Cats are constant companions wherever humans choose to live, whether they’re kept as pets or left to fend for themselves in the streets. In most cities, a massive feline population exists split evenly between feral outdoors cats and well-kept household pets. Getting to know a cat’s needs and taking great care of it can help your cat to have a fantastic life.

If you plan on getting a cat for a pet, try looking into a local shelter. Shelters have great pets available for adoption, and the fee isn’t that high. Adopting a cat this way helps to save their life and cut down on unwanted animal births.

TIP! Your cat needs to be groomed properly. Cats require frequent brushing or combing.

Your cat will want to climb into small spaces. If your cat gets caught on something wearing a traditional collar they could end up hurting their neck trying to break free. A breakaway collar is a good option since it will break if your cat pulls on it. This will help you save your cat’s life.

Have your cat see a vet frequently to keep good health. They need a routine check-up every year, maybe more of important shots are necessary. Cats should see a vet right away if any health problems or injuries needing treatment occur.

Keeping cats from a counter really can be tough. A cat will naturally want to be high enough to view everything around them. To help prevent your cat from doing this, you can establish tall places specifically for your cat. If you place a cat tower around the kitchen area, they may be less likely to lay on your counters.

TIP! A heated tile can be positioned beneath the bed of a mature cat. Just heat a one-foot square terra cotta tile in your oven at about 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Being nocturnal is quite normal for cats. This means that they will usually be quite active at night. Keep your bedroom door shut if your cats make too much noise at night. This will ensure they don’t pounce on you at nighttime, or wake you up in other ways.

Avoid bladder crystals and stones by feeding high quality food. Passing such crystals is a painful experience for your cat, and your wallet isn’t going to enjoy the vet bill. Make sure your cat’s food is not high in magnesium. Check the label. Poultry-based foods are generally lower in magnesium than fish.

Many times, cat meds can be purchased on the internet for less than they’d cost if you got them from your vet. Naturally, some stuff won’t be available online. But, if your cat is on a regular medication, you can save quite a bit by buying it online.

TIP! Cats love to play on kitchen counters, and it can be hard to break them of the habit. If your cat is high, he can see everything that is going on.

Put your cat’s food on a tablecloth. Often, a cat will remove food from his bowl to eat on the side. This creates extra work since you must then clean up the leftover loose food. There are two ways to do this. You can either put a placemat under the food bowl or use some stray fabric that you have lying around. Either way, you can easily get rid of debris by dumping them in the garbage.

Avoid spending too much time trying to train your cat to utilize its litter box. This should come naturally for your cat. You cannot teach it to do this. Certain techniques, such as rubbing the paws of your cat in the litter could actual traumatize your cat.

Acclimate your cat to a cat carrier. While punishment is a good strategy to train dogs, it is not adapted to cats. Encouragement is more likely to get them to respond. Put their favorite toy and blanket in a carrier. Leave it somewhere they always go to. After some time, your cat will respond better to the carrier. A cat who is used to a carrier will not mind traveling, meaning it will be a much less stressful experience for them.

TIP! Think about getting a microchip for your feline friend. Your pet may be an indoor cat, but that doesn’t mean it’ll never dash through your door or slide outside via an open window.

If you offer a variety of foods to your cat, it will be less picky about what it eats. Keeping the same kind of food around most of the time makes it to where they only want that specific food.

You need to buy some quality food for your cat. Check out the ingredients, and make sure it includes protein, such as meat, as the first item in the list. Try avoiding foods that have non-protein elements like corn. Because cats are carnivores, their diet need only consist of a good source of protein.

It should now be possible for you to come out of your house and fight any stray cats that are trying to invade your yard. Cats are very loving creatures, once you get to know them. Cats need to be handled carefully, as they are sensitive. You may even discover a stray cat that makes you smile!