How to Acquire a Cat

Some people acquire cats all the time. Other people never find a cat at all. If you want a cat -- or perhaps even if you don't -- here's some of the ways cats and people get together.

You may find a cat. People who find cats have an eye for misery and a strong sense of conscience. You don't find a fat, sleek cat sitting on a porch. That's someone else's cat. Or it doesn't want to be anybody's cat. Only cats or kittens in trouble are legitimately found. They're thin, hungry, lost, lonesome, or frightened. You can tell a found cat when you see it. Check want ads and animal shelters to be sure there's not a lost owner somewhere. Some of the nicest cats are found cats.

A cat may adopt you. This is one of the most flattering things than can happen to you. Cats that choose their own people are smart, perceptive, and generally good judges of character. If a cat adopts you, be good to it. It's a cat with good taste.

Cat orphanages have cats. Your local humane society is a good source of cats. The above two methods of selection -- choosing a cat or being chosen -- can happen in orphanages also. After all, orphanages don't sell slaves. It's the beginning of a relationship.

Children bring home kittens. Children do this frequently. A kitten once followed my son home on his motorcycle (the kitten was actually in a paper bag). If you give away the kitten, the child will find another -- and another. You might as well give in. However, be sure the kid doesn't adopt someone else's cat. Your child deserves his/her own cat.

People give away cats. The remarkable fertility of the feline species frequently places cat people in the role of homefinder for small fur people. Accept a kitten on a guarantee from the owner that the mother will be spayed before she sub-divides again. And also promise that you will have your kitten spayed or neutered when it gets bigger.

Your cat may bring home a friend. One of my cats came home the other night, calling gently to a scruffy yellow tabby kitten following him. Damian showed the kitten the food station, the potty box and the best sleeping places. How could we refuse him.

If none of the above methods seems to work, you can always buy a cat, but only if you understand that "buying" does not result in "ownership" where cats are concerned.