Tips for Taking Care of your Cat

Feline enthusiasts the world around love to dote on their furry friends. We spoil our cats, talk to them and even treat them like members of the family. They often share our food, sleep in our beds, play with our belongings and treat us like their own personal slaves.

But how much do we really know about the needs of our cats? Taking care of your cat may seem like a fairly straight forward process, but there are many things to be learned about feline health and wellness that you may not be aware of. For happier, healthier pets, consider the following tips for taking care of your cat.

1. Grooming your cat.

Most of the time, your cat will groom himself. Most cats are naturally cleanly and give themselves several baths a day by lapping their fur to clean and smooth it. However, you can also help to keep their fur tidy and shiny by brushing your cats from time to time.

Brushing your cat's fur will help to prevent your cat from getting hair balls which he may otherwise swallow and later cough up. Indoor cats are especially prone to this problem. You can also purchase special cat food for indoor cats that helps prevent fur balls.

Some cats will even find the brushing experience comforting or playful and will look forward to their daily primping session. You can buy a cat brush at most pet stores and some department stores.

2. Keeping your cat physically healthy.

Physical health for cats includes exercise, a healthy diet, regular vet checkups and watching out for their general safety.

As far as exercise, many cats are very active and will happily stay fit of their own accord. However, some cats don't get enough exercise, particularly if they live in an apartment or house and never go outside. To ensure that your indoor cat gets enough exercise, play with him regularly. Some cats like being chased, while others like having toys tossed for them to jump at. You can also encourage play by adding catnip to toys or spraying a scratching post with catnip spray.

A healthy diet for any cat should consist mainly of a good, quality cat food, whether dry or wet. Choose a trusted brand name and choose the food appropriate for your cat's age. Kittens have nutritional requirements that are not important for adult cats, just as mature cats will need specially formulated food that is not necessary for younger adults.

You should also avoid feeding human food to your cats most of the time as it can be harmful to them. However, if you do want to share a treat with your cat, be sure to choose something that is safe for cats to eat such as boiled, plain rice or plain cooked chicken without any bones.

Regular checkups at the veterinarian's office are also important for the general health of your cat. A vet will ensure that your cat has all the necessary shots and vaccinations as well as worming tablets, flea treatment and anything else your cat may require. Cats should also be spayed or neutered, which not only prevents them from reproducing, but also can lengthen their lifespan. Most cats should see the vet every six months, or every year at the least.

3. In case of emergency.

Most of your cat's health concerns can be taken care of at home. But should your cat ever have an emergency, you should take it to the vet immediately.

If your cat is acting unusually lethargic or dizzy you should immediately take it to the vet. The same is true if you can see your cat's third eyelids. These eyelids only show when your cat has an infection or some other type of illness. The cat's eyes will appear cloudy, or sometimes appear to be drooping closed, even when the cat is not sleepy.

Another emergency scenario is if your cat has consumed something poisonous or otherwise detrimental to their health. There are many human foods that are poisonous to cats, such as garlic, onions, chocolate and alcohol. Cats should also never consume any kind of human medication. Cats who swallow string or thread can also be in danger because the material can become tangled up with their intestines, sometimes making surgery necessary.

4. Keeping your cat emotionally healthy.

An emotionally happy cat lives in an environment where it has plenty of room to play, whether only inside, or both inside and outside the house. Play is a very important part of a cat's emotional health.

Cats love to run, jump, roll and play. Most cats, even older ones, will engage in kitten-like play with you if you simply spend a few minutes a day tossing them a toy to catch or chase, or dangling something for them to bat and claw at. If your cat often plays with toys alone, don't assume that they aren't also interested in playing with you. Cats should have plenty of play time with their owners as well as on their own. They get lonely just like humans do and will feel neglected if you don't spend time with them.

Besides toys, you can also keep your cats happy by giving them scratching posts, climbing platforms, tunnels and other playground-like items. Most cats really enjoy playing in cardboard boxes too.

If you let your cat play outside, make sure that you live in an area where there is not a lot of traffic. While some cats learn to be wary of cars on the road, some may never realize the danger they are in. It's best to keep cats indoors if you live near busy roads.

You should also ensure that your outdoor cats are safe from predators. Some wild animals will attack cats if they get the chance, so the best way to avoid this happening is to only let your cats out during daylight. If you are particularly concerned about your cat's safety outdoors, you may want to consider putting up an enclosure so that your cat can experience the best of both worlds.

4. Correcting cat behaviour problems.

Behavioural problems can be a great frustration to many cat owners. Cats are notoriously more difficult to train than dogs, and because of this, many people don't even try to train their cats at all. But there are certain things you can do to easily train your cat.

For instance, cats love routine. If you feed them at the same time every day, a cat who begs will soon learn to only ask for food around the time that they are normally fed.

Some other behaviour problems that are easy to correct include scratching furniture and going to the bathroom on the carpet. If a cat is constantly scratching your furniture, you probably need to get him a scratching post and some toys. Cats like to discover things so don't point out new toys to them--let them find them on their own and they are more likely to lose interest in the couch.

A cat will sometimes go to the bathroom on the carpet if he is lonely, bored or even unsure of where the litter box is. Keep the litter box in the same place all the time and reward your cat for using it appropriately. If your cat does have an accident, be sure to clean it up immediately and disinfect it. The chemical smell will help to keep your cat from wanting to use that spot again.

These are just a few of the many things you can do to keep your cat healthy and happy so that he'll live a long and fulfilled life as well loved your pet.