Cat

In the registry

The IAGD registry holds 1,824 cats. A record carries an IAGD number, a public profile with photo, sex, date of birth, and colours, and any lineage the owner recorded. Breed is stored as the owner typed it. A record is public after an administrator approves it, and registration is free from the register page or the IAGD SuperApp.

Life with a cat

• Indoors or out. An indoor cat lives longer: no traffic, no fights, no poison baits, no fleas from the neighbourhood. Give it windows, shelves, and play, and it does not miss the street.
• The litter tray. One tray per cat plus one, scooped daily, in a quiet spot away from food. Most tray problems are a dirty tray, a wrong location, or pain.
• Scratching. A cat scratches to mark and to shed claw sheaths. Give it a post taller than the cat, and the sofa survives.
• Settling in. Start a new cat in one room with its bed, tray, food, and water, and let it open the rest of the house on its own schedule. Some cats take weeks.^[1]
• Company. Cats are not solitary by rule, but two unrelated adults do not always accept each other. Introduce slowly, by scent first.

Care basics

• Feed a complete and balanced cat food, in measured meals. Cats are obligate carnivores and cannot live on dog food or on rice and fish alone. See Food and water basics.
• Start the kitten vaccine series between six and eight weeks and finish it at sixteen weeks or later. See The first vet visit and the vaccination schedule.^[2]
• Sterilise by five months of age. A female cat can be pregnant at four months, and an intact male roams and sprays. See Why and when to spay or neuter.^[3]
• Keep flea and deworming treatment on the schedule the veterinarian sets, indoors or not.
• A cat hides illness. A cat that stops eating for a day, hides, or breathes with its mouth open needs a vet now. See When to go to the vet now.

Breeds and the Puspin

The Puspin, short for pusang Pinoy, is the common cat of the Philippines: any coat, any colour, no written standard. Puspins register in the IAGD like any other cat. Pedigreed breeds are a small share of the cats in the country and carry their own health histories; a Persian's flat face and heavy coat, for example, make heat and grooming daily work.

No breed articles exist for cats yet.

Laws and papers in the Philippines

• Rabies. Republic Act 9482 names dogs, not cats, but a cat can carry rabies and a cat bite is treated as an exposure. Veterinarians vaccinate cats against rabies for that reason. See is rabies vaccination required by law.
• Welfare. Republic Act 8485, the Animal Welfare Act, covers cats as it covers every animal. See RA 8485 explained for pet owners.
• Registration. No national law requires cat registration. Some LGUs run their own schemes; ask the city veterinary office.

The first year with a cat

Start here First-time cat owner guide 8 min read

1. 1 Before you bring a pet home 6 min read
2. 2 The first week at home 6 min read
3. 3 The first vet visit and the vaccination schedule 7 min read
4. 4 Food and water basics 6 min read
5. 5 Why and when to spay or neuter 5 min read
6. 6 How to identify and register your pet 5 min read
7. 7 Pets in the Philippine climate 6 min read
8. 8 When to go to the vet now 6 min read

Common questions

Can a cat stay indoors all its life?

Yes, and most veterinarians recommend it. Give it climbing space, a window, daily play, and a clean tray.

Can I feed my cat rice and fish?

Not as the diet. A cat needs nutrients that only meat and a complete cat food supply. Fish alone leaves gaps, and raw fish carries risks of its own.^[4]

Why does my cat stop using the tray?

Check the tray first: is it clean, large enough, and in a quiet place. If the tray is fine, see the vet, because pain on urination is the next most common cause.

See also

• First-time cat owner guide
• Dog
• Registered cats

References

1. ^ International Cat Care, Helping your new cat or kitten settle in.
2. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats.
3. ^ American Veterinary Medical Association, Spaying and neutering.
4. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Global Nutrition Guidelines.