Things To Consider When Owning A Cat
Properly training your brand-new cat requires a unique skill-set that no other animal can prepare you for. If you hope for your pet to be well-behaved, house trained, and playful with others, you then need to spend as much time with it as possible and practice the tips you find in the next paragraph. It's not just like a dog that you can leave outside on the chain for weeks.
Check out the shelter when adopting a cat. Shelters have lots of great cats available, and your adoption fee often covers key veterinary services. Going for a cat home with you implies that a life has been saved.
Cats love to play so make sure that you provide them with plenty of toys. Cats enjoy batting around a fake mouse or little ball round the room. Some cats even develop a favorite toy. Using your cat is not only fun, it helps them to obtain exercise too.
Get a pet water fountain. Cats can be prone to dehydration, and running water entices them to drink. It is an evolutionary habit that developed because in the wild, running water is less inclined to be contaminated than a stagnant pool. Your pet will love the water more, and will drink more often.
Keep your cat's coat healthy by giving them a supplement of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast can be an inexpensive supplement that may be found in most health food stores. Simply sprinkle a little bit on your own cat's dry food, or mix it in making use of their wet food. Not only do they love how it tastes, but it's full of protein and vitamins that will keep them looking their best!
Handle your kitten often. The longer your cat is handled as a kitten, the more readily they'll accept being handled when they are grown, especially around their paws. That is important as all cats will need to visit the vet occasionally, and this process is a lot easier and less stressful if the cat is familiar with being handled. It will also make grooming and nail trimming much easier.
While children should help with the care and responsibilities of a cat, leave the litterbox duties to the grownups or older children. A cat's litterbox can carry diseases and parasites. Since youngsters might not follow proper handwashing procedures, this job is better left to those older and more responsible.
Do not try to hold a cat if they are clearly trying to get away. This can not make the cat feel any closer to you and it may prompt them to start avoiding you in the future. Select the cat up gently and lay him across your lap. If you feel him wiggling to obtain away, let him go.
Get your cat accustomed to a carrier. Cats and dogs do not usually respond exactly the same methods to punishment. Cats usually respond well to encouragement. In the carrier, put a popular toy and blanket. Leave it open in an area the cat will see. Eventually, the cat will go into the carrier naturally and feel safe. It's a much easier solution to get the cat in.
Feed a kitten proper food. A developing kitten survives exclusively on their mother's milk for the initial four weeks, a commercial formula if mom isn't around. When moving to regular food, feed them specially formulated kitten food until they reach maturity at age one. Kittens need plenty of protein while they're developing.
Ensure that your new cat is spayed or neutered. This is important even though your cat will not be outdoors or around cats of the contrary gender. Studies show that spayed cats are less susceptible to uterine, mammary, and ovarian cancer. Neutering your male cat decreases his threat of developing prostate cancer. Another advantage of neutering is your cat won't feel compelled to mark his territory by spraying.
Most cats are inclined to wax build-up and ear mites. You can buy a solution at your pet store that will clean out your cats ears. You put a couple of drops in all of your cats ears and hold them closed while massaging them for one minute. When you release, stand back or you will get covered in the liquid whenever your cat shakes its head.
Get your cat all the necessary vaccinations. There are a variety of them and you should talk to your veterinarian about the proper schedule. Most are given at the first stages of a kitten's development, then given annually thereafter. These vaccinations prevent such problems as feline leukemia, rabies and respiratory problems.
Outfit your cat with a tag and collar containing your address, contact number, and name. This should be achieved despite having an indoors cat. The animal could get out. They must be able to get home again.
Your first cat will be your hardest, but the ones that follow will all be pretty difficult aswell. Each cat has its own unique attitude, habits, and back-story. All that that you can do is try your hardest to train them properly and implement the tips you have read above.