If you’ve recently added a new feline friend to your family, then congratulations to you. Cats make wonderful additions to families, depending on the cat breed you’ve chosen, majority of cats will require specific types of care and special attention whilst developing into an adult cat. There are many cats for sale and cats for adoption all looking for new, loving homes.
To understand how to properly care for your cat, we have listed below some helpful caring tips on how to best care for your cat.
How to groom your cat
Majority of cats are relatively clean and very rarely need a bath. However, you should always comb your cat on a regular basis as frequent brushing prevents the coat from becoming matted and helps keep it clean and shiny. Regular brushing also helps prevent shedding and lessens the number of hairballs that cats produce.
Feeding tips
When feeding any domestic pet, we recommend that you only feed them high quality food from a reputable brand. You can discuss suitable options with your vet. When deciding on a suitable diet for your cat, you will need to factor in things such as their activity level, current health and age. This will all make a difference when deciding on how to approach feeding them.
Listed below are some helpful tips on how to approach feeding your cat:
- Always provide daily, fresh drinking water.
- Their feed should include essential amino acids for heart and eye health as well as taurine. Their food should suit their life stage and be properly balanced.
- If you cat is showing any signs of anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea for more then two days, then you must take them to the vets to rule out anything serious.
- Treats should be given only on special occasions or when training. Cats are prone to weight gain so overfeeding them treats is wrong.
- Avoid feeding your cat anything else than cat food. Certain food types can cause poisoning and therefore should ne avoided.
How to handle your cat
You must take care when lifting your cat. The best approach is to place your hand behind their front legs and the other hand under their hindquarters. Lift them very gently. You should never pick the cat up by the scruff of their neck or by their front legs.
How to house your cat
As the same with any domestic pet, they should have somewhere safe, clean, quiet to rest and sleep. They will need a designated area in which they can call their own. You should provide a bed that’s warm, soft, along with a blanket for them to snuggle into. The bedding should be washed often to remove unwanted debris and allergens (also to keep your home smelling clean) Cats should be kept indoors, unless they’re an outdoor cat in which they spend a lot of time roaming and prefer the freedom to come and go as they please.
Providing a litter box
All indoor cats will need a litter box to do their business in. The litterbox should be positioned somewhere quiet and with easy access. If you live in a house with multiple levels, then its recommended that a litterbox is placed on each level. Cats do not like mess, so you must clean the litterbox up each time it is used. The box will need a weekly clean to prevent the build up of smells. Its best to avoid anything citrus or too detergent like as the cat will not appreciate this and avoid the litter tray. If you’re cleaning the litter tray regularly and your cat is still doing their business elsewhere in the house, then this might be medical related, and you should take them to the vets for a check-up.
Cat Necessity’s
All cats require certain necessities to aid them in living a happy, healthy life. Listed below is a checklist of supplies that you should adhere to.
- Food and water bowl
- Lots of fun toys
- Premium cat food
- Suitable brush and comb for grooming
- War, soft bed with blanket
- Litter box and litter
- Something for scratching like a scratch post
- Id tag with safety collar
Health vaccinations
Your vet will recommend what vaccination your dog needs and how often. Its important that these are never missed as they help protect your cat against fatal health conditions. You should also spay and neuter your cat from the age of 5 months.
With this, you should also take your cat to the vets for regular check-ups on their health and routine blood tests to ensure that your cat is healthy.
Identification for your cat
If you have an outdoor cat, then you must ensure that they have a safety collar with protected ID. For both indoor and outdoor cats, you should have them microchipped, to help locate them if they become lost. The safety collar should be elastic so if they get caught on anything they are able to break free if necessary.
