Читать книгу The Cat Owners Handbook - Graham Meadows - Страница 36

Look for a healthy kitten or cat whose temperament and personality suits you and your lifestyle. To get an idea of which individual might be suitable, you need to spend some time with it. If you are with an adult cat, sit with it and talk to it, and see how it relates to you. Gauge its reaction to being touched or handled. If you are with a litter of kittens, handle each kitten in turn. A kitten that is unduly shy, or is excessively aggressive towards its littermates, may continue to exhibit those traits in adult life, although that is not always the case. If the kittens’ mother is present while you are with them, check her temperament and health as well.

When investigating a cat or kitten for health and temperament, use the following checklist:

ο It readily approaches you and does not back away or show aggression.

ο It is alert, bright, gentle and playful, and not dull or lethargic.

ο It holds its head normally, and walks or runs without limping.

ο There is no head shaking, sneezing or coughing.

ο The skin appears clean and healthy, without sores, scabs, dirt or flea droppings. The fur is glossy, clean and well groomed, with no areas of hair loss or matting.

ο There are no discharges from the eyes, nose or ears. The third eyelid (nictitating membrane) is not partly covering the eyeball.

ο The teeth appear clean and free from tartar. The gums are a healthy salmon-pink colour and show no signs of bleeding.

ο The belly feels reasonably firm and is not distended. It is neither too hard nor too flabby.

ο The anus is clean, and there are no visible signs of diarrhoea or tapeworm segments (which emerge from the anus and look like grains of rice).

ο Details of the existing diet are available.

This cat’s raised tail indicates that it is confident and willing to interact.

Kittens that have had no contact with humans may be distrustful and difficult to socialize.

If you don’t feel competent to make the above assessments, take somebody along with you who is. If even one member of a litter of kittens appears unhealthy, you would be wise to choose from another source.

Once you have decided on an individual, make sure that it has been sexed correctly.

Finally, ask for a 10–14 day approval period during which you can obtain an independent health check from your veterinarian. Any infections that are incubating will show up during this time.

Cats and kittens may not usually like water, but they certainly enjoy stalking its inhabitants.

If you have purchased a pedigree cat or kitten, make sure that you receive the correct registration papers. If one of the conditions of purchase is that the cat or kitten must be neutered (de-sexed), then it is normal practice for the breeder to withhold such papers until after you provide proof that the operation has been performed.