Each new cat I acquired was different. It took a while for me to come up with my Cat Type concept, because each cat was a fresh discovery.
This has led to me being a fervent advocate of choosing the cat we get. Human to human compatibility is based on both shared traits and intriguing differences. This same alchemy is at work in the human/cat bond.
asserting preferences
This process starts with we, the human, figuring out what we would like.
This is an overlooked first step, in my experience. People want a pet, find barriers to a dog, then get a cat. Probably from a background where they always liked having pets, but didn’t get involved in the full responsibility. With the best intentions in the world, they can wind up with a mis-match; because they didn’t know about about the different kinds of cats, and they didn’t think about what they wanted.
We can start by figuring out what Cat Type we are.
Sir Tristan is a large slice of ham, a boisterous personality who wears his heart on his sleeve and likes intense play sessions. He’s an Alpha, and so am I.
Olwyn is a cat who likes social interaction, even though it often takes the form of her giving orders. (That’s the Tortie in her.) A born Supervisor who adores figuring out the best way to do things, she has a lot in common with her favorite person, Mr WayofCats. They are both Betas.
While neither of us is particularly Gamma, we both loved our little Smokepuff. Because his charming little ways were also what we wanted from our cat experience.
This is just a light-hearted approach to understanding Cat Types, but might help us figure things out. We can also use my quiz, What Cat Personality Will Be a Good Match?
Knowing if we would love a play machine, or wish to have a gentle cat who needs a minimum of supervision, lets us make our wishes clear to shelter personnel. This is where knowing how affectionate and interactive, playful and inquisitive, a cat can be will help us find the right cat.
If we think cats aren’t friendly, we can emphasize that we want a friendly cat; and then get a cat who needs more social interaction than we can provide. If we emphasize playing with the cat, thinking they tend to be lazy, we can be taken aback by how that very playful Alpha kitten will not slow down — for years.
An excellent example is described in a previous post, Dear Pammy, I’m right because shut up that’s why, where a commenter claims to have gotten the “rare affectionate cat.”
Whereas I have had lots of cats, and in my experience it is rare to find one who is not affectionate.
picking up clues
The next step is figuring out how to tell which cat will bring us the qualities we have decided to look for. The older the cat, the easier it is to tell what they are like. We can simply observe them in action, and ask the shelter people about their likes and dislikes.
Kittens are trickier. Under six weeks, they tend to be clumsy little balls of fluff who are more reflexive than anything. Even in the same litter, cats can be all over the map regarding the genes they inherited, as I discuss in Gracie’s babies, which has tips for picking young kittens.
If our cat is at least few months in age, they will already be showing breed and personality clues which will help us understand how this kitten will probably develop.
If our prospective choice has already reached adolescence, they will be showing a lot of body development that lets us know where they lie on the Cat Type Spectrum. Cat body types range from long and lean (more Alpha) to stocky and muscular (more Gamma.)
These are clues: they are not the final word. See how the kittens play together and how they play with toys. Even more important, see how they react to us, and how we feel about them. The most important thing is that we feel the connection with our new friend.
It’s also important to know if we have deal breakers and what they are. If we have a household which already contains big dogs and little children, we probably should get an adult or older cat, at least to start. A recent post, The awesomeness of senior cats, was about a senior cat who took a family like this into his heart, with great success.
The possible choices are so much wider than many people realize.
going for quantity
Another element where I find people don’t give much thought, and should, is how many cats we will want.
Because: What if we like it?
It’s not just us wanting more cat enjoyment, though that is a great reason. There’s also the Ease of Use that comes with more than one, what I call the Multiple Cat Advantage. If our present cat is not playful or lovebuggy enough, we can get a cat for that purpose, and also enjoy their other fine qualities, and still enjoy our original cat, and their fine qualities. When our cat slows down, we can get two kittens. Getting cats in twos, what I call Cat Social Units, will avoid all kinds of problems.
If we go in planning for a Cat Civilization, which is three or more cats, we can make our original choice in ways which make things easy; or difficult. After the first one, every new cat choice we make will need to take our present cats into consideration.
In our current situation (small apartment, Mr WayofCats chronic illness, current Civilization) I tend to look for a laid back Beta under six months old. I don’t have the room for Proper Introductions, so I need a cat young enough to avoid territory issues and social enough to send the right signals. Three times in a row, my choice has blended smoothly into our existing Cat Civilization with a minimum of friction.
But if I had a separate room to make the transition gradually, I could choose almost any cat, as long as they were willing to be social. Because my present cats are all willing to be social. One of my discoveries, running a home rescue situation, was how well most cats got along in groups. The more cats, the more likely the new one will find a friend in the group.
Whatever we decide, and however far we go, choosing a cat is a responsibility which can last for the next two decades.
A decision that deserves some pondering.
Find out more with a visit to my page on How to Choose the Right Cat.
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