House Cats

Not surprisingly, house cats are actually the most common cat “breed” of all. Only about 10% of cats are of official breeds – the so called pedigreed or purebred cats. The “moggies”, as they are affectionately called, are the ones you are most likely to meet. Their ancestry is mixed, but this does not make them in any way inferior to purebreds. 

My very first cat was a grey tuxedo mixed-breed cat called Misu. I had been asking for a dog from my parents, but instead we got a cat. On hindsight that was a better idea – a cat is much easier to take care of than a dog, especially when it comes to taking the dog out at least three times a day…

Misu was my best friend – she came to meet me at the door when I came home from school. I bent down to pet her and she bit my nose ever so gently – this was her greeting. She slept in my bed at my feet, under the blanket, and followed me everywhere. Together we explored the nearby forest (she was in harness), and at our summer cottage she eagerly waited next to me when I stood on the pier fishing. She loved fish...

She also had a very good memory. Once my uncle pulled her by the tail and she never forgave him. Uncle even came to bring her fish, but she turned her back to him and the fish, even though she loved no food more than fish. The message was loud and clear. Animals have memory and feelings.


If you are looking for a new cat among ordinary house cats (if there ever was such a thing), you’ll probably notice there are kittens everywhere. This is because most cats are kept indoors – but not all. Also not all indoor cats are neutered or spayed. And so they breed and the cat owner eagerly tries to find homes for the kittens.

Pretty grey housecat


When you are looking for a kitten, do not take one that is under 12 weeks of age. Kittens younger than this are not yet ready to leave their mothers, they need to socialize a bit more with other cats. If you take the kitten too young, it may end up shy, timid, even aggressive. Also its health may not be very good.

Red kitten

Hold the cat for a while to see how it reacts to human touch. When you look at it, it should have a healthy coat, its eyes should be clear, it’s nose should not be runny – and check the other end too. The bottom should be clean – any signs of diarrhea are not good.

And in every case have a vet check your new kitten before bringing it home, especially if you already have other cats. You would not want your new kitten bring any diseases to your other house cats, would you? 

(When we got a mixed breed kitten, we took him to the vets first and she immediately paid attention to the kitten’s round tummy and said he probably had worms. She vaccinated and de-wormed the kitten and warned us not to let our other cat to the same litter box until the medicine took effect. The reason was clear – when the tiny kitten went to the litter box a few hours later, the result was a huge worm longer than the kitten itself, still wiggling. I never forget that yucky sight… It’s amazing the little one had survived with this huge parasite eating its strength.)

Check how the cat reacts to noise – especially if your family has children. It the cat is very timid, then maybe it is not the best for a noisy household. If, on the other hand, yours is an adult household, then this cat might be good for you.

You might consider taking a cat from a shelter. If you do, search for a shelter that specializes in pet adoption. They give the cat a health check and also evaluate the cat’s character before putting it up for adoption. You can talk to the people who have been taking care of the cat you are considering on taking, and hear about its behavior and character. There are so many wonderful house cats just waiting for their forever home in animal shelters. A house cat does not need to be a kitten to fit well into your family. The main point is it is used to people.


If a stray cat comes to your door, you should check if it has a microchip in its neck. You should also be sure the cat does not belong to someone else – check the newspapers and missing pet notes in the neighborhood. If you take a stray cat to your home, the owner may appear one day, and you should be ready to give the cat back. If the cat is clearly feral, it may be too wild to be a pet.

Before you take a cat you should really consider the fact a house cat lives approximately 12 years – some considerably longer. 

House cat

House cats are pets for life

You should understand it is a long time commitment: you need to feed the cat, take it to regular vet-checks, and make sure it is taken care of during your holidays. It needs to be groomed, especially it is a long-haired cat. It needs company, and all the more so if it is your only cat. Be prepared to play with it, and show your affection to it regularly.

