Getting a cat (or a dog) is not a decision that should be made lightly. It involves around a 15 year commitment. And there are some very important challenges, ethical dilemmas and potential problems you may want to consider.

Bringing a cat into your home may seem like a compassionate thing to do. Most cities have an overpopulation of cats forcing many animal shelters to euthanize most of the ones they take in. Cats may seem like easy creatures to care for, especially if you had one as a child and your parents did most of the work. And who can deny that kittens are extremely cute and lovable.

But they also come with challenges. Four years ago, I learned this the hard way after I agreed to allow one of my vegan roommates to bring a rescued kitten into our shared home. We named her Stella. Around the same time I got to observe the challenging relationship my partner shared with her elderly cat named Ajax.

Ethical dilemmas

When people care for a cat (or any domesticated animal) they usually exercise complete control over breeding, food and shelter. For food animals, this kind of control has lead to factory farms. You may prefer to offer companion animals more freedom, but this raises some tough questions: Should I fix “my” cat or not? Should I let my cat run free outside? Should I feed him or her a diet of raw meat?

Dilemmas arise when trying to balance the interests of a cat with your own needs, and the interests of other animals she may interact with (including the ones that become her food).

The ecological footprint of a house cat

Cats are domesticated animals, and together with food animals and humans, contribute to the Earth becoming increasingly out of balance. Wilderness areas (and the wildlife it contained) have been displaced by agriculture to grow food for the increasing numbers of non-wild animals on the planet. Every non-wild being has an ecological footprint that is mostly made up of the farmland it takes to feed them. Carnivores need far more land than vegetarians because they eat other domesticated animals that have ecological footprints themselves.

Other ecological considerations are kitty litter, product packaging and transportation, and shelter. Heating and cooling may also be a factor by putting a constraint on how much you can adjust your thermostat while away or at work.

Dietary dilemmas

My vegan housemate insisted on feeding Stella (our rescued kitten) a diet of raw ground up organic chicken. Before Stella arrived, we had maintained a vegetarian kitchen in our home. Suddenly there was chicken juices on plates and knives, and remains in the garbage. All this only because she wanted to feed Stella the best and most natural diet possible. Cats are carnivores, and evolved eating raw meat. Their systems can handle a certain amount of bacteria. But it is recommended to go organic because the bacterial load of most commercial meat and eggs if very high.

Organic farming may be a more humane and healthy way to raise animals, but they still end up being trucked to horrific slaughterhouses.

Cats that eat standard cat food are generally eating animal parts that humans don’t want. A resource is being used that might otherwise be wasted. Unfortunately buying cat food helps to financially support factory farming. To minimize this you can choose dry food that contains grains or legumes. Or you can convert you cat to a vegetarian diet. See Cats & Dogs at veg.ca for information and links on how to do this, as well as a discussion on whether or not we are imposing our ethics on meat-eating animals by feeding them vegetarian food?

Fixing

Spaying and neutering cats has a number of benefits. Besides controlling overpopulation, the procedures aid in an overall beneficial mood change in cats. Fixed animals get less cancer, are less likely to run away or try to escape, are less likely to fight, and are much quieter. When in heat cats will cry out intermittently all day and night for about 10 days. According to our vet, females should be spayed before their first heat cycle.

It is a myth that fixing will cause your cat to gain weight. Too much food and too little exercise cause weight gain.

Obviously it is natural for an animal to be able to breed. If this is important to you, I recommend not getting a cat. Let wild animals be completely wild. As far as breeding goes there doesn’t appear to be any easy middle ground. For an excellent articles about this issue see www.lenhumanesoc.org/Tips/.. and http://www.idsnews.com/news/...

Indoor or outdoor?

There are many arguments for and against letting your cat outside part of the time.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) advises that cats be kept indoors because they will “play with” (read: torture) song birds and wild mice. Ajax would frequently present my partner with a “present” of a half dead bird or mouse. Giving your outdoor cat a collar with bells may help. Some people argue that cats are carnivores and should be allowed to hunt. The problem is that most cats are well-fed domesticated carnivores that kill for fun not so much for food. They are also out of balance population-wise, and probably compete with wild predators such as hawks and foxes for the limited supply of urban wildlife. The American Bird Conservancy recommends keeping cats inside. See http://www.abcbirds.org/…

Cats that are free to roam can also get into fights, pick up fleas and other parasites, and they can get hit by cars. Outdoor cats need a window to be left open otherwise they may become very vocal about when they need to come in or out. An open window is not ideal due to mosquitoes, burglars, stray cats and squirrels coming in. My partner used to find some of her nuts hidden around the apartment by visiting squirrels. The positive is that an outdoor cat will pee and poo outside. Unfortunately your neighbours may not appreciate it if they see stinky cat poo on their lawn or garden.

Keeping cats indoors all the time may solve some problems but will entail more kitty litter changes, scratching, house cleaning, and dependence on food and company. And you won’t be able to leave doors open on a hot day. Personally, I don’t like the thought of keeping any animal confined indoors all the time, even if the space is large. Clearly there are no easy answers. Some people opt to get more than one cat so they can keep each other company. I have also seen cats taken outside on leashes.

Other considerations

Allergies

Many people are allergic to cats. Having a cat may limit visits from friends and family members. Long hair cats (like Stella) cause less reaction than short hair cats. When around short-haired Ajax, I was eventually able to overcome asthma attaches, by gradually spending more time with him.

Cleanliness

One of my housemates, who was away when we got Stella, had this to say about cat cleanliness; “Would you walk thru a box of used cat litter, digging your feet in, then immediately walk around the house including on chairs, beds, pillows, and table tops? Cats do!” Eventually they will lick themselves to keep clean but I haven’t observed them to always do this right after using the litter box.

Toilet training is not always successful. Stella pissed and even pooed outside of her box. Cats are known to be sensitive and will do things like piss on your bed if they are upset with you. It could be something as small as coming home late one night. I had my new futon ruined after Stella pissed on it. The pee soaked right in. I have since learned that cats need stability. It may not be a good idea to have a cat in a co-op house where there are many different people coming in and out. Once a cat pees outside of the litter box, the mess needs to be thoroughly cleaned up because cats frequently pee again in a spot where they smell urine.

Ajax would also pee frequently on the rugs and beds. My partner says that the kitty litter needs to be changed frequently because he is fussy, although it could also have been due to his advanced age.

Dealing with kitty litter is heavy, awkward, stinky and messy. It will definitely make your garbage pick up heavier, resulting in more land fill. Cat litter is made of clay, so one solution is to bury the stuff in your backyard.

There is a book on how to get a cat to piss and poo into a toilet. It is called: How To Toilet Train Your Cat: 21 days to a litter-free home. The ingram says: “Last year, Americans spent $400 million on 1.8 million tons of cat litter”. Unfortunately many of the reviewers of this book had difficulty making it work. There is also a great website that goes into some details about it. It can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks of training. Which may be a lot of work but will ultimately save you the daily ritual of cleaning out the cat litter.

Sharp claws and teeth

Cats are known to scratch soft furniture and wood. You can train them to use scratching posts, and you can keep their claws trimmed or you can buy nail sheaths.

According to the book: Children And Cats: What Parents Should Know (http://www.checchibooks.com/delaware.html), preschool children should not be given a kitten. Instead, they recommended that parents adopt an adult cat that is used to being with children. “Kittens are fragile, easily injured, and require more monitoring, care, and attention than older cats. They also come equipped with sharp, needle-like teeth that they use to explore, play, and even express affection, and this can be a painful surprise for children.”

