Cats are amazing animals and some of the most interesting domesticated friends humans can have. Cats are very common house pets and there are many in the streets when active. It may be difficult to live with a cat for the first time. Such intelligent, quick animals can be stubborn and need special techniques.
Putting a warm tile beneath the bed of an older cat will help it rest comfortably. Bake a one-foot tile made from terra cotta in the oven at 200 degrees F for around 15 to 20 minutes. Use an old towel to wrap it up safely before placing it beneath your cat's favorite napping spot. Switch towels every few hours if you need to.
When your female cat is old enough, you should have her spayed. This is true even if you think your cat is indoors only. One escape can lead to a lot of small kittens around! A spayed cat is a safe cat.
Electrical Cords
Spray electrical cords with some bitter apple to prevent cats from getting electrocuted. If your cat still insists on chewing your cords, try to cover as many of them as possible. An inexpensive way to hide electrical cords is to thread them through used paper towel rolls. Put away electronics that have tempting, thin cords when you're not using them.
Think about getting a microchip implanted in your cat. Even an indoor cat could someday jump through an open window. Tags and collars are great, but they don't always stay on your cat. They can also be a risk, should they get snagged on something. Microchips are as tiny as a piece of rice and will tell people where the cat belongs. Many vets and shelters have scanners that can read these chips and since they lie under their skin, they won't get lost.
Don't allow your cat to get bored too often. They need exercise and they get it through play. This is sadly overlooked by some cat owners. Bored cats can develop depression and other harmful health conditions. Give them time and space where they can exercise and toys they can play with. If you have an indoor cat, provide a kitty gym for them to climb on or a scratching post.
If you need cat medication, consider searching online instead of using your veterinarian in order to find a better deal. In some situations, you may not have the choice to purchase meds over the Internet, such as a health emergency. Most of the time, you will get great discounts if you purchase on the web.
Keep smaller children away from pets as they are typically too aggressive. Teach your kids the right way to hold a cat. Give them examples of how to be gentle with it and what should and should not be done. Cats should be handled more gently since their bones are more fragile than those of dogs.
Place a "tablecloth" under your cat's food bowl. Cats often like to remove food from their bowl to eat it off to the side. If this occurs, you will have a mess on your hands. Place a piece of fabric or a place-mat under your cat's bowl and then simply shake it over a garbage can for quick and easy clean up.
Feed your cat a few different varieties of food. This can help him not get too finicky. If you start them off eating the same type of food all of the time and you never change it up, this will most likely be the only food they will eat in the future.
Feed your cat high-quality cat food. Check out the ingredients, and make sure meat tops the list. Some foods contain a lot of fillers like corn products, don't buy those. Cats are carnivores and must have a lot of animal protein for proper nutrition and better health.
New cats are sometimes not welcomed in the home. Do not expect an instant friendship. Instead, look for them to hide frequently, hiss and possibly even become physical with each other. But, eventually, they will get used to the idea, and begin to tolerate, and even enjoy, each other's company.
If a cat urinates often or in odd places, it should probably go see the vet. This behavior may be indicative of an infection of the urinary tract or some other issue. A quick course of antibiotics can head off dangerous complications if you get your cat diagnosed and treated early enough.
If the cat stops using their litter box all of a sudden, keep an eye on this. When cats are suffering from something, they may end up going to the restroom randomly outside of their box. This is especially true if the cat has kidney or bladder problems. Talk to the vet when your cat goes to the bathroom where they shouldn't.
Avoid using phenol-containing chemicals if you have cats. The chemical is most often found in pine cleaners. Not only is the smell offensive to cats, but exposing them to this chemical for prolonged periods of time can lead to problems with their liver.
If you were home all the time when you first adopted your cat and are now going to be out of the home, your cat might get lonely without you there. Get another cat if you would like to be certain your cat isn't bored.
Keeping your cat in control will be a breeze when you use the information in this article. It is possible to train a cat. Cats are not easily trained, but it is possible.