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Adopting a new kitten or new cat

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While kittens are very appealing, older cats give as much joy and find it harder to find a good home

George as a adult cat sat with Tigs as a kitten


Before Adopting a new Kitten or Cat Consider the following


Do you have a suitable home to house a cat happily and safely, can you fund unexpected vet bills and more importantly give this cat a committed home for life ? Try PIF Tails good cat owner quiz


When looking at the cost of a new pet, remember to calculate the ongoing regular costs of caring for your new cat, as well as the initial adoption costs.


Slowly introduce your new cat to your home and/or existing cats and keep the new cat in for a minimum of a month before introducing them to the outside world.


Ensure that you are aware of your cats status in regards to FIV and FELV. Positive cats may infect other negative cats living in the home or neighbourhood. Therefore for other cats safety positive cats must remain inside for their entire lifetime, they also have a shortened life span and higher medical vet bills than a normal healthy cat.


PIF Tails recommend that ALL cats are blood tested clear before being allowed contact with other cats in the home or being allowed outside. FIV and FELV can not be detected by looking at a cat, healthy looking cats can be infected, a vet blood test costing around £40 is the only reliable test.
Young kittens are usually not tested due to reliability problems of the tests at this age but it is usual to test the mother to establish her kittens status. In some cases a second test must be undertaken three months from the first, in this happens the cat must remain inside and isolated from other cats until a clear test is produced.


PIF Tail Recommended Sheffield Cat Shelters

RSCPA Sheffield, The Cat Shelter and Thornberry are all highly recommend by PIF Tails, as good places to adopt a kitten or cat from. These shelters fully vaccinate, microchip, blood test clear for FIV and FELV and altered (dependant on age) all cats prior to adoption.


Other Sheffield Cat Shelters

Sheffield Hallam Cat Protection League, North Sheffield Cat Protection League DO NOT test their cats for FIV or FELV. PIF Tails recommend that potential owners insist and pay for a blood test to be done before adopting a cat from one of these shelters.