And please have your cat neutered / spayed. An unneutered female cat can have 2-3 litter per year, and this means a lot of kittens during a cat’s reproductive age. You would not want to add to the misery of abandoned, starving or mistreated cats. The best would to have an indoor cat – the cat faces many risks outdoors: injuries, fights, diseases. Its life span is a lot longer indoors.

If you need to give your cat away, do not abandon it. It will not survive long on its own. Try to find your cat a new home, and if you are not successful, please take your pet to a no-kill shelter that is ready to give it time to find a new home.

If you are interested in finding a cat rescue shelter, click here!

And are there different breeds of house cats? 

Here you will find information about the domestic shorthair cats. and the the domestic longhair cats. Have you ever wondered what Polydactyl Cats are? Well - a Polydactyl Cat is the Big Foot of the cat world. Read about these many-toed felines by clicking here! It may be you have heard of these polydactyls before, but did not know what they were. The term Hemingway Cat probably sounds more familiar?


Back to Homepage from House Cats


Do You Have a Lovable House Cat?

Are you owned by one big purrsonality of a house cat? Want to show your kitty to other cat lovers? Here's the place!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Gus 
Hello Everyone! My name is Christine.I recently became a home owner and being a cat lover,thought it a good time to get a furry companion.My timing …

Patch 
Raising Patch It is late in April, 2004, typical Michigan weather. Could be sunny and 80 degrees or rainy and 40. This particular year mother nature …

My friend hates cats - and my cat loves him 
I wonder what this is about: I have a friend who does not like cats at all. When he comes to visit, he pays no attention to my cat, he practically ignores …

Hinx 
My cat Hinx is trying to be the centre of attention. Hinx is a cross breed of Devon Rex and Birman which makes him so beautiful with a wonderful temperament. …

Lavender pinkish kitty - which color is this? 
Hello one of my cats recently had kittens and one of them has the most unusual coloring I've ever seen before. I was wondering if you knew what color it …

Click here to write your own.

Space Witches series

The Seven Shabtis series

The Creature Wars series

The Creature Wars -series

Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Leena's Books

Tutankhamun

This book travels with the King Tut - Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition on his world tour of ten cities from March 2018 onwards

Tutankhamun: In My Own Hieroglyphs tells the story, for older children, of the life and afterlife of the famous young pharaoh in his own words. Tutankhamun tells us about the trouble he got into as a child in Akhenaten's palace in the new city of Akhetaten, and how he became a boy pharaoh. As we learn, his life changed a lot when he died as a teenager, and long years of boredom started in his tomb with only his pet monkey Fingers and his treasure for company. He did meet some of the Egyptian gods, of course, and had fun scaring off tomb robbers, but it was mostly rather dull. Then one day, some new and strange people, including a Mr. Howard Carter, arrived and began to take all the treasures out of his royal tomb. Fortunately, through the eyes of his beautiful golden mask, Tutankhamun, could have fun again traveling around the world

Mr Mummific

An ancient friend of mine, Mr Mummific dictated a book about how he became a mummy - and I was his scribe and artist. The book is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

On my other website www.ancientagypt101.com he continues his stories about life in ancient Egypt.

Another hilarious adventure for children with Mr Mummific, the mummy with attitude. He now tells the story of his mishaps, misunderstandings and misadventures as he leaves his tomb through the False Door to embark on the complicated and dangerous journey to the Afterlife aboard the magnificent Ship of Millions. 

Find the book at Amazon.com  and Amazon.co.uk

The Nephilim Quest Series

The first book in an epic fantasy series based on human mythology. The search for the mythical Watchers, the angels who fathered the Nephilim, the half-angels. A story that moves on three levels - our times, ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. 

Preview Nephlim Quest 1: Shadowhunter online

***

My Author Website at leenasbooks.com

If you wish to share a story 
and read what others 
have said about their cats, 
go to the end of the page to do so!

If you are looking for demanding coloring, check:

Online Coloring Books Magazine - No.1

It shows you step by step how to color this pretty Abyssinian cat with flowers. Each page has a color sample, and all the techniques are explained.