No amount of articles can prepare you for raising your first cat! This is a wonderful and exciting experience that you may only have once in life. Make every moment count by having fun with your pet, feeding it delicious food, and keeping it active outside of the home. If this is your first cat, you’ll be glad you took the time to read this article and get prepared.
Make a free toy for your cat by placing a little dry rice or a few dry beans inside an empty pill bottle. Close the lid and roll the rattly toy across the floor. Most cats can’t resist the sound and motion. You can also tie a length of twine around the neck of the bottle to make a pull toy or a dangly toy.
Choose a high quality food. The key to a healthy cat starts with nutrition. Take a look at the ingredients label. If you look at most “popular” commercial cat foods, you may be surprised to see the top ingredient listed is corn. Cats are carnivores, so look for a food with a real meat as the top ingredient. You may pay more up front, but these foods are often more nutritionally dense, meaning your cat eats less and the bag lasts longer.
Be careful when treating your cat for fleas. Be sure to consult with your vet before using natural alternatives to control your cat’s fleas. Cats are very sensitive to essential oils and many herbs. Your vet will probably recommend you use a prescription flea treatment, which is usually best for cats.
Your cat might not come running when you call, but most cats enjoy cuddling on their terms and time. Cats love to have their heads and backs pet. Not all cats like their tummies rubbed so be careful. Spending quality time with your cat will make lasting memories to look back on someday.
Make sure your cat is properly hydrated. Like humans, cats need to drink lots of water. If they don’t get enough water, they can get dehydrated, develop various health problems, or die. Make sure they always have a bowl of fresh and clean water. The bowl itself also needs to be cleaned and refilled every day. You should also keep this bowl in one location.
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.
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.
Think about getting a microchip implanted in your cat. Even an indoor cat may find a way out of your home. Other measures like tags and collars are better than nothing, but your cat may wriggle out of them or they may be torn off by outdoor hazards. Your important information can all fit nicely on a rice grain sized microchip. Scanners to read pet microchips are available in every town and they will not come out from under the skin.
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.
If your cat seems to want to avoid his food bowl, try getting a different kind of bowl. Plastic can sometimes turn a cat off if it isn’t cleaned constantly, and can hold on to certain scents. Try glass or a metal bowl for best results, so your cat will keep eating.
There’s always a chance that you cat can slip outside your home and become lost. This can be prevented with a breakaway collar. The collar includes an ID, featuring your name, phone number, and address. If the cat is found, anyone can easily contact you and return the cat to you thanks to the information on the collar.
When taking your cat or kitten to the vet, or to other places that involve a car ride, it is wise to socialize him to this situation. Try taking your cat, always in a carrier, on short rides, adding time to the ride every so often. Getting your pet used to the car can mean the end of his fear and frustration, as well as yours.
Is your cat really sweet and lovable? If so, they might make a good therapy pet. Pet therapy uses animals to go into places like nursing homes, and bring some joy to the people there. Your cat will be happy with all the attention, and you can feel good about doing something positive for others.
If possible, clip your cat’s toenails once weekly. If the nails grow too long, your pet cannot retract the claws. This causes your pet to experience discomfort. Regular trimmings also prevent the claws from snagging carpet fibers, clothing, and other fabrics. If you cannot do this, you should at least provide scratching toys and posts for your cat.
Your first cat is a special pet that should remain in your memories as a great time spent raising an adorable animal. Future pets will get easier to train and feed, but cats will always be a complex, confusing, messy animal. Small changes here and there help make this a unique experience.
