How To Care For A Cat At Home
Would you save the life of an animal if you could? Many cats are available for those who can offer a loving home. The first step is adopting, and the second is learning to care for it.
Regular veterinary checkups are important for the health of your cat. Your vet will provide your cat with the shots it needs to prevent disease. Your vet can also check the overall health of your cat. Try to stay with the same veterinarian throughout your pet’s life. That way, the doctor will be familiar with the history of your cat.
If your cat is a female, be sure to get her spayed when she is old enough. While your cat may be an indoor one, there is always the possibility it can get out and you wind up with kittens one day. The best method of preventing your cat from pregnancy is to get her spayed.
Put a heated tile beneath the bed of an older cat. Use a terra cotta tile to help relieve your cat’s aches and pains; put it in the oven on low heat – 200 degrees or so – for 15 minutes. Wrap this in a towel that’s old and then place it under the bed the cat sleeps on. If necessary, you can change out the tile after a few hours to provide continued warmth.
Have your cat see a vet frequently to keep good health. Cats need routine shots and wellness checks just like people. If there are more pressing health problems, take your cat to the vet right away.
Cats can tend to be more nocturnal than not. Do not be surprised if your cat is very active at night. Close the door to prevent the noise from getting to you. This will stop them from bothering you at night, and playing with your feet beneath the covers.
Deter your cat from chewing on inappropriate things by using bitter apple. If your cat happens to be a champion cord-chewer, you’ll need to use cord covers to protect your cords. You can bundle loose cords into paper towel rolls that are old. Personal electronic devices should be stored when not needed to keep their cords out of reach.
Your cat needs attention and a lot of affection. Cats are looking for a response in kind in exchange for all of the friendly companionship they offer to humans. Like humans, a cat has to be around people in order to feel special. They probably would like to feel as though they are a wanted part of the family.
Nice furniture and cat claws don’t get along very well. If you find your cat shredding your furniture, consider purchasing a scratching post or cat tower. Put cat nip on it to attract them to it. This will take some time but will be a valuable investment.
Cats love high spots. Elevate your cat so that it can scan the area. Placing a shelf or two up high will not take up too much space in your home. To complete the package, add a cat bed or blanket.
Microchip your cat. Even an indoor cat could someday jump through an open window. Tags and collars are great, but they don’t always stay on your cat. They can also be a risk, should they get snagged on something. Microchips are extremely small, but they can hold all the same information as an identification tag. Nearly every vet and shelter owns a scanner which can read a microchip, and since they’re implanted, there isn’t a risk of the chip falling out or getting lost.
Get your cat used to a carrier. Cats do not respond in the same way dogs do to punishment. Encouragement is more likely to get them to respond. Place a beloved blanket or item inside the carrier and let it stay open near the cat’s usual haunts. The cat will be drawn to the carrier, where it will feel safe and comfy. This takes the hassle out of traveling with your cat in its carrier.
Cats are partially nocturnal. Because of this, night time is when they are most active. Keep your bedroom door shut if your cats make too much noise at night. This will ensure they don’t pounce on you at nighttime, or wake you up in other ways.
Keep old, worn scratching posts. Cats tend to enjoy a scratching toy more after they’ve gotten comfortable with it and made it their own. If you replace it with something new, your pet might seek out something a little more worn to scratch – like your furniture.
Litter Box
You need to buy some quality food for your cat. Check out the list of ingredients of any food you are considering buying. Ensure that an animal protein source, including fish, chicken, or beef, is the main ingredient. Don’t choose a food which is mainly corn. The main part of a cat’s diet should be meat protein, so his cat food should be mostly real meat.
The correct location is important when picking a spot for a cat’s litter box. Put the litter box in a secluded area, and make sure that it is not near the cat’s food. Choose an area that is well-ventilated to avoid bad smells. Your cat and you will appreciate it.
Purchase a drinking fountain for your cat. In nature, a cat prefers to drink from running streams. House cats prefer this as well. Cat usually respond well to streams. You could even consider turning on your sink a few times a day to let your cat drink from the faucet. A drinking fountain provides a more natural and environmentally friendly way for your cat to drink.
Always provide your feline with special attention and affection. Cats need companionship as much as we do. Cats, just like people, want to feel like a loved part of a family. Socialization is important to them. A cat can feel that he is a valuable, cherished part of their household.
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. They may hide from one another, hiss, or even swat each other. Sooner or later, they’ll tolerate and even begin to love each other.
If you’re traveling with your cat, take care to remember their ears. You cat is used to being at home and it might shock him to hear you singing at the top of your lungs. Therefore, try to turn down your music or keep if off altogether so your cat has a better trip.
Your cat should be kept healthy so that it can live a longer life. This can be done by making sure the cat is checked on by a vet and it has its shots. 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. When you have a cat, it becomes a member of your family, so you’ll want to ensure that it’s as healthy as possible.
Set a tablecloth under your cat’s food bowl. Cats often like to remove food from their bowl to eat it off to the side. This habit means you will end up with cat food on the floor to clean up. Think about putting a placemat underneath the bowl or make your own tablecloth out of fabric.
Some foods that you enjoy as a human aren’t any good for your cat. Garlic and onions are popular examples. Your cat can get very sick from eating these foods. Your cat should also steer clear of dairy products.
Be careful if you leave a kitten with a young child. A child less than five years old should not be left alone with a small pet. They don’t know what harm they can do. As your children get older, you can decide when to teach them about handling a pet.
Keep cats inside as much as you can, or at least close to you or your home. Free-ranging cats who spend most of their time outdoors have a shorter lifespan than those that are raised and accustomed to indoor living. While cats can get their exercise roaming the neighborhood and squaring off against other cats, they can also get diseases and injuries this way. Vigorous indoor play with an owner is a preferable way to get exercise.
Cats have a love affair with heights. To make your cat happier, give him a lookout perch where he can check out the area. If you don’t wish to have a big cat tree inside your house, try a sturdy shelf made of breakables. The cat will especially enjoy it if you put a blanket on top.
If your cat’s been declawed, you should never let them outside. The cat will be unable to defend itself against other cats or animals, risking injury or even death. Cats should only be declawed if they’re going to be inside fulltime. If you must declaw a cat, only do it to the front paws. Never remove the claws from the back, as these are not harmful to your stuff.
You cat will not be likely to be a finicky eater if you vary the type of food you are feeding from time to time. If you feed them the same cat food every day, they may not accept anything else. This makes it difficult to find food they’ll eat when a store runs out of a certain brand, or you are traveling.
Are hairballs posing a serious problem for your cat, and additional brushing does not help to reduce them? Mix in pumpkin (a teaspoon’s worth) into the cat’s food. You can also mix one teaspoon of tuna water in with the pumpkin. There are also cat foods that contain an anti-hairball component, usually extra fiber, that may solve the problem.
Buy your cat a fountain it can drink from. A cat will always drink from running water if possible. Cats will respond more positively to streams of water. You have perhaps noticed that your cat enjoys drinking from the running sink. Fountains keep the water cool and clean.
While the holidays can be great for giving a kid their cat as a gift, it could be too stressful for the cat because of all the chaos going on. The better way would be to involve your child in picking out their new cat at a pet store or your local shelter.
You should be proud that you are giving love to a cat. You have offered to give your home and your love to your animal. You will develop a strong bond with your cat that will last a lifetime. When you love your cat, it will love you back.
In order to maximize the chance that your cat will be returned to you if it gets lost, have a microchip implanted. If you think that you have a missing pet, you can look on a website to see where they ended up and that makes it easy to locate your pet.
