Taking Good Care of Your Cat

May 10, 2011 by  
Filed under Pets

Steve Peters asked:


When you get a cat, it can be thought of as both a pet and a friend. If you plan on your cat living for many years, make sure you are knowledgeable in the proper care of cats.

Before getting one from the pet store or animal shelter, be sure to have a bed, dish bowl and litter box ready. Cats will wander around both within and outside your house, so you should ensure that your cat has a collar with your contact information so that your neighbors will know where to return your cat should they come across it.

Another option is to insert a microchip under their skin. Aside from using it merely to identify the cat if it gets lost, it also has another purpose which is a flea deterrent because it has a chemical that helps keep these parasites away.

The best made cat foods are the only ones you should purchase for your pet. Meat, fish or poultry are a good source of rich protein for these. Kibble.and canned versions are both available, and nutritionalists generally believe that, to prevent an addiction to one kind of food, they should be mixed.

One thing you must never feed a cat is chocolate because it has certain chemicals that could be fatal for them. 

Additionally, you can enhance your cat’s diet with vitamins that contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Taurine, which is considerd a vital amino acid.

Don’t forget to bring your cat at least once a year to the vet. This is to check on your pet’s state of health as well as giving the annual vaccinations. You should know that the older the cat gets, such visits to the vet should be done every 6 months because they also get old.

Even without an appointment, you should visit the vet if you are convinced something is not quite right. Keep in mind that for handling cats, this is a specialized professional.

Keep their nails short to avoid scratching to hard and injuring themselves and you. Since they love to scratch and this may cause damage to your furniture, make sure to also have a scratch pad nearby positioned by their bed or the furniture.

If your cat is a house cat, he should remain inside at all times. When you go out, remember to lock all of your windows and doors.

Quality care throughout your cat’s life can help him live for over ten years.

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