How to choose a healthy cat

A healthy cat has to have transparent and brilliant eyes, glossy skin and the body in good condition and must not present symptoms as lameness, vomits or diarrhea, secretion of the nose or of the eyes or tiring breathing.

Certainly it is not probable that a quiet cat is in the best physical condition, but if we like the cat, and we have the time and resources to cure him and put him back in good shape, there is no need to reject him. But if the cat seems to be seriously sick, it is better not to be with him, specially if you already had other cats at home. There are infectious diseases as the feline flu, the enteritis, the feline leukaemia and the feline AIDS – found in alley and wild cats. The flu and the enteritis are normally the centers of collection where there are many cats. It is necessary to verify what vaccine does the cat have before taking him home and make the veterinarian supply the missing vaccines.

Since there is no vaccine against feline AIDS it is necessary to do a radiological examination to the animal. In many centers they'll want the cat be sterilized before someone takes to him. If it is not like that, we will have to take him to our veterinarian in order for him to do it.

How to familiarize the cat to the house
After taking the cat home, the best thing is not to let him go out for at least one week while it becomes acquainted to us and to the new environment. If there are other cats or a dog in the house, a wise decision would be to have the new cat in a portable basket when in the same room, so that they aren´t able to fight until they familiarize each other to their smells. Hold the cat several times a day - until no longer shy - and caress him while it eats. Patience will be a must. Many quiet cats have had bad experiences so they are more cautious and difficult to get accostumed to, but it is compensated by the sight of them being confident and satisfied with the time that one dedicates to them.

Q/A We have fallen in love with a magnificent cat at the gathering center, but were informed by the director that she is very wild. What are we supposed to do?
If what you want is an affectionate pet, choose another cat. Wild cats are not accustomed to human company or of any other domestic animal; besidesthey need a lot of attention. They will never become lap-cats, not even in-house cats. If you agree and do not have young children who torment him with, go ahead and stay with her, providing that you are sure that she is completely healthy. However, it is possible that she never leaves her distrust towards the strangers.

Our adopted blue British cat, Chips, grew in a high floor. We live in the field, but he does not like to go out at all. How can we encourage him to do so?

Give Chips a few weeks in order to habituate to you and to his new environment. If he looks out the window or shows signs of interest, take him out a few minutes a day and feed him in the foyer. Duly he will start exploring the exterior by himself, but do not force him.

We were going to take a cat from the gathering center, but the personnel prevented us from doing so because she was not feeling well. We are afraid that she becomes traumatized or that she tries to escape when finding the opportunity. What can we do?

Try to add a spray of pheromones in the cat's portable basket (you can obtain it from the veterinarian) at least 10 minutes before putting him in it and add it also in his new house on a daily basis, until she habituates. The spray of pheromones will calm the animal and its usefulness has been verified even with wild cats. Do not use the spray when the cat is nearby, because the smell of alcohol can scare her.

How can I know the age of a picked-up cat?

You should have to take advice from the center's personnel, to estimate the age of the cat more accurately because it can be difficult to determine. Veterinarians and people accustomed to handling cats can know if a kitty is less than one year or if it is very old. Normally, they can distinguish if he has less than 5 years. For the rest, the teeth, the general condition and the behavior can be indicative, but only approximately.