Over thousands of years cats have developed into fascinating creatures. They are hunters, they are climbers, some will swim for fun (the Turkish Van), but most don't like water. They have taken the art of sleeping to completley new levels. They are sociable when they feel like it, but can also be very anti-everything. They think they own the world and are convinced that they are in charge of everything and that when things go wrong it's always the fault of someone else.

Supercats

According to Robert Heinlein in "The Doorway to Summer." People are in charge of the weather and rations, cats are in charge of everything else. This seems to be true.

If you have a house cat that lives alone during the day you may find that when you get home, the cat starts to go bonkers, running from room to room at extreme speeds. It often wont even touch the ground, simply launching himself from one piece of furniture to another. This is simply because the cat has probably been sleeping all day and now needs to get rid of loads of exlposive energy. You would just take a dog for a walk, but a housebound cat needs to get rid of this energy in this very  different manner. So make sure your cat has some toys to play with.

Behaviour  

Ideally a housebound cat should be one of a pair.

Make sure that a scratch post is available. And if you have expensive ornaments etc you have been warned!!

You should play with your cat every day, this is important especially for older cats, but remember the cat is in charge so if an older cat is not interested don't push it.

You will find that your cat is curious and that it might check out as much of your house as possible, seeking interesting things. This is fine but make sure that this curiosity doesn't lead to trouble or danger. Make sure that the cat can't get stuck in a place it can't escape from, make sure that electric cables are not a problem as young kitttens often like to chew on these.