How to Prepare for a New Cat or Dog

Before you welcome a furry friend into your home, you need to prepare your house--and your family--for the new member. Keeping a pet can be a lot of work and at least a decade-long commitment. Cute kittens and puppies don't just grow up--they eventually turn into old friends who require your love and care into their golden years.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Research cat or dog breeds to decide which one best suits your family's lifestyle and needs. Find out if anyone in your family has cat or dog allergies.
2. Discuss responsibilities and schedules before your new pet arrives. Make written agreements with children requiring them to feed, scoop poop and walk or exercise the animal. Be very realistic about your ability to give a dog the amount of exercise it requires.
3. Set some boundaries and show young children how to handle and talk to their pet. Decide before a paw crosses your threshold exactly where the dog or cat will be allowed (for example, the family room but not the living room) and what it will be allowed to do once it gets there (maybe your furniture is off-limits).
4. Prepare the house and yard. Houses have to be pet-proofed so that the animal won't hurt itself or break something valuable. Keep puppies in a confined space while you're house-training them. Get rid of any toxic plants in your house, and remove or fence in such plants in your yard.
5. Buy food and equipment. A litter box and scratching post should be awaiting kitty at home; bring a collar and leash or a pet carrier when you go to pick up the animal.
6. Decide on the optimum time to bring the pet home. A long weekend would be best. You don't want to pick up a kitten or puppy Sunday night and leave it alone Monday while you work all day and the kids are at school.
7. Line up a vet. Ask friends for recommendations. You'll want to take your new family member in for a checkup right away. It may need additional shots. And puppies will need dog tags; consider having a microchip implanted in case your cat or dog ever gets lost.
8. Sign up your whole family for a dog-training class. It's far easier to teach good habits than to unlearn bad ones--that goes for the dog as well as the humans. Contact your community center or ask friends for recommendations.
9. Avoid surprise pets. Never give or receive a pet on impulse. Both cats and dogs require regular attention, food and exercise and should be chosen by the owner, not by a well-meaning friend or family member. Remember, they'll be with you for their whole life--as long as 20 years.

Tips & Warnings

• The ASPCA suggests that dogs and cats are appropriate pets for children 10 years and older. If your child is younger, consider the pet yours, no matter how many fervent promises your child makes, until he or she is old enough to take over.
• House-training your puppy? Buy a large bottle (or two) of Nature's Miracle stain and odor remover, found at most pet stores.
• If you live in an apartment, you must have the landlord's permission to get a pet.
• If you get a cat, you need to decide whether it will be indoor, outdoor, or mostly indoor with supervised outdoor time (as in a fenced area or cat run). Outdoor cats are exposed to a lot of dangers (disease, cars, other animals).
• Do not leave small children unattended with a cat or dog. One or the other might get hurt.
• Accidental ingestion of cat feces or airborne fecal dust can infect a person with toxoplasmosis. Pregnant women should never change the litterbox, since the disease can be passed on to and kill the fetus.