Pets are never as easy to handle as they seem at first. You gain many new responsibilities when you adopt a cat and it’s even harder if you don’t know what they are. This article covers those basic responsibilities and few other tips that will help your new life with your new cat more enjoyable.
If you have multiple cats, save money on cat dishes by checking your local dollar store for salsa dishes. You can usually get a package of three for a dollar. These are sturdy and come in pretty colors. They look nice in your kitchen, and they are just the right size for cat food.
If you have a male cat, it is important to have him neutered before he goes into heat. When male cats start maturing, they will begin to spray around the house. It smells like ammonia and is hard to remove. Having your male cat neutered can help to prevent this from happening.
It’s not easy to keep cats off counters. Cats like to climb on things and a counter can look very inviting. You can remedy this by creating some place up high that you can can enjoy hanging out in. One way to keep your cats from continuously jumping on the counter is to install a cat tower near the problem counter.
Whenever you take your cat anywhere, use a cat carrier. No matter how gentle your cat is, it could become frightened. If this happens, it could bolt off and be quickly lost, injured or killed. At the vet’s office, your cat will be safe from unpredictable animals if you use a pet carrier.
Is your cat constantly munching on your house plants? If so there is a fix for this. Growing oat grass or catnip yourself can help entice your cats away from your plants. Giving them plants that they can eat and like will help draw them to those plants over and over again.
Keep an eye on early warning signs of health issues in cats. Cats usually display warning signs if they are struggling with health issues. Some common signs to look out for include eating habit changes, sleeping habit changes, not being able to groom properly, changes in eating habits, changes in sleeping habits, depression, sneezing, increased thirst, watery eyes, changes in behavior, hiding, and vomiting. If they display these symptoms, take them to a vet right away. The sooner you take, them the better.
Make sure your kids know the rules before kitty comes home. Tell your kids which rooms the cat is allowed in. If you’re planning on keeping your kitty inside full time, make sure your kids know their pet shouldn’t go outdoors. If you make the rules ahead of time, you can be sure your kids understand them.
Purchase a drinking fountain for your cat to get water from. Most cats will prefer drinking water that is running over drinking water in a bowl. Streams of water will attract your cat. In fact, many cats like to drink from a running faucet instead of drinking from their water bowls. A drinking fountain provides a more natural and environmentally friendly way for your cat to drink.
Cats love to climb trees. This is a natural tendency, that can be hard for some indoor cats to control. If you find that your cat is literally climbing up your curtains, it is time to invest in a cat tower. This will provide your cat a place to climb, in a safer and less destructive way.
It may be time to take your cat to see the vet if it begins urinating more frequently and in places besides its litter box. This behavior may be indicative of an infection of the urinary tract or some other issue. Antibiotics will often do the trick if it is an infection.
Sometime a second cat will calm a single destructive cat. This seems counter-intuitive, asking for twice the destruction, but a second cat can give them both something to do. Introduce them slowly and expect some initial squabbles. After a while, though, the cats will usually get along and the destructive behavior will subside.
When your cat has kittens, it can be tempting to get rid of them as soon as possible, but you should wait a reasonable amount of time. A kitten needs to learn a few things from mom before going off into the world alone, so give him six weeks to learn all he can.
While there is nothing wrong with using clumping cat litter for older felines, you should stick with sandy litter when dealing with kittens. The clumping litters are usually treated with all types of chemicals that may nto be safe for smaller cats. Once they are older, you should be able to make the switch with no issue.
If you have chemicals that contain phenol, make sure that you do not use these around your cat. This is something that’s often in Pine-sol, Lysol, and other popular cleaners. The smell offends them and being exposed to it for several hours can cause liver problems.
You should try to keep your cat indoors most of the time since there are many things out there that can hurt them. Poison, injury and disease are just a few of the things that can happen to him. If he needs fresh air, open a screened window and allow him to sit there.
As you can clearly see, there is a lot of work to be done all of the time. This can be overwhelming for some, but for others it is the chance of a lifetime. By using these tips, you can raise your new feline in a happy, healthy home where it is loved dearly.
