Having a cat in your home can be a wonderful experience. Your cat deserves a happy and healthy life and it is up to you to provide it. Keep reading to learn more about cat care.
Nice furniture and cat claws don’t get along very well. If your beloved feline friend is shredding and damaging parts of your home, try investing in a cat tower or a scratching post. They can scratch the post instead. It might take time, but eventually you will see that the damage to your furniture is diminished.
Location is key when placing a litter box. It shouldn’t be put in an area with high traffic and should be far from their food. Additionally, don’t make the mistake of putting it in a poorly-ventilated area, or the smell will become overpowering. Not only will your cat appreciate it but you will too.
Crystals in the urine, an issue many male cats have, can be avoided with the proper food. These are very painful and expensive to treat. Your cat needs food low in magnesium. Be sure to read the ingredient label. Poultry products are typically lower in magnesium than fish products.
If you’re traveling with your cat, take care to remember their ears. Although you may love singing loudly to your favorite songs while driving, your cat would probably prefer softer sounds. Therefore, try lowering your music or turning it off in order for your cat to enjoy the trip more.
Think twice before letting your cat outside. The outside world is very dangerous for cats. Your cat may get fleas or something even worse than that. Your cat might be injured by people, other animals and even vehicles on the road. If letting your cat outdoors is important to you, let them out in a safe fenced area.
Make sure that you brush your cat’s coat often. This will help spread the natural oils within their fur while stimulating their skin’s blood flow. It will also minimize hair loss. This helps keep those hairballs from building up in your cat’s stomach.
Never punish a cat for a mess outside of its box. It might be happening because you aren’t caring for the box good enough. If you attempt to punish your pet, you may cause fear and resentment–and more accidents!
If you offer a variety of foods to your cat, it will be less picky about what it eats. This will ensure that your cat gets a taste of many different foods.
Anytime you get a new pet, you must introduce them to your cat slowly to help to avoid problems and let the cat get used to it. Keep them separated for at least two weeks, but let them sniff at each other under a closed door. They may be leery of each other at first and fight. Give them a bit more time to begin to get used to each other face to face, too.
Aired Cat
There is a lot of responsibility involved with a long-haired cat. That hair will truly get everywhere! Realize the extra effort needed to keep a long-haired cat. Long-haired cats usually suffer from hairball problems too.
Keeping your cat up to date on vaccinations and annual check ups can keep your cat in good health and provide a longer life. Cats need regular checkups, just like humans. Please consider your cat as a family member, and take good care of them.
Avoid any products containing phenol around your cats. This is a chemical that is normally found in Lysol, Pine-Sol and other household cleaners. The smell of the chemical isn’t pleasant for your cat and prolonged exposure may cause liver problems.
It is best to keep cats indoors, near you and treated as part of your household. Free-ranging cats who spend most of their time outdoors have a shorter lifespan than those that are raised and accustomed to indoor living. Roaming around the house doesn’t cause as much risk as roaming the wild.
Avoid leaving a declawed feline outside unattended. Without claws, your cat is essentially defenseless against other animals. This is a dangerous situation for the cat. Cats should only be declawed if they’re going to be inside fulltime. Make sure that only the front claws are removed. A cat’s back claws are not used when scratching furniture, so those can be left.
It is crucial that you never make the mistake of giving your cat any medications that are meant for human use. If the cat is sick, you must take it to the vet. Giving cats medication meant for humans is very dangerous and could even kill them.
Hairballs can definitely be a problem. Brushing your cats fur should be your first step, but if that doesn’t help, here are a few additional tips. Try mixing a teaspoon of pumpkin with your cat’s food. Try also mixing in some water from tuna with the pumpkin. Cat food sometimes has an anti hairball formulation, which includes extra fiber in order to solve this issue.
Stay your hand if you’re tempted to feed your cat leftovers from your own meals. Human food can upset your cat’s stomach and make it sick. You can put a small amount of egg, or cooked beef or chicken on a spoon as a treat. But if you are following the feeding instructions on the food you feed your cat according to his age and weight, his diet is complete.
Think about restricting your cat to only indoors. Cats that go outside tend to live shorter lives and often contract illnesses. These diseases are bad enough for the cats and they can also be passed along to humans. Let your cat rest in a room with a lot of light; this will help satisfy his or her outdoor needs.
As was stated earlier, cats are a wonderful choice for a pet. To help you cat stay happy and healthy learn the proper procedures for caring for your new pet. Refer back to this article whenever you have questions or concerns. Your cat will thank you!