Millions of senior cats are homeless worldwide, and choosing to take one into your home instead of buying a kitten from a breeder is a responsible decision. Animal shelters are overwhelmed by abandoned senior cats looking for their forever homes. Unfortunately, many of them are euthanized because no one wants to adopt them.
While most people are entranced by the idea of adopting or buying a kitten or juvenile cat, there are several advantages to choosing a senior cat. Here are five primary reasons you should adopt a senior cat:
Senior cats have lower energy levels
Most senior cats have lower energy levels and are perfectly content to spend their days napping and watching the world go by. However, this makes their dietary requirements different from those of younger cats. Senior cat food contains a nutritional balance that suits a less active cat. To ensure that your kitty can eat and enjoy its food, keep its teeth clean and healthy using an organic dental powder for cats. Feline dental products are available from many suppliers, including Spectrin, Pet Naturals, NaturVet, Only Natural Pet, Nutri Vet, Vet’s Best, and Scruffy Paws Nutrition. Scruffy Paws scrub and shine dental powder is suitable for canines and felines, making it convenient for pet owners of ‘blended’ families. Its all-natural products fight off halitosis (stinky breath) by preventing plaque formation, dental disease, and gum conditions. Even if your senior cat already has some oral hygiene issues, this dental powder can prevent them from worsening, thereby improving your feline’s longevity and quality of life.
Ensure your senior cat has a comfortable bed or cat perch to nap on. However, prepare for this feline to take over your living room furniture, beds, and kitchen countertops. Cats are notorious for being able to sleep anywhere, and a senior kitty will be no different.
Senior cats are more independent
While these felines make fantastic companions, they require less human interaction with their owners than kittens or juvenile cats. Senior cats are less playful and more inclined to have a laidback outlook on life. This makes them more independent of their owners and less likely to demand attention. However, this does not mean that a senior cat will not show and want affection from its owner.
Affection and playfulness are two distinctly different feline characteristics. A senior cat will want to be petted and held. It will also want to be around its owner whenever they are home. Senior cats often need a lot of reassurance when their new owners bring them home and may take a few days to adapt to their new surroundings.
Senior cats are wiser
If you do not want to deal with a kitten or cat getting stuck on a high shelf or tight spot, tangled up in extension cords, or scratching your furniture, a senior cat would be an ideal fit. These felines did all that exploring and getting up to mischief when they were young and tend not to be as reckless and foolhardy as younger cats.
With more life experience under their belts, senior cats better understand people and other animals. They will not insist on baiting your dog or terrifying the family parrot. Senior cats are also more tolerant of small children who might handle a kitty a little roughly while learning to be gentle with animals.
Senior cats have a track record
When adopting a senior cat, a shelter will have information such as how the feline interacts with other animals, which is valuable if you intend to take this cat home to a household that already has pets. The shelter will also have additional insights into whether the senior cat is fine with being left alone and how it adapts to new environments.
Taking on a kitten plunges you into a world of unknowns. Their personalities and temperaments only become apparent once they start maturing. Knowing this information beforehand will make choosing a senior cat a better fit for your circumstances.
Senior cats are cheaper to adopt
Many potential cat adoptees are surprised to discover that adopting a senior cat is less expensive than choosing a kitten or juvenile feline. Typically, these cats have been spayed or neutered, so the operation cost is not included in the adoption fee. The shelter will also ensure that a cat’s vaccinations are up to date. Once they reach adulthood, cats only need annual shots, unlike kittens that require more. This is already a cost saver. Indeed, in its quest to find a home for a senior cat, a shelter may waive the adoption fee in its entirety.
Senior cats do not require as much entertainment as kittens and juvenile felines. Their owners will save on buying toys and other objects to keep the cat occupied and stimulated. As mentioned before, all most senior cats need is regular feeding, a supply of water, a comfortable bed, and a lot of affection.
