Though they are independent, cats need care, just like all pets. Grooming a cat is quite different than grooming a dog, however. Extra care must be provided to ensure they stay clean. Consider this article when it is time to groom your feline friend.
When looking for a new cat for your home, contact a local animal shelter. Shelters have tons of great cats and their adoption fee will generally cover necessary vet care. Adopting your cat through a shelter means you are helping to control the cat population and saving a life at the same time.
Let kittens and cat-friendly pet dogs get to know each other slowly. Put up a baby gate to keep dogs in one room while your new kitten gets used to its surroundings. Supervise carefully when the kitten ventures to the gate to meet the dogs. When the kitten feels safe, it will climb the gate. If it feels threatened, it will pop right back out to safety.
In order to be sure your cat is healthy, take them to their vet regularly. They should go at least once yearly for a check-up, and more often if they need any shots. Never hesitate to have your cat checked out if you think that something is wrong; remember that your cat can not tell you they are not feeling well.
An indoor cat who gets a taste of the outdoors will forever want to go outside. If you know your cat will always be an indoor cat, do your best to keep them from sneaking out. You can try to train your cat to stay in your yard when you are outside.
If your cat kicks litter all over the floor, simply use a bigger container. A large, roomy tote with high sides makes a good litter box. A big round tub also makes a good litter box. A restaurant size bus tub is a capacious litter box. Providing higher sides and more space will solve your cat’s litter kicking problem.
Get your cat a breakaway collar. Make sure it has tags that reflect a phone number, even if you are uncomfortable with an address. Cats can run outdoors or slip away, and you don’t want to worry that you’ll never see your cat again. Make sure that there is adequate information so you can be reached.
Are you a cat and dog owner? Dogs love to eat cat food! Therefore, your cat’s food bowl should be placed in a high location that is out of your dog’s reach. This also has the effect of stopping fights over the water before they start.
Put the right amount of cat litter in the litter box. Some people try to get out of cleaning the box by putting too much litter in there. Cats don’t like walking on sand dunes! Two inches or so should be sufficient for the cat’s needs, and you just have to be vigilant about cleaning the box out.
Do not try to hold a cat when they are clearly trying to get away. This will not make the cat feel any closer to you and it may prompt them to start avoiding you in the future. Pick the cat up gently and lay him across your lap. If you feel him wiggling to get away, let him go.
If your cat bothers your Christmas tree or other plants, try beating him at his own game. Make his favorite chewing and climbing areas unattractive to him by placing the peelings of oranges, lemons or grapefruit around the places you wish for him to avoid. Cats hate citrus, and this is a natural way to keep them from getting into trouble.
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.
Have your cat vaccinated as often as your vet prescribes. Just like with having kids, young cats need to be checked on to see if they’re doing okay from time to time. It also needs its shots so that you can avoid problems later on down the road. You love your cat, so take the best care of him as possible.
Clean your cat’s eyes as frequently as possible because their vision is extremely important and extremely sensitive. Cats interpret five times as much visual stimuli during their day and the smallest particle can become stuck and cause damage. A pair of thumbs and a damp cloth are perfect for clearing the eyes and keeping your cat clean.
A kitty door is a great way to allow your cat to go in and out, without any help from you. You can also use kitty doors on doors inside your home. This can be great if you have a dog or small children, to keep them out of the room with the litter box.
You schedule your doctor’s appointments on a regular basis and you should do the same with your new cat. Cats need regular checkups to make sure they haven’t caught any bugs or infections in the wild. Many cats actually deal with obesity as well and a vet will be able to point this out.
Make sure that your cat is not alone if you adopted one. One possible solution to ending your cat’s loneliness is to adopt a second cat.
Your cat will look great after a high quality grooming session. It’s up to you to tend to your cat’s needs and take the necessary steps to keep it healthy. It is likely that your cat will appreciate the efforts you have made to provide good grooming. Read here about how to be successful in keeping your cat groomed in a healthy, productive way.
