Clawtastic Tips For Better Cat Care And Love
Would you save a pet’s life if you could? There are plenty of cats who need a home. You can find out how to adopt your kitten by continuing to read this article.
Check out the shelter when adopting a cat. Shelters have lots of great cats available, and your adoption fee often covers key veterinary services. Adopting your cat through a shelter means you are helping to control the cat population and saving a life at the same time.
Keep your cat groomed. Cats have to be brushed or combed on a regular basis. This will help them maintain a clean and healthy coat. It also stops hairballs. Brushing your cat will keep your home cleaner, too.
To help your old cat feel comfy, keep a tile that’s heated under their bed. A terra cotta tile about a foot square is ideal. You can warm it with a 15-20 minute stop in your oven, set to approximately 200 degrees. Place it in an older towel and place it underneath of the feline’s bed. If you want, you can change it for a newly warmed tile a few hours later.
If you own a female cat, it’s crucial to spay it at the appropriate age. Even if your cat is an indoor cat, if she escapes while she is in heat you might end up with a lot of kittens on your hands. Having your cat spayed is the only way to 100 percent prevent accidental litters.
Put a collar on any cats which go outside. This way, if your cat gets lost and is found by a stranger, that person will know how to contact you. At least put your phone number and pets name on the tag.
Towel Rolls
Spraying the electrical cords in your home with a bitter apple solution helps keep the cats from chewing on them. If your cat happens to be a champion cord-chewer, you’ll need to use cord covers to protect your cords. Use some paper towel rolls to tuck loose cords. Put your electronics away so your cat is not tempted to chew on the cords.
Spraying the electrical cords in your home with a bitter apple solution helps keep the cats from chewing on them. If your cat plays with cords, put them up and out of the way, or you can hide them in old paper towel rolls. Tuck loose cords into old toilet paper or paper towel rolls. Whenever you aren’t using any thin, electronic cords, you should store them away.
Your furnishings and belongings can easily be ruined by a cat’s claws. Buy a scratching post if you need to protect the furniture in your home. You should scold your cat when it scratches your furniture and direct its attention to the scratching post or tower. Although this may take time, your cat should eventually claw the device rather than your furniture.
Do not allow your cat to be bored frequently. Your cat needs plenty of exercise. But many cat owners ignore that need. Cats that are bored may develop obsessive compulsive disorders, depression, or other issues that can harm their health. Give them plenty of space to roam and provide them with toys to give them some exercise. You need to provide your cats with something they can climb and scratch.
The litter box for your cat needs to be positioned in the right place. It should not be placed in a high traffic area, and it should be far away from the cat’s food. Put it in a ventilated area to reduce odors. Your kitty will thank you.
If your cat is male, understand that he could develop crystals inside his urine, which can be very painful to him. Therefore, prevent this issue from occurring in the first place by feeding your cat the right type of food. Just like kidney stones, these crystals are painful and vet bills are pricey. Choose a low magnesium food. Just as in the grocery store, take the time to read the labels. Products that have fish in them have more magnesium usually when compared to products with poultry.
Most cats spend a large amount of time on grooming themselves. If your cat is long haired, this may cause hairballs. Buy your cat specialized food to prevent this problem. Some foods are enriched in fibers and vitamins to facilitate the digestion of the hairballs.
Cats are great family pets, but small children might be too rough. Tell them how to be gentle. Demonstrate how the cat should be petted and handled and encourage your children to be very gentle. Cat’s bones aren’t quite as strong as dogs, so they must be treated gingerly.
Prevent crystals from forming in the urine of male cats with the right diet. Passing these crystals is painful and the vet bill to have this corrected is expensive. Feed your cat food that is low in magnesium. Look over the label. Fish-based foods usually contain more magnesium than poultry-based foods.
Get your cat accustomed to a carrier. Dogs and cats will respond differently to punishment. Instead, cats are more likely to respond to words of encouragement. Give your cat a treat every time it does something well. Cats are natural explorers and sooner or later he will check it out. Once the cat is comfortable with the carrier, you can transport it easily.
If your cat constantly meows, you need to try to figure out why. After you have lived with your cat for a while, you will come to know what she wants by her meow. This could mean that your cat needs to go out or is hungry. Know what your cats cries mean so that you’re able to understand the cat more.
Frequent or misdirected urination may warrant a trip to your vet’s office. A change in where or how a cat urinates can signal a UTI or other health problem. In many cases, cheap antibiotics will resolve the problem and keep your cat healthy.
Are you the owner of a dog and a cat? Dogs often take advantage of dining on the cat’s food. That’s why you should place your cat’s food in a place which is hard for your dog to reach. This also has the effect of stopping fights over the water before they start.
A cat’s life isn’t complete without play. Play is important for all mammals, even people, regardless of their age. Even a mature cat that isn’t as spry anymore it still loves to play around. Take the time to play and have a little fun with your kitty.
