American Shorthair
I got my first cat at 31. Late bloomer. My apartment building in Brooklyn finally allowed pets in 2021. I signed the new lease on a Tuesday. I was at the shelter that Saturday.
Her name is Potato. Gray tabby American Shorthair. She weighed 8.7 pounds when I brought her home. Now she's 11 pounds. The vet says she's fine. I say she's been getting too many Temptations treats.
Why American Shorthair
I spent three weeks reading about cat breeds before going to the shelter. Ragdolls shed too much. Siamese are too loud. My neighbor has a Siamese. I can hear it through the wall at 6am. No thanks.
Short Coats
Low shedding
Quiet
Don't scream
16h Sleep
Chill energy
American Shorthairs have short coats. They don't scream. They're not climbing the curtains every five minutes. Potato sleeps 16 hours a day. She wakes up, eats, looks out the window for 20 minutes, goes back to sleep. This is the kind of energy I needed in my life.
What I Feed Her
I tried Blue Buffalo first. She threw up twice. Switched to Royal Canin Indoor Adult. $42 for an 11-pound bag at Petco. She's been on it for three years now. No issues.
Wet food twice a week. Fancy Feast Classic Pate. The turkey one. She won't touch the fish flavors. I have four cans of salmon sitting in my cabinet that she's never going to eat. I keep buying variety packs and forgetting.
The Litter Situation
I use Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal. The purple box. I scoop twice a day. Full change every two weeks. Her litter box is in the bathroom next to the toilet. I bought one of those top-entry boxes from Amazon. $35. Took her three days to figure out how to use it. She got it eventually.
The Scratching Post Thing
She destroyed the arm of my couch in the first month. I was not prepared for this. Bought a sisal scratching post from Chewy. She ignored it for two weeks. Started putting catnip on it. Now she uses it. The couch is still messed up. I put a blanket over that side.
Vet Costs
Her annual checkup is $89 at the clinic on Atlantic Ave. Vaccines are extra. Last year I spent $340 total on vet bills. She had a UTI in March. The antibiotics were $45.
I don't have pet insurance. I thought about it. The monthly premiums didn't make sense for a healthy indoor cat. I have $1,000 set aside in a savings account for emergencies. That's my pet insurance.
Daily Routine
She sits on my chest until I wake up. This is not optional.
Half cup of dry food in her bowl. She eats about half of it.
I make coffee. She sits on the kitchen counter watching me. I know she's not supposed to be up there.
I get home from work. She's asleep on the bed. She wakes up when I open the door.
Second feeding. Same amount.
She brings me a hair tie she found somewhere. I throw it. She brings it back. We do this for ten minutes.
She's asleep at the foot of the bed. I go to sleep.
What I Wish I Knew
Cats need vertical space. I didn't know this. Bought a cat tree six months in. Should have bought it day one. She spends half her waking hours on the top platform.
The vet thing about water intake is real. Cats don't drink enough. I got a pet fountain. The Catit one. $30. She drinks more now. Her pee clumps got bigger in the litter box. That's how I know it's working.
Nail trimming every three weeks. I do it myself. She hates it. I wrap her in a towel like a burrito. Takes five minutes. Saves me $15 each time at the groomer.
Would I Get Another One
Probably not. Potato is enough cat for me. My apartment is 550 square feet. Two cats feels like too many. My friend has two cats in the same size apartment. She says they keep each other company. Her vet bills are double mine. I'm good with one.
