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So cute! Admittedly, sweet little cat babies are so irresistible that we would ideally take one home with us straight away. But have you ever considered adopting an adult cat? Find out here why you should definitely do this and why older cats are often more thankful than kittens.
Age brings wisdom? This may be dubious when it comes to some humans, but this saying certainly hits the mark with cats. Older cats no longer feel an urge to scratch wall coverings and sofas, empty rubbish bins and go hunting mice at night. They are able to enjoy a quiet life, wait patiently for their “tin opener” and don’t need lots of action in order to enjoy your home. Living with older cats is undoubtedly more straightforward and relaxed than day-to-day life with a lively kitten that turns everything topsy-turvy in its childlike curiosity.
If you wish to give a cat a new home, you definitely shouldn’t rule out older cats, because adopting a senior cat can prove very worthwhile in many respects, as the following five reasons demonstrate.
5 good reasons to adopt a senior cat
You don’t buy a pig in a poke
You already know beforehand what you’re getting with an adult cat: you see the cat’s build and weight and don’t need to worry about it perhaps getting too big or fat at some point. You see the fur colour and texture, find out if the cat moults a lot or a little and whether it is sporty or rather more relaxed. Whilst a baby cat remains a little surprise package despite all the breeders’ promises, you don’t need to hear any nasty surprises with older adult cats.
Another advantage is that the cat’s personality is already fully developed, so no more guessing games are required. In an animal shelter or cat welfare organisation, you will usually find out everything you should know about the character of your new pet. You will find out whether it is playful or prefers lying on the sofa in comfort, whether it loves company or retreats when there is too much hustle and bustle, whether it likes being stroked and picked up or lives rather independently as a lone wolf. You can seek out cats that are a perfect fit for you and your lifestyle and at the same time prepare for certain modes of behaviour or peculiarities before the cat enters your home.
Once the wild years of youth are over, lying on the sofa becomes much more relaxing. After all, we’re no longer scared of missing out on something and are simply happy to stay at home. This isn’t just true for us humans, but for our four-legged friends too. Whilst young cats are easily distracted and always have to explore new things, senior cats take more time for cuddles and relaxation. They simple enjoy being able to lie with their family and be stroked.
If you also like spending plenty of time on the sofa, reading a book or watching TV or perhaps you have to spend a lot of time on the computer at home, purchasing an older cat would certainly be recommended. After all, there are fewer nicer things than stroking your cat and listening to its relaxed purring. When you do have to leave the house, you can be less worried about an older cat, since they are used to being alone. They don’t get bored as quickly as young cats and don’t need to be constantly entertained with a ball of wool.
Older cats know the house rules
One of the biggest advantages of an adult cat is definitely that it is already house-trained. It uses a litter box and generally no longer does its business on the carpet, in your bed or plants. Overall, training an adult cat demands much less time than with a young cat, which first has to learn the house rules. Senior cats already know that they can’t hang on the curtains, scratch the carpet or bustle over tables and chairs at night like wild animals whilst their owner attempts to sleep. They also know that they can’t expect any food from their personal tin opener overnight and that there are fixed times for eating, playing, sleeping and outdoor access.
Of course there are also adult cats in animal homes that missed out on good training and socialisation in the first few weeks of their life. Despite their advanced age, you still have to teach them some rules. The good thing is that adult cats rescued from animal shelters are usually so grateful about their new home that they will do everything to please their new family. Senior cats no longer have to test their boundaries and will certainly be quick to obey your rules. Indeed, there are far less “untrained” cats in animal shelters than you may think. After all, most animals end up in shelters because their owner has to move away, gets a new job, separates from their partner or passes away – not because they are overwhelmed by training their cat.
You save money
In normal circumstances, adult cats cost less (especially in the early days) than kittens that are a few weeks old and still facing all the most crucial veterinary examinations and vaccinations. An adult cat has usually already been vaccinated, dewormed and microchipped and often neutered or castrated too. Unlike with a breeder who often asks for several hundred euros for a pedigree kitten, you mostly just pay a relatively low token fee when adopting a cat from an animal shelter.
If you give your cat a healthy diet in line with its needs, appropriate grooming and sufficient exercise, you have no reason to fear high veterinary costs even with advancing age.
This reason may seem irritating at first glance – after all, older cats have already lived most of their lives. However, there is some truth in the phrase judged on the time that the cat spends with you. Adult cats have left behind the days of nighttime excursions and are much happier spending their nights at the warm foot end of their owner’s bed. During the day, they also spend less time outdoors than little kittens that still want to discover everything. Even passionate outdoor cats stay closer to home than younger fellow felines as they get older. This doesn’t just limit the danger of an accident, but also strengthens the relationship between you and your cat.
Do you need more reasons to adopt an older cat?
As you can see, adopting an older cat can bring many advantages. Novice owners in particular who are taking on a cat for the first time or people who are very busy with work often cope better with an adult cat than a little kitten that has recently been separated from its mother and still needs to learn all the rules of cohabitation between cats and humans.
Even though little kittens are just so sweet, they grow out of this phase quicker than you would believe. Hardly a year goes by until they become adults and demonstrate that they aren’t just cute, but can also be rather stubborn. Isn’t it sometimes better as a cat owner to know what you’re letting yourself in for from the start?
It’s not just the right type of litter tray that will make your cat happy, but also the right type of cat litter. The best litters are ones that are very absorbent and ideally neutralise odours too, but finding the perfect cat litter can be no easy task with so many varieties on offer from natural clumping litter made of clay, non-clumping litter, litter made of wood or silica.
There comes a time when every kitten becomes an adult and tests boundaries. The following article explains when puberty begins with cats and what this defiant phase means for you as a cat owner.
