So, what about the welfare of cats?  Not all of them live in the lap of luxury that your pampered puss surely does; just take a visit to the pages of the RSPCA and they will explain some things to you ...

It is a sad day when you realise that there are a lot of cruel people in the world.  Cats sometimes cop a really hard time, and it is up to all of us to care for them and make sure nobody can hurt them.  Don't be afraid to speak up if you see something that you don't think is right ... tell a responsible adult, one of your parents, a teacher, a policeman, a vet or contact the RSPCA.  It is up to all of us to look out for those who cannot look after themselves.

How many of you got your cat for a present?  There is a saying and maybe you have heard of it ... "a cat (or a dog) is not just for Christmas".  What does this mean?  It means that when you get your kitten as a present you have to realise that this cute little kitten is going to grow up to be a big cat.

Some people stop loving a kitten when he grows up to be a cat and things the cat does as an adult that they thought were funny as a kitten don't seem so funny anymore ... stuff like sitting or weeing in the sink!  But, how does he know?  All of a sudden he is being yelled at for getting on the bench, when yesterday it was fine ... all because he was littler.  Just imagine how confused he would feel.  Wouldn't you feel awful if your family stopped loving you because you turned thirteen and became a teenager ... how would you feel?

Let's talk about the word "obligation" first.  Do you know what this word means?  If we want a boring explanation we can look it up in the dictionary and it will tell us it

Housing
Some people let their cats outside all the time.  There are new laws around now that ask us to keep our cats inside the house or in a cattery.  This is because of all of our lovely, native animals we have here in Australia.  Cats are natural hunters, they cannot help it and should not be hated or blamed for it, however, it is our responsibility that we don't give them a chance to exercise this natural instinct.  At
the very least, you should put a bell on your cat's collar so that if he does hunt birds or native animals they will hear him because of the ringing of the bell.  If you decide
to keep your cat inside, you will find he is easily taught to use a litter tray, and in
most cases his mother has already taught him to use it.  This is what it means when people say their cat is house-trained.  If you are buying a kitten you should always ask if he is house-trained.  If you decide to build him a cattery (or a run) a surf around the Internet will give you plenty of ideas, or contact the ACF affiliate in your state, they will have someone to help you with advise.
 
Vaccinations
Just like people, kittens and cats should be immunised against diseases that affect them.  Although they cannot catch any of our diseases, and visa versa, there are some nasty illnesses that can make your cat very sick, or even make him die.  If you have bought your kitten and he has not had any vaccinations you should visit your local vet straight away to get him his needles.  Although, we do recommend that you do not buy a kitten unless he has had some of his needles.
 
 
Food
Many breeders give their cats special foods they buy in bulk, but just as many rely on the commercial cat foods to keep their cats and kittens healthy and in peak
condition.  A lot of research has gone into the canned cat foods like Whiskas; they have made sure just the right amount of what your cat needs is in each serving.  So, you cannot go far wrong by feeding your cats these foods.  Do not give your cats an exclusive diet of just dry food, although he needs this to help his teeth stay healthy, too much can make him very sick.  When you do give your cat dry food make sure there is plenty of water for him to drink.  Chewing on a bone, just like a dog, will keep his teeth healthy as well!   Also, cats do not always have to have milk, a lot of cats are allergic to this and prefer just water.  If you want to give your cats milk try Whiskas Plus or one of the other cat milks.  Cats also love cheese, so make sure you give him some of this every now and again.

Desexing
As you know, your sex means whether you are a boy or a girl, and de usually means to stop you from being something ... so wouldn't that mean that desex  means to stop a cat from being a boy or a girl?  No, what it means is to stop your cat from being able to have kittens if she is a girl or to be a father to kittens if he is a boy.  Sure, kittens are cute, yours sure was, that's why you got him, but a visit to the RSPCA will show you that there are hundreds and thousands of unwanted kittens everywhere!  And sometimes, sadly, these kittens have to be put to sleep because nobody wants them, there are just too many around.  So, if we can stop cats from having other cats, unless we are in a registered breeding programme, this will stop a lot of these problems.  Generally, cats can be desexed at six months, but you should ring your vet because some of them will desex your cat when he is younger, your vet is the best person to guide you.  Desexing is a simple operation, he will not be at the Vets for any longer than a day, and afterwards he is still a boy and she is a girl, it doesn't mean they stop being their sex.  It does mean they will usually live longer, be happier, they won't want to wander at night, they will be cleaner and will be happy to stay inside with you.  If your parents are having trouble paying for the operation to have your cat desexed, ask them to ring their local shire, sometimes you can get a voucher so it costs less money.  It might also be a good idea to ring your local RSPCA or Cat Protection Society, sometimes they do it cheaper as well.
 
 
Love
This is natural as a little kid, but as you grow up to be a teenager make sure you still give him cuddles.  Make sure he is healthy and he is warm and safe inside. We know you get a bit busier with friends and school, television and music, but he is still your friend, and when you bought him (or he was bought for you) you decided you were going to be a responsible pet owner which meant you were obligated to look after him for life.

Now you know owning a cat a little of the side of being a "parent" to your cat, it is not all serious work and after you've been to the RSPCA pages and you've had your shot of education by reading all that is written above, take a visit to Garfield's website!  You can read Garfield comics, send G-mail, meet Garfield's friends ...