Although cats make great pets, they can be expensive. Vet expenses, toys, food and litter all add up to a significant amount. Read on to find out what it takes to care for your cat.
Contact local shelters if you want to adopt a cat. Shelters have great pets available for adoption, and the fee isn’t that high. You’re literally saving their life.
Spay your cat as soon as she is old enough. This is true even if you think your cat is indoors only. One escape can lead to a lot of small kittens around! If your cat has been spayed, however, you won’t have to worry about this happening.
Don’t allow your cat to get bored too often. Cats require physical activity. But, too many cat owners fail to realize this. Cats who get bored can actually become depressed or display other undesirable behaviors. Make sure you give them lots of toys and room to play. Indoor cats will be happier if you provide them with climbing resources and practical things such as scratching posts.
Most cats prefer to be mostly nocturnal. They are often active at nighttime. Keep your bedroom door shut if your cats make too much noise at night. This will keep them from pouncing on you and trying to play in the middle of the night.
Give your cat lots of attention and love. Cats give us a lot of love, and they deserve to be loved back. Like humans, a cat has to be around people in order to feel special. They need to feel as though they are an important part of the family, as well.
Though a veterinarian will almost always have a supply of medications that your cat needs, it can be more cost-effective to purchase them from online venues. In an emergency, this won’t be much help, of course. If you regularly need to buy pet medication, you can get a savings of up to 50 percent online.
Place a “tablecloth” under your cat’s food bowl. It’s a common practice for cats to eat their food on the side of their bowl. That can mean a bigger mess for you to clean. It’s easier to clean up this food by purchasing a placement and inserting it under your cat’s food bowl, or you could simply cut some fabric and make it into a tablecloth so you can easily pick up the food and throw it away.
Do not punish your cat if they make a mess in the area outside of the litter box. They’re doing it because the box is too dirty, or they may be sick. Punishing the cat will only make him afraid to be around you in the future.
Scratching Post
Although you might find its appearance unappealing, don’t toss a scratching post when it’s getting particular worn and frazzled. The cats loves it the most in this condition. Your cat might not want to use the new scratching post and start ruining your furniture instead.
Buy your cat a fountain to drink from. In the wild, cats prefer running water to drink from, and they do in the home as well. Streaming water is your best bet. In fact, many cats like to drink from a running faucet instead of drinking from their water bowls. So a drinking fountain makes a smart investment that’s both environmentally friendly and loved by your feline.
Feeding your cat the proper canned food is ideal. Dry food is usually cheaper, but canned food boasts a number of benefits. Canned food generally provides more nutrients, protein and fat as well as liquids. For aging cats, it is also easier to chew. Go ahead and talk to your vet, but canned food is favorable for cats.
Caring for your cat is fun but it can also be a lot of work. Taking care of your cat can sometimes feel like looking after a child. As you have learned here, there are ways you can make caring for your cat easier and more fun.