Are Cats the Right Pet For Me?
- Having a pet in general can elevate your mood and provide you with companionship.
- Compared to dogs, cats require less food and space. They are perfect for apartments!
- Cats don’t need to be walked outdoors and they do their business in a litter box.
- Cats groom themselves!
- Cats live 12-18 years.
Resources
- Thinking of Getting a Cat?
- Cat Breeds
- Cats: The Complete Guide to Pet Care
- A Brief History of House Cats
Keep Cats Indoors!
- Outdoor cats are at risk from a lot of stuff, including predators, dogs, cars, territorial or feral cats, and wild animals. And they can encounter toxic chemicals in garages or on the street.
- Cats that are let outdoors may be exposed to serious diseases like FIV, feline leukemia, rabies, and more.
- An outdoor cat can pick up fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites, and other ticks.
- Pet cats kill an astounding number of birds every year, contributing to a known environmental crisis.
Resources
- Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats
- 10 Tips to Keep Your Cat Happy Indoors
- How to Bring an Outside Cat Indoors
Adopt Don’t Shop!
Resources
- What to Know Before Adopting a Cat
- I’m Adopting a Cat. Now What?
- Cat Adoption Checklist: Everything New Cat Parents Need to Know—and Buy
If you can’t adopt, consider fostering!
Fostering a cat is a smaller overall commitment than adopting a cat. It’s a smaller time commitment, and will generally last only 2-8 weeks. And many shelters like Adopt & Shop provide the supplies and vet care, so it’s a smaller financial commitment as well. Source: Found Animals
What is a Foster Fail?
A scenario in which pet parents take in a foster animal on a temporary basis, but ultimately adopt them as a permanent member of the family.
Resources
If you can’t foster, consider donating!
If you can’t donate, consider volunteering!
Animal shelters and rescues need help with the following:
- cleaning kennels
- animal care
- cat socializer
- veterinary support
- animal nutrition
- showing pets to potential adopters and much more!
Some Cat Shelters and Rescues in NYC
- Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC)
- ASPCA
- Best Friends Animal Society
- Sean Casey Animal Rescue
- Animal Haven
- MeowSquad NYC
- Brooklyn Cat Cafe
Spay and Neuter Your Cats!
Spaying is the surgical removal of a female cat’s ovaries and uterus, while neutering is the removal of a male cat’s testicles. While both operations are conducted routinely with few complications, only licensed veterinarians are allowed to perform them.
Spaying or neutering your cat, as well as outdoor community and feral cats, prevents unwanted births, which helps reduce overpopulation in shelters.
Another benefit is that spaying or neutering reduces or eliminates sexual behaviors in cats that people generally consider a nuisance. Source: Best Friends Animal Society
Resources
Han and Friends 