Stella loved to bite with her sharp teeth in a playful way. Eventually she grew out of it. Some cats are moody and may lash out if provoked. Stella got outside once when she was in heat. She resisted me grabbing her to bring her back in, and I got badly scratched and bitten. According to a piece in the Globe and Mail (Oct. 1, 2002) cats bite about 400,000 Americans a year.

Declawing?

Removing a cat’s claws is considered inhumane. Declawing includes severing ligaments and tendons. After surgery your cat will awake from anesthesia with throbbing feet. Declawing can lead to pain and trouble walking. You may have to change the type of cat litter you use since clay litter could be painful. Long-term effects may include gradual weakening of leg, shoulder, and back muscles, impaired balance, increased stress because they cannot defend themselves, or injury during a fall because they cannot grip anything. Deprived of its claws, a cat may turn to its only other defense – its teeth.

Noise

Most cats tend be fairly quiet except when they are in heat. Some cats are very vocal. Ajax, was so loud sometimes, that it was hard to sleep. My partner and I would get awoken in the middle of the night whenever Ajax wanted to go outside. Sometimes it was not clear what if anything he was crying for.

Committing time and money

Getting a cat is a big responsibility that requires a definite commitment of money, time and energy. Here are some of the things you will be needing to buy or tend too: lots of food and litter, litter box, disposable liners (optional), collar, brush, maybe a cat cage for transportation, toys, cat scratching post, and flea treatments. There are also vet costs for shots, fixing, and any accidents or illnesses.

If your cat ends up scratching or peeing on something. There may be repair or replacement costs to consider. You also may find yourself spending more time and energy cleaning the house of cat hair and litter chunks. Stella would rub against some of our windows leaving over time an oily film covered with hair.

Personal freedom

If you go on a vacation or trip, you will need to make arrangements for your cat. A friend of one of my roommates loves cats but he wants to find a home for his adult cat because he doesn’t like having to impose on friends to take care of the cat while he is away.

Having a cat often means that you can’t make a spontaneous decision to spend a night at a friend’s house or to extend a trip for a few days. It may also be more difficult to find an apartment when moving.

Alienation

According to the book Coming to our Senses by Morris Berman, mental health institutions often use companion animals as tools to reduce the alienation of urban life and compensate for the collapse of the extended family. While this can be a good thing – some chronically lonely people may take refuge in an animal instead of risking reaching out to other people. Also having a cat may limit potential friends or partners who are allergic.

Aging

Cats are living longer than ever before – the average age for a house cats is around 15 years. Old cats may become more irritable, fussy, and less in control of their bladders. My partner’s elderly cat will only eat soft canned food, has become more vocal, less playful, and will often pee on beds and carpets. Older cats may lose interest or ability in catching mice.

Catching mice

If you have a mouse problem a cat may catch some of them. The best solution for mice is to limit sources of food, water and shelter. To prevent mice moving into your house make sure your outside walls are sealed. Also borrowing a friend’s cat for a few days may deter mice from staying around. Just their smell can be enough. Some cats are not interested in mice or not effective at catching them (especially older cats). In this case, cat food sitting on the floor may become a source of food for rodents. I have also seen flies and even ants attracted to cat food. See Dealing with mice and rats: A humane approach to pest control.

Prologue

After her first heat, we paid to have Stella spayed. She did calm down somewhat after that. About three months later my housemate moved out and took Stella with her. She also stopped feeding her raw meat all the time as it got to be too expensive. As for Ajax, he ended up being cared for by the father of my partner’s children. Ajax also proved to be overwhelming for them, so once Spring arrived, Ajax was permanently moved to their backyard and given a shelter. Several months later, he disappeared.

Bottom line

Getting a cat is not a decision that should be made lightly. It involves around a 15 year commitment and the resolution of some tough ethical dilemmas. Ultimately it is a personal decision. Even though I know there are animals in shelters I could rescue, I choose to spend my time and money on vegetarian and environmental causes. I still connect to animals by observing them in the wild and visiting friends with companion animals.