As pets, cats are always a great choice, except that they can get a little pricey. Medical expenses, toys, food and cat litter can quickly add up. The following are a few tips that should help you to find more enjoyable, less expensive ways to care for your cat.
Use bitter apple on your electric cords to keep your kitty away from them. If your cat plays with cords, put them up and out of the way, or you can hide them in old paper towel rolls. You can bundle loose cords together and place them inside paper towel rolls. Store electronics when they are not in use rather than leaving them plugged in.
Be sure you show your cat lots of love. They want warm companionship since that’s what they provide to you. Your cat needs to socialize and get plenty of attention from everyone in your family. They want to feel like a contented and satisfied member of the family.
Avoid the chance that your male cat will develop crystals in his system that will come out in his urine by feeding a high quality diet. These crystals can cause a lot of pain to your cat and could end up costing you a lot in medical expenses. Try to find a cat food that has a low level of magnesium. Go over the label carefully. Fish products can have more magnesium when compared to poultry.
Understand that leaving a small kitten together with small children can be dangerous to both. Children under 5 years of age should not be alone with the pet. Kids of this age aren’t old enough to know how dangerous a cat can be. Once the child grows up a little, he might be more able to handle the kitten.
Keep you cat’s old scratching post even if it is beginning to look worn. It’s in this condition that cats tend to love it the most. Something new is not necessarily better for a cat, and it may lead them to scratching the furniture.
Litter Box
Really consider where you place the litter box. You may want to hide it away. It is equally important that the litter box is readily accessible to your cat, though. It has to be a quiet area with little traffic. Keeping litter boxes on cement floors that are cold can be remedied by placing a rug or mat under it.
If your cat is refusing to use his litter box, you should try putting it in a different location. The best place for a litter box is in a secure, quiet area. Cats feel vulnerable when they’re using it, so they want it to be in a place where they feel safe. A basement or laundry area might be a good option.
You may often eat things that are quite bad for cats. These foods include grapes, onions green tomatoes and garlic. If your cat eats these foods, he may become sick or even die. Milk can also upset your cats’ stomach.
Indoor Cats
If you own a declawed cat, do not let it outdoors. They can’t defend themselves against other animals and cats, which can risk injuries or death. Indoor cats are the only ones that you should declaw. With indoor cats, just remove the front claws. A cat’s back claws are not used when scratching furniture, so those can be left.
Cats have a great sense of smell, which helps them easily grasp changes to their environment. This may cause a problem if you give them a new bed, scratching post or food dish. Your cat may not initially appreciate a new pet. Your cat is going to like them more as they acquire your home’s smell.
Brushing your cat more frequently is the most common way to combat hairballs. If it doesn’t work, though, you have other options. Mix in a few pinches of pumpkin into your cat’s food. You can also mix one teaspoon of tuna water in with the pumpkin. Special foods are available to help treat hairballs.
Avoid overfeeding your cat, as that may lead to health concerns in the long-term. Overeating can cause your cat to get very sick, in addition to becoming obese. Monitor your cat’s meal portions, and be sure he is getting a well balanced diet.
Put tape on furniture to seal it up. A little strategically-applied tape can discourage your cat from tearing upholstery and scratching furniture. There is tape available that is specifically designed for this. If you provide a scratching post along with tape-trapping your furniture, you’ll soon have your cat scratching only where you want it to.
Pets can be expensive to care for, and cats are no exception. The care they need is similar to that of children. As you now know, you can curtail the expenses of having cats while you still get to enjoy giving them good care.