A pet cat can be a wonderful addition to your life. They will love you and be there for you every day. Many people bond strongly with their cats and cannot imagine their lives without them. It’s important to provide the best quality of life you can for your cat, to thank them for the companionship they give you, and because when you bring them into your home you are taking responsibility for them.
While movies and television shows make cat care look relatively easy – just open a can of tuna or give them a saucer of milk and they’ll be happy – the reality is a little more complicated than that. There are 7 things to consider when getting a cat that are important to keep them healthy.
Can you prevent health issues in your cat?
Other than considering the following 7 steps to keep your cat healthy you can also prevent health issues in your cat through a DNA cat test that will show in advance possible health issues your cat might develop in the future. This allows you to approach your cat’s health with much more information.
1. High-Quality Cat Bed
You wouldn’t sleep on a bad bed, so why should your cat do so? When it comes time to provide them with a place to sleep, you should get a cat bed that is high quality and will keep them comfortable and warm throughout the year. Most cats love to climb into boxes and other enclosed spaces. Beds such as the Cat Cave give them a place to feel safe and secure. They are also made out of materials such as felted wool, that will keep them warm during the colder months of fall and winter. Remember that a cat is not a dog, who can sleep on a large cushion and be satisfied. Cats need beds specifically aimed at their physical and emotional needs.
2. Love and attention
One of the most important things you can provide to your cat to keep them healthy is love and attention. Just because they may seem more standoffish than dogs doesn’t mean they should be left alone all of the time. Cats show their needs in other ways.
Many of them will become clingy, sick, or destructive if not shown enough attention from their owners. So be sure to cuddle them when they are in the mood, and provide grooming behaviors such as brushing on a regular basis. Talk to them throughout the day, and give them love after you have been gone for a while. Your cat may sleep for 17 hours out of the day and be happy to be left alone while doing so. But when they are awake they need you to show them you care for them.
When relaxing with your cat on the couch you can take advantage of this moment to lightly massage your kitty using your fingers softly and massaging his head and body, avoiding the belly. This will create a bond between you and your kitty and will relax your cat enormously.
3. Biologically Appropriate Wet or Raw Food Diet
Dry, wet or raw food diet? Just like with people, cats do better on a good diet than on a bad one. While there may be many low-cost options for dry and wet cat food available at the store, you should be willing to spend more on cat food so you can provide your animal with the healthiest options.
Canned wet food is great if you don’t have the time or resources to provide them with proper raw food. If you have talked to your veterinarian about a raw food diet, and have access to the food items needed to make sure it is as healthy as possible, you should definitely go that route. If you are doing canned wet food, make sure to read the labels and consider the ingredients. Don’t buy foods that are mostly filler. Get the ones that are made with healthy items instead. If you decide to feed your cat dry food choose a healthy option, mixing your cat’s diet with wet or raw food.
4. Cat Water Fountain
Cats need clean, fresh water every day. This is not negotiable. If you want to keep your cat healthy and help them live a long, happy life, you need to give them clean, fresh water every day. Many cats won’t drink water out of a bowl.
Cats prefer dripping or pouring water from a faucet to standing water in a dish. Gravity water containers may seem like a good idea because they release only a small amount of water at a time and don’t need to be refilled as often as a bowl, but the water inside them can get stale over time. So it isn’t the best choice for your cat. A cat water fountain provides water that is constantly cycling and moving. This keeps it fresher, and also gives an appearance of a natural stream or fountain. Many cats will prefer this to standing water.
5. Natural Flea Treatment
It’s necessary to keep your cat treated for fleas, especially if they go outside on a regular basis. Once you have a flea outbreak in your home it can be very difficult to get rid of them. And an infested cat can easily infest other pets you may have. While there are many flea treatments available at the pet store, you don’t necessarily want to use those. They tend to be full of harsh chemicals that can harm your cat’s skin or make them ill once absorbed. However, in some cases, you won’t have much choice but to use an anti-flea medication if your cat has a severe case of fleas. Once the fleas are eradicated, you should keep your cat flea-free by using more natural options. In the article “How you can tell your cat has fleas?” you can read a real case.
Talk to your veterinarian about natural alternatives to chemical flea treatments and see if they can recommend something viable for you. You can also try talking to other cat owners about what they have used to fight the flea menace. They may have natural solutions to the problem that they can tell you from first-hand experience are effective.
6. Limited Amount Of Kibble
While dry food is often the easiest food to find for your pets, it isn’t always the best food to give them. Sure you can buy a big bag that will last weeks or even a month, but that doesn’t mean it is giving them the nutrition they need. Many kibble foods are full of filler ingredients, such as corn. They can be hard on your cat’s stomach and digestive system. Some cats will even throw up dry food shortly after eating it, because it is making them sick in their stomach. However, kibble is necessary for maintaining good dental health, and so some should be given to your cat on a regular basis. But you need to keep the amount of dry food they ingest small compared to wet food and raw food, or 50%/50%, 70%/30%, etc, in case you choose a healthy dry cat food to feed your feline friend.
7. Proper grooming
While cats seem to be good at self-grooming, you should still pay attention to the state of their coat, claws, and teeth. Medium and long-haired cats can easily get knots in their coats that they can’t handle removing on their own. Brushing them at least once a week can help with this problem. Grooming brushes such as the Laika Pets grooming brush are designed especially for long-haired cats. You may also want to consider shaving them in the summer to help keep them cool and maintain the good quality of their coat.
While cats need their claws to climb and defend themselves, they don’t have to be quite so sharp. You can use specially designed nail clippers to trim their claws every month or so. This will help them grow properly and will also save you from excessive scratches when your cat is playful. Human nail clippers will also do the job, but you’ll need to be careful when you use them so that they don’t crack the claws.
Like humans, cats need their teeth to stay healthy. This may require you to brush your cat’s teeth so they stay in good working order. If you aren’t comfortable doing this yourself, you should check if your vet’s office or a grooming place can do it for you.
About the author:
Emily is an animal lover and content writer at catcaveco.com. She has a passion for writing about pet care & health. Through her writing, she is spreading awareness on how people can live better happier lives with their pets. Till now she has adopted 3 stray cats & always encourages people to adopt animals from shelter homes.
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