardboard box and cover it with fleece AND a soft, cuddly cushion,” the pro suggests. .

Another consideration is that the bed “hopefully high and tucked away because that’s how they like it, let’s remember they prefer private places… As they are hunters, they like to watch high to catch their prey.”

“Getting him out in the car, bus or metro when he is little is very useful, because if he gets used to transporting them in his transport from an early age, it will not be difficult or unpleasant”, specifies the veterinarian. The idea is that the cat can adapt to the means of transport used by the guardian.

Cats are pets whose life, according to experts, is best developed indoors, since in this way they are not exposed to wandering, fights or dangers such as being run over, however , it is good that they have contact with the outside, always and when they have some protection, in case of living in apartments it is necessary to have a fence, so that the cat does not climb or not not start to other balconies of other apartments. If you live at home, you can put net in the spaces where you can, but if you can’t, you can use a harness so that the cat does not escape. “The smaller you put it, the easier it is to get used to it,” adds Valenzuela.

The vaccination process begins at two months of age. The first vaccine is the triple feline, the doses of which alternate every 21 days. Then comes the anti-rabies. “It’s the minimum every cat should have,” writes Valenzuela.

“Any cat I’m going to bring home, and even more so if I have another cat, I have to go to the vet, where two tests will be done: for feline leukemia and for feline immunodeficiency…Whether it’s a kitten or an older cat,” the UDLA academic points out.

In the event that the cat tests positive for feline leukemia, “it cannot be mixed with the other cat you have at home – which does not have the virus – because it may be infected”. Ideally, this cat should be the only cat in the house so that other cats do not have or develop the same health problem.

Once you have the diagnosis, “the guardian needs to learn how to deal with it and what to hold on to, as well as what might happen.”

To vaccinate a cat against leukemia, it is necessary to have a negative test. With this result, the veterinarian advises what is best for the patient based on their background and opinion.

-Socialize from an early age

As soon as this new member arrives, if it is a kitten, it is important that he knows a lot of people, both the members of the house and the family and the relatives of the guardians. This way, you won’t have any conflicts when visitors arrive in the space.

– Castrate at six months

This is something important, because with this procedure “we prevent them from learning the wandering behavior, they will also stop scoring”, explains Valenzuela. When you operate after a year, “it will stop marking, but the wandering behavior is already acquired, so it’s very difficult to eliminate”.

-Expose him from an early age to noise

If it is a kitten, it is also important that you can bathe it from an early age, so that it is not afraid of water. The same goes for the hair dryer, which many pets fear because of the combination of air and noise. The same goes for the transfer station, because the car or the streets are noisy. The important thing is that the cat knows enough so that it can feel comfortable in these environments and spaces.

Have you adopted an adult cat? ask about their habits

“It’s good to learn about the behaviors they have before the adoption, the things they like to do and have a history of the cat in relation to their behavior, to food”, suggests Valenzuela. This way, the cat will be able to feel more comfortable in the space. These are knowledge that will also help us to enter into a relationship with him and to know him in turn.

Another point is that if the cat already has its food, its bed or its plate, make the transfer with all its things in the new space. “Once you get used to it, you gradually renew things if you think it’s necessary… In this way, the change is less stressful”, supports the specialist. This way they will be able to smell its aroma and feel comfortable with what is “something known”.

-When a big cat comes (in a space of other animals)

To promote a peaceful environment, the transition is a little slower compared to the arrival of a baby cat. “Ideally, this cat spends at least a week in a separate room to get used to the noise, the aromas in general,” recommends Valenzuela. After this time, “little by little we show him the cats or dogs that live in the house… we can leave the door ajar so that he decides to go out”.

“It may be hidden at first, it will depend on the character of the cat,” he adds.