Cat Care Secrets Straight From The Experts

Like people, cats require balanced diets with good nutrition. If your cat has a poor diet it can negatively affect his health. This article will give you all the tips you need for a healthier cat.

Move any drape cords out of a cat’s reach. It is easy for the cat to get his head caught among the cords when playing with them. This could cause injury or death. To stop this from happening, pin your drapes and hide them out of sight.

Grooming is an essential part of your cat’s care. Remember to brush your cat’s fur and comb it regularly. If this is done frequently, your cat’s coat will be much cleaner. This will also cut down on shedding and can reduce issues with hairballs. Keeping a cat well groomed basically helps keep them looking their best, along with your home.

Cats are partially nocturnal. This means their behavior is quite active during the night. One way to deal with a kitten’s playful activity at night is just to shut your door. This can keep them from waking you up at night and from pouncing on feet under the blankets.

Put a heated tile beneath the bed of an older cat. Just get a tile and heat it up in the oven for a while to place under the cat’s bed. Keep the temperature of the oven at 200 degrees. Put the tile inside a towel and place it under the cat’s bedding. If necessary, repeat this every few hours.

Prevent crystals from forming in the urine of male cats with the right diet. Your cat will experience considerable pain when he has to pass these crystals, and it’s not an easy (or cheap) problem for your veterinarian to fix. Feed your cat food that is low in magnesium. Consult the ingredient list. Products including fish have a higher magnesium content then poultry based products.

Electrical Cords

It’s often cheaper to buy medicine for your cat on the Internet instead of through your vet. In some cases you may not be able to buy online, in the case of emergencies, for instance. For ongoing medical issues, you can buy ahead and save a substantial amount of money online.

Keep your cat from having a shocking experience by spraying electrical cords with bitter apple. If the cat likes to chew on cords, its best to cover them as best you can. An inexpensive way to hide electrical cords is to thread them through used paper towel rolls. If you own electronic devices with thin cords, you should keep them out of your cat’s reach when you’re not using them.

Your cat has sensitive ears, especially in the car when they’re stressed out. You may enjoy it, but it could be hurting your cat’s ears. To ensure your cat’s trip is pleasant, turn off the music or keep the volume low.

Make sure that you never neglect your cat. Cats are looking for a response in kind in exchange for all of the friendly companionship they offer to humans. Cats need a social life with people just like you do with other people. Cats want to feel loved and needed.

Be careful as small kids may treat kittens too roughly. Tell them how to be gentle. Teach them which activities are good and how to properly pick your cat up. Cats need to be protected, too. Their bones are much more susceptible than dogs.

While usually cats make great pets for kids, younger kids may be too rough with them. Teach your children how to handle a cat. Give them examples of how to be gentle with it and what should and should not be done. A cat’s bones can be quite fragile and they need to be treated gently.

Is there a dog in your home, as well as a cat? A dog will take any opportunity they have to eat your cats food. That’s why you should place your cat’s food in a place which is hard for your dog to reach. This also ensures that there are no squabbles over the water between the two, when the food is gone.

If you get a small kitten for your children, make sure they understand the rules ahead of time. Let your children know which rooms their cat can be in. Make sure that your children know if the cat is strictly an indoor cat. If your children know the rules beforehand, mishaps are less likely.

You shouldn’t leave a young cat with children unattended. Children under 5 years of age should not be alone with the pet. They aren’t mature enough in order to handle the potential dangers of a kitten. As your children get older, you can decide when to teach them about handling a pet.

Are you the proud owner of both a cat and dog? Dogs will eat a cat’s food any time they’re given the chance. You should create a feeding space for the cat that is much too high for a dog to get to. This will prevent the two from fighting over the water when the food dishes are empty.

Feeding them lots of different foods can lower their chances of becoming finicky eaters. By giving them one kind of food all the time, it will be all they want to eat.

There is no need to spend hours trying to litter train your cat. Using the litter box is instinctual for cats, and they require no training. Don’t force your cat into the box or you will traumatize them.

Purchase good quality food for your cat. Look at the ingredients and make sure protein like fish, chicken, or beef is near the top. Avoid brands that use non-meat fillers like corn. Cats are meant to eat meat, and that means that they need to have foods that are high in protein.

To help avoid a finicky cat, feed your cat different brands of cat food. If you raise your kitten with the same food for their entire life, this can become the only type of food they will willingly eat.

Cats need to play! Playing is an activity that is very popular with mammals of any age, and this includes cats and people. While a senior cat probably won’t be very rambunctious, the right type of toy will get them interested. Make sure you spend time doing fun things with your cat.

Don’t get rid of an old scratching post. The cats loves it the most in this condition. When you bring in a new post, the cat may ignore it.

Don’t ever let your declawed cat outdoors. It can’t defend itself with no claws. An indoor cat can be declawed. It is important to note that if you are declawing a cat, only the front claws on the cat should be removed. Don’t take the back claws as cats need them to stay balanced.

Drinking Fountain

Panting is not a normal response for a cat. Panting is quite normal for dogs. Cats often pant when they are anxious or overheated, but this may also signal a more serious issue. Talk to a vet right away when panting persists.

You should install a small drinking fountain for your cat. In nature, a cat prefers to drink from running streams. House cats prefer this as well. The drinking fountain will look more inviting than a water bowl. Cats will often drink from a running sink and actually prefer it over the water in their bowl. A drinking fountain will be good for the environment and can help the cat to enjoy its water more.

Preventing hairballs can help keep your cat sanitary and safe. Put 1 tsp of pumpkin puree in their food. A teaspoon of tuna water mixed with pumpkin can also work. There are cat foods that have anti-hairball components in them, like extra fiber, that can help.

If you are thinking about adding another cat to your home, you need to set aside a couple of weeks where you let the animals get used to being around each other. Two cats may fight, hiss, or hide from each other until they become more comfortable. Eventually they are going to get used to each other, and they may even end up becoming best friends.

If you are planning to go back to work after being home with your cat all the time, it’s possible he may get quite lonely there without you. It can be a good idea to get a companion cat to keep yours company when you are at work.

Cats need to play! As a matter of fact, exercise is crucial for all animals. Even older cats love a little play, just not as rough. Enjoy your cat every day.

Do not give your cat too much food, as this can result in digestive problems. They can develop diabetes or heart disease, just like humans. Don’t overfeed your cat and ensure that his diet is healthy.

Litter Box

Think twice before feeding a cat table scraps in place of treats. Human food can upset your cat’s stomach and make it sick. If you want to make a special treat for your cat, it will like a small amount of eggs, beef or chicken. These treats are by no means necessary. If you comply with the feeding directions for your cat’s food, you are good to go.

Carefully consider where you will place your friend’s litter box. You may believe that the litter box should be kept in a small place so that you won’t smell it. Make sure your cat can easily reach the litter box at all times. You want your cat to feel comfortable using their litter box. A litter box located in the basement should be placed on a thick mat or rug.

Vets are important, but the bills can be rough! You can save by purchasing your pet medications online. Some companies deliver right to your door. This can be convenient and cheap if your cat has to take medications regularly like once a month.

Keeping vaccinations up-to-date is the way to make sure your cat lives longer and more healthy. Stick to regular check-ups. Just like with having kids, young cats need to be checked on to see if they’re doing okay from time to time. It also needs its shots so that you can avoid problems later on down the road. Your cat will be a valued member of your family, which means treating it just as you would other loved ones.

There are a number of owners who think their cats must be bathed often. In their ordinary day-to-day lives, though, cats seldom get dirty enough to require bathing. Cats clean themselves, after all. Cats are really picky about their appearance.

You should worry if your cat is no longer using its litter box. There are conditions that will cause a kitty to do this. These conditions include kidney and bladder problems. If your cat stops using the litter box suddenly, get him to a vet for a visit.

If you bring a new pet into your house it can make your cat upset at first. To reduce the drama, separate the new animal from your cat. This makes it easier for your cat to adjust to the animal’s smell. Once some time has past, slowly start introducing the two animals to each other.

What a cat eats is critical to his health and well-being. If it doesn’t get enough of the right foods, or gets a lot of the wrong ones, your pet will be less healthy and may live a shorter life. Ensure your cat’s longevity and health by providing it with the food it needs.

A houseplant can often prove irresistible to a cat. What seems like harmless nibbling can be very dangerous if the houseplant is poisonous. This can lead to waste inside of your plant. Putting your plants on a shelf will not deter your cat. A good idea would be to hang your plants from the ceiling and far away from anything your cat could climb on.