Professional Advice To Become The Best Cat Owner

Feral cats are those without a home. By learning how to properly care for a cat, you can ensure that they remain healthy. You should keep reading if you want to learn more about what owning a cat means.

Groom your cat. You can regularly brush or comb your cat. Brushing rids your cat’s coat of dirt and helps keep them clean. Having a clean fur coat helps reduce the amount of hairballs that get spit up around the house. A well groomed cat will be much more pleasant for everyone and will also help you keep your home clean.

To safely help an old cat feel comfortable, place a heated tile under its bed. 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. Wrap it in an old towel and put it under your cat’s bed or blanket. Change every few hours if you like.

Regular veterinary checkups are important for the health of your cat. Understand that cats require vaccinations in order to stay healthy, and the veterinarian needs to regularly check for any health problems. If you find a vet you are comfortable with, use them for the duration of your cat’s life. This way they will know your cat’s history the best.

Female cats need to be spayed as soon as they reach the proper age. You may believe that this is unnecessary if your cat stays inside all the time; however, cats almost always find a way to get outside, especially when they are in heat. When this occurs, your cat could get pregnant. The best method of preventing your cat from pregnancy is to get her spayed.

Never let your cat experience frequent boredom. Just like dogs, cats need playtime and physical exercise, too. Sadly, this can be easily overlooked. Cats that are frequently bored may develop OCD, depression or other harmful conditions. Make sure you give them lots of toys and room to play. Be sure your cat has something they can climb and something they can scratch if they stay inside.

Be sure your cat gets regular checkups at the vet. Cats need routine shots and wellness checks just like people. Cats should see a vet right away if any health problems or injuries needing treatment occur.

Cats are partially nocturnal. This means that they will be the most active at night time. If your busy kitties are keeping you up into the wee hours, try simply closing your bedroom door. This should help them from waking you during the night, pouncing on your feet under the covers.

Electrical Cords

Cats can spend hours keeping themselves and their fur clean. If the cats hair is too long, this is what causes hairballs. There are foods which help combat this problem. Certain cat foods are formulated to lower the amount of hairballs.

Spray electrical cords with some bitter apple to prevent cats from getting electrocuted. If that doesn’t work, cover those cords up however you can. If you have loose electrical cords, you can bundle them up and stow them away in a cardboard tube (think toilet paper or paper towel rolls). Cats are drawn to wires and cords, so you should keep them out of sight and out of mind if they are not being used.

If you are traveling with a cat in tow, be aware of the noises in your car. While you may like some good tunes, your cat is going to appreciate other things. Turn down the music and let the cat rest.

Cats love to play on kitchen counters, and it can be hard to break them of the habit. Cats instinctively want to be at a high vantage point so they can survey their surroundings. You can get your cat to quit doing this if you make areas that it can climb up to. Placing a cat tower near the kitchen will help the cats to not lay on the counter.

Try to figure out the cause if you find your cat meowing excessively. When your cat is a member of the family, their sounds start to become familiar to you. This makes it easy to determine what various meows might mean. It could be she’s hungry or needs to go outside. Understand your cat’s preferences, and you’ll be that much better off.

Don’t let your cat’s days pass without stimulation and excitement! Play is important to the health and vitality of your cat. Many owners just don’t have time. Bored cats can develop depression and other harmful health conditions. Give them toys and things to do. An indoor cat needs a good scratching post.

Avoid spending too much time trying to train your cat to utilize its litter box. This comes naturally – you can’t teach it. Some cat owners believe they should expose their cat to the litter box and rub its paws into the litter; however, this may actually have the opposite effect and make your cat scared of it.

Tell your kids what the rules are about your new kitten. Make sure everyone understands which parts of the house the cat is not allowed in. Make sure that your children know if the cat is strictly an indoor cat. Setting up rules ahead of time can help your kids understand better.

If your cat begins defecating or urinating too frequently, it’s time to see the vet. This is likely to be something that should be looked after. Often this problem is quickly and inexpensively cured with a common antibiotic.

Unlike most humans, cats love heights. For a truly happy cat, provide a safe place for your cat to survey his surroundings. If a cat tree is not in your future, providing a stable shelving unit with no small items on it will do very well. You can also add a small bed or blanket at the top.

Are you overwhelmed by cat hair? You have to brush your cat to avoid their shedding. Cats that shed a lot need to be brushed more frequently. Doing this will also make sure they don’t get a matted or tangled coat.

You should not train your cat to use a litter box. This is a natural instinct for felines, and it need not be taught. A common misconception is to rub your cats paws into the kitty litter however this isn’t a good idea.

Keep your cat healthy, and ensure him a longer life, by keeping him up-to-date on his vaccinations and health check-ups. Cats need to have vaccines and check-ups just like children. This can help to prevent diseases. Treat your cat as if it were a member of the family.

Give your cat a good brushing regularly. This can help spread their fur’s natural oils around and stimulate blood flow to their skin. Brushing will also help to remove loose hair. This helps to stop hairballs and their associated medical problems.

Be aware of any panting. Panting is a normal thing in dogs. Your cat may pant if it is anxious or overheated, but panting may also indicate a more serious problem. Take your cat to see the vet if you notice it is often panting.

Feed your cat several different kinds of food if you want to the lower the chances of them becoming finicky. 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.

A cat can get lonely when your daily routine changes and you are no longer home during the day. One tried-and-true way to keep a cat from getting lonely is to pair it up with another cat.

If possible, always choose canned cat food. While dry food is less expensive, canned food is healthier. There is more water in canned food and more protein and fat too. It’s easier for older cats to chew as well. Be sure to ask your vet about your pet’s food; however, canned food is usually the best for your cat.

Make dry food the foundation of your cat’s diet. Kittens need wet food more than adult cats because it’s easier to chew. As an adult, the harder texture of dry food keeps their teeth strong. If you have an extremely finicky cat, you could mix dry and wet food together.

You want your cat to be wearing a collar with ID tags on a full-time basis. This applies even to indoor cats. Your cat will go out as soon as you leave a door or a window open. You should use a tag with your contact information and the address of your veterinarian. This is especially true for cats with medical conditions.

Place sticky tape on pieces of furniture. If your cat is ruining your upholstery, tape can be a good way to stop your cat from doing so. You can even find tape specifically designed for this use in many pet stores. The tape throws the cat off when it starts to scratch the furniture. In addition, buy a scratching post to satisfy the cat’s instinctual need to scratch.

Think about extra care before you take home a cat with long hair. Cats are beautiful with hair that is long and silky. Your clothes, floors and furniture aren’t. Long-haired cats can be very high maintenance over the course of the year. Long haired cats often have hairball problems.

You should look for holes in which your cat could hide. A cat can squeeze through incredibly small openings. Kittens are even smaller! This is essential when you purchase a new cat. You will need to repair or at least cover up any of the bigger holes you find.

An indoor cat is a healthy, happy cat. Cats that stay indoors tend to live a lot longer because they’re not exposed to the elements outside of the home. A cat that is properly exercised indoors won’t be at high risk of attack or disease like cats that remain outdoors.

Vet visits are often inevitable, and the bills can quickly pile up. Much money can be saved if you purchase the cat’s medicine online. Many places will deliver the goods to your doorstep. Simple medications that your cat needs to take regularly (e.g., pills for heart worm and flea dip) are especially well-suited to online purchasing.

You will notice that veterinarian bills cost a lot over time. You can save money on medications by ordering them online. A variety of companies deliver to your door. This will save you both time and effort.

Think about keeping your cat entirely indoors. Outdoor cats usually do not live as long, and they are at higher risk in contracting many diseases. You may even catch their disease yourself. Give your indoor kitty a sunny location, like a window or sun room, to sit in daily in order to help meet his desire to be outdoors.

Your cat needs to wear a collar and tag all of the time. Cats are very effective at getting outside whenever they find the opportunity. Cats with collars and tags are much more likely to come home safe and sound if they get lost.

Some people who own cats think bathing the cat is a smart move. In their ordinary day-to-day lives, though, cats seldom get dirty enough to require bathing. Cats are self groomers, with barbed tongues that make for excellent cleaning utensils to rid themselves of any dirt. Cats are very particular about their appearance!

You should now know more about having a pet cat. They can cause damage to your yard or attack your pets. Obviously, cats are animals too, so they should still be handled carefully. Now that you’ve read this article, you are more knowledgeable on how to deal with all cats.

Make sure you regularly use a flea and tick treatment on your cat. An effective medication is monthly drops. These medicines help to keep parasites off of your cat. Use only products that are purpose-formulated for feline use in order to give your cat the protection it needs.