Your cat may not be a picky eater, but that’s no excuse for feeding it processed can foods during each meal. Focus on setting up a customized diet with your veterinarian that works well with your cats individual physical needs. This guide was written to help organize this diet along with other health-conscious activities that you should be apart of.
If you have outdoor cats, be sure to discourage pests such as coyotes, possums and raccoons by bringing cat food indoors at night. Feed your cats first thing in the morning, and make sure there is no food left at nightfall. This will keep your cats safe from attack and illness.
Avoid eye contact to make friends with a cat. Ever wonder why cats seem drawn to the person who likes cats the least? The answer lies in cat body language. To cats, staring is “rude” and can be considered a challenge. Looking away shows that you respect their space and are not going to be a threat. So next time you are looking to meet a new feline friend, look away and let them approach you.
Give your new cat some space. Moving to a new home can be stressful on a cat, especially one who is no longer a kitten. To help them adjust, give them a quiet place that they can call their own, such as a spare bathroom or laundry room. This gives them a safe space they can retreat to until they have become comfortable with exploring the whole house. Depending on the cat, this process may take a few days up to a month or more.
If you find you cat is harming furniture or other objects, it may be bored. Keep a few safe toys around for your cat to play with. Scratching posts can also deter your cat from scratching your furniture. Or, build a small cat house out of cardboard. Your cat will love having a place to hide, and the cardboard can also be used to scratch on!
Feed your cats proper food. Remember that cats must eat meat. Only give your cats cat food to eat. Do not feed them or let them eat dog food. Dogs and cats have different nutritional needs and some of the ingredients in dog food could harm your cat. Feeding your cat dog food for food could also lead to malnourishment, among other issues.
Use petting to check on your cat’s health. Petting isn’t just a way for you and your cat to spend time together, but it’s a great way to find anything abnormal on their body. You can pet them to feel for bumps, lumps, or sores. This is also a great time for you to check their ears.
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.
Refrain from giving your cat any food that is spoiled. This can lead to indigestion and food poisoning, which can cost you a trip to the veterinarian. Always buy your food fresh from the store and be sure to check the expiration date before you feed it to your cat.
A cat’s nails can grow really quickly. They sharpen their nails by scratching on different surfaces like a scratching post. You can help avoid your cat destroying your furniture by clipping their nails often. This will help to discourage your cat from scratching at different things around your house.
Give cat box liners a try. These may not work for everyone, but they can be helpful if they work for you. Line the litter box with one of these liners, and then put cat litter in as usual. If it works correctly, you should be able to gather the liner and dispose of the litter. Unfortunately, sometimes cats just scratch the liner to pieces as they are doing their business.
It is important that you do not feed your cat too much food from the table. Cats do not digest human food the same way that your does. It can also lead to your cat becoming overweight. If your cat is carrying around too much weight, it will be hard for them to jump up on furniture and get around.
Sometimes you need to give your cat a pill. Some cats are harder than others, but you should trim their nails first. Then hold the head, open the mouth, and put the pill in. Then blow on the cats face. This will likely make the cat lick its nose, and the pill will go down naturally.
When you bring a second cat into your home, allow a few weeks for the two to adjust to each other. Cats usually do not like change, especially when it comes to another cat. Therefore, they may hide, hiss, or even fight one another. Sooner or later, they’ll tolerate and even begin to love each other.
Cats have their own body-types much like humans and they face their own problems while whipping that body into shape. Make a point to take your cat outside every day and practice a few of these activities to help burn the fat away. Once your cat is lean and healthy, you can turn your focus towards keeping it at that stage.
