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.
To keep your cat healthy and strengthen its bond with you, always set aside lots of play time. Kittens especially need lots of attention, which you can easily give to them through play. Pull a piece of string around for a fun and gentle way to keep a cat entertained for hours!
If you find you cat is harming furniture or other objects, it may be bored. Keep a few safe toys around for your cat to play with. Scratching posts can also deter your cat from scratching your furniture. Or, build a small cat house out of cardboard. Your cat will love having a place to hide, and the cardboard can also be used to scratch on!
Never let a cat become bored. Although you may believe that cats just lie around, this isn’t the case. They need their exercise. But many cat owners ignore that need. Bored cats can become depressed and inactive, causing harm to their well-being. Therefore, ensure your cat has enough space for exercising and playing. You need to provide your cats with something they can climb and scratch.
Pick the right location for your cat’s litter box. Don’t put it close to your cat’s food or in an area that gets too much traffic. Put it in a ventilated area to reduce odors. Your cat will certainly appreciate your efforts, and you will too!
Sometimes children get too excited when playing with a new cat and may mishandle them. Make sure your kids understand how cats should be handled. Spend some time showing them how to lift a cat and how they can interact with the cat. Cats’ bones are more fragile than those of dogs, so they need gentler treatment.
Try to figure out the cause if you find your cat meowing excessively. After living with your cat for long, it’s easier to interpret its meows. Your cat might need food or might want to go out. Pay attention to her cues, and you can understand your cat that much more.
If you have ever given your cat a bath, then you know how much they shiver when it is over. This is because their wet fur provides them with no insulation. You can help your cat out by using your hairdryer to dry the hair fast. Just remember not to hold it too close and burn your cat.
If your cat is bitten by another cat, try to get him to the vet within 24 hours. The vet can put him on antibiotics that will protect him from infection setting in, and causing serious health problems. Cat bites can trap bacteria under your cat’s skin, forming an abscess, or other dangerous infection that can cost you hundreds of dollars to treat later.
Turn out the lights and use a black-light to identify the source of that mystery cat urine smell. Cat pee contains phosphorus, which glows brightly under this type of light bulb. This is especially useful because otherwise you might not be able to see the exact area to be treated. Use a piece of chalk to lightly trace the outline of the stain so you can see it when you turn the regular lights back on.
Never assume that a fence will keep your cat from leaving your yard. Unless the fence is specially designed to keep cats from escaping, it’s safe to say that your cat will find a way out. Also, remember that your fence must be able to keep other animals from entering your backyard and harming your pet.
When dogs are excited or happy, they will wag their tails when they see their owners. Cats wag their tail as well, but have different reasons psychologically. Tail-wagging in a cat usually means a conflict or that they’re deciding to flee or pounce regarding a situation. Likewise, if you are holding your cat, and he suddenly starts to wag his tail, you may need to let him down to avoid swats or scratches to yourself!
When it comes to cat litter, you should scoop out all of the waste on a daily basis. Cats will not use a litter box that is overflowing with waste, and they will start looking for somewhere else to use the bathroom. Change the entire box at least once every few weeks.
The foods you eat might not be very healthy for your pet. Never allow your cat to nibble on garlic, onions or green tomatoes. Grapes, which seem harmless enough, are also a no-no. They can really hurt a cat if ingested. Even though everyone knows that cats love milk, this can actually cause a cat to have an upset stomach.
You should try to keep your cat indoors most of the time since there are many things out there that can hurt them. Poison, injury and disease are just a few of the things that can happen to him. If he needs fresh air, open a screened window and allow him to sit there.
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.
