Cats can be fun and frustrating. When it comes to cats, you have to be aware of many things in order to properly raise it. Continue reading to learn excellent tips on properly providing for your cat.
Check with your shelter before you purchase a cat. They have tons of amazing cats who desperately need a home. Adopting your cat through a shelter means you are helping to control the cat population and saving a life at the same time.
Groom your cat. Brush your cat’s fur often to help it be shiny and healthy. If this is done frequently, your cat’s coat will be much cleaner. It also stops hairballs. A well groomed cat, then, is a happy and healthy cat.
Put a heated tile beneath the bed of an older cat. Put a square foot of terra cotta tile into your oven heated to 200 degrees. Keep the tile in the oven for about 15 minutes. Put the tile inside a towel and place it under the cat’s bedding. Change every few hours if you like.
Put a collar on any cats which go outside. Cats can travel far, and a tag will help you find the cat easier if they get lost. Some required information on the tag would be the cat’s name and your personal phone number.
Cat claws are one of the worst enemies of your home and furniture. Buy a scratching post if you need to protect the furniture in your home. Place this device into an area that your cat frequents, and attempt to get your cat to scratch it rather than the furniture. Be patient, it might take some time for your cat to learn to use the post or tower.
You can also consider outfitting your cat with a chip so you can monitor its whereabouts. Your pet may be an indoor cat, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never dash through your door or slide outside via an open window. While a collar with a tag is useful, remember that your cat may be able to escape from the collar while they are away. Collars can also harm your cat if they get caught. Microchips are as tiny as a piece of rice and will tell people where the cat belongs. Every shelter and most veterinarian offices have microchip scanners that can read the chips, and best of all, they chips can’t be lost.
Cats can have nocturnal tendencies. The result is that cats prefer to be more active during the night. If your kittens are keeping you awake into the middle of the night, close the door to your bedroom. This will keep them from attacking your toes.
Kids Understand
When purchasing a tiny kitty as gift for the kids, it’s best to establish boundaries well ahead of the arrival. Let your children know what rooms you will allow the cat to go into. If your have an indoor-only cat, be sure the kids understand that the cat is not to go outside. If you make the rules ahead of time, you can be sure your kids understand them.
If your cat constantly meows, you need to try to figure out why. 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. She could be trying to tell you she’s hungry or needs to go outside. You should pay attention to these cues and you will eventually learn to decipher them.
Avoid spending too much time trying to train your cat to utilize its litter box. This is natural to them and does not need to be taught. While some folks think you should pick up your cat and place their paws against the litter, this can actually be traumatic.
When your cat makes a mess somewhere other than their litter box, don’t get mad. Improper box care on your part causes the mess, not the cat. If you get mad, they’ll never use the box again.
Get a drinking fountain for your cat. Cats like their water to move. They are more likely to get plenty of water when it is running. Running sink water is another alternative that you can use. This is a more natural way for them to drink.
If you wish to add another cat to your home, give it a couple weeks for your old cat and your new cat to grow accustomed to each other. They may hide from one another, hiss, or even swat each other. If you give them enough time though, chances are good they will befriend each other and enjoy the extra company.
Don’t bring home a cat with long hair without taking into account the extra care they’ll require. While long haired cats are soft and look great, understand that there will be a lot more fur around the rest of the house. Unless you’re committed to taking care of the furry mess, avoid getting cat with long hair. Be prepared to deal with hairballs, which are a problem for long-haired cats.
Litter Box
If you’re dealing with a cat that won’t use the litter box, you should place it somewhere else. Instinctively, cat’s will search out a safe place to eliminate, so try relocating the litter box to a quiet and secluded area. Basements, laundry rooms, and other low traffic locations are a great choice.
Although caring for a cat might sound easy, this is not the case. All cats need a lot of care in order to be happy and healthy. Use the information in this article to become a great cat owner so you can enjoy the experience fully. The research will reward you both!
