Caring For A Cat While Living On A Budget
Cats make great pets, but they do come with a price tag. Vet expenses, toys, cat litter and food add up. The following article will teach you what you need to know about caring for a bit less.
Check with your local shelter before you have plans to get a cat. Shelters have plenty of great cats and their adoption fee will generally cover necessary vet care. Adopting from a cat population.
You should be bringing your pet to the vet on a check-up regularly. Cats need to get shots so they don’t get sick and the vet can check their overall health. Try keeping the same vet during your cat’s life. This will ensure they know the history of your cat’s unique health needs and personality.
Keep your cat away from your drapery cords. Do not let your cat play with these. If the cords are in loops and the cat jumps into them or plays with them, they could possibly get them caught around their neck. This could really hurt or possibly kill them. Pin and hide drape cords to avoid this.
Cats can get into all sorts of small spaces. A breakaway collar will literally “break away” if pulled on too tight. This can help to save a couple of your cat’s lives.
A cat can do a lot of damage to your home and belongings. It might take a little while, but eventually you will see that the damage to your furniture is diminished.
Create a little tablecloth that your cat. Cats will sometimes like to eat food from the bowl and enjoy it straight off the ground. This creates extra work since you will have to clean up.
An outdoor cat must always wear a tag on its collar. The collar and tag will make it easier to find the cat if it gets lost. The tag should contain at least the cat’s name and your contact information.
Cat Outside
Think twice before allowing your cat outside. This can compromise your cat in an unsafe position. Your cat could get fleas or have other problems. Your cat may be targeted by another animal, people and vehicles. If you must let your cat outside, limit it to an enclosed area.
Don’t toss an older scratching post. This is the time when your cats most prefer it.If you throw it away too soon, you may find your cat scratching on other surfaces.
Your home furnishings can fall victim to your cat’s sharp claws. You need to get a scratching post or a cat tower to prevent your cat from ruining your furniture. Give them some encouragement and let them know it is okay to scratch that. This solution might take time to take, but it will help in the end.
Consider buying your cat a fountain to drink from.Cats generally respond well to this stream of water. Cats will even drink from a running sink and actually prefer it over the tap if they can! A drinking fountain is a more environmentally-friendly way to allow your cat to drink like he or she is in the wild.
Make sure your cat always wearing a collar with proper identification tags. This applies even to indoor cat. Cats can be very curious and an open door or window is likely to be explored. This is also important especially if your cat with medical issues.
Frequent urination may warrant a trip to your vet’s office. Cats can show this behavior if they have a urinary infection or other medical problem. A quick course of antibiotics often does the trick.
It can be tricky to keep a cat off the kitchen counters. Cats have a natural predilection for staking out a nice elevated place where they have a good view of their surroundings. One way to nip this problem in the bud is to give your cat a dedicated perch of their own as an alternative to using your space. The use of a cat tower within your kitchen or close by can help make the cats stay off the counter.
Think about extra work before you take home a long-haired cat. The hair may be a gorgeous thing to behold, except when it’s all over your furniture. Don’t adopt a cat unless you’re sure you are prepared for the extra cleaning. Long-haired cats are also often have hairballs.
Litter Box
Make sure you consider where you are going to place the litter box placement is easy for your cat to get to. It’s tempting to put the box somewhere that you don’t have to smell or smelled. Make sure that your cat can easily reach the litter box very easily. If you have the box on a floor that is cold cement for example, make sure to put something soft underneath it.
Think about getting a microchip implanted in your cat. Even cats that live their lives entirely indoors can suddenly escape out a window or door. Tags and collars can help you cat return home, but cats can wiggle out of them or risk injury by snagging them on a tree branch or bush. A microchip is tiny, similar in size to a single rice grain and capable of holding plenty of information. These days, pretty much all shelters and vet offices have scanners that can read these chips, and because they’re beneath your pet’s skin, they won’t ever get lost.
Be aware of your cat suddenly quits using its litter box. There are a number of health conditions that can cause your cat to suddenly stop using their box. A variety of infections and kidney infection may be the box when they suddenly associate it with pain due to their medical condition. Speak with a veterinarian if your pet stops using the litter box.
If you have a cat who is pregnant, make sure to give her lots of room to birth in. The kittens will arrive within three or four hours, so you must exercise patience. If it has been more than six hours and you believe more kittens are still inside your cat, you should immediately drive to the vet’s office.
If you have a cat with frequent hair ball problems, and brushing has provided no relief, these handy tips may help. Mix about a teaspoon full of pumpkin (a teaspoon’s worth) into your cats’ food. You might even want to try to add a teaspoon of tuna water in with the pumpkin to see if that helps. Some cat foods have components, generally extra fiber, which may resolve the problem.
Keep your cat amused. Although you may believe that cats just lie around, this isn’t the case. They need their exercise. Unfortunately, a lot of cat owners neglect this. Cats who get bored can actually become depressed or display other undesirable behaviors. Give them enough space to exercise in, with fun toys to keep them entertained. Give them a cat tree to play with.
If you were home all the time when you first adopted your cat and are now going to be out of the home, it is quite possible that your cat will show signs of loneliness. One possible solution to ending your cat’s loneliness is to adopt a cat from getting lonely is to pair it up with another cat.
Cats can get sick in some of the same colds you do. You will probably be able to tell if your cat isn’t well. The vet can reassure you that they are not suffering from anything more serious.
Reconsider before you let your cat have table scraps. The way human food may not being a good choice for your cat. Cat foods contain the nutrients your cats need, and if you are doing what the food’s directions say to do, can make your pet’s diet complete.
Cats are nocturnal animals. This means nighttime is an active time for your cat. If you have trouble sleeping because of cats, you may want to close the door to your bedroom. This can keep them from waking you up at night and from pouncing on feet under the blankets.
Your cat may not like it if you add another pet. Let them get used to the cat grow accustomed to the new scents. Once some time has past, give your cat some supervised time with your new pet.
Properly Care
Any pet can cost a lot to properly care for, and that is also true of cats. Being a cat parent can be labor and time intensive. Now that you read this article, you know what it takes to properly care for your feline.
Cats will often devote most of their time to grooming. Hairballs are more common in long-haired cats. Buy special food in order to help that problem. Some foods are in fact formulated specifically to reduce hairballs, and that is a good idea for your cat and you too.
