Cat — cost & responsibility awareness (ethical/financial duty, multi-year commitment, 20-year lifespan)

Source: first-hand Merck Veterinary Manual pet-owner text, saved to source_file; every claim below is a C1 byte-substring of it.

Owning a cat comes with ethical and financial responsibilities.
Be sure you have the time and money to dedicate to caring for a cat over many years, as some cats can live 20 years or more.
Kittens, like babies, require a lot of attention, including veterinary care, feeding, and socialization.
What Do I Feed My Kitten? Proper nutrition is important throughout a cat’s life and is especially critical during kittenhood.
Kittens need multiple daily feedings of food specially formulated to meet their needs.
The number of daily feedings can be gradually decreased as the kitten ages, but feeding with a nutritionally balanced, name-brand kitten diet should continue until adulthood (about 9 to 12 months of age).
What Are The Nutritional Standards for Cats? The Feline Nutrition Expert Subcommittee of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has set basic nutritional requirements for cats.
If the food doesn’t meet these standards, it must be labeled only as a treat or for occasional feeding.
What Should I Feed My Cat? Cats are carnivores, meaning they eat mainly meat.
Here are some important points to remember about what you feed your cat: Don’t give supplements without your vet's approval.
Never feed your cat dog food as a regular diet.
If you’re considering feeding your cat a homemade diet, you should not formulate the diet on your own.

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Source: pdf-raw/companion-care/cat_providing_home.txt · https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/selecting-and-providing-a-home-for-a-cat

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