Over the last thousands of years, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves.  In the beginning, they were used for one purpose – hunting and killing rodents.  As the years progressed, we began to breed cats more to our liking.  Now days, there are several different breeds of cats – which you can tell if you look closely.

These days there are over 70 distinct cat breeds, which are recognized through cat registries.  There are several registries that will recognize around 40 breeds or so, as they exclude the more domestic breeds such as tigers.  There are also many variations as well, including wild cats that have longer hair.

There are some cat breeds who have roots going back quite a bit in history.  Some Japanese breeds, such as the Japanese Bobtail, can be traced back more than 1,000 years in history.  These cats were very common and well known throughout Medieval Japan.  Now days though, they are all but a myth throughout Japan and the entire world.

The more common cat breeds that are found in North America include the alley cat, long haired cat, and Persian cat.  Siamese cats are also common, although they are well known to be destructive and to have a foul temper.  Persian cats are very popular, proving to be loving companions.  Persian cats can be very expense, depending on where you get it and what type of Persian cat it is.

Alley cats are the most common in North America.  There are actually several different breeds, although most of us just refer to them as alley cats.  They make good pets, although there are literally thousands of them in existence.  Cats are known to breed more than any other pet, and they will continue to breed until they are stopped.  Alley cats are among the most bred, as there are hundreds of thousands of cats that are homeless – and have nothing to do but breed.

The look of the cat is the easiest way to tell what breed he or she may be.  Some people choose to go by color, although color isn’t as easy to identify.  Different breeds of cats have different looks, such as the Siamese and Persian cats.  Siamese cats are almost always black, and easy to identify by their color and their eyes.  Persian cats on the other hand, are easily identified by their body type and their hair.

Over the years, there has been quite a few breeds come along.  Cats were one of the first pets, and easily one of the most popular.  Millions of people around the world own cats, with many people preferring a cat over any other pet – including dogs.  No matter breed of cat you get – you’re sure to get a pet who make for a great companion for years and years to come.

There are lots of different excellent toys available to keep young kittens happy for hours on end, but there is nothing better than the time that you spend to interact with your kitten and develop a relationship that will ensure you have a lot of fun for its entire lifetime.

Kittens will go through various stages in the first weeks of their life, and they will learn about their surroundings and how to interact with other pets and people in the house, and more importantly how to interact with you.

Playing with your kitten will teach it a lot as it develops all the natural instincts from playing around to hunting.
You will find that after about six weeks the cat will begin stalking and hunting and often jump out from behind things to attack your leg as you walk by.
This is a natural instinct that needs to be developed for you to have a healthy happy cat.

If you find your kitten is jumping out and attacking you or others in the house it should not be reprimanded otherwise it will get confused about something that is only natural.

It won’t do you a lot of harm but it will do your kitten a lot of good to develop these instincts.

Naturally you will have to stop it from misbehaving, and that is something that it needs to learn as well as all its other natural instincts, but common sense will let you know what it should and shouldn’t be doing.

Just like children, kittens will test the boundaries and if left unchecked you can have a cat that is very difficult to manage as it gets older.

When cats have access to a yard – especially one with a garden, they will often prefer to go outside. But if your cat is confined to the house or apartment, it is necessary to provide him with a litter tray or box to prevent puddles and other nasty things happening to your floor.

The litter tray should be wide and shallow, but with vertical sides. This will help to retain the medium when the cat is scratching and digging. It should be in a place where human traffic is at a minimum. The laundry is often the place chosen for the litter tray, although many people also use the restroom if it is large enough. Sand could be used in the tray, but commercial cat-litter is best due to its high absorbency. And cats seem to love using it.

If you have a new kitten, it is not too early to start training him to use the litter box immediately. As soon as he has finished drinking his milk, take him to the litter tray and set him down gently on the litter. It’s a good idea to feed him close to the litter tray at first, so he will know where it is. If you feed your new kitten in the kitchen and then carry him into the laundry to the litter tray, you cannot expect him to know his way into the laundry the next time round.

So feed the kitten next to the litter tray until the habit of using it is well established. After this, it will be possible to change the feeding place if desired. If the kitten does a puddle anywhere else but in the litter tray, be sure to clean it up with strong smelling disinfectant to completely remove the odor, otherwise your kitten will simply follow his nose next time he wants to go.

Once you have placed the kitten onto the litter tray a few times, he will soon get the idea of what he is supposed to do. Cats and kittens are very easy to train to use a litter tray. Placing an attractive cover over the litter tray is a good idea, but make sure he knows how to use the tray without the cover first. Then you can cover it up and show him the way in.

One thing many people don’t consider when they decide to get a cat is the lifespan of the pet and the fact that they need to be responsible for the health and well-being of the cat for between 15 and 20 years. It’s a long term commitment.

As with people, the personalities of cats are many and varied. Ideally you will find the cat whose personality is matched to your own, but good luck with that.
There are many excellent books available at libraries and bookstores that will give you a good description of the type of personality to be expected from the various different breeds of cats.

Some breeds of cats require a lot more attention than others. Somey cats  tend to live inside more often than other breeds, cats that are happy to run around outside and keep themselves occupied.

Cats with longer fur will tend to shed had a lot more fur about the house which will require more cleaning as well as requiring more grooming, which means you will need to spend more time looking after them.

Cats are a lot more independent than dogs and thus more difficult to train;  this is something that you need to realize and accept.

If you like to travel a lot or you are away from the house a lot of the time, you will need to arrange some other person or service that can mind your cat and ensure that it gets fed regularly. My in-laws travel in a RV so they take their cat with them.

It is always worth considering where you’re living and whether the environment is suitable for owning a cat.

And one thing that surprisingly many people don’t consider before getting a cat is whether any person in the family is allergic to cats. There are quite a large number of people who are allergic to cats.