When I was a child, I didn't particularly like cats. I believed in all the ridiculous myths about how cats don't really care about people and so on. Then one day we met a kitten that was going to be drowned if we didn't take him. Sound familiar?

He was the first in a long, long line of cats we've had. In fact, we have several even now.

I'm not going to go into cat breeds. We've never had a pedigreed cat. I'm sure all cats are equally adorable, but I'm not familiar with the different breeds. Although I must say that Birmans seem to be extremely beautiful.

Now that I'm older and know better, I find cats just as faithful and loyal as dogs. They're different, but just as sweet.

When it comes to feeding, general care and other facts, I strongly recommend getting some informative books. Read, ask friends who already own cats. You might find information online.

Cats usually prefer to be paired up. Two, four, six - it depends on how many people your family consists of, and how many cats you want to save. Well, I suppose you might want to buy a pedigreed kitten or two as well.

Whatever you do, don't give them cow milk. Cream isn't all that good for them either.

Cats are more tolerant about being left alone in the house during the day. That doesn't mean it's ok for you to go away for a week or so and leave your babies alone. It does mean that if you work 8 or 10 hours a day, your cats will be able to amuse themselves, as long as you provide them with food, water, toys and somewhere comfortable to sleep.

I don't believe in letting cats roam free. On the few occasions my babies have been able to escape into the garden, I've been worried sick and they were scared out of their minds.

I used to prefer male cats. That was all there was to it. Females seemed to be very cool and aloof and they tended to stare coldly at me if I dared to even touch them.

Now that I've had the chance to get to know more cats, I've found that personality types depend more on individuality than sex. Some males might be very unfriendly just as females might be affectionate or cool.

If you love both dogs and cats, make sure the cats are safe. A Chihuahua might not be able to cause much damage, but a Rottweiler sure could. Or a fox terrier or even a labrador retriever. Don't leave them alone together, unless you know that your dog is small and gentle enough never to hurt your cat.