You have the opportunity to make an animal’s life better. Many cats are available for those who can offer a loving home. Simply bring one home, make a friend for the rest of the cat’s life, and use the advice in this article.
Shop at your local pet shelter for your next cat. Shelters always have plenty of cats available and adoption fees are usually very affordable. When you bring home a shelter cat, you will be saving its life and you will be doing your part to help out.
To help your aging cat feel cozy, place a warmed tile under his bed. Place a tile made of terra cotta or a similar material in an oven heated to 200 degrees for around 15 to 20 minutes. Wrap it up in a towel and place it under where your cat sleeps. Replace it every three hours or so.
Male cats often develop crystals in their bladder that come out in their urine. This can be prevented with a proper diet. Just like kidney stones, these crystals are painful and vet bills are pricey. Choose a low magnesium food. Be sure to read the ingredient label. Avoid fish products.
Be very careful about allowing children to be alone with a kitten. Kids under five should not be left alone with a pet. Young children are not yet mature enough to realize what behaviors are dangerous to a cat. As children get older, decide when they show the maturity to handle a small pet.
Do not punish your cat if they make a mess in the area outside of the litter box. It might be happening because you aren’t caring for the box good enough. Your cat will become afraid of you if you punish it or scold it too often.
Feeding your cat different types of food helps ensure they don’t get finicky. By giving them one kind of food all the time, it will be all they want to eat.
Provide your cat with a drinking fountain. Cats that live in the wild like drinking from running water, and they have the same desires in a home. Cats respond well to this stream of water. Cats will often drink from a running sink and actually prefer it over the water in their bowl. Fountains keep the water cool and clean.
If adding an additional cat to your home, give the cats a couple of weeks to get comfortable with each other. The cats might hiss, swat and hide from each other at first. Eventually they will grow accustomed to it and start tolerating or even enjoying each other’s company.
Haired Cats
Long-haired breeds are pretty, but understand how much work they are before you get one. 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 are prepared to do more cleaning, don’t buy a long haired cat. You should keep in mind that long haired cats are more prone to hairballs.
If a cat is about to give birth, provide them an area that’s spacious. You need to be patient, as it will be three or four hours before all the kittens have been born. If it’s been over 6 hours and you think there are more kittens inside, they need to see a vet immediately.
If you have chemicals that contain phenol, make sure that you do not use these around your cat. This chemical is often found in cleaning products such as Pine-Sol and Lysol. The smell of the chemical isn’t pleasant for your cat and prolonged exposure may cause liver problems.
An indoor cat is a healthy, happy cat. Indoor cats live longer and have less illness and pests than outdoor cats. You should go outside with your cat every day to play and exercise.
Cats are able to smell very well and will notice changes to their environment. Sometimes this causes problems if you introduce a new food dish, bed, or scratching post. Don’t get discouraged if you find that your cat is not interested in these things right away. After your cat adjusts to the new scent, they’ll be more interested in the new object.
Try to feed your cat dry food as much as possible. Kittens need wet food, though. As they grow older, dry foods ensure that their teeth are strong. Try combining both dry and wet food together should you have a finicky feline.
It’s important to only feed your cat the amount of food that it should have to ensure a healthy life. If your pet eats much more than it should, it may become overweight, which can lead to a number of illnesses. Keep an eye on how much your pet is eating, and be sure that their diet is balanced.
You should reconsider a choice of providing table scraps to your cat. Cats can’t digest many human foods, and many are even dangerous to them. You can give your cat a little treat every now and then, such as a tiny bit of egg or beef. Giving your cat the recommended amount of cat food provides a complete feline diet.
Trips to the vet are necessary, however those bills can pile up quick. Keep money in your pocket by ordering your medicine online. Some places will even ship the medicine directly to your home. Buying frequently-used medicine this way can save you a lot of money.
Think about your cat and how it should be strictly one that remains inside. Outdoor cats are less friendly to humans and are more likely to catch diseases. Certain of the diseases can spread to humans as well. Indoor cats love to have a sunny place to lounge and be comfortable.
Successfully caring for a cat is a difficult but rewarding thing. You’ve given a good home to an animal in need. This will most certainly cause a strong bond to form, lasting even longer than the animal is alive. Take good care of your cat and cherish the time you spend together.
