What You Must Know Before Getting an Indoor Cat

Two weeks before Christmas my soon to be husband walked thru our door with a profound statement. "We should get a cat." Thinking he was just looking for a Christmas gift for our 2 boys I didn't put a whole lot of thought into his statement. After a week, and the topic coming up again. I looked into the idea. We decided a cat would be just the right addition to our family.

It wasn't until the middle of January when we found the perfect cat. Her name was Pandora. Not wanting an unpredictable box in our home, we shortened it to Dora. She has truly lived up to her name. She is Dora the explorer. Dora was a 3 month old gray cat that still had a lot of kitten in her.

The first week was filled with in one cupboard and out the next. She was behind every piece of furniture and under every bed. There wasn't a nook or cranny in our home that she did not explore.

Being as we live in an apartment within city limits, we decided that Dora was going to be an indoor cat. We did not want to run the risk of her being ran over or shot at. We live in Alaska. Everyone has a gun.

With this here are a few things that I learned about having an indoor cat.

You will become its primary source of entertainment. Be prepared. Especially if this is your only pet. They will be under your feet at all times. When you walk thru the door you must stop to say hello to them.

A cat is worse than an alarm clock. Worse yet, they don't come equipped with a snooze button. Whenever they hear you stir in your sleep they will be right there. A kiss on the nose or a lick in the armpit will wake even the soundest of sleepers.

A Cat has no concept of time. When you roll over at 3 am they think it is time for you to get up and feed them.

Do not feed your cat Friskies. It will do just what the name implies. It will make your cat frisky.

Dora would get so excited and run laps thru our apartment. Often times she would be going so fast she couldn't make the corners. She would always be bouncing off of one wall or appliance. While this can be quite comical it is what led to the next point.

If you change her food, do not be surprised if she gets gas. A cat with gas is horrible. Especially if it is in a small confined space.