Every new pet owner must learn as many cat care tips as possible for obvious reasons. These tips will make life easier for the human as the primary caretaker of the cat and for the cat as one of man’s companion in the house. In essence, man and feline will benefit from taking care of each other.
Don’t despair if you feel that there seems to be too many things to remember about caring for your cat. Actually, cats are one of the easiest animals to take care of than, say, dogs. Just remember these easy-to-follow tips and you should be a well-loved pet owner among your community of felines.
Handling
Let’s start with these cat care tips on handling since it is one of the most overlooked aspects of pet ownership. We have this notion that cats are physically resilient creatures that can land on their feet even when thrown from the top of a skyscraper and, hence, can be handled any which way possible.
Well, not so. When picking up your cat, place one hand under the hindquarters and another hand behind the front legs before lifting gently. Picking a cat up by the scruff of its neck or by its front legs is not advisable.
Feeding
Next in importance of the cat care tips is feeding your pet. Just like humans, cats thrive best on a healthy diet although the kinds of food provided for these species are different in most cases. Thus, you must not feed your cat table scraps since there are human foods that cause severe side effects in felines including chocolate.
Instead, we recommend feeding your pet high-quality cat food in either its dry or wet forms depending on the nutritional needs. A saucer of milk may cause diarrhea so try to limit its feeding to cats. Packaged treats are also good but since these items are rich in sugar and fat, don’t go overboard.
Depending on the cat’s age, you can feed it one to four meals a day. For example, a 6-week-old kitten can be feed 4 small meals a day while an adult cat can thrive on one large meal daily.
Moving the Bowels
And since we are on the topic of food, you must also remember certain cat care tips related to moving the waste products from the feeding sessions. All indoor cats must have their own litter box that must then be placed in a quiet but still accessible location like a utility room.
Cats are hygienic creatures. As such, pooping on a messy, smelly and unclean litter box is a big no-no for felines, which can lead to pooping on other areas of the house. To avoid these accidents, always make sure to scoop out the solid wastes at least once a day, to clean the box with a mild detergent and to refill the box at least once in a week.
Of course, you must regularly comb the cat’s fur; check for parasites on the ears, eyes and skin; and provide for playtime and physical activity. You will soon realize that the cat care tips encountered during your pet ownership are easy to follow even when you have a busy schedule.