How To Keep Your Pet Cat Healthy And Happy
There is a lot that goes into taking care of a cat. If you're a first time cat owner, or even if you've had a cat for a while, this article can help you out. Read over it carefully and you should have no problem taking better care of your cats. Your home likely has no small spaces a curious cat won't want to investigate. A collar can be a dangerous thing to wear in such a place. A collar that is a breakaway model will detach itself if it gets pulled on. Purchasing one could be the difference between whether your cat lives or dies when he gets stuck. Give your cats easier access to a window in order to keep your curtains from getting scratched. Putting vertical blinds up will allow the easiest access for your cat, but if you need to keep your curtains, use a lightweight rod that will fall if your cat attempts to climb the curtains. It will keep both your curtains and your cat safe. Cats are hunters by nature. They love to chase mice and other small animals and insects. Buying little fuzzy mice filled with catnip and batting them around with your cat is a great idea. Your cat will feel as though they are really hunting prey. This will also help you to connect with your cat better. Cats are frequently nocturnal in their habits. Thus, the bulk of their activity will occur at night. If your kittens are keeping you awake into the middle of the night, close the door to your bedroom. It also protects your toes from those crafty midnight pounces. When training a cat, take the proper approach. Encouragement works better than anger. If you are trying to teach a kitten to use a litterbox, for instance, yelling will only frighten a small cat. When the cat starts to go outside the box, gently place them in the box so they learn. If you want a cat that is well-behaved and not prone to biting and scratching, make sure that you do not try to adopt one when it is too young. It takes 12-16 weeks for a kitten to learn proper cat behavior from their mom and all of their siblings. Make sure that there are enough litter boxes in your home for all of the cats that are staying there. It is optimal to have one litter box for each cat. If you live in a home that has a lot of floors, there should be one on each floor for each cat. If you have a kitten, a very important part of raising him is to get him socialized. This means making sure he is comfortable in many situations. These include: handling by humans, grooming and nail care, vet visits, and other social situations. The time to do this is between ten and twelve weeks of age. When getting a small kitten to eat dry kitten food, be patient. At first they usually just play with food. It may take a little while, but they'll eventually learn that they are supposed to eat it rather than toy with it. If the food is moistened first with milk, a kitten may take to it faster. Pay attention if your cat suddenly stops using the litter box properly. It may be the sign of an underlying medical issue. Cats can show this behavior if they have a type of urinary tract infection or other health issue. Some inexpensive antibiotics can clear up a potentially dangerous illness. If your cat is bitten by another cat, try to get him to the vet within 24 hours. The vet can put him on antibiotics that will protect him from infection setting in, and causing serious health problems. Cat bites can trap bacteria under your cat's skin, forming an abscess, or other dangerous infection that can cost you hundreds of dollars to treat later. Make sure you provide adequate space to a cat that is about to give birth. The birth process can last up to four hours, which means you must exercise patience. If you believe your cat is still giving birth after six hours, you should immediately drive to the vet's office. There are certain foods that you might eat everyday that are not healthy for your cat. Refrain from serving onions or garlic, as these foods are too strong for your cat. If your cat eats these foods, he may become sick or even die. In addition, milk can also upset your cat's stomach. Kittens should never be taken from their mothers before they are eight to ten weeks old. During this time, kittens learn most of their social and instinctive behaviors, and removing them from the mother too soon can cause future behavioral issues the mother cat could have taught them had they not been removed too early. Laser Pointer A great toy for your cat is a laser pointer. Cats love to chase the laser around and try to catch it. This will help you give your cat some exercise, while your cat is having fun at the same time. It will also help to fine-tune their hunting skills. Now you can probably see that there is quite a bit that goes into working with cats. It isn't difficult, but it can be time consuming. Take everything you've gone over here and things won't be all that difficult for you. Good luck and enjoy taking care of your pet!