- Are you certain that none of your family members are allergic to cats? If it later turns out that they are, are you willing to look for alternatives to treating the allergies as opposed to getting rid of the cat?
- Can you afford the daily expenses of caring for a cat? Cats need good food, kitty litter, scratching posts, and plenty of toys to keep them busy.
- Is your carpet or furniture more important than the cat? Declawing is amputation of a cat's toes at the first joint. Make no bones about it folks; it's the cruelest thing you can do to a cat. If your sofa or carpet is more important than your cat, perhaps you might want to consider buying a stuffed toy cat instead.
- Can you afford regular veterinary care for routine visits, vaccinations, etc.? Can you afford veterinary emergencies? Regardless of how healthy you cat may be, the time will come when it will require other than routine veterinary care. Emergency care, as a rule, is considerably more expensive than routine and veterinary care administered by your own veterinarian. Don't adopt a cat (or any pet) if you know that you are unable to seek adequate veterinary care for this pet.
- If you do not own your own home, have you checked with your landlord, sponsor or co-op Board to see if they accept pets? Nothing is more heart-rending than having to get rid of your cat because your landlord found out that you violated a "no pet" clause in your lease or contract of sale. Cats are not disposable, and while there may be instances where you have to give up a cat, negligence in renting policies, allergies, etc. are unacceptable reasons to give up a cat.
- Will your cat be an indoor cat? There is a lot of controversy over the indoor-outdoor cat question but I personally believe that all cats should be indoor only. I do not approve of letting cats run free. They can become lost and even in the country, cats can meet with foul play and get hit by automobiles and trucks. An indoor cat is a safe cat.
- If you get a kitten, do you understand that it will mature and probably look nothing like the adorable ball of fluff you adopted? Do you realize that neither you or kitty have any control over this and it must never be a reason for getting rid of the cat? Furthermore, do you realize that adopting an adult cat allows you to choose how your cat will look?
- Do you promise to love this cat and never hit it? It might be difficult at times to love a cat that does naughty things every now and then, but you have to realize that your kitty is only being a "cat"?
- Do you promise to care for this cat? Even shorthair cats need daily brushing, otherwise you can expect to have a cat who barfs hairballs on a regular basis. Will you clip your cats'claws regularly or find someone to do it for you? If not, you can't complain when kitty scratches you or your furniture.
- Will the cat have companionship throughout the day? A single-cat household, with the humans away during the day, is asking for trouble. If nobody is at home with the cat, please consider adopting a second cat. Better yet, why not a third cat? Think of all the fun they will have playing together, and think of the home you are offering to these kitties.
- Do you intend to spay/neuter your cat? Please do not consider adopting a cat unless you are willing to spay/neuter. It is cruel to bring unwanted cats in the world when so many unwanted cats are spending their lives in cages at the local pounds and very possibly facing euthanasia.