Take care if you leave a kitten with youngsters. Children under 5 years of age should not be alone with the pet. Young children are not yet mature enough to realize what behaviors are dangerous to a cat. When your children age, you will realize when they’re able to deal with a pet.
Haired Cats
Talk to others when you have a problem with your cat. Although you might want to attempt to handle the problem yourself, other cat owners can provide you with excellent advice that may help you to resolve it. There are also forums on the Internet which cater to cat parents.
There is more care to consider with long-haired cats. While long haired cats are soft and look great, understand that there will be a lot more fur around the rest of the house. Don’t get such a cat unless you are prepared for the extra commitment they take over regular cats. It should also be noted that long haired cats are much more susceptible to hairballs.
If your cat does not use the litter box, do not use punishments to try to discipline him. Often, this happens when the litter box is dirty. Your cat will become afraid of you if you punish it or scold it too often.
If your cat will not use the litter box, try placing it at a different spot in your home. Cat’s sometimes just don’t like the location you’ve picked for the box. Good examples are laundry rooms, basements and other areas away from the hustle and bustle of the home.
Feeding your cat the proper canned food is ideal. Dry foods are cheaper but canned foods are richer in vitamins and nutrients. There is more water, more fat and more protein in it. Aging cats will find it easier to chew. Speak with the vet, but food in cans tends to be better.
Refrain from cleaning or using chemicals in the vicinity of your cat. This chemical is present in many household cleaners, such as Pine-Sol and Lysol. Cats hate the smell of phenol and continuously exposing them to it could cause liver problems later in their lives.
Getting a second cat is usually beneficial to both, but you have to give the two cats a few weeks to get acclimated to each other. In the beginning, they may not seem to get along at all. With enough time to acclimate themselves to the new arrangement, though, virtually any two cats will become willing, friendly, and perhaps even inseparable companions.
Use sticky tape on your furniture. If the cat tends to scratch your upholstery, some tape may stop the practice. There is specific tape for this purpose. You can put this tape on your furniture and get a scratching post to get your cat out of this habit.
Make sure that the litter box placement is easy for your cat to get to. You are surely tempted to put it where the smell will affect your surroundings the least. The litter box should be somewhere that is easy for your cat to get to, however. Cats tend to be finicky so you need to give them an environment that isn’t off-putting or inconvenient. If the litter box is on a hard surface, make sure to put something soft underneath it.
Never let your cat venture outside if something like rabies, fleas or fungus makes you nervous. While your cat may still have problems with these things as an indoor cat, they will have less of a chance to have these problems if they don’t go outside.
If you have a cat who is pregnant, make sure that you give her a private spot that is closed away from other animals and has room for her to move in easily. You need to be patient, as it will be three or four hours before all the kittens have been born. If it has been more than six hours and you believe more kittens are still inside your cat, you need to get her to the vet right away.
Consider leaving your cat indoors most of the time. Cats that go outside tend to live shorter lives and often contract illnesses. Some of these diseases can even be passed on to your family. Make sure that any indoor cat has a location to sit in sunlight.
If your feline just won’t use the litter box, try moving it to a different location. Cats know that during the elimination process they are left somewhat vulnerable, so moving the box to a more private area should help. Basements, laundry rooms, and other low traffic locations are a great choice.
Bad Weather
If you have a cat with frequent hair ball problems, and brushing has provided no relief, the following tips might be useful. Mix one teaspoon of pumpkin into your cat’s regular food. You can also mix one teaspoon of tuna water in with the pumpkin. Some cat foods include hairball fighting elements, such as fiber, that may be useful.
When the weather turns treacherous, remember to bring your cat indoors. Heat waves, extreme cold, and stormy weather are all times you should bring your pet inside. Cats are going to need a place to get away if there is bad weather and they may hide under vehicles or even in them. By letting them out during bad weather, you may end up losing your cat.
Use sticky tape to protect your furniture. This will prevent your cat from scratching the material. Your local pet store may carry tape for this. Place sticky tape on your furniture and install a scratching post in order to kick this bad habit.
Keep an eye on your cat when it’s the holiday season and you have a Christmas tree up. A Christmas tree is the ultimate cat toy–at least in your cat’s mind. Unfortunately, this presents conflicts. Keep all ornaments up high and the cat away.
Cat’s are susceptible to many of the illnesses humans are. You need to pay attention to your cat and make sure they are in good health. If you think something is wrong, visit the vet. They can determine what is wrong and figure out the proper course of care.
You should feel proud about your ability to care for your cat. You’re making a conscious decision to love an animal and provide it with the care that it needs to survive. You new little friend will be there for you for the rest of their lives. Take great care of your cat and it will be rewarding.
Cat owners sometimes want to bathe their cat. Unless the cat is extremely dirty, giving a cat a bath is not recommended. Cats usually groom themselves a lot by using the barbs on their tongues to clean debris and dirt from their fur. Cats tend to be obsessed with the way that they look.
