Cats are generally considered easy to raise, but the initial expenses can be quite high, and taking care of a cat for the first time can be rather worrying. Only with deep love can one have the patience to learn about cat – raising.
First of all, buying a cat requires a great deal of effort. Regardless of whether the breed is pure or not, the market is rather chaotic. The most important thing is to ensure that the cat you plan to buy is healthy and free from genetic diseases. When I was looking to buy a cat, I first visited pet stores. I found that in some pet stores that breed cats themselves, the cats’ appearance was average but the prices were too high. In other pet stores that mainly dealt with wholesale products, there were no cats in stock, and I had to wait. After some research, I learned that pet stores obtain cats from catteries, backyard breeders, or individuals. They can’t guarantee the cats’ health, and since the cats have changed hands, the prices are also unreasonable.
Later, I directly went to catteries. In my small city (Taizhou, Jiangsu), there were no very high – end catteries at that time. I visited several catteries, but I was quite disappointed. The environment was poor, there was a strong smell, and the cats were not very clean, so I gave up.
Finally, I found a young lady on a local app. Her cat had given birth. I saw the kittens and the mother cat. The cats were usually allowed to roam freely at home, and the mother cat had an extremely gentle personality. Without hesitation, I paid the deposit and named the kitten Shiqi (hoping it would live a simple, safe, and healthy life). Here is what it looks like.
It cost 2600 yuan at that time, and the vaccination and deworming were not included. At that time, I didn’t know much and didn’t even ask. I just decided to take it. After bringing it back, I got the vaccination at a pet store for 360 yuan, which included rabies vaccination.
Before bringing Shiqi home, I had to prepare basic items such as a litter box, cat litter, cat food, and cat bowls. Due to the chaos in the market, it took a lot of effort to select milk powder and cat food. After all, I hoped my cat would live a long life.
Later, as Shiqi grew up, it wasn’t as cute as when it was a kitten, but it was very strong. Its personality was exactly like its mother’s, being clingy and fond of acting cute. It could be petted casually.
These are all photos of Shiqi after it was six months old. Before six months old, it went through a long awkward stage. I thought it wasn’t good – looking, so I didn’t take any pictures of it. In our local dialect, it looked rather scrawny. Later, I thought it was too lonely, so I bought a tricolor female cat (named Wusan) to keep it company.
When Shiqi was about one year old and in its second heat, it meowed loudly. I started to study cat breeding genetics and carefully selected a mate for it. Since Shiqi is a silver shaded British Shorthair with golden bloodlines, I chose a golden shaded British Shorthair for it. The male cat was chubby and 憨厚 (named Shuaishuai).
Later, they “dated.” The dowry was 1500 yuan, including cat food and cat bowls. There was no bride price. I considered the five kittens in Shiqi’s belly as the bride price.
Soon, the kittens were about to be born. I started to learn how to deliver the kittens and what to do in case of emergencies. Fortunately, all five kittens were born safely and smoothly. Shiqi was very good at taking care of them, and the scissors and other tools I prepared were not used.
After they were born, I named them Little First, Little Second, Little Third, Little Fourth, and Little Fifth. Collectively, I call them the “Little Follow – ons.”
This is the first half of the life of my silver shaded British Shorthair, Shiqi. It is about to be spayed, and I am starting to learn about post – operative care. I hope it will live a long life, and I also hope that all the “Little Follow – ons” can find loving and happy families